This year, my Christmas and New Years were spent with elephants, monkeys, temples and sunshine on a 17-day backbacking adventure through Southeast Asia. The Deets: We flew into Bangkok, bussed down to the beach island of Koh Pha Ngan, bussed back again and flew to Siem Reap, Cambodia. From there we bussed to the capital, Phnom Penh, and flew to our final destination - Vientiane, Laos. The Favs: On planes, buses and tuk-tuks (three-wheeled motorcycles with little carriages for passengers) throughout the trip, my friends and I recapped our favorite highlights in a growing number of categories, so it only seems right to describe the trip this way. - Favorite Place: Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Hands down. It fuses the laid-back pace of Southeast Asia with hip restaurants, nightlife and wonderful people. One night as we were
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