Cambodia- Ankor Wot

We left Chaing Mei and headed to Cambodia, Johnny really wanted to head back to Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat with the girls and we both wanted to head to southern Cambodia to the island of Koh Rong.

Siem Reap, a small town that is a gateway to the temples. I was very underwhelmed by this crowded, dusty city, and was happy to see the temples and leave. There is a back packer road called pub street, which is a lot of fun, but otherwise not much to report...it didn't help that it was here I first started to feel sick and I spent 1 of the two days we spent here in bed. 

We got up early and hired a tuk tuk to take us around the temples. We opted against the sunrise, (although by noon it was so hot we regretted our decision) but still started early enough meeting our driver at 8. The temples are just as impressive as they were 13 years ago when Johnny and I were last here, however there are much more restrictions and so many more people!

proper attire is required at Angkor Wot

some of the temples had no people around

doing head stands and hand stands every where I can:)

The girls were not as impressed as I had hoped, but it really was so hot and there was so much walking, by the end of the day we were all ready for a cold swim...

The next day Johnny took the girls to the land mine museum (I was still not feeling well so stayed in bed). Years ago an old high school friend of Johnny's (Richard Fitoussi) did some humanitarian work with this incredible man named Aki Ra, he is a former Khmer Rouge child soldier who works as a de-miner and museum curator in Siem Reap. He has devoted his life to removing landmines in Cambodia and to caring for young landmine victims. A Canadian charity, the Cambodian Landmine Museum Relief Fund, founded by Richard had been raising money to build a new facility.  Land was found near Banteay Srey Temple and with the help of donors across the globe the CLMMRF built the current Landmine Museum.  It opened in 2007.

voted CNN hero in 2010, Aki Ra has devotes his life to this cause

On our last night we went to a traditional Khmer dance theater. We had wanted to go to the popular circus, however tickets were sold out, so traditional dance it was...

After what felt like forever (time goes so slow when your not feeling well) the next night we booked our night bus to take the 9 hour ride to the south. We were all looking forward to returning to the beach towns we are all so fond of....

Back to Thailand

We found ourselves with about 2 weeks of an open itinerary, often times the cost of airline tickets have somewhat dictated where we headed (or the route we took). Our very good friends the De Leeuw's were  in Chiang Mai (we first met them in Costa Rica, then again in Austrailia and we LOVE them!), so after a quick search on skyscanner, we secured some pretty cheap tickets and off we headed, back to Thailand. As a beach lover, I was not sure how I would feel about Chiang Mai, (btw I have been here before but remember nothing!) I was skeptical there would not be enough to do to keep us busy. Was I ever wrong! Chiang Mai is a huge city, (over 1,000,000 people) there is the old city where most travelers head to, as accommodations are cheap and plentiful with markets around every corner. After greetings and hugs, we fell into a comfortable groove with our friends, kids quickly shed their shyness and were BFF's by the days end.

We spent our first day at the Grand Canyon Water Park, what an amazing place, pretty cheap to get in and so much to do. Kids had a blast (and so did the parents)

There are two parks side by side, we went to both

The next day we had booked a full day at the elephant sanctuary (Johnny opted to tour all the temples instead). There are plenty in Chiang Mai, but An had heard the Maerim Elephant Sanctuary was a great one so we opted to go there (while a little pricey, 100%  worth it). I can't express how special this day was. We had learned that riding elephants is incredibly unethical, as a result there are many places across Northern Thailand trying to save these majestic creatures. We spent the day, feeding, bathing and playing with these gentle giants. It was truly spectacular,

we all had to wear blue as apparently it calms the elephants and they recognize the colour

we all gave mud baths to the elephants and each other!

Johnny had an awesome time exploring the city, Chiang Mai is FULL of temples. he barely scratched the surface and saw a ton...

The next day we did a day tour visiting "sticky waterfall" and Ma Sa waterfall. What an awesome day! Sticky waterfall was unlike anything I have ever seen, you literally could crawl up the waterfall like spiderman, the rock was pourous so you did not slip. You had to see it to believe it. We all had a blast and spent a few hours climbing up and down the rocks.

all the kids were scrambling up and down 

Ma Sa waterfall was also quite beautiful, it was 10 cascading waterfalls with small plunge pools at every level. It was a very scenic hike and the water was cool and refreshing.

The following day we did a full day tour, visiting Thailand's highest peak, and the nearby Pagodas- Doi Inthanon (the pagodas where built to honour the current king and queen, they are magnificent structures surrounded by spectacular gardens).  We also visited a hill tribe as well as two more waterfalls, Wachiratan and Sirithan. 

Watchiritan waterfall

The whole gang

Sirithan Waterfall

A Karen Hill tribe woman, (not the long necks)

The pagoda and gardens

A very interesting lady we saw throughout the day

a small hike to one of the waterfalls

When Johnny was a little boy he read about the Karen Long Neck Tribes of Northern Thailand, ever since, he has always wanted to see them... we read mixed reviews about visiting the tribe, as some see it as exploitation. We read about a village where the people that are there choose to be, to educate tourists and earn some income. Johnny and Livy decided to go, while Anneka and I went shopping. (there is a huge modern mall in Chiang Mai that has everything any western mall would have, I was able to score some Birkenstocks as mine broke). Johnny and Liv had a good day, however they did say they felt like it was a tourist trap, but learned a ton.

On top of all the amazing sites to see and do in Chiang Mai, the markets are incredible! There is a Saturday and Sunday walking street market (both on different streets) and then a nightly food market, where you can get anything your heart desires...(so cheap too! our dinner bill was never more then $12-$15). The energy of the markets is incredible, singers and musicians entertaining, local artists selling everything you can imagine..

Well that was it for Chiang Mai, a jam packed week and we still felt like there was more to explore. I absolutely loved it and will definitely come back to explore more. We sadly said goodbye to our great friends. Hoping our paths will cross in at least 1 more country (that would make 4!)

See you soon Cambodia!