Taiwan Part 2

The next morning things continued to be just as great. Amber had gotten up early to go work out at the local YMCA she discovered just down the street from us. Inside she found an insanely good breakfast place called Ikari Coffee. We at there and had hands down the best coffee and latte's we've had seen we've been in Korea (besides those I had on my brief trip to CA in April and rivaling those in Cambodia). I don't know why Korean coffee is so bad but well... it just is. Ikari Coffee was amazing! Plus they had awesome breakfast combos! For only $3 I got a coffee, scrambled eggs with ham and toast, plus a bowl of fresh fruit and yogurt. Jason got the same only with an omelet and bacon with a bagel. Glorious! It was nice to sit in the YMCA and see all of the families, children and older couples relaxing with a nice breakfast and reading the paper. No one seemed to mind we were there. In Korea we are always getting started and and people often don't know how to react to us, especially when they have to take our order. In Taiwan, that was rarely the case which also made things nice and relaxed. 

After breakfast we hopped on the MRT and then the bus to the National Palace Museum. We were told the Palace Museum was a must see on our trip, rivaling the Louvre in terms of its collection, but instead containing Chinese art. When the Republic of Taiwan was formed there was a rebellion going on in China. Thus 100 years ago (this year is Taiwan's centennial) half of the empire's museum collection in Shanghai was relocated to Taiwan, where it now remains. Thus the National Museum is loaded with thousands of years of Chinese art, from pottery to metal to ornaments to calligraphy scrolls. The museum grounds themselves were very impressive as we stepped off the bus, a large entry gate greeted as and then we climbed many steps to enter the building that sat at the far end of a large front road. The museum was only $5 and was thoroughly tip top inside, clean modern and comfortable, even providing free coat check and lockers. 

The museum was amazing... we spent all day there! They had a huge collection and we only made a small dent. There were blue and white Ming dynasty vases, jeweled boxes, copper plates, calligraphy drawings... one of my favorite things was a Tibetan dagger with a jewel encrusted hilt that was supposed to vanquish evil spirits, so awesome! The museum also wasn't very crowded in the morning although things picked up in the afternoon. We had some dim sum (dumplings) and tea at the expensive museum restaurant before heading on our way. 

Next we attempted to go to a "mall" but the "mall" just turned out to be more underground shopping like you can find in Korea, long hallways of cheap clothing and trinkets. Some people love it but I get bored of it quickly. We bought some cheap tank tops before abandoning the idea. We ate dinner at the train station (kind of a Tokyo Steakhouse type place where they grill the food in front of you) and while the atmosphere was very fun, we think we overpaid and the food was only so-so (we saw it elsewhere and it looked better.) 

Next we headed to Longshan Temple, the most famous temple in Taipei. It was even more fabulous than the ones the day before. Although every similar, we arrived at this one at night, so all the lights were on and the lanterns were lit and the light from the incense burners illuminated their surroundings. There were even more people at this temple and it was full of hustle and bustle! There were lots of tables set out and people would leave food offerings on them. The food was anything from bananas and pineapples to packaged crackers, cookies and chips. People would bring the food and then go around to each statue in the temple complex, with their food and incense, and say a little prayer, bow and leave the food on the table. I didn't quite understand it all because I also saw people picking up food from the tables, praying and taking it home. I didn't know if it was a kind of bring some and leave it, take something else deal, or if you left your food and then picked it up when you left, or if people who were "in need" could take the food. I'm not sure but there were probably ten long tables that were covered in food. I don't know what happens to it, if someone gives it away or if its just thrown away, I hope not! 

Anyhow the temple was full of people and good smells and a bright, happy atmosphere. I could have sat there for the next hour just looking at people and relaxing. It was probably one of my most favorite things to see in Taiwan. 

Unfortunately Jason and Amber were impatient to move on so we did. We visited a different night market that was much smaller than the one by our hostel. I found out later it is known for its food, although we didn't try anything but some almond milk tea, which was delicious. We headed back to our hostel and visited the large market one more time, heading for the taco stand. We got lost a few times and by the time we finally found it another hour had passed. By this point it was nearing 11pm and we were tired and ready to get to bed. Jason and I visited the grocery store next to our hostel to buy some snacks for the train the next day. It was awesome! It had so much to choose from, both Western and Asian foods. In Korea its hard for us to find things like cheese, plain yogurt, certain fruits and vegetables, brand name snacks or candies, this store (and most in Taiwan) had everything! 

