Heading to Cambodia

Charlie and I quickly made our way to Siem Reap, Cambodia by mini-van. During the 4-hour drive to the border, we again were amazed by how modern Thailand is, especially in comparison to India. Thailand's roads are newly paved and wide. The gas stations have fully-stocked convenience stores and (can you believe it?!) free, spacious and well-maintained toilets. After Charlie and I had our first pit stop, Charlie excitedly walked up to me and asked, Have you seen the toilets?" He then darted his tongue out and said, "You could lick them!" because they were so clean. In front of this same bathroom, there were deep-fried grasshoppers, crickets and big fat juicy grubs. So, Southeast Asia has managed to retain at least some of its distinctive charm.

Siem Reap is just lovely. The town is fairly small and filled with lovely restaurants, cafes and small shops selling handwoven silk scarves. We could happily spend weeks here wandering through the ruins of Angkor Wat, hanging out with the ex pats and friendly locals, eating gourmet and not-quite-India-cheap-but-still-cheap-enough gourmet food, riding bicycles along the river, taking a cooking course, visiting the nearby freshwater lake Tonle Sap and nature preserves and maybe even meditating and doing yoga. Siem Reap is by no means roughing it and we are loving it.