Siem Reap, Cambodia

We spent three days in Cambodia, and I am posting this very late! Summary of highlights: Day 1 -- Biking 50km past houses on stilts on roads of red clay; Dave climbing a sugar palm ladder; Watching a woman stir the sugar from the palm -- the process is much like maple syrup preparation; Riding past women chopping and drying manioc by the roadside; Hiking 4 km to visit a reclining Buddha carved into mountaintop and "a thousand lingas"--symbols of male and female united; Utter, happy exhaustion and a swim in the pool at our luxury hotel!

Day 2 – Tours of Angkor Wat (the largest, most famous temple in Cambodia, from around 900 A.D.), Angkor Thom (fabulous faces of Buddha), Ta Prohm (trees growing on the temple ruins--this is where Angelina Jolie was filmed in the Lara Croft Tombraider movie); The Buddha blessing--water splashed on our heads by a Buddhist monk until we were utterly drenched; afternoon downtime--much needed; Night Market--lots of shops and restaurants downtown; Fish eating the dead skin on Wink's and my feet (lots of giggling).

Day 3 – We took a van ride to a silk farm, where we learned about all of the steps in making silk, from growing the mulberry orchard for feeding the silkworms to spinning, dying, and weaving. We also purchased some beautiful scarves and other items. Then we hopped on our bikes and hit a roadside stand that sells fried crickets and cockroaches. We all tried a cricket! Our biking was fun, taking us past beautiful canals, rice paddies, and water buffalo. We came across a bunch of kids swimming and doing flips into the canal, which was fun. In the afternoon, Scott and I both had the "four hands" massage at our hotel. I'm not sure I can ever go back to two hands! It was awesome! Flew to Hanoi in the evening.