From Namastay to "Mama Stay!"

Clearly, some time has passed since my last post. But, as always, if anyone wants a quick update on life abroad, you can message me on WhatsApp! I am astounded at how quickly a month of traveling has blown by - it always scares me when time seems to move this fast.

After our quick visit in Phnom Penh, Lainie and I traveled to the smaller city of Siem Reap, Cambodia, home to the beautiful Angkor Wat temples. Fun fact: in Siem Reap, no buildings can be taller than Angkor Wat, which is about 4 stories tall. That fact was quite a change from the 30-story sky bars that Lainie and I had hit in Phnom Penh! Our hostel in Siem Reap was a colorful and vibrant place - music and drinks always flowing by the pool - and was fun to meet new people at. The Angkor Archeological Park actually houses hundreds of temple ruin sites - major and minor, small and big. In our first full day, Lainie and I visited the (largely intact) Bayon temple which was very cool. The tops of the towers have faces of Buddha carved into them on all sides, and the walls are ornately patterned with dancing buddhas and flowers. After exploring this temple, we took a  boat tour to one of the floating villages on Tonle Sap Lake - an activity that definitely humbled me. On this tour, we floated along and saw what life is like for these families - most of the floating shacks don't have bathrooms! Our group was invited into one of the homes (part of the tour) where we sat in a circle on the floor snacking, drinking, and having our questions answered by the older lady who owned the house. The shack rocked with the lake water as we sat - just like a boat would. Lainie and I saw the mats that would be laid down for sleeping and I could not help but be overly thankful for all that I have: mattresses, an overabundance of clothing and shoes, plenty of food to eat, etc.

The next day, Lainie and I were joined by mama!! I was overjoyed to see her - both Lainie and I had tears in our eyes - which I did not expect given my excitement to be traveling without parents. Immediately, we dropped mom's stuff in the room and went to tour another one of the large Angkor temples: Ta Prohm, more commonly known as the Tomb Raider temple for its appearance in the movies. This temple was smaller than the last but had lots more to see! Ta Prohm was overtaken by nature and now has large trees growing into the stones of the walkways and the walls - SO cool.

On Saturday (the 15th) we did a sunrise tour of Angkor Wat which allowed us to see the sun rise over the temple and then tour the inside. Angkor Wat is massive! To reach the inside of the temple, there are different levels, or floors, to climb before reaching the highest point and the greatest view. The stairs leading to the highest tower were large and steep - I am extremely proud of myself for making it out unscathed after a panic attack at our descent (my knees were literally shaking).

Our travels have since brought us to Chiang Mai, Thailand, where we spent a good part of the first day at the zoo feeding the animals. The next day was an INCREDIBLE experience spent, again, with animals - it was the day that Lainie and I had been looking forward to for a long time! Early in the morning we found ourselves riding in the back of a truck on our way to an elephant sanctuary. When we got there, we were given a "drug rug" looking shirt to wear and a pocket full of bananas and sugar cane pieces. We fed the elephants, ate lunch ourselves, made medicine balls for the elephants (makes them poop), and then got to bathe the elephants in mud and water. These gentle giants were SO cute - they giggle and play with each other, as well as with the trainers. I'm still not over this day.

We are currently in Chiang Rai, Thailand, where we visited the White Temple, Blue Temple, Black House Exhibit, opium museum, golden triangle, and tea plantation ALL in one day. The White Temple was immaculate: everything was white with silver mosaic tiles that glinted in the sun. Definitely my favorite temple we have seen thus far. The Black House is actually an art exhibit spanning over a large area. The exhibit consists of dark wooden "houses" filled with animal parts giving the space an eery feel. The golden triangle is where Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos meet - a cool tourist attraction. We saw the Blue temple at night when it was lit up with blue and white lights. The inside of this temple was gorgeously painted with Buddhist gods and flowers in cool shades of blue, green, and purple.

Tomorrow morning we are flying to Bangkok which I am very excited to explore!

Till next time,
Lilly

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