If I could drive 100 miles, oh wait we drove 1,000 more

Post Singapore we made our way to Adelaide, Australia, where we arrived bright, early, and freezing at 7 am. We then caught a cab to our Airbnb. Rob is absolute perfection at finding restaurants, but this is the first time I'd let him take the reigns on our housing. Well, we arrived to a trailer in the back of someone's yard. Not just any trailer, but one that had been used for the Sydney olympics.... Although we lacked kitchen facilities, wifi, and warmth of any kind, that was probably the closest I'll ever get to hanging out with Michael Phelps, so We took it. We spent the next 3 days wandering around Adelaide, going into bars, eating some (absolutely amazing) burgers, and sleeping an obscene amount. This was my favorite.
Post Adelaide we began our road trip down the great ocean road to Melbourne.  We made it about 20 minutes to wine country and then made a 2 day pit stop. (We aren't so good at road tripping.....). McLaren Vale was definitely top 5 of the trip for us. It is the tiny little area with dozens of (mostly) family owned vineyards, each with its own story and quirky sommelier. We had more interesting conversations with people in that town than we'd had the whole of the trip. We did something called the wine and cheese trail, where a place called blessed cheese provides a 4 course cheese basket and a list of the wines paired with each, at various vineyards. The cheese for every course part was amazing enough, and then they gave us wine on top of that. (I suggested changing the name of the wine and cheese trail to Anne and Rob special day. They decided not to take that suggestion.)
After McLaren vale we began our drive, first through Mount Gambier and then to Apollo bay. We were actually supposed to continue on to Lorne but we stopped at a craft brewery and it kind of went downhill from there. Whoops. Mount Gambier was incredible. There is a beautiful lake in the crater of an extinct volcano that turns neon blue. (Unfortunately it didn't happen to coincide with our dates, which I thought was a little rude, but we'll have to go back.) They also have a huge sinkhole that was turned into one of the most gorgeous gardens I've ever seen. I will be sure to pass these photos along to the city of NOLA regarding the 'sinkhole de mayo' situation. We continued our drive stopping at almost every lookout, taking our obligatory selfie, and standing in awe of the vast natural beauty of Australia's southern coast.
We then continued on to our craft beer haven where we both shared a dark beer with 12% alcohol, and decided maybe the driving for the day was over. After about 2 or three of those bad boys I happened to look over at the table next to us. I noticed a young girl wearing a maroon sweatshirt which looked eerily similar to lesser Mississippi school with those damn cowbells. (I kid. But I had to say it...) Rob convinces me, for a second, to leave this nice family alone as it's probably just a Melbourne rugby shirt. I immediately disregard his request, per usual, and ask the dad where his daughter's sweatshirt is from. He then pulls his jacket open revealing a Mississippi State polo. After he explained that he probably shouldn't even talk to an ole miss girl, he told us he'd been working for State for the past few years and had just moved back to Australia. He then handed us his card, offering his assistance in any way and a warm bed should we need it. If anyone ever doubted the hospitality of the great state of Mississippi (or Southern Australia) I'm here to tell you, it spans continents.
We continued our trip stopping at our lookouts and then in a cute little city called Lorne. This place was adorable. If I'm ever on the lam, this is where I'd go. There is a beautiful surfing beach, and we even hiked down to a waterfall, which I loved until we had to hike back up. The walk back up was about 1,000 old wooden steps, or 35 flights per my Fitbit, whichever is greater. We continued our drive to Port Fairy, our next stopover where we discovered a ghost town. Everything closes at 8 pm and we arrived around 7:30. It was pizza, again, for dinner......  
The next day we continued our drive and sightseeing and arrived outside of Melbourne in    Yarra valley, another wine region. (If you can't tell, we kind of like wine.) We spent the day going wine tasting and taking in the beautiful sights of Yarra which I can describe only as 'Ireland like.'
We spent our last 3 days on the southern coast, in Melbourne, where we mainly were just excited to stay in once place for more than a night. We celebrated the 4th of July with feta lamb burgers (when in Rome) and wandered around St. Kilda, and had dinner with some friends (Hey Marg and Rich). I can safely say our first road trip was an absolute success, mainly because I wasn't allowed to drive per my own request, but also just driving until we didn't want to anymore, and staying wherever we could find a room was a wildly new experience for these two type A planner personalities. We drank (approximately) 5 gallons of wine, drove what felt like 100 hours, got very little sleep, and saw some of the most amazing scenery of our lives. So here's to you great ocean road, thanks for the introductory road trip and the inspiration to do many more. Our kids are going to hate us........

Singapore, Say no More

We had a mere 3 days in Singapore, and to anyone going, this is not even close to enough time. But if you choose to accept this challenge, I have included your guide within. 

First off, try to be a millionaire. $20 for a drink is totally normal. Also, once you realize $20 is the norm for a drink, be sure to have a bag nearby for when you need to gag every time you order the aforementioned drink. (The drinks are awesome, the price just kills you). 

Eat everywhere. The food is amazing. Singapore has something called Hawker stands (another Rob find). It's basically an outdoor food court except everything is delicious and extremely reasonable. (Also, there's no Sbarro. A little bit of a let down, but I got over it) We went to an old school one (where we had legit Asian duck noodles) and we went to a hipster one where we had lobster fries. (Yea - lobster fries) The hipster one came fully equipped with a band at night and we even found Abita there. It was basically heaven, minus the hipsters. 

Go to the botanical gardens. And give yourself a day. These things are huge and absolutely gorgeous. They have orchids next to rainforests, and turtles next to Komodo dragons. (The small ones obviously) The fact that this country has kept this enormous acreage smack dab in the middle of the city is pretty incredible. You feel like you're in a different country all together. 

Expect to be awed by the cleanliness. Gum is illegal, because they don't want it on the street, and littering is a serious crime. Everything is spotless. Everyone is proud of their city. And if you're feeling extra crazy, lick the street. Probably cleaner than some restaurant forks....

Don't expect to drink in the casino. This was a huge bummer for us. Especially because that's the only way I gamble. Turns out, sober gambling just isn't very much fun.....especially when you're losing.

Final advice, Leave yourself more than 3 days. This is an incredible city/country and we feel like we saw just a sliver of what it has to offer. But, we both have a sneaky feeling we'll be back here sooner rather than later. So just give us a few years (or centuries) to make our millions. Singapore may be for lovers, but I just don't think it's for lovers on a budget..... We had a blast, but the next time we come, we're doing it big. 

Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things

Once we were approved (via a $100 rush through the embassy) to enter the country, we went to Vietnam. We hit three spots while we were there including Hanoi, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh city (the artist formerly known as Saigon). And while I don't want anyone to think we were oblivious to the history we have in this amazing country, we wanted to see it through a new perspective, a perspective of a couple of adorable honeymooners, seeing a beautiful country, for the very first time. 

We originally wanted to do the history tours, but found just meeting the people and exploring were 100% more our taste, so we took that route. We landed in Hanoi, and due to our visa mishap, had just a few short days there. Unfortunately, Rob wasn't feeling great (just an FYI, this was the first time either of us got sick, and we had been in Southeast Asia for a month. That was a win for sure), so I ventured out a bit by myself. But only extending 1 to 2 blocks per Rob (and Steve's) wishes. I found an adorable coffee house where zero English was spoken, and played a very fun charades game with the barista trying to order a black iced coffee. (Imagine me pointing to my black shirt, holding up milk saying 'no,' all in my very loud, slow voice...... Because that helps people understand. Duh) The very sweet, and apparently most patient human ever, understood my request and handed me a black iced coffee. She also brought water and motioned for me to mix these together. Well, I'm no pansy, so I drank the coffee straight. That was a big mistake. Big, Huge. (Sorry, couldn't help myself) and I came back completely hyped up and didn't fall asleep until 4 am, despite the numerous drowsy Dramamine I ingested. Lesson learned. There is a very real reason they mix the Vietnamese coffee with some type of milk scenario. That's all I have to say about that. 

We ventured around the next day and saw some of the sites before flying out to Hoi An. (At this point, my new favorite stop on the trip.) Hoi An is a very small Vietnamese town known for its tailors. This may be my happy place. You show pictures, or drawings to a tailor, and they make you clothes in 24 hours. And they are measured to your body. (In your face, $5 charge for the 'tall' girl inseam) Rob and I planned on getting one or 2 suits made, and left with about 5x the amount of stuff we planned for. (thanks to the Vietnam post, we do not have to carry that around for the next 2 months) We did a ton of research and landed at a tailor called 'Miss Forget Me Not.' It consists of a woman and her sister, who measure you (over and over and over) and draw clothes for you that they, along with their extended family, make for you by the next day. It's insane. I also fell in love with these two for their honesty. They told Rob he was not 'large' but probably 'medium' sized after explaining to me that my dress would look 'stupid' the way I wanted it. Both pretty accurate, but it stung a little. These two ladies became our friends, as we were there for two fittings a day over a week long span. And until you've tried to put a full suit on, in 105 degree heat, in a place with no AC, you do not know real sweat.......

Post Hoi An, we went to Ho Chi Minh and did a few of the sites there. We went to the roof of the Rex hotel, known as the expat bar/tourist trap, and spent far too much on two drinks. We then walked to the cathedral, before grabbing a bite at an acclaimed hole in the wall bahn mi place that Rob found on eater. It was amazing. He does have a knack for finding insane food. (Probably why I'm so attracted to him. That and the fact that he understands international public transport. And love and stuff.) We are sitting and eating when the owner's dad starts chatting with us. Apparently he used to be the investor for the New Orleans Firefighters pension, and once went to a 2 day long pig roast in Slidell. We found someone in Vietnam that knows where Slidell is. And Covington. And Old Metairie. Turns out the 2 degrees of separation famous in New Orleans is an international phenomenon. 

We cannot stop talking about how much we absolutely fell in love with Vietnam, despite the CONSTANT sweating situation. (Louisiana heat has absolutely nothing on this place) Everything there revolves around good food and family, which is something we know a little about. The scenery is to die for, and the people are incredibly kind. We left with a few hundred dollars worth of leather bags, gowns, and suits, and a whole new perspective of a country so foreign to so many. I hope that I'm lucky enough to step foot on this beautiful land again, and give a big hug to all of the phenomenal people we were lucky enough to meet here. So cheers to eating hot Pho in 105 degree heat, custom made suits, and the 5 lb weight gain I wouldn't  trade for the world. GOODBYE VIETNAM!

Phuket.... WE'LL DO IT LIVE

After we left Phi Phi we headed back to Phuket on the 9 am ferry. There were later ones but I knew we had an actual full service hotel on the other end of that ride, so I woke up early (which you know I hate) packed up, and booked it to make that boat. Once we got back to Phuket and arrived at our incredible hotel, we grabbed our suits and hung out by the pool. All. Day. Long. I didn't hear the words 'jack daniels bucket,' or a woo girl scream once. It was pure bliss.

Once we sat down and started to unpack, I realized, very quickly, that my hand felt a little weird. And as soon as I looked down, I recalled the beautiful ring, that we bartered for in the Dubai gold souk for over an hour, was safely resting on the bed side table IN PHI PHI. I called the hotel (I'm being generous with that word) where there were zero English speaking receptionists, and tried to explain the situation. (I also realized I'm one of those people that just gets louder the more you don't understand me, until I'm just screaming the words "gold ring" at a deafening volume for 5 minutes straight) After the third time, they hung up on me, so I typed our issue into google translate and then held the cell phone up to the room phone in our hotel (We're very crafty). They informed me they found the ring. They then told me that I would need to take the ferry back to the island to get it back. I really like this ring, but there was no way in hell I was going back there. I had JUST gotten the liquor smell out of my clothes! Therefore, I proceeded to email every tour company in town until I found a guide who agreed to go to the hotel and grab the ring for me.... in exchange for a small $50 fee. So see, you can get memories back, but they'll cost you.

Once the incident known in the Casey household as ring-mageddon had ended, we spent the next few days wandering the city and sitting by the water. But - don't you worry, we weren't totally lame. Two of our friends, who were married in June, were actually honeymooning just up the road from us. (Shout out to the new Mr. And Mrs. Yeates). Obviously Rob and I have been having a blast together, but up to this point, it was just us, together, having fun, all the time. (#alldayerryday) So the fact that we had other people to talk to, especially good friends, who had not spent every waking moment with us, was like Christmas morning. We went to an amazing dinner with them and then we all ventured to Bangla Road.

