Siem Reap -> Saigon -> Phu Quoc

On our way out we saw Angkor Wat from the air. After just one night in Saigon, we got on another plane to spend some time relaxing at the beach.

We got there in time to catch the sunset and see the squid boats light up on the horizon.

Sunset at Angkor Wat

That evening we returned to Angkor Wat to see the sunset. On the way we saw a monkey.

The sunset was okay, but not great, so Matt and Takashi woke up at 5:00 to see the sunrise the next morning.

Nile and Jennie decided that they would just look at the pictures.

A lot of people come to see the sunrise here every day.

Ta Prohm

This temple is famous for the trees that have grown up inside it and destroyed it. The entire site is overgrown with trees.

It is unreal. The first big tree we saw growing over the rock was breathtaking

Then we posed for some silly pictures. Matt really liked this stone door complete with eerie spider webs

Angkor Thom

The next day, we went to Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom literally translates to "Big Town". It is a walled city with a perimeter of 5 miles.

You can ride an elephant from the gate to the center, but we were too cheap.

At the center of the city is Baylon that has a temple with hundreds of faces carved into the towers.

Inside we saw some monks dressed in orange robes. A monk asked us to pose in his picture too. We really don't know why. Outside, there is a walkway with elephants carved into the side.

Angkor Wat

After recovering from a very long flight from Seattle, through Taipei and Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) we went to explor Angkor Wat.

The mode of transport we chose was the Tuk Tuk which is a small cart pulled by a motorcycle.

Our first stop was Angkor Wat. They were clearing the lilies out of the pond, so there were clumps of these beautiful flowers. Jennie has one of the lily flowers in her hair.

Nile and Matt are sitting on the steps inside the temple.

These are some of the bas-reliefs carved into the rock of one of the galleries. This depicts a story about people pulling on a snake to keep a mountain from sinking while they churn an ocean of milk.

Aliyah

Aliyah came to visit Seattle from New York. She joined Sarah, Matt, and Nile for afternoon coffee and dessert. Sarah had a dessert called "Sarah Bernhard."

New Year's Eve

On New Year's Eve, we went out to see the fireworks. On our way down the street, there is this fountain that someone had put a bottle of soap into. It made a lot of bubbles and almost looked like snow.

The fireworks were launched from the space needle. It was a short, but nice show. At times, it looked like the space needle was exploