Cooking Class at Sojourn Spa Resort.
We enjoyed the cooking class at Sojourn Resort but it felt incongruous having such luxury in the middle of a poor village. Hopefully it helps the people there, providing work experience and income.
The teachers were very good and explained everything very well. Afterwards we got to eat our lesson, and it was delicious. We will do another class in Laos next week. Apart from learning about the local cuisine it's such a good way to meet people from all over the world.

Most of the photos are of the resort.




Sunset photo session at Angkor Wat.
We managed to get past the Korean tourists who appear to do sight seeing in packs, you seem to be invisible to them, they just plough through like you don't exist.  We managed to get some photos without thousands of people in view. This sounds racist but not meant that way, just an observation.



Dead Fish Tower Becomes The Loft.
On our last visit to Siem Reap we had dinner a few times at what was the amazing Dead Fish Tower restaurant. When i say amazing i mean the strange and bizarre interior design of the place.
It was all podiums where you could choose a table or sit on cushions on the floor. All suspended somehow from the roof at odd angles and heights, connected by catwalks and stairs. O. H & S ? Forget it !
However a new owner has decided it was all too dangerous, and she had to make some serious changes... like removing the live crocodiles in tanks and adding safety rails around the podiums. Some areas have been enclosed with dark glass walls with air conditioning for private dining.

Another change has been the name, which I think is a mistake. No longer The Dead Fish, now it is just the The Loft Tower. When i say tower, it's because of the very high cavernous interior.
The food last night was excellent, we had traditional Cambodian dishes with lots of Lemon Grass, holy basil and mint. We managed to dodge the chillies in big chunks though. I like it hot and spicy but not those huge pieces.


We are Booked for a Cambodian cooking class on Sunday morning, should  be fun.




SEE FOOD REVIEW PAGE

Ruins and Relics

On Wednesday we spent the morning visiting the ancient Khmer ruins of The Rolous group of temples 30 minutes out of Siem Reap where we are staying. The weather was perfect with a slight breeze as we clambered over ancient pathways, stumbling here and there as I seem to do quite a bit.
Our taxi driver, who was recommended to us is very nice, as has been just about everyone we have come in contact with so far. We get special consideration by younger people as we are now known Pappas. I suppose it's quite nice, it's meant to be respectful. I haven't heard women referred to as Mommas though.
Have a look at the photos from our tour here
Our driver spoke of his parents who were killed by a landline bomb near Siem Reap during Pol Pot's regime when he was one year old.
He was raised by his grandmother who is still alive in her mid eighties. We din't see many older people around town,many were killed during this terrible time.

Relic amongst the ruins

We like many South East Asian countries as you may be aware, and hope this time in Cambodia to see things we missed last visit and return to some favourite spots.
Our first stop is Siem Reap in Cambodia where we hope to see some more remote temples which are part of the Angkor Complex.
 In Siem Reap we are staying in a hotel which is supposed to be a bit unusual , even eccentric by some reports we've read. A pond, waterfall and fountain in the bathroom sounds really cool to me. It's called Terrasse des Eléphants Boutique Hotel  take a look.The bathroom which is sort of like a mini Bayon Temple is on a raised platform with flimsy curtains, it feels like you are on stage when you have a shower or clean your teeth. If you like privacy, forget it! If you are an exhibitionist, then you will be in heaven ! The toilet however, is private.

The latest weather reports show sunny days with temperatures between 25 to 32 degrees. Sounds a lot better than what we have had for our summer and it's their winter.
Spend summer in Cambodia ? um...errrr I don't think so.

After months of flooding in Seam Reap during the monsoon season it's now the dry season.The town itself was flooded three times. I think it's wise to check on usual weather patterns before going to Asian countries ( or any country really) unless you like extreme humidity, heat and floods. In Luang Prabang in Laos it's getting quite cool at night but warm sunny days, sounds good to me.
Because of my spine problems we're trying just to spend 4 or 5 hours or so sight seeing, then take it easy the rest of the day.


Oh Yes, and about the hotel, it is quite eccentric to say the least, but we like it very much.