We are nearing the end of our 12 days in Siem Reap. We have learned so much here about the country and its people, that it is extremely difficult to condense into a blog post. Our skills crossing busy streets while inching forward between bikes, motorcycles, tuktuks and cars has vastly improved and I'm no longer frustrated by vendors and tuktuk drivers constantly asking for my business (just smile and nod no). One aspect of daily life in Siem Reap that I love is ...

Khao Yai National Park was a completely unplanned stop, but since we decided to stay longer in Thailand we asked the kids if they preferred more cultural sites, or a national park, and the response was unanimous. We booked in at a guesthouse and for about $18 a night the 5 of us stayed in a big cottage like room for 4 nights (no hot water and a 5am rooster wake up call but for that price we're not complaining!). They make their money off their 1.5 day tours whi...

(English follows) On a prit une grande décision il y a quelques jours pour simplifié notre vie et on a changé de direction vers le sud. Au lieu de prendre des transports compliqués pour 3 jours pour passer seulement une semaine au Laos avant d'aller au Cambodge on a choisi de rester en Thailand presqu'un mois et Cambodge pour un mois. On commence a se sentir confortable avec les gens, l'argent, le transport, la nourriture alors on va explorer un peu plus en ...

There was so much to say about our 12 days in Chiang Mai so I thought I would list a few of Steve and I's highlights on top of the kids elephant and cooking summaries we already posted. We all enjoyed a great bicycle tour in the Lanna countryside learning about rice farming, watching teak wood carvers and visiting a workshop were they build intricate and colourful burnable temples to put on top of caskets before cremation. Bicycle tours are the way to go - perfe...

(Français à la fin). Another Chiang Mai highlight following the elephants was our Thai cooking course, which Amélie was super excited about. We joined 3 others tourists for a cooking extravaganza which included a stop at the market to learn about and buy ingredients. Amélie describes the dishes in her project (text pasted in below and see blog for pictures). We are also documented on facebook yet again at Tom Yum Cooking. Tom Yum Cooking Course: Today, we w...