Liz enjoying your blog and posts. So glad to hear about your time in SR. We leave a week from tomorrow!! We will be arriving in SR on March 31 and would be happy to bring a pencil sharpener - I hope I can still find that kind as most are electrical!! But I will definitely look. Is there anything else Ponheary really needs? We will be serving the kids lunch when we go - can't wait. Just curious what the weather is really like - I can check the stats, but would love to know how it really feels and how you deal with it!!

glad everything is going so well

Loved Ta Prohm and Bayon!

Nice dinner last night at Red Piano. The tuk tuk ride was fun. Like I said, I am easily amused.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat was beautiful!

I also enjoyed the Terrace of Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King.

jgg- the weather is HOT and HUMID. It's almost too much for us. We were up at 5:30am to see the sunrise and were sweating by 6:45am. We were dropped off at 9am because we couldn't take the heat any longer! We have a longer rest today-- afternoon school visit doesn't start until 3pm.

It's HOT! HOT. HOT. Did I mention it's hot? I don't really know how to deal with it except drink a lot of water, eat lightly (nothing too heavy or rich), and swim in the pool as much as possible.

I think next time we'll come in December.

Also we're from Minnesota so we're likely more heat sensitive than a lot of Americans...

That said, it's worth suffering through the heat because we are seeing the most amazing things. Amazing.

It wasn't too hot at the school, but it's hot touring the temples.

You're going to love SR! Serving lunch will be fantastic! The kids are so adorable.

If you have any (XS or S) children's clothing that you can't use, throw it in your suitcase.

OK, I'm off to enjoy our air-conditioned break.

we find the key is to go into a/c as often as possible....site to a/c car to site to a/c car etc....you can't live your whole time that way be it sure helps me.....you refresh a bit before moving on....

we found SR the most hot of all the SEA places we have been...

Bob,
Tim's happy that you wrote that SR was the hottest place you'd been in SEA. So we may not be as uncomfortable in Bangkok?
You would love the pool at the Sofitel. It's a huge free-form pool, with a swim-up bar, comfortable lounges with padded seats, and tables for a poolside lunch.
HanumanAlaya guests have free access to the Sofitel gym and pool and 10% off of food orders.
Any plans on returning to SR sometime soon?

I was in SR in late November/early December and it was still unbelievably hot. And at some of the temples, no shade at all -- that might have changed since I was there in 1992.

Liz
I just looked at pics on your blog, (I'm cuebook, by the way) of the school visit. So touching! Some day I'll visit that school with Ponheary. I taught mostly 1st grade for 33 years so seeing smiles on the faces of children really warms my heart!

I hope BKK is a bit cooler than SR. You are, after all, traveling in SEAsia during some of the hottest times of the year (April is the hottest in BKK). Nov/Dec/Jan is the best weather.

Keep the real-time reports coming!

Carol

Liz, You have inspired me to do the Tsukiji Market Tour. I will be joining my Japanese friends in a couple of weeks & get up at 4 AM to make it there on time.

Loving the trip with you.........

liz---tell tim not to get his hopes up about bkk as it will be very hot and worse humid there.....but in bkk it is easier to eacape the heat: TAXIS

Well, we have been mentally preparing for the heat and humidity for several months, now it is just time to go and experience it. It is so interesting to see in your pictures people wearing jackets and long sleeve shirts. Amazing to see how people adapt to their surroundings.

Loved your pictures of the school and kids!

Re: wearing jackets/long sleeves YES

lol... my Thai friends put on their winter clothes if the temp gets below 80! They should come to lovely Illinois and experience a REAL winter... lol

Carol

Liz (and Tim)

Thanks for the great report so far. Your blog about the visit to Knar School is just super; I'm glad you had a good visit there and thanks for bringing the clothes. That's always a big hit with the folks out in the countryside.

I think it's good to reinforce the notion that school is where your help is, not out on the street, and I encourage other visitors whose hearts ask them to "do something", to do it at a school, a hospital, an orphanage, etc.

Lastly, if it makes you feel any better, it will be hotter still in April!

Lori

Liz, jgg & Carol,

In Manila, when the rains hit in the heat of the summer or the temp drops at around 80 F , you will see A LOT of folks wearing their branded sweaters & rain coats. I cringe at the thought.

I bet it has absolutely nothing to do with the "branded" items of clothing than anything else. Looking at photos at the end of our trip, I notice I am only one of the very few of my friends & family who is consistent about wearing either short sleeved, light fabric clothes. GO figure !

Liz,
I'm really enjoying your reports. We got back from SR about a month ago, so I'm reliving the excitement through you! Now we're planning our next adventure in Asia. I'd love to see your pictures. How can I access your blog?
Thanks!

Well we survived the heat in SR and are now in BKK. I don't want to give the impression that the heat was the overwhelming focus of our time in SR; we *loved* it there and enjoyed every minute! We'll definitely be back.

bmt- hope you like the tour! Please do let me and the other Fodorites know what you think.

Carol- My mom was a 2nd grade teacher for almost 30 years and feels the same way as you do. I think she is going to donate to the teacher program with the PLF now-- she couldn't believe the Cambodian salaries! I do hope you get a chance to visit the schools sometime.

