angkor, angkor, angkor.

So this obviously occurred a while back (and unfortunately, I didn't find the time to get this posted before), but Angkor Wat proved to be such an inspiring sight, I couldn't not document our time there!
So here is a brief description and photo breakdown, enjoy!

4.8.11 – Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Angkor Wat.

What to say about Angkor Wat?! …GO THERE, perhaps.

Haha but seriously…you should at least consider it!  Angkor is a beautiful site with so much history; it is truly incredible.  I feel extremely blessed to have been able to visit such a place.

We spent three days touring around looking at as many of the big sites as we could squeeze in.

All three days spent at Angkor were incredibly hot and humid, but thankfully we all survived intact.

We were constantly wiping sweat from our faces, downing lots and lots of water and always dashing for every little bit of possible shade.

One thing that is definitely notable about Angkor Wat is ALL of the people, both young and old, who want to sell you things.

Based on my experience thus far, Cambodians definitely get the award for “Persistence and Relentlessness in Order to Make a Sale.”

After a while it becomes next to impossible to say no, even when what they are selling is something you don’t even need.

Most of the items are going for a mere dollar: a pack of 10 postcards, two bottles of water, two Angkor Wat refrigerator magnets, two bracelets, a souvenir t-shirt, a bag of cut up pineapple, a grass bracelet with accompanying flower (not even kidding! It was truly quite beautiful though :] ), a wooden recorder WITH carrying case, and the list goes on.

You ask yourself, “What’s a dollar?!  Especially to a person in need?”  Although it is only once all your dollars are gone you realize how quickly they add up!

But in all reality, I may have spent way more than I planned on in Siem Reap, but it was well worth it.

There’s no doubt about that.

As was pointed out to me, once I leave Cambodia, I won’t be able to go back and redo it or buy a vast majority of the neat things that I did.

Here is a little taste of some of the sights we were able to enjoy during our three day visit to Angkor:

(I took over 1,000 photos there so picking out just a few was rather tough)

Day #1

  
Day #2

Day #3

something i tried today.

Four words: Corn Lover Ice Cream!

So this was definitely a little "out there," but upon seeing it advertised on a sign outside of KFC [yes, as in Kentucky Fried Chicken] I had to try it.
And surprisingly, it wasn't too bad at all.  An interesting combination, but pretty good nonetheless.
Who knew?! Corn and ice cream, such an unstoppable duo!  And all of this loveliness was referred to by KFC as a "KREAM BALL." Yum, Yum.
Oddly enough, besides "Corn Lover," the other two KREAM BALL flavors were "Double Choco" and "Strawberry Pie." 
Next time you're in Thailand, you should pick one up!

my very own corn lover KREAM BALL!  :D

a match made in heaven. haha

the original KREAM BALL advertisement i saw in chiang mai.

a [very] condensed version of vietnam.

Things I saw and/or did:

1. Hanoi Hilton

the view out a window from upstairs in the prison.

down a hallway at the prison. looks out onto the same tree.

2. Celebrated International Women’s Day - March 8, 2011

we were each given pretty flowers from the program volunteers in honor of women's day!

aren't they beautiful?!

3. Ethnology Museum

*Which included a difficult, but fun test of balance:

after many, many tries i was eventually successful in making it the entire way across!  :D

4. Halong Bay [which you already read about!]

5. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

going inside to visit uncle ho was definitely worth it, but i'd suggest going early in the morning so as to avoid the crowds before they get too crazy.

the ho chi minh mausoleum looked very pretty at night. the other lights are cars whizzing by us!

 6. Cat Café with my Host Sister Mai

fast asleep on the shoe rack!

this cat was experiencing a slight identity crisis....

the cats at the cat cafe were incredibly lazy AND sleepy! this one was a particular favorite.

this naughty cat was trying to steal a swig of my pineapple juice!

  7. LOTS of yummy Vietnamese food with my Host Sister Mai

phở - a signature vietnamese dish, oftentimes eaten at breakfast or for dinner. i enjoyed this particular bowl at 7 o'clock in the morning :]

oh so good! here we have rolled phở, french fries [who knew the vietnamese were a fan of french fries?! but they are!], and fried corn [another surprisingly popular dish]  :]

a "doner kebab," otherwise known as a delicious meat and vegetable sandwich. these were very popular in hanoi.

8. Men getting their hair cut on the side of the street

a nice, old man getting his hair trimmed up.

9. Ate at the delicious Joma Café

fate placed us at a guesthouse right around the corner from this place! haha

the bagel egger... yum!

10. Saw lots of different items for sale on the back of bicycles

11. Went for ice cream on the lake [Westlake] with Barbara!  So delicious.

all three of our asia term guys went for the banana splits.

my ice cream!

12. Saw lots of Saint Joseph’s Cathedral 

they lit it up beautifully at night.

13. Learned about the magic of the “twisty straw!”

these were all over vietnam and i loved them!

14. Performed the “YMCA” (or “free dance”) with Aaron Oppregard, Erin Salisbury, Noah Banchy, and Erin Brandt at the COE-ULIS gala.

costumes weren't the easiest to come by, especially due to the fact that all of us [especially the guys] are much larger than your average vietnamese individual. from the left we have: a cowboy [me of course! the trip's resident texan :], a sailor, a construction worker, a real vietnamese cop, and what we decided was an escaped prisoner!