The final goodbye post

It took me a long time to write this. Mostly because I really don't want it all to be over.

First, Siem Reap. I loved so much about the place. Of course, the temples were the big hit. My favourite, hands down, was Bayon. Bayon has hundreds upon hundreds of giant stone faces staring down at you from multiple four sided temples. It's awe-inspiring. Paul and I arrived early morning to watch the temple be slowly illuminated by the rising sun. We chose Bayon as our starting point in an attempt to avoid the insane temple crowds. It worked, we were two of only five people there. Everyone else was clambering for spots for their tripods outside of Angkor Wat.

We ended up doing eleven hours of templing on our second day. That was after about 7 hours on day one. It was worth it. We rented bicycles which kept us alert and allowed us complete freedom of travel. Highly recommended for the "outside circuit" as well as the inside circuit.

Siem Reap has a bustling night market that is fully geared towards tourists. Original art abounds whether it be paintings, sculptures or woodcarvings. Paradise right before Christmas. It is also a town of well adorned eateries and sharp night life, and cheap-ish hotels. We loved it. Vincent from Belgium, stayed at a hostel for $1US per night. He did say, "I think I know why it's $1," however.

For our final night Paul and I spleshed out on a fancy hotel. The Terrace des Elephants was easily the nicest hotel either one of us has ever seen much less stayed at. Wow. Our room included a lily pond with live lilies and two bridges to cross said pond. We invited our friends Kate (england, who we'd been travelling with for over a week) Vincent (who we met on the bus to Battambang) Josh (our new American friend who got to know on the boat to Siem Reap) and Rose (England, who we met through Josh) to our hotel to have a dinner at the swanky restaurant and a swim in the pool. After which we decided to give'r on our last night out. Although it may have ended in tears following a big Bollywood mash up dance, it was still pretty fun. We will miss you all. Kate, we will see you again. It must be. Josh, I can't wait for our personal tour of Boulder, Colorado.

This was the most of everything. The trip consisted of so many superlatives. It is hard to be back home and having to say goodbye to the friends, places and experiences.

Already planning the next trip. Kate, get your motorcycle license.