Lori- so sad we couldn't meet you this time in SR. Next time!! The work you do is truly amazing.

Nognig- send me an email at [email protected]

MORE TRIP REPORT
We visited the city school to distribute uniforms to 400 of the poorer students. From what I understand, the city school has both "rich" and "poor" students. The students with fewer resources are given a second uniform partway through the year. (Lori please correct me or add more info if you have any...) The students were gathered up in the meeting room, and each one was called to the front. They wai-ed to either Tim or me, and then he or I handed them their new uniform and shoes. They were so excited/happy! I took a lot of photos again and am uploading them now.

We took a tuk-tuk into town and had dinner at Viva! Mexican. We eat a lot of Mexican food--we have a large Latino population and many Mexican restaurants in the suburb where Tim works--and we thought that the Viva! food was really quite good!

Our last day in SR, we started with a trip to Tonle Sap. I had seen photos so I knew what to expect. Tim was simply shocked. Shocked. I know that some people feel that a visit is voyeuristic-- I can see why, but I didn't feel that way. I used a zoom lens so that the subjects of my photographs were unaware I was taking them... I am glad we went. We've never seen poverty like that.

Stopped at Artisans D'Angkor and purchased a stone elephant carving, silk scarves, a silk handbag, fans, and a couple other small things.

Lunch at the Blue Pumpkin, shopping at the Old Market (t-shirts, scarves), and dessert at HDLP. HDLP was very very modern. It was quite a shock coming in from the Market. I can appreciate the place, but I am glad we didn't stay there now that I have more a feel for SR. Also I felt like we were in Korea because the only other people in the restaurant were lots of Korean tourists pouring off of coach buses. But I digress. It is close to the market but still a 10-minute walk to pub street, which is a lot longer than you'd think when you're walking in direct sunlight and it's 100 degrees F. But you've read enough about us being hot!

We spent the afternoon at Preah Khan (sp?), Tim's second favorite after Ta Prohm, and then sunset at Angkor Wat. The sun wasn't too strong, but we took a lot of photos anyway.

Ponheary dropped us off at the airport and we said goodbye. I really, really enjoyed touring with her, both at the temples and visiting the schools, and I hope to be back soon.

We got to the airport early and were able to get on the earlier Bangkok Airways flight no problem.

We met up with my parents at the BKK airport and transferred to the Adelphi Suites (driver from Tong's team). We all like this hotel!

We spent today with Tong. About 4am Tim woke up and is sick. Some water splashed into his mouth at Tonle Sap, not sure if it was that or some vegetable he ate in SR; we were really careful but there were a couple raw garnishes... Well he didn't know if he'd be able to spend the day with all of us.

Tong encouraged him to go, and off we went. Just outside the door, my mom, who isn't the most agile person in the first place, trips down the stairs and twists her ankle. Great. I bet Tong wondered what she was getting herself into.

We all loaded into the VIP van (very nice!) and Tong had disappeared. Where was she? Buying Tim Gatorade! She's so great.

We got to the floating market a bit late due to a slightly late start and a few stops on the way for the Happy Room. I liked it ok but it got too crowded at the end. It was fun to do once. I wasn't feeling that well either, Tim wasn't eating (stomach issues), and Dad was not going to eat anything there (which annoyed me but whatever) so I ate some and so did Mom. Mango and sticky rice, some pork with rice, two kinds of noodles, two kinds of fried bananas-- delicious!!! I wish I had felt better so I could have devoured more. The food was the highlight of the market for me.

On to the Secret Place. WOW! It was so great. Feeding the monkeys was way better than I even thought it would be-- it was amazing and not scary at all.

The lunch was delicious!! We were all stuffed. So good. Luckily I felt better by then to eat a lot. Then we took a nap. More details will be put on the blog.

Tong talked a lot about Bob and Andy, she loves you two! Also travelduo. I saw heymo's entry in the guestbook among others. It was fun to hear/read about Fodorites while at the Secret Place.

Lots of traffic on our way back.
Now we're off to dinner, probably just across the street since Mom has a twisted ankle and Tim is still just coming around...

Tomorrow: BKK tour with Tong!

hey....you did not throw me a banana...i'm still out here in the swamp starved...andy took them all..

glad it is all working well...

Liz
Get your mom to Wat Pho for a Thai foot massage!!! The SAME THING happened to ME on my first trip to Bangkok, back in 2001. First day, not paying attention to the uneven pavement!! DS's Thai friend said I needed Thai foot massage for my ankle. Boy, was she right!!! I could have danced out, after one hour (of pain, yes... that massage hurt like he@@!!). If I had been at home, I know exactly what would have happened. Crutches, ace bandage, elevate, no walking.. etc

Have mom give it a try!

PS Glad you like the Adelphi! Me too!

Carol

Liz-sounds like a great trip. Tong loves children. That's why Bob and I are among her favorites. We lack a certain maturity. I know this may seem shocking, but it's true.

Have fun with your BKK Liz. We just did that this past Saturday with Tong. Hope that Tim is feeling better & Mom's ankle is healing as well. Please tell Tong that her Tokyo family send her love & that Anika got her glasses in the mail today. Thanks & ENJOY !!!

sorry meant BBK/Tong tour. Was typing waaaaaaaay past my bedtime last night.