The next day we got up again to eat at Ikari Coffee. We ordered the same delicious breakfast and same delicious coffee. This time I got a cafe latte and it was to die for! Mmmm. Then we headed to the train station to buy tickets to our next destination a small town on the east coast of Taiwan called Hailien. We lucked out and the train was leaving in 10 minutes so we boarded the 12noon train. It took us 3 1/2 hours to get down the coast (it could have been faster on a non-stop train) but I really enjoyed the ride. The train was clean and comfortable. The chairs moved around so we were always facing forward, like in Japan. The views out the window were also magnificent. We passed lush, tropical green forests, hills and mountains, and then followed the sea for the last half of the trip, glimpsing crystal clear blue water and white beaches. So peaceful and relaxing, and it was so sunny! Blue skies all around. 

In Haulien Jason and I had a different hostel than Amber. We thought we could walk to ours from the station even though it did look a little far on our tiny, confusing map. But we set off anyhow in the muggy heat. Hualien was a small town, with only a strip of "downtown" and was nestled next to the sea. It was famous for being the gateway to Taroko Gorge, the place we were going to visit the next day. Yet even though it was small, Jason and I got lost and after walking for half an hour, we decided to hail a taxi. Thankfully one pulled over after a few minutes. The driver was a woman and she was so nice to us! We had a little trouble communicating because I didn't have the directions in Chinese, only English, but she worked with us and knew the English numbers so things worked out! (Again we were impressed and couldn't help wondering again why in Korea people know so little English...) Thankfully we found it, and it was far, located on the edge of town on a road peppered with car dealerships, not homes. Inside the place was beautiful though. Our room was so cute and so clean! It had a canopy bed, a flat screen TV on the wall and a huge window with a view of the mountains. So perfect. 

After we rested a little the hostel owners even drove us to town where we were to meet Amber. Unfortunately it was a long walk for us otherwise. We asked them to recommend somewhere to eat and they said "do you want to maybe, drink beer and eat Taiwanese food?" we said "heck yes!!" so they dropped all three of us off at a local restaurant. It had a huge tree growing out front with red lanterns in it and the inside was open air with large circular tables. The hostel owner talking to the restaurant manager and made sure we were taken care of, they pointed a fan our way, gave us a good table and told us if we wanted a taxi back to the hostel at the end of the night, we only had to ask and they would arrange a discount one for us. I love being taken care of like that. The dining was family style and we ordered a variety of delicious dishes. We got a few types of stir fry type lamb, a veggie dish covered in a delicious wasabi sauce and two large Heineken's (seemed to be Taiwan's drink of choice, they do not have a big drinking culture.) After our dinner Amber wanted to find a bar but all we ended up doing was wandering around the small downtown before we called it a night. Well, we did briefly enter one bar, the only one we found, but it was empty except for two men standing on a stage belting out extremely loud karaoke. We quickly left. 

The next morning we headed off to Taroko Gorge. We hired a taxi to drive us, booked through our hostel, and he stayed with us all day. He had a brand new Toyota station wagon with leather seats and spoke great English. He picked us up at nine, we swung by and got Amber, at were at the entrance to the Gorge a little before 10am. Taroko Gorge is one of Taiwan's national park and was listed as a must see while we visited. Its kind of like the Grand Canyon, only you drive through the bottom instead of look down from the top, and it is filled with tropical vegetation, sapphire blue water and marble gorge walls. Our driver was to stay with us all day and drop us off at different small hiking and sight seeing areas, pick us up, and we'd move to the next. It was awesome to be carted around, especially in the heat and especially because the Gorge is miles long. Our first stop was our longest hike, a three hour round trip bath that followed a stream back to a small dam. Again the sun was shining and it was great being in the fresh outdoors. Our next stop was the "Eternal Spring Shrine." We realized after our guide dropped us at would is supposed to be the end of the hike, but I didn't mind. That meant we were going down stairs instead of up! We started at a large temple, then crossed a real-life suspension bridge (this was no Disneyland) miles above the ground, and the visited a lookout tower on the top of the mountain, only to come back down to the Eternal Spring Shrine. It was a small structure built at the mouth of a small stream that turned to a waterfall and then met the larger stream at the bottom of the gorge. The water has never ceased, hence eternal, and comes from a mysterious source deep within the mountain. Next we visited the Swallow Grotto, which is a large grotto on the side of the mountain that you walk through. Many swallows live within it. You also walk on the every edge of the gorge and can look down into the winding, shinning blue water below. Probably my favorite part of the gorge. The walls of the gorge are very close at this point and you can see the different grains of the marble as well as the different holes were water once trickled down to the stream below. It was beautiful. And I guess also a bit dangerous. We wanted to see the Tunnel of Nine Turns, but our guide informed us it was closed for two years because a young woman had been killed last year when a rock had fallen on her head in a small slide. Yikes. Because the rock sheet is marble and filled with hidden pockets of water, rock slides are a serious threat. Double yikes. There were many signs telling us to keep moving instead of stopping to take in the sights, as if that would really help if a rock slide started...? 

