Rhys’ New Foods List – October

October was a BIG month for new foods! 10/4 Pork Fillet w/ French Mustard - I've had pork before, of course, but it was here that I began to truly appreciate mustard. 10/5 Khmer Amok - An odd dish in a bowl made out of leaves. It had all sorts of vegetables and small meaty … Continue reading Rhys’ New Foods List – October →

Thoughts on Cambodia and Thailand

Since I still owe ya'll my impressions on Thailand, I figured for once I'd wrap up two countries in one post. We're spending the night in Bangkok with an amazing Couchsurf lady and looking forward to our trip to Japan tomorrow! Thailand Thailand was probably the most built-up country I've been to thusfar. Everyone who … Continue reading Thoughts on Cambodia and Thailand →

Tuol Sleng & The Killing Fields – Ghosts, Graves, Genocide

(**WARNING: Graphic, Long**) Yesterday was an incredibly full day, with a trip to the Royal Palace, the Russian market, and a great deal of drinking in the evening. I wish to cover none of that, though the reason for drinking may become clear anyway. Yesterday, all of our emotional time was invested in two places … Continue reading Tuol Sleng & The Killing Fields – Ghosts, Graves, Genocide →

Last Days at New Futures

Spending time with the children here has been a favorite experience of my life. (Boy, that sentence is clunky...) They are eager to spend time with anyone and eager to share what they know and what they do. Many people here are excited to see a foreigner. For the last two days, I've ridden a … Continue reading Last Days at New Futures →

Further Adventures in Takeo

The local festival was great! Centered around a Buddhist temple in a rural Cambodian field, the festival was a mixture of cultural celebration and old-fashioned carnival. On one side, you had a group of monks and praying villagers, and on the other you had a midway of darts, balloons, and busy food stalls. There were … Continue reading Further Adventures in Takeo →

New Futures Orphanage

Saturday morning, Indi and I awoke and waited. We were both excited (I was a bit nervous, too) about heading to the orphanage to meet the kids. This was unlike anything I'd ever done before. After some uncertain waiting around, we left for the orphanage at about 1:00. It isn't a long walk, takes about … Continue reading New Futures Orphanage →

Cambodian Bus Journey

5:30 – Awake 6:30 – Downstairs for a baguette breakfast 6:45 - Goodbye to the friendly staff at the Sawasdee Angkor Hotel in Siem Reap & minivan to the bus station. 7:15 – Arrival at bus station, which is a loose term. More like a line of old buses in the mud next to the … Continue reading Cambodian Bus Journey →

Wrapping Up Angkor

[I had written this prior to Indi's post, and she posted before I could complete my three-part series on Angkor Wat. My OCD nature went haywire, but she had a fantastic post so I couldn't argue. Here is the conclusion of our temple viewing at Angkor.] We took Monday off and spent it as shut-ins … Continue reading Wrapping Up Angkor →

Next Steps & New Futures

Rhys has touched on this theme a little bit, but I want to expound on it a little more and use it to explain our next destination. Siem Reap is, at its heart, a tourist city. It knows the vast majority of foreigners here have travelled from far and wide to view the majesty of … Continue reading Next Steps & New Futures →

Angkor Wat – Day Two

Our second day of templing started at a more reasonable 8:30 AM and started with a long tuk-tuk drive out of town to the temple of Banteay Srei, a little over 30 km away. The drive was beautiful, lined with small Cambodian villages and lush rice fields. This was the first time I saw anyone … Continue reading Angkor Wat – Day Two →