From what we were told, we expected something similar to Bourbon street. But oh man, this was much, MUCH more serious. Imagine if the big ass beer people from Nola were wearing sparkly undergarments and constantly attempting to sell you the most random things (i.e. Light up Minnie Mouse ears or bracelets that literally said " I Love Rape." What is that? Like in all seriousness, who is responsible for that great tagline? I was waiting for the one that said, "I love pushing down old ladies walking to church.") Also, understand that some of these salespeople were not so much girls in general (or at all). And not only do they assault you with menus of various performances that you do not understand nor have any desire to witness, competing Go-Go Girls will take you by the hand and drag you into their particular establishment which I can only describe as one of the most frightening "clubs" I've ever seen.  You will then be challenged by a bar girl (maybe..) to compete in connect four, loser buys drinks. 

Now, THAT my friends, is Bangla Road. 

We finally found an Aussie bar, literally called Aussie Bar, and sat together for the night whilst watching the chaos ensue around us. We also fit in a few games of connect four, among ourselves, because when in Phuket?! (Seriously though why is this a thing? Why not a more fun game? Like maybe chutes and ladders, or a scrabble situation?) But in all seriousness, this town deserves a gold medal for people watching. There were a few things I certainly wish I could unsee, but it's kind of like a train wreck. You just can't look away.

We were supposed to leave Phuket the next day, but we had a few issues with our Vietnam visas, i.e. we didn't get them, mainly because we didn't apply for them. (That was kind of our bad) And so a repeat of the night before it was. Phuket was an absolute blast, largely in part because we got to do it with some of our best friends, and largely in part because it is one of the most ridiculous places I've ever been. So here's to group honeymoons, (not attending) ping pong shows, connect four, and the puckering sound that will forever haunt my dreams.
 
Much Love,
(A collaborative effort by) The Caseys

I think it's pronounced "Thigh-land".......

So I'm 99% sure I've stayed on the same sleep cycle Since we left in May. At first I was asleep at 8 and awake at 4 am and now I'm up until 3, awake around 11. (Back to my college days). So I'm now on our second to last (fingers crossed) overnight flight at 2 am, (3:30 in Australia where we're landing) writing a blog and drinking a nice glass of white. Everyone else is asleep but this is my favorite plane time. I think I left off in Chiang Mai, so now we move onto Koh Phi Phi. We got to Phi Phi, making the very last 2 hour ferry of the day by just a few seconds. Lucky for us, our cab driver apparently worked for Evel Knievel back in the day. And honestly, until you've run with a 23 lb backpack at full speed down a slippery jetty, you really haven't lived. (Cue us almost face planting twice in 12 seconds). But nevertheless, we made it to the island. The picture you see of Thailand is most probably taken in a 2 mile vicinity of this  place. There is teal water surrounded by beautiful limestone towers that just shoot out of the ocean. It is absolutely breathtaking. We fell in love. For about 5 seconds, until we looked around. Turns out, we are about 10 years too old and have about 3x as much material on our bodies as our surrounding islanders. (See crop tops and booty shorts. Also this is the moment I realized I was that bitchy old woman. It was really unfortunate.) Everyone is 19, everyone is drinking warm liquor out of sand pails (referred to as a bucket, mainly because you can't trust the ice), and everyone there is a 'woo girl.' (If you don't know what this is, is a girl that screams woo every time she hugs her friend, takes a Yeagerbomb, or sees a guido.) 

But, we made the best of it, and I think we beat those silly youths. We drank, we danced, and we watched some pretty sick fire shows. These guys were insane. They repeatedly burned themselves and laughed and then started again. I'm sorry, but if a flaming ball of fire burns my arm, I'm not trying to swing it around my head and then light a cigarette with it. But that's just me.

Our favorite day was when we decided to do the 'island tour.' We booked a speedboat tour, where I was promised it was "the best and fanciest way to see all of the islands." This was one of those times where I saw the boat, and immediately missed the Mama Gumbos. (For those of you who don't know, we had two pontoon boats. The Mama Gumbo I and the Mama Gumbo II. These boats weren't pretty, they barely ran, and we loved them. Unfortunately, they were both taken by hurricanes, or they just sank. I don't think anyone will ever know the truth.)

 We went to a few key places including a stop where our guide showed us monkey beach. (But literally showed us, and then told us the monkeys bite. We did not get our rabies shot. So we stayed in the boat for that one.) We went to a few more cays, each more grand and magical than the one before. But - the reason I chose this boat was because they would bring us to Maya Bay, the place I had seen in pictures as a little girl (slash college student) and always wanted to go. We get there, and it is quite beautiful. But to be honest, there were a TON of people there, and trash in the water all around us, which broke my heart a little bit. Rob and I sat in the water and just looked around and it was so surreal. The fact that this exists in nature, and I was able to witness it, was amazing. 

Our very fancy speedboat drops us off at Maya Bay, but our driver explains that the tide is low and we should meet him on the other side of the island. We agree, obviously not understanding what is happening. Once we decide to leave  we begin our trek. We walk to the other side of the island, and then we come to this net which leads to crashing waves against rocks where you were supposed to swim to your boat. There's some fun news. This is like a Spider-Man web with 20 drunk kids on it at any given time. Rob and I climb down the net and then our boat just drives away. Because, why wouldn't that happen to us? We then proceed to  tread water and swim around from boat to boat until we find our guy 20 minutes later. We get into the boat and he looked slightly panicked. Finally he explains that there are a ton of sharks in that area. Awesome. We came out with all of our limbs, got an impromptu workout in, and had about 6 beers on the way home. Caseys-1  Phi Phi Islands-0.

Tigers, Elephants, and Tuk Tuks, OH MY!

So I'm slacking a little lately on this, sorry guys. I'm going to try to get caught up this week as we have 5 flights in 10 days. Joy. After we very sadly left Cambodia, we headed back to Thailand, but this time, in the north, to Chiang Mai. I was a little stand offish after my Bangkok experience, but boy were we in for a treat. It is such a cool place. Everyone, again, was insanely friendly, and I, again, decided this was now my favorite place on the trip.

On day one we went to meet the Tigers. Oh, the Tigers. So when you get to tiger kingdom there is like a list of tigers you can cuddle, from newborn to giant. Rob and I went for the "younger" instead of the newborn. (Anyone who knows me knows I'm terrified of a newborn anything......) We went and played with what I can only imagine was the most adorable creature I've ever seen up close. I was dying for a golden retriever puppy, but I've moved on to bigger and better things. Tiger babies, here I come. (I'm sure one of you crazies knows a guy who knows a guy. Put me in touch.) After playing with the baby, Rob and I decided we hadn't quite had enough so we went to take a look at the giant tigers, which are the full grown biggest tigers. We were starting to get excited about cuddling them as well until they started "play fighting." I can imagine them giggling and saying "I'm just going to swat you with my 10 inch paw and then you can just nibble me with your razor sharp teeth." All the while I'm watching this through a fence about 4 seconds away from peeing my pants. We decided that we wanted to live to see Bora Bora, so we moved to the next biggest tigers. (A mere 350 lbs.) These had just been fed and had that glaze over their eyes similar to the one I get following a large Company Burger lunch on top of a champagne hangover. I know how much effort it takes me to get off the couch to do absolutely anything at that point, so it seemed like these tigers were the safer bet. We went into the enclosure and they told us to rub the tummy of the sleeping one. Because why would you not rub the tummy of a sleeping 350 pound, very full tiger? Much to my surprise he did not maul my face off the moment I touched him. (Rob knows this is not always the case when he awakes me from a full tummy slumber.) We wandered through the enclosure with the three tigers (we were already outnumbered by one 350 lb. tiger, but just to make sure, there were 3 in there) and had our tummy rubs and cuddles with each and every one. It was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. These creatures are so beautiful, and this was one of those days I will absolutely never forget.