We stopped shortly after to get lunch at a small restaurant our guide knew of. The first place we tried kicked us out because we were too late in the day to order lunch. The next place took us and our guide knew the owners. He said he has been driving a taxi to the gorge almost every day for the last 7 years, making $30 a person. What a life. He knew the perfect places to take us so it was a very easy trip for us. For lunch I had a chicken stir fry and purple rice which came in a bamboo shoot! It was so cool, I had to pry it open to get the rice out. It was the indigenous people of Taiwan's way of eating rice. The Gorge still has one indigenous tribe living within it some meals and souvenir were themed after them. After lunch we did one last short hike with more spectacular views, got milk tea (this time I got honey milk green tea, my favorite tea when I'm sick) and decided to call it a day. It was around 4pm! It took us about 30 minutes to get back to the mouth of the entrance to the gorge so I had some time to look out the window and take in the curving mountain sides one last time. On the way back to town our driver took us to the beach. There we sat for a little while, people watching and enjoying the weather. Although the beaches in Taiwan are beautiful, few of them are for swimming due to the huge waves, rip tide and naval bases, so people were just wading and playing in the sand, it was nice. The army base was literally right behind the beach and four F-15's flew right over our heads immediately after taking off! Felt like home. 

We parted ways with Amber, took a few good showers and napped until about 9pm. The good thing about our hostel was its proximity to a night market. It was a quick 10 minute walk for Jason and I. I loved this night market! It was small but had everything a night market needs. And it was packed with families, couples and teenagers! Night markets really are the thing in Taiwan. I had such a great time at this one. We played arcade games, shot some hoops, ate street food, got a papaya smoothie and dessert. This all took a few hours because we had to wait so long for our popular dinner choice. We had kabobs of bell pepper, mushrooms, fish, egg rolls and chicken. They took our order, gave us a number, barbequed it with a sweet sauce and gave it to us all in a little bag. We ate it off the skewer. So yummy! And my papaya smoothie was nothing but fruit and ice, cut on the spot, for $1! Taiwan had great value. The vibe of the night market was like that of a fair or carnival, a wholesome, clean, family one, yet it happens every night!! 

Back from Taiwan Part 1

Well Jason and I have taken our final trip during our time here in Korea. Last Sunday we returned from spending 8 nights in Taiwan! Now we only have a few more short weeks to go and we will be back in California for good! Taiwan was an awesome way to end our adventure (although I do wish we could keep traveling more and more!) Taiwan was beautiful, a lush tropical landscape, filled with fresh fruits and milk tea, kind people and lots of beautiful cultural highlights. If I had to recommend an Asian country for someone to visit for the first time, I would recommend Taiwan, its not as expensive as Japan, but is thoroughly modern and filled with tons to do and see!

From Korea Taiwan was only a short 2 hour plane ride away. Our flight left Saturday at 11am which still meant we had to wake up at 4:30am to get to the Wonju bus terminal by 5:30am and get on the 6:00am bus. The bus didn't make its usual stop on the way to the airport so we got there in only 1 1/2 hours (usually it takes 2 1/2 to three hours) proving again to us how close together things in Korea really are. Although the bus system is great, I am ready to have my own car back. The day before we also had to drop off our adorable little kitten (who we named Twist) at the "cat hotel" that our vet runs. It was bad timing that we found him right before our vacation but good luck that the vet has a "cat hotel" we were able to use. Anyhow, we arrived at the airport and boarded the plane no problem. It was an Asiana Air flight so service was very nice. We even got food on such a short flight!

We arrived in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, about 1pm (they are ahead one hour) and easy found the right bus to our hostel. Our hostel was conveniently located off of the Taipei metro system called the MRT. The MRT runs four lines throughout the city center, stopping near all the major attractions. It was cheap and very easy to use, even cheaper and easier than Seoul's system. Our hostel was located in a large apartment building and we were given our own key to the room, just like a hotel, and that was it. It was a cute room with two double beds and we could come and go as we pleased, as if we lived in the building. The first few nights we shared our room with our friend Amber, who also teaches English in Wonju. We three had decided to take and plan this vacation together. It was fun to have a third person around and she was good to plan with before the trip started (Jason never wants to help plan.)

