Thursday, Mar. 30 (week 10 / day 67) Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Angkor Wat

A hot sunny day of temple-going here in Cambodia. It wore us out but we covered a lot of cool ground! This may not have been Cannon's favorite days: hot, tired & always wondering if this was our last temple, but it was specially planned for Paul who has wanted to see this place for a long time!

 

Mid-trip Haircut

When we got back to the hotel, Paul got his hair cut right across the street from our place. It only cost $2 & the young barber was confused & then shocked to get a $1 dollar tip!

A Cambodian Circus

This was cooler than it sounds. No animals. Just acrobatic performers from an art school. They told the clever story of the different perspective of the Cambodian reaction to the storms of life compared to the typical tourists (wearing white masks). It was quite entertaining! They handed out fans to everyone although it wasn't that hot under the big top (the popcorn wasn't free). It was quite a small arena so even the top row was close enough to enjoy the show.

Wednesday, Mar. 29 (week 10 / day 66) Thailand to Cambodia

Travel Day

fly from Chiang Mai to Bangkok then on to Siem Reap, Cambodia

 

The day rolled along pretty well without any major glitches. We did have a small panic when we needed our departure cards to get out of Thailand at the Bangkok airport. Each card is specifically stamped with the date of entry; not sure what they do when people lose those. Paul thought he left them in his backpack which we had just checked on at the counter! He looked again & found them in Cannon's bag, phew! In Camodia, they staple them into your passport. Good idea. In fact, the Cambodians are full of good ideas. Too good. They've learned how to extract a lot of cash from the tourists.

Everyone, even if you're visiting for 1 day, has to apply for a tourist visa (usually for >30 days!). $32 per person is a little hefty, especially x7! They take your passport when you pay, then you join the crowd at the other end of the counter as the processing officials work the assembly line. The last guy is sorting through the passports, holds one up, tries to find you in the mass & may hand it or toss it to you, depending on how close you're squished in. Not fun. I waited for 7 of them while the Stacia & the kids sat & rested. Luckily customs was nothing but putting your form in a pile!

waiting in the Chiang Mai airport for our 1st flight

Air Asia is the budget airline of Southeast Asia

we made it to Cambodia!

a casual walk from the plane to the visa/customs building

tuk tuk ride to our hotel

our small hotel, we used 3 of the 4 rooms

our host on the left, Stacia making travel arrangements

 

dinner at our hotel, Angkor Betel

breakfast the next morning: a fried egg, baby bananas, coconut balls & corn on the cob