 

The next day, we decided it was elephant day. (We were Steve Irwining the shit out of Chiang Mai) We did ample research on the elephant farms around the city (there are hundreds) and decided to go with an Elephant Sanctuary. It was one of the best decisions we made. Just a little back story on this amazing place (disclaimer - all stats are stolen from their website, and have not been independently verified. #lawyered) -

15 years ago there were over 100,000 elephants in Thailand alone, and likely millions worldwide. The number of elephants in Thailand has dropped to between 2500-4000. The main reasons for this rapid decline are poaching, habitat loss and elephants dying faster due to mistreatment in the tourism industry. Currently 1 kg of ivory is sold on the black market in China for over $3000.It is estimated that 70-80% of the elephants in Thailand are used in the tourism industry - the other 20-30% are at risk of being poached.

The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary started in late 2014, with a mission to provide as many elephants as possible with the good health, freedom and happiness they truly deserve. They use an ethically responsible approach to elephant eco-tourism as a platform to raise awareness and educate people from Thailand and around the world. In the last 2 years the sanctuary has grown from 3 to 38 elephants. They plan to continue growing and rescue even more elephants over the next few years. The hope is that they can lead by example, and contribute to a positive change in the perception of elephants; to witness a future where elephants are not ridden, poached, overworked, or abused, and are instead treated with care, love, and respect.

The way the sanctuary is accomplishing this is by convincing the mahouts (elephant owners) to bring their elephants to the sanctuary rather then allow them to be ridden. Much of the money they make from the tours is used to pay these owners the amount they would have made had the elephants been working for them, and not living at the sanctuary. Our guide explained that he hopes to one day buy the elephants from the owners, but unfortunately this is very expensive, and they do not have the funds to do that at this point. They have also partnered with the Karen Village people (a local tribe) who also invest their time and effort into protecting the elephants, which is creating a change in mentality of the way these majestic creatures are being treated.

I'll get off my soapbox now, but if you want to learn more, or help this cause, please refer to the link below.

http://www.elephantjunglesanctuary.com

We decided to do a half day tour at the sanctuary and we were picked up bright and early at 7 am. The sanctuary was about an hour and a half outside of town in the mountains, and the vehicle we were transported in was pretty phenomenal. It was a pick up truck, but they had created makeshift seats in the bed and put a glorified tarp over it to keep us "cool." (FYI, it's like 100 degrees everywhere. No one is ever not sweating. It's just our way of life now.) I was really hoping to nap on the way there but surprisingly riding on dirt roads, in the mountains, in the back of a truck, isn't a great napping situation. Once we arrived at the camp we were given a history of the elephants, and the people working there. They gave us some VERY stylish (slash not so stylish) shirts to wear and then handed us huge bunches of small bananas. The elephants at the camp are free to roam wherever they'd like but as soon as you have food, they are there. These elephants were hella hungry. They would reach into your pockets and grab the food themselves if you didn't go fast enough. We almost had a very unfortunate incident where the GoPro was mistaken for a banana. (Luckily Rob has cat like reflexes) After we fed them, we went down to a very muddy river and the elephants followed us in. Apparently, everyone loves a good spa day. We gave them a bath, scrubbed them down, and then rubbed mud all over them. (It seemed counter productive, but apparently the mud helps with mosquitoes. So if you see us sitting on the front porch on Napoleon, having some wine, covered in mud, you'll know what's up.) The elephants wave their ears when they are excited and I was hit in the face with elephant ears about 20 times throughout this mud bath situation. (Lucky for me, they don't stomp their feet when they get excited. This lady was a chunk.) And don't worry, we have about 10 videos of me getting wopped upside the head. One of the elephants was really taken with Rob and me and stayed close most of the day. It must have been our great maternal and paternal instincts. (Hahahhahaha. No.) But it was pretty awesome because she was our personal elephant for the day. (FYI, whoever finds the tiger guy, see if he does elephants as well.) 

Although we were wiped after two days, we were able to wander around the city and eat (shocker) at most of the yummy restaurants in town. The local dish there is Khao Soi, which is a coconut curry soup with fried and regular noodles and some type of meat scenario. (I mean. Yum.) We have an addiction. We already tried to find it in the states and apparently there is a legit Khao Soi place in Portland. Luckily, we're going to be there next summer, and plan to eat there at least once a day. We were absolutely heartbroken to leave such a unique place but feel so lucky to have experienced it the way that we did. Thailand as a whole has been amazing, but this place will always hold a special place in my heart. I have always been a beach person, but not gonna lie, Chiang Mai may have changed me to mountains. (I'm not about to throw a hammock up in the wild or anything. But I could handle a cabin. With a hot tub. And a bottle of champs.) 

To all of our new animal friends, it was an absolute pleasure. Thank you for letting us be a part of your world, even just for a second. I will never forget it.

Much Love,
Anne and Rob

Buddah Buddah Buddah Buddah Buddah everywhere....

 

A few days ago we left Cambodia, which up to this point, has been my favorite stop so far. (I'm aware I said this with Dubai as well, and will likely repeat this sentence at least 10 more times.) One thing everyone kept telling me about Cambodia, was how incredibly inexpensive it was. We had just come from Bangkok, which was by far the cheapest place I'd seen, but that didn't hold a candle to this. $0.50 draft beer? Check. $3 for lunch for two? Check. $10 a night for a legit hotel? Check. All of these things were possibilities. Of course we opted to stay at one of the nicest hotels I've ever seen, and ate one of the top 10 meals of my life, in the best restaurant in Siem Reap, and drank French rose at least once a day, but that's beside the point. We initially intended to go there to give us a little break on spending, and pretty much say we went to Cambodia, but as soon as we landed we realized Siem Reap was so much more than an inexpensive tourist trap.

As soon at we left the airport we were greeted with the happiest, friendliest people we had ever seen. (Key word here is left, as SOME people weren't to cool about me losing my customs form between the plane and the airport. #woops) Everyone, and I mean everyone, from Tuk Tuk drivers, to the receptionist at our hotel, was smiling. (They may absolutely hate tourists, but you would never know. I felt like giving everyone I passed a big hug just because they were so nice, but I wasn't trying to turn that smile upside down, or into a punch in the face for invading personal space...) People seemed legitimately glad to see us, even though no one knew me from Adam. We spent our entire first day wandering around the city eating everywhere we could and grabbing famous $0.50 beer at random bars along the way. We walked through the markets, which were endless, and again, extremely inexpensive. (I obviously bought an obscene amount of things. It felt like I was getting such a good deal, if I didn't buy it, I was basically losing money)

On the second day, we scheduled a car to bring us to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat, the largest religious structure in the world. At 4:30 in the morning, after we were up until 1 am, because, obviously. But it was absolute magic. Although we were told it wasn't even a good sunrise, I was blown away. We were watching a sunrise in the same place someone watched over 1,000 years ago. I can imagine there were a few less iPhone pics and people standing in front of you taking endless amounts of selfies, but still a pretty cool realization. (I have taken spots at Mardi Gras in front of people, so I felt like maybe this was karma and took my punishment...)

We then started to tour the temples, and temples, and temples. We went through about 5 or 6 by 9 am and we were beat. Also - a little off subject - but all I wanted was a guide book so we could understand the importance of what we were looking at. A man wanted $1.00. Rob told me it was too expensive. This is how our perception of money is now. Lord help us when we get to Singapore..... Anyway, these temples are absolutely amazing. I have never seen the pyramids, but I'm guessing it's a similar thought process when people see those. Over and over I just kept saying, "I just don't understand how they built these 1,000 years ago." And then I promptly remember, the aliens helped them.

We spent our final day wandering through the soul of Siem Reap, soaking in the happiness and (mostly good) smells of the city. We bar hopped down Pub Street, ate at a small street cafe, and bought a few more things from the night market before begrudgingly heading back to our hotel to pack and fly to Chiang Mai. As many of you know, I don't love touristy places. I like to see the culture and the heart of a city so that I can feel it's spirit. Although there are a good number of tourists in Siem Reap, the city has maintained its true self. Sure, there are a few westernized restaurants and hard rock cafes (not a joke - there is a Hard Rock Cafe in Cambodia), but I feel like the Cambodian people, cuisine, and culture are still so evident in the city, an attribute which unfortunately, many places have not been able to hold on to. So here's to you Siem Reap, I will miss your $0.50 beers, and your smiling people, your to die for soft shell crab, and your classic fish amok, and I hope you will always keep that sassy personality you have going right now, because I want to see it again the next time we're in town.

Cheers,
The Caseys