Amber and me at the airport

Average street near our hostel

Random street

Lots of fresh tropical fruit!

Walking across the river that runs through Taipei

We settled in, found our maps and decided to walk to some near by temples. The Boan and Confucius Temples. After a few wrong turns we finally found them, nestled in the city streets next to bakeries and bus stops. The Boan Temple was gorgeous. It was covered in decorations, bright gold’s, blues, reds, with large painted figures covering the doors and dragons painted on the columns. The top of the temple was very ornate as well, with multicolored dragons and other figures on each corner. It was very beautiful. The temple was like a little complex, with an outer temple wall concealing an inner courtyard. Inside that courtyard was another structure that housed the temple alter and statues. The back wall of the courtyard also housed more alters and statues. There were also columns decorated in hundreds of gold colored glass stones that made for a beautiful effect. People were buying long sticks of incense and burning them in the many fiery incense pots in front of the alters. It smelled wonderful.

Boan Temple

zoom zoom

Dragons!

Interior courtyard

Art class in the temple, really

Shrine

Stone dragon and lanterns

Modern building right smack next door!

It was very hot, my students in Korea got me that dress as a going away present.

Community park with dragon water feature

After the Boan Temple we checked out the newer and more plainly decorated Confucius Temple before deciding we needed some food. On a near by street we found a row of cheap, tasty looking restaurants. We choose one with boiling pots of seafood and vegetables featured out front. It was a little like eating shabu shabu but was called "hot pot." We ordered two to share between the three of us, sat on toddler sized chairs in the air conditioned interior and waited. Soon the waiter brought over two boiling dishes filled to the brim with egg, shrimp, mushrooms, cabbage and other assorted goodies. Each dish had its own stand with a flame below to keep everything warm. It was tasty and was just what we wanted for our first meal. After that we crossed the street, dodging the many scooters that whizzed by on the narrow passage, to get some boba aka pearl aka tapioca milk tea. I was so excited to get my first milk tea because I had heard Taiwan was famous for them! It tasted wonderful and instead of tapioca we got fresh coconut in the bottom of the glass. Yum yum! One look at the cup and one sip immediately reminded me of UC Irvine and frequenting Cha for Tea and TapEx. It definitely made me nostalgic! But the prices in Taiwan sure beat those of Irvine! $1 for a delicious tea in Taiwan versus $4 in Irvine!

Next we decided it was time to head back to our hostel so we could check out the famed Shilin Night Market that was located right next to us. That was another reason our location was so great, literally around the corner form our room was a huge night market! Taiwan is also known for its night markets and now I understand why! The place was packed, stretched for blocks and had everything you could want from food to clothes! We started down the main crowded path and took in the sights... there were desserts, ice cream, fresh fruit smoothies blended on the spot, tea, hot pot, hamburgers, even tacos and tons of places serving Taiwanese "street food" which were a form of kabob were you could choose from fresh vegetables, meats and sea food and have them grilled in front of you! It was awesome and had so many great smells! There were also vendors everywhere selling cheap clothing and other trinkets, plus places to get massages with packed interiors! After spending over an hour in the night market and visiting everything from the taco stand to a shoe store to a pet store, we decided to head in for the night.

So far our impressions of Taiwan were great!

A little blurry but fresh fruit plus scooters

The biggest watermelon I've ever seen!

hot pot

Dinner yum!

Boba milk tea! So good!

Goose heads at the night market, hungry?

Shilin Night Market

Crowded end to the Night Market

California Girls... A Brief Trip to the West Coast

A few weeks ago Jason and I took a quick trip back to the US for a close friend's wedding. We left Wonju on Wednesday, arriving too early at the bus station and forced to sit in Krispy Kreame for 2 hours. From the bus we arrived at Incheon International Airport where we quickly and easily check in for our Asiania Flight. We each had two large suitcases because we took home as much winter wear as we could. Then we treated ourselves to Kraze Burgers before boarding the plane.

10 hours later we arrived at LAX where Jason's parents met us. It didn't seem too strange to be in LA again, we'd both driven the freeway so many times. I did notice that the sun was so bright and the sky so blue, a welcome relief from the frequent gloomy skies of Korea. Soon we arrived in Lancaster which felt again, just like home! We had so delicous Taco Bell before my mom arrived and I headed off with her. We decided to hit up the mall because I wanted to buy some things for the wedding. We enjoyed coffee (finally a good cup of coffee!!) and strolling the mall. Afterwards we went home where I got to see Dad and the dogs and the we headed off to Shakey's for dinner.

Thursday was another busy day. Jason's parents dropped him off at my house so we could live to drive up North for the wedding that was happening Saturday in Santa Cruz. I got my hair cut that morning and then away we went. On our way we stopped for the night in San Luis Obispo to see my brother Scott! It was really nice to see him and such a fun night. We went in a downtown bar for some drinks before walking the beautiful streets of SLO for the weekly farmer's market. I chowded down on chicken kabob's and Italian soup. So good! It felt so nice to have so much food variety and to spend time with the family in such a fun atmosphere.

Friday morning we met Scott again for an oh-so-delicious brunch. We went to a diner like sandwhich shop. My sandwhich was glorious! Cheese, check! Turkey, check! Mustard, check! (I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.) Then it was back in the car for the rest of our drive to Santa Cruz. We checked into our beautifully landscaped hotel and then Jason headed off to the resort where the wedding was to be held for the rehersal. I stayed with Mom at the hotel and because Dad was feeling sick and didn't want to go out, we headed to the hotel bar to cash in our free drink coupons! We ended up staying for a couple of hours just chatting away and get some awesome half off nachos during happy hour! Then I had to leave to go to the rehersal dinner. There I finally got to see the bride and groom, our good friends Lauren and Josh! We had a nice dinner but didn't stay too late. After returning to our hotel, Mom, Jason and I had a quick before at the bar before going to bed. (This was also the day of the royal wedding so it was on all the TVs.)

On Saturday it was time for the wedding! The wedding was at 1pm and in a beautiful outdoor setting at Sea Scape Resort in Santa Cruz. The spot was on a sea cliff overlooking the beach below. It was a smaller wedding and the whole ceremony was casual and light. Lauren's stepdad married them, they wrote their own vows and the flower boy was a grown, 25 year old man! After that the fun started in the fancy reception. There were waitors walking around with food platters and the drink bar was unlimited! I really enjoyed relaxing and chatting with different people. We did some dancing and things started to pick up. The reception had to end at 6pm which left the group momentarily split and some of us ended up sitting in the hotel lobby sipping our tequila sunrises. The night ended with a party in someone's room and Jason and I left around 9pm. Again we had a drink with my mom back at our hotel.

Sunday morning it was time to head back to Lancaster. Again we had so delicious coffee before hitting the road. The California coast was amazing at this time of year. All the flowers were lush and in bloom, there was green everywhere and warm sunshine! It was so perfect! We stopped in SLO again on our way home to meet Scott one more time. He showed us the car he'd been working on with his mechanical enginnering club and we had a great pizza lunch at Woodstalks. Then it was back on the road. We got to Lancaster late, about 7pm and Jason's parents came for him. Mom and I headed in to Chronic Tacos (oh so good! I finally had Mexican food!) and saw the news on Osama bin Laden. Quite the eventful weekend we'd picked to visit home!

Monday and Tuesday I hung around with Mom and Dad. It was so nice and relaxing. Mom and I did some major shopping at the mall. Then we went to Grandma's to see her and George, finally! It was again as if nothing had changed. I really liked getting to see them. We went to Lancaster Blvd for a delicous dinner at a newish restaurant. Before we left Dad made sure to show me the new bowling alley and bar in the basebament of Beck's. It was actually pretty cool! Really snazzy, so surprising for Lancaster! On Tuesday I had dinner with Jason and his family and then spent my final night at home watching NCIS with Mom and Dad, just like old times.

Sadly I had to leave Wednesday morning for LAX. Dad and I got up at 3:30am to leave, stopping for AM PM coffee on the way. I checked in no problem and had went through the full body scanner (I don't get what the big deal is?) waving to Dad goodbye as I went up the escalator. I was alone this time as Jason was able to stay until Sunday. His school had given him more time off than mine. Mine wanted be to be back for one day of school on Friday. Go figure. I had a quick layover in San Francsico and then a long 12 hour flight that was quite boring. The most eventful thing that happened was when the flight attendents miscalculated when we were going to land. I don't know how they managed that, sinec I knewe we were supposed to land at 3pm, not 4pm. They had just started to serve the final meal when the captian said "get ready to land in 30 minutes" -- they became frantic and told everyone to eat quickly. One lady even snapped her fingers at me to hurry up! It was so rude, they made the mistake, not me! Somehow, they got everything done and sat down no less than 30 seconds before we landed! They were not a very good flight crew throught the trip, always talking loudly, mildly cussing and always leaving the blaring light on in their kitchen (which was right next to me) because they always forgot to close the curtain.

I arrived in Wonju with no trouble Thursday night. (I lost a whole two days traveling!)

I had a great trip! It was really as if nothing had changed! I have to admit though, coming back to Korea, and then Wonju and then my own apartment where all my things have their place, it felt like I was coming home. Lancaster will always be home-home no matter what, but you know what I mean?

Cambodia Day 8 Saturday

Saturday in Cambodia marked one week from when we left Seoul. Vacation was already half way over! We decided to take it easy on Saturday since we'd been exhausting ourselves for days and thus, didn't visit the temples of Angkor. Instead we had a really lazy day.

After breakfast we decided to go with Brian into the center of town to look around the large market and grab some lunch. While a nice idea, we underestimated how hot it was walking in the 90 degree weather directly under the strong sun. The trees in Angkor provided much more shade than we had previously realized. Our goal was to find the French restaurant Brian had read about that served crepes. After wandering around the Pub Street area for a bit we eventually found it. The menu had a lot to offer, especially in the crepe section, but everything was much more expensive than we had been used to for the past week. Crepes were $5, which is a lot even in the US! But since we were there, we went ahead and each got one. And they were tasty.

By that time it was already past noon and we decided it was time to head back to Rosy's for some delicious iced coffees. We also had to get back in time to be picked up. The night before we had booked a little excursion for ourselves, something different than the temples. We were going to be taken out on a boat to Tonle Lake, the largest lake in southeast Asia. The whole package was about $30 each and included transportation plus dinner. Our guesthouse had recommended it as a nice way to see the lake and the floating village, hassle free. Yes that's right, there is a floating village.

Pretty soon after our ice coffees a large air conditioned van arrived. We were the first three pick-ups. There was a driver and a guide. The driver didn't speak any English, but the guide did. Again we were so impressed with his speaking skills! He told us he'd only been studying English for three months, paying an hourly fee to take classes at the local university. He told us it cost more to have English taught by a native speaker and that he paid the cheaper fee for the Cambodian teacher (who obviously does a great job!). He also pays for the hourly class instead of the ones with a set time because they are more expensive, plus, if he has to work, he can reschedule where if he is taking the set time class, just like any college class, if you miss it you can't make it up. He said he was studying Tourism Business so this seemed the perfect job for him. He was a very nice guy to talk to and we liked hearing his story.

Before heading out to the lake we stopped to pick up five more passengers. What a motley crew we were. First we stopped at a lush, exclusive hotel to pick up two Australian guys, one plump and brown, one plumb and white, with fancy cameras around their necks, sun hats and khaki shorts. Second stop was at another exclusive hotel. This time it was an Eastern European couple, a very large man and his very tan, very blonde, very busty wife. Last was a small guesthouse like ours where we picked up a tiny, 40 something Japanese woman. (Everyone also spoke perfect English.) What a group.

Then it was off towards the lake. Our guide made sure to point out lots of things to us on the way as we wound through Siem Reap, realizing the city was much bigger than we had thought. We passed both shack houses and solid homes, markets and families. He would say, "see those men, those are the fish men, they catch fish and sell it to market every day." Or, "see this, this is a crocodile farm. It takes seven years to raise a crocodile, then you can sell it to China for purses and bags and make a few hundred dollars." Apparently crocodile farms were very common in Cambodia!

As we got out of town the land became sparser, with only a few buildings lining the street. We also saw an accident. A person on a bike had been hit or run off the road and ended up in the side bushes, people were gathering around to help but we don't really know what happened. The road we were on was raised, on either side it was a good 10 feet or more to the ground below. Still the guide told us that during the rainy season, this road is covered with water! Thus getting to the lake becomes almost impossible, even for the fish men. That is why many families have portable homes, or two homes. They live next to the lake during dry season, and then during rainy season move inland. That is also why the homes are built on stilts, because the water level fluctuates so much! On our way we stopped at something called GECKO, an education center built on stilts, right between two homes. The front GECKO touched the raised street, the back of the house looked down 20 feet to the small stream below. There were stilt houses all around us, we could look right into people’s backyards and see them washing in the pump water, peer at their chickens pecking away at the sparse grass and notice kids playing. These people would move once the rainy season came in. Our guide also explained that they had recently had a fresh water pump installed in the area, which made living conditions much better because the lake water they had been drinking and using to cook with was not clean. At GEGKO we got to see pictures and charts discussing the dramatic and drastic changes in water level the lake undergoes every year, as well as learn more about the fish, snakes and crocodiles raised in the area. Actually, the crocodiles are fed the water snakes! Eww!

Finally we arrived at the lake, or at least to the peninsula that boats followed into the lake. The area wasn't exactly picturesque since it was the dry season and there were a hundred or so shacks built around its edge. There were also hundreds of small boats in the water. And then we noticed a large, ugly construction site to the right. We asked what it was. Our guide said, "oh that is a Korean resort being built, they are the ones who supplied the road we just drove on." Our jaws dropped! I was so upset! I couldn't stop thinking "stupid Koreans!" We had actually seen a ton of Korean's in Cambodia, I could hear and recognize them right away. They were the ones who were always on tour buses. They would look at the temple and get right back on. They never interacted with the locals. I know what most Korean's opinion of Cambodia is already, dirty and dark, bad people. I was so outraged that they were able to come to Cambodia, buy up some prime land next to the lake and build a huge resort. I just know the majority will never leave its grounds unless they are riding comfortably on a bus. It’s just too bad. I hope they do something more for the local economy than a dinky one lane road.

Luckily it was quickly time for us to board our small boat to head to the lake. The boat was long seating about 50 but it carried only our group. All the boats were brightly colored and hummed with the noise from the motor. Going up the peninsula was fun, we got to see homes on the banks, pass other boats and saw the beginnings of the floating village. A new school house was being built! And when I say floating, I mean they really do float! A whole community lives out on the lake and their homes, shops, schools, even the police buildings, are built on floating platforms. Amazing! The people of the floating village are also not actually Cambodian, they are Vietnamese. Somewhere along the line when the Vietnam War was going on they came to Cambodia and Cambodia has allowed them to remain ever since. They all live together and speak Vietnamese and the Cambodia's can automatically tell them apart.

As we were cruising along suddenly a much smaller and faster boat zipped up next to us. It was driven by a young boy and next to him sat an even younger girl. Suddenly he cut the motor and they fell away, behind us. Then suddenly they were back again, this time right next to our boat, keeping speed with us. They opened up a cooler and the girl hopped on board! They were just like pirates, only pirates that were selling instead of taking! She was selling sodas and beer, just like that! The European man bought a beer. She jumped back in the speedy boat and away they went. It was so cool.

Our next attraction was just as bizarre. Another speeding boat came up to us, this time a father was driving it and a really young boy was perched in the front. And what was he holding? A SNAKE!! We had been warned we would see this and that it is a little disturbing but... there it was, a five year old boy holding a snake around his neck, smiling and holding up the peace sign. It was cute but odd and we didn't want to take pictures, although some people did. And then the boy was on our boat, luckily without the snake, asking for $1 for his picture. Our guide had already told us you didn't have to pay. Maybe they should ask for the money first? Brian had snapped a picture and the boy knew it. He perched right next to him saying "Mr, Mr..." his hand out, just begging. Brian uncomfortably looked away and eventually the boy got back in his own boat. What a sight! (And hey, maybe the snakes are harmless and they know how to handle them, I shouldn't judge!)

Homes on stilts at GECKO

Boat dock

Pushing off, our guide

Our boat looked just like this

Brian with his previously snake holding boy, begging for a dollar

Like little pirates!

Finally we had reached the lake and we could see its enormous size! You could not see across it and it appeared just like an ocean, glimmering in the waning sunlight. We passed through the floating village, marveling at the houses just sitting there on the water, wondering how they got electricity... Before dinner we stopped at a large floating building that houses a crocodile farm. Another pretty cool event, we got to look down into a pit and see bunches of crocodiles lying on top of each other, sloshing about in the water! And next to them, piranha fish! They threw some food in so we could watch them splash around eagerly! So crazy! Also here there were even more Vietnamese kids holding snakes. There were toddlers to tweens, just wandering around with snakes on their necks, in their hands... if you looked too long they would start to pose and you'd have to quickly walk away. I feel like the snakes were out of a cartoon, stunned and annoyed about being carried around by these kids but unable to do anything to stop it. The kids were also in the water, floating around in large buckets. They had large sticks they would use as paddles and they would paddle around while sitting in their buckets with a snake around their neck.

Floating village home, there were many more

In their buckets, sorry you can't see the snakes. I felt bad taking pictures.

Our odd group, plus crocodiles!

Me and croc skins!

Brian, Jason and me

Back into the boat we went and it was a short ride to our dinner destination. It wasn't a restaurant per se, but a large old fashioned looking boat that was permanently anchored to its location. The man who ran the boat trip had bought it and turned into a floating restaurant. Our trip included unlimited food and drink! On the top deck two tables were set, the sun was slowly setting behind us and the beautiful lake surrounded us. It was peaceful and perfect.

The European couple sat together and everyone else occupied the larger table. We learned from the two Australian men that they were on a company retreat for two weeks and that their company always chooses exotic locations for business. They worked with major airlines and baggage claim systems, I got the impression they were very well off. We also learned their hotel was something like over $150 a night, while ours was $20. The Japanese woman was so cute, so typical in her quiet and almost shy manners. She was definitely not shy though, or timid, because she was traveling alone for a week. She explained it was extremely rare for people to take time off of work in Japan, even though they technically can (sounds like Korea!) so she felt guilty but just had to do it. She said "my coworkers will be mad at me, so I must buy them gifts."

The life

Sunset on Tonle Lake, floating structure

Dinner!

Our dinner was great, curry, rice, chicken, soda, beer, water. Our guide also became our server. Everyone was enjoying the evening so much that he had to finally usher us off the boat at 7pm when it was time to go back to town. By then it was pitch black, I think the moon was hidden by clouds. Our boat had a little light and a large spot light. We went slowly down the peninsula, our driver knowingly guiding us, turning on the spotlight only every now and then so as not to blind other passing boats. Every time he did so we could see the thick coating of bugs in the air. Who knew what lay in the dark waters to our sides. We began to think, if we hit ground right now and were stuck or started to sink, this would be the funniest group of people to ever have to help each other escape! Two slightly cocky Australian guys, an overly sexual odd couple and a soft spoken Japanese woman, plus two Cambodian natives and us! Good thing nothing happened!

When we left the boat we had to walk up a steep boat dock. At the top of it were lights shining next to our van. They were thick with bugs. As we walked we realized by the water was not where we wanted to be. There were bugs coating the air! I began to run up the dock and everyone else followed, we were waving our hands around like crazy people, pinching shut our mouths and hoping nothing went up our noses!

Back to town it was and off to Rosy's. We were back by 8pm. We had been told that that night was the annual Puppet Parade for the children of Siem Reap. A non-profit organization works with the local kids to make huge paper mache puppets, so big that it takes 10 kids to operate one by standing inside and working the arms and such. We had wanted to see the parade but were afraid we missed it because of the boat trip. Luckily though it ended right in front of Rosy's in the large gardens. All the puppets were set around a large stage were all the children and their families could come to enjoy a slideshow and performances! It was such a great thing to witness and I was so happy these kids who have so little could enjoy such a fun night. The puppets were also amazing! There were about 10 of them, some were dragons, swans, cars, monsters, and they were all lit up with lights, painted and decorated. It was very cool. The night air was beautiful and the colorful puppets lit up the river front.

Me and one of the many puppets

Before the day ended we decided we had to go to the Night Market. We had driven by it on our way to the lake so we now knew the way. Down a busy street we went. As we walked we passed numerous massage parlors and were given many fliers. These legitimate massage parlors offered neck massages for as low as $5!

I was intrigued by the signs for "Dr. Fishy" -- a service that would make you "happy and funny!" We'd been hearing about these places for days and I finally had to try it. Outside each massage parlor was a large tank with little silver fish in them. For only $2 you could stick your feet in the tank for half an hour and the fish would eat the dead skin cells off!! $2 also included a beer or soda. How could I pass it up? So I boldly told the boys we needed to stop, handed over my $2 and slowly lowered my feet into the water. And guess what, it did make me happy and funny!! The fish nibbling on my feet tickled sooooo much!!!! It was impossible not to laugh and squirm about while hundreds of hungry fish fed away!! Brian had so much fun watching me that he decided to try as well. Jason declined due to his too ticklish feet. I think maybe he was just grossed out. Brian and I sat there for a good while, almost half an hour, before we decided our feet were clean enough and it was time to move on. I must confess I loved Dr. Fishy! It was so much fun and really worked, my feet were nice and smooth! I think this kind of thing is becoming popular in the US too, but I'm sure it costs a ton of money.

Dr. Fishy! Hard to pose for so long for this one!

Gross but cool

Finally we made it to the Night Market! And what a market it was! It was the first night market to be opened in Siem Reap since the awful Khmer Republic and was a controlled market. Vendors had to apply to be included and thus the whole area was more trendy and clean than most markets. The entryway was grand, with white colored lights covering the large sign for its entrance. More lights were stew across the streets leading to the entrance. The stalls were decorated like beach huts with straw roofs and the floor was covered in small white gravel. The market also included two swanky looking bars and a one room movie theater. I was immediately in love with the Night Market. We shopped around a bit, coming away with some tshirts. 

We decided to end the night there since while the day had started out lazy, it had been long. Plus the next day it was back to the temples!