Luang Prabang, Laos: Boat to a Pottery Village

Pots are spun and baked in this small village, mostly for the hotels in town.

Natural kiln oven dug underground.

Ken explains how fish are trapped in this fish trap. Fish can go in, but can never get out.

December 28, 2010

We've heard that Laos is like a respite from the go-go bustle and tourist hustling of Cambodia and Vietnam. It sure slowed us down, although I think we were still the fastest moving people in the city Luang Prabang because we packed in seeing the ENTIRE town in the one full day we spent in Laos.

We hit this pottery village on the other side of the river, via boat. The villagers throw pots and bake them in a deep hole in the ground for almost a week. They heat the natural kiln with firewood.

Angkor Thom, Cambodia: One big city!

December 27, 2010

At the heart of Angkor Thom, among the biggest cities in the 12th century with one million people, lies Bayon. Bayon is a temple originally covered by 215 faces, now down to about 175 faces. It is eerily, strikingly beautiful, probably my favorite of all the temples. Each tower has 4 faces on them, pointing in all the different directions, covering life and death and rebirth. At first glance, the faces look like Buddha's faces, but they are actually in the image of the king who built Bayon.

Any of the photos you find amazing above, credit is due to Ken Ha, our guide who took my camera and took photos of all the most gorgeous spots on Bayon at sunset. Then we whisked us off to the moat around Angkor Wat to get us drunk on Bombay Sapphire gin and tonics and the kids sugar highs on sprite and potato chips. It was a fun way to end our Angkor Wat phase of the trip. Onto Laos!

Taprom Temple, Cambodia

Spung Trees, all over Taprom temple.

With our guide, Ken Ha.

December 27, 2010

The Taprom Temple is where Tomb Raider was shot and we could see why. It was magical, covered in Spung trees which sometimes hold a crumbling temple together or the trees often collapse a temple roof. The kids climbed with abandon, creeped through nooks and crannies, ran through dark hallways, and sat high on top off the temple.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia: Reaching Spiritual Heights

December 27, 2010

Angkor Wat has four levels, with only the king and the high priest being allowed to reach the top. Well, turns out only people above 12 years old can reach the tippy top these days. So, we left the kids at the level reserved for noblemen and policy makers in the 12th century. And, Ken and I headed up for a royal moment, just the two of us. We were so desperate for a break from the 24/7 childcare that this holiday has been that we jumped on the moment, dragging it out, all the while hearing our guide chasing the kids below, with them screeching in joy. When we descended, having seen the ritual bath where the king and priest used water to bathe the sculptures of gods and more, the kids didn't want us to return since they so enjoyed having a fresh adult with some energy after being stuck with us for so long.

Abraham was so tired and grumpy with numerous meltdowns after the 5am wakeup that we gave him many tasks to keep him occupied. Boom loves a job. His job was to point and count out all the different hairdos of the celestial dancers (called Apsara). Then, he took pictures of the numerous battles, weapons, demons, king and Hindu gods on the bas relief.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia: A Temple Comes to Life

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December 27, 2010

We left our hotel at 5:15 am to get to Angkor Wat for sunrise. Why so early? Because Angkor Wat is the biggest, most famous temple that looks incredible as the sun rises. We snuck in the back way, in the dark with flashlights through the jungle to avoid all the crowds that show up at sunrise.

The Buddhist monk drums started beating. The sun rose. We sat and nearly understood the mix of Hindu and Buddhist spirituality that drove the King to build Angkor Wat back into a huge, dominating kingdom in the 12th century.

Siem Reap, Cambodia: Superman plays with Cambodian Kids

December 26, 2010

Even Superman needs a rest.

But, he's back, reenergized, ready to kick Cambodian kid butt. Put the bad Cambodian kids in jail, along with his Cambodian sidekick. The only minor glitch in his sidekick plan was that the sidekick kept on insisting that Boom was Batman, not Superman.

Click here to see the Superman chase in action with the Cambodian kids.

Siem Reap, Cambodia: Fish Pedicure

December 26, 2010

I know, I know, I also wouldn't stick my feet into a fish aquarium. But, I'll blame Ken for letting the kids do so. And, even after seeing the most amazing UNESCO-protected temples in the world, the kids will probably remember the fish pedicure as the highlight.

No one was at this particular fish pedicure location. The kids sat down, got nibbled, tourists came over to comment on Superman getting a fish pedi, then more tourists sat down to get their own fish pedis.

Ken told the fish pedi owner that our kids were excellent marketers for his fish pedi store, so we shouldn't have to pay. He just got a sweet smile and still had to fork over the $6.

Siem Reap, Cambodia: Beng Mealea temple overgrown ruin

Naga: 5-headed snake that takes you to heaven.

December 26, 2010

After the floating village, we drove along dirt, back roads to a hidden, jungle-covered ruin of a temple...associated with the vast Angkor Wat set of temples, but about an hour away from Angkor Wat. The joy of this plundered temple was that our kids could climb ALL over the rubble. They ran and climbed like it'd been months since they'd been freed from the many vans have trapped them for hours on our holiday tour. So, while most of the carvings had been stolen or worn away, watching the kids climb was equally blissful for us.

We could still imagine the priests designing and building this temple outpost, with a high temple in the center that the kids climbed up to, helping Boom up the big, fallen blocks. The only thing that gave us pause was seeing the Mine Clearance sign on our way out. Only as recent as 2007 did they start clearing the mines from the land around this temple.