Mind Blowing Angkor Wat, Cambodia

6th till 11th February...

Where is this year going???...

Wow...spine tingling..mind blowing..breathtaking Angkor Wat, the world's largest Hindu temple, stands mangnificiently in an estate in Siem Reap.

Angkor..meaning city, Wat ..meaning temple, was built in the 12th Century under the rule of King Suryavarman II. Each and every stone has carvings and has travelled at least 70km to this site. The effort, the intricacies and size is just overwhelming.

We hired a guide for a 3 day tour of the site which includes many other temples in the region; Bayon in Angkor Thom which has 54 face towers of the Lord Buddha, The ruins featured in Tomb Raider, the island temple...and many more. As you can tell, we were templed out by the last day, our enthusiasm wary, and happy to relax in the small town of Siem Reap and indulged in foot massages, yummy ginger tea and scrumptious Amok ( curry served in a coconut ).

Off to bustling Bangkok on 11th February...

Enticing Vietnam....

31st January till 6th February..

So we land in Ho Chi Minh City with limited expectations but duly impressed as we are greeted by more festivities, this time, the Moon Festival.

Our taxi takes us straight to District 1 where our hotel lies on the banks of the River Saigon. As we later find out, a very biased view of Vietnam.

Wide streets, packed with motorcyclists who pile on families of 4..yes..all 4 members on one bike...holding on tightly to babies who wear masks to cover their mouths and miniature sunglasses...definitely a sight to remember..

Horns honking loudly...as we dodge non stop traffic to cross the roads...
for some reason, noone takes note of pedestrian crossings...
and we soon learn that the trick is to just keep walking.... and pray...hehehe

Surrounded by shiny shopping plazas...roads lined with versace..gucci...
endless rows of art galleries, restaurants, souvenirs ....
and then out pops a coconut seller..who catches you unaware and demands you try his coconut water, whilst balancing 2 baskets on one bamboo stick..
the infamous vietnamese hats ( cones ) ...providing shade to the many..
the elegant long tunics with long baggy trousers in all shades of silk..their national costume...
Getting used to the Vietnamese currency, Dong.(24000 Dong to the pound)
Yes, just withdrew over a million Dong!!!
I can only say Ho chi Minh is truly a sight to remember...

However, I will always remember....
Ben Thanh Market...selling local vietnamese delicacies..I'm sure I spotted snakes in jars of oil...yikes....
The War Remnants musuem depicting tales of the Vietnam War which lasted 17 years.
The impressive Chu Chi Tunnels, a 3 floor system of underground tunnels providing shelter and a means of escape during the Vietnam War.
The colourful and unusual Cao Tai temple in Tay Ninh, who believe in combining the beliefs of all religions and uses the eye as a symbol for prayer.

oh...and of course bumping into a lovely American couple who I met in Guatemala...what a small world...

and off we fly to Siem Reap..Cambodia..

Beautiful Bali

.. 26th till 30th January..

Bali now seems a lifetime away...but oh..what a pleasant surprise..
apart from the fact I landed on Chinese New Year..with festivities in full swing..
that's right...fire works...dragon dances...
my parents were at the airport with open arms...and quite frankly glad to see me in one piece after my Latin American adventures...hehehehe..

So we fully indulged in the food...trying the local delicacies of Nasi Goreng..Nasi Ayam...and more Nasis..( rice in Indonesian)..

..oh...the mangosteens..rambutans...watermelons...Coconuts...local fruits..

But I guess the funniest part...and quite impressive at that too..was mum, dad and I speaking our forgotten language...which I apparently studied for 5 years...Bahasa Melayu..which is very close to Bahasa Indonesian..... and you would never think so..

I guess it all comes back to you when you are in the atmosphere...
.. Sangat Panas lah... ( it's very hot )
.. Kurang Sikit .lah ..( reduce the price..lah)..hehehe..
... Apa itu... ( what's that)

and this is just for Aisha.... Why you so like that one lah...hehehehe..

The highlights were definitely...

wandering around Uluwatu temple...without glasses...as we walked in fear of the monkeys..hehehe..
watching the unusual kecak dancing ..on a cliff...just in time for sunset...
Visiting the world's largest Buddhist temple, Borobudur, on the island of Java, a plane ride away.... just incredible..
Choosing our fish to be cooked and eaten...on a beach..
Taking in the story of Ramayana in the form of Barong Dance...
Sipping Coconut water..from coconuts...as we lounge with beach views...ahhhh...

Bali has so much to offer....and it's true when they say tourists book their return tickets before they leave!!!!