Cambodia, OOOMMM

We have been in Siem Reap, Cambodia  for a couple of weeks. We leave Monday for Laos. We came to Cambodia mainly because the flight from Phuket to Laos was much more expensive than flying to Siem Reap, so that decided it for us. We were not at all sure what we were going to do here and I certainly did not want to visit the Killing Fields but Pete, who is a master at research found a 5 day Yoga and Meditation retreat that fitted in with our arrival perfectly and was situated just out of Siem Reap, so it was perfect timing. We've really enjoyed Cambodia.

We are back in Christchurch in 2 months. Prior to Christmas we felt like we had plenty of time left, but now that we are on the other side of December time seems to be running short. We have been talking a lot about 'going back' home. When we left we were both pretty exhausted and worn down from the last 3/4 years and a year seemed like a good chunk of time. Now I feel like we are rushing. There are certainly some things that we are looking forward to, family, friends, The Matthews children, a cheese roll from the Cheese Mongers and a She hot chocolate. We also have a baby arriving not long after we get back and that will be very exciting and busy for us. We both feel a little nervous, we really want to be different and do things differently. Travelling really strips things away. There is no where to hide from stuff ... we can't blame work commitments, or get absorbed in work to hide from things, or make excuses like we don't have time or  too busy. Stuff comes up and we have to deal with it ... personal stuff and stuff between us. We have found it very enlightening.

Life has been pretty basic and simple over the last few months ... is this item of clothing clean enough to wear for another day, where are we sleeping, where will eat and are we in budget. Having a comfortable bed is a treat and wifi is essential. The rest is gravy. I think I have mentioned that we have learnt to shower in lukewarm or even cold water and toilet paper is over rated. Our appetite has shifted ... we have been completely vegetarian since leaving Steve and Tanya in Bulgaria and we will never eat chicken again! We do fine without movies, but every so often we crave watching a movie on a big screen. I am doing surprisingly well with no cheese or yoghurt, I thought I would really struggle, I am used to it now. Pete has been quite adventurous with his food, given he is a conservative foodie. We do like the French flavour here in Cambodia ... we have baguettes for breakfast which are yummy, the bread here in general is pretty good.

Any way I will continue with our photos ...

Flying to Cambodia from Phuket, Thailand. Stickers seem to be used a lot in the tourist industry in Thailand ... we used them when we took our ferry to Koh Lanta and this is the sticker we got when flying from Phuket via Bangkok to Siem Reap Cambodia.

We had a rather long wait in Bangkok for our flight so used the time to recharge. Our technology has been one of the most important pieces of luggage we packed. Keeping in touch with our children has been really important to us as well as keeping our blog up to date. Pete's MacBook Air has been brilliant for blogging and internet and my iPad has been great for downloading books ... keeps my luggage weight down.

Pete has been very excited about all the Toyota Camry's that are on the roads here in Siem Reap ... there are hundreds of them. He was taking photos of them all day, here are Twins.

We took this photo for Mike ... Bamboo Bikes ... they are heavy. I wonder what they are like to ride. They also had a Bamboo helmet in the shop. It does seem to be a wonder wood.

Look what we stumbled on here in Siem Reap ... 

Of to meet the pick up for Hariharalaya Meditation Centre. Our tuktuk, they are bigger here.

Welcome to Hariharalaya, which is set in a rural setting and about 30/40 minutes out of Siem Reap. We met some really great people, we were 2 of the oldest on the retreat. We really enjoyed ourselves and of course I loved the yoga, Pete surprised himself by liking it as well.

Our chalet, which we shared with frogs, lizards and mosquitoes.

One of the outdoor communal showers. There were some toilets inside and some outside. Back to basics here.

Pete and I went on a bike ride in our free time. I love how Cambodians ride bikes here as their primary form of transport, it gives me the sense of not being in a hurry. That is something I am looking forward to ... riding my bike again.

A country road.

The kitchen staff at Hariharalaya. They worked really hard cooking three meals a day for us. All meals were vegan ... the food was superb, they made a yummy hummus, I love hummus. The women sit on the floor preparing all the food. There is only one oven and they cook for about 30 people on it.

No this is not Pumpkin Soup, although we did have a very yummy one while here. This is a very yummy, sugary, caramelised topping made from pure sugar cane. We had it on our rice porridge and also on gluten free waffles. It reminds me of lucy's Russian Fudge that she makes when she gets a sweet attack.

Free time.

We went for a walk to the local village and I saw this lilly ... beautiful colours.

These geese had just had babies and were vicious. They would hiss, honk and run at you if you got anywhere near them. Most of us would run past them. It is also wedding season here in Cambodia so there was very loud music going until very late at night and would start up again between 4 and 5 am. So between the honking and hissing of the geese and the late night and early starts with wedding music and celebrations it was not a quiet retreat.

I love the warmth that sunset brings out in colours. This was our yoga and meditation hall.  We started yoga at 7 am and the gong went of loudly at 6.30am. 

Here is our group. There were 5 yoga teachers from all over the world, also the participants were from all over as well. Quite a few Aussies.