We’ve been in Siem Reap, Cambodia, for about 3 weeks now (three more to go), and we find it much hotter than many of the other Asian countries we’ve been to in the past 15 months. Because of that we haven’t done as much as we planned to do. Even so, we did attend the Khmer acrobatic show, which is a circus with an underlying Cambodian story. The stars of the show are Cambodian locals that audition, and by getting experience, they develop skills to create a promising future. Before the show there were several booths set up with local food and it was all delicious! There was also a brief pre-show performed by younger native Cambodia children, so overall we had fun and supported a good cause.

Our friends and hosts, Heather and John, are amazing, and as new people come into our homestay, then leave, we have met travelers from Poland, Hungary, the UK, Russia, Canada, and a few fellow Americans. It’s like an apartment where you get to know your neighbor, and maybe even hang with them! We attended a fun street parade made up of a dozen LARGE paper mâché puppets, manipulated by different school kids, and the puppets illuminated when it got dark. It’s terrific that this country supports kids, and strives to better the lives of the younger generation.

Not all of Siem Reap is about their amazing temples (largest historic monuments in the world), but no doubt, Angkor Wat is the biggest draw, and what brought us here 5 years ago. We’ve been surprised by the number of Americans we see here and find that many decide to stay once they get to know this place. Cambodia offers a pretty lenient retirement visa, and the age 55+ visitor can stay for 6 months to one year with a small application fee and no proof of anything, including income. That is very rare. Plus it is eminently affordable.

In the next two weeks we WILL make it back out to the temples, since we did enjoy them so much on our first visit. In the meantime, we found the Angkor Wat Botanical Garden, which was quite lovely and offered free admission, which is always nice. As we started our tour I commented to Kat that I thought that the grounds needed work, however, within a matter of minutes we were pleasantly surprised at just how beautiful it became—even with the heat. We finally finished at a cute little coffee shop where we reflected on what a nice surprise it was, and how sometimes those unexpected pleasures really catch me by surprise! Anticipation is such a funny thing…

We had the opportunity to stay at a beautiful 5 star resort in town called Shinta Mani. This came about because they offer a special “gastro tour” which allowed us to experience a four-course meal made up of local ingredients from within 25 km of the hotel. Including red ants! Interesting to say the least. I have concluded that I am not a really good foodie, since I don’t always have a good stomach for unfamiliar food, or a comfort level to match. For many years I did a lot of food reviews on beautiful restaurants in Orange County, and never quite got the ” small portion, unique taste” concept over more is better! I think I’m just an old fashioned meat and potatoes guy, so give me a good hamburger with all the accoutrements, and I’m a happy man! We’re also doing another “media event;” a four day boat ride down the Mekong River to the capital, Phnom Penh, the end of March.

In about a month…Asia will be done, hello Europe.