The rest of our stay in Paris really was fun. We ate ridiculously good food and wandered the smaller streets away from the worst of the crowds. One afternoon Dad played a game of pick-up basketball with a group of Senegalese and met an Albanian guy named Philippe who recommended the restaurant Bouteille d’Or on the Rive Gauche with a view of the flying buttress end of Notre Dame. The restaurant turned out to be everything he promised, and more. The scenery was beautiful, the food was exquisite and there was a cat sleeping under one of the tables. Mom and I passed up the Louvre for the Jardin des Plantes, a massive botanical garden/ zoo/ natural history museum/ photo gallery/ traditional French garden. I could have spent days there. Depending on the weather, I definitely ... read more

This was my last day in Cambodia, a 37 hour day by my calculations. I was not a math major, so if I'm off don't be surprised. I left Phnom Penh just after noon, but arrived in Seattle at 2pm the same day. It felt like more than a 37 hour day. Being back in Seattle is a bit odd, and definately cold. I had my first warm shower in a month - only crazy people want hot water in Cambodia. There was one tourist at our hotel in Siem Reap, he was complaining to one of the women who worked there how the hot water in his room didn't work. I tried hard not to laugh out loud at him. Cold showers are the only relief I could get from the heat. The last thing ... read more

I ended up getting a bad cold, or perhaps a flu on our last day at Siem Reap and was miserable on the six hours bus ride back to Phnom Penh. I was happy to be going back to the comfort of Anisa's apartment though, and she took very good care of me. We were planning on turning right back around and leaving for the northeast, Krachie or Ratnakiri, but my cold got in the way. We decided to rest in town for a couple days and decide later. I just wasn't up for the twelve hour bus ride and I doubt Anisa was looking forward to it either. Hanging out in town included multiple trips to Psar Toul Tom Pong to buy kramas and other gifts. I also accompanied Anisa to the Intercontinental Hotel where ... read more

Today we found my favorite temple: Banteay Srey. It's an hour away by tuk tuk, and I wouldn't want to try that bumpy road perched on the back of a moto after the Bokor experience. Since I suppose most of my readers don't have the Cambodian Lonely Planet handy, and the book can put it much better than I, I'm including a quote here: "Banteay Srei is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. Considered by many to be the jewel in the crown of Angkorian art, the temple is cut from stone of a pinkish hue and includes some of the finest stone carving seen anywhere on the planet... Banteay Srei means "Citidel of the Women" and it is said that it must have been built by a woman, as the elaborate carvings are too fine ... read more

I'm glad we waited a couple weeks instead of coming here first thing. The anticipation has been building and it was well worth the wait. Anisa suggested going to see sunrise over Angkor Wat, the main temple, which sounded like a wonderful idea to me. I didn't realize that if we watched the sunrise at 6am we would have to leave town in our tuk tuk at 5am, which meant waking up around 4"3O am. It was easier than I thought it would be and was a pleasure to be up at that hour since it's not swelteringly hot and humid at 5am. 7am is another matter. That sun is strong. The temples. I'm not sure I can put them into words. I tried to write in my journal earlier and came up with lots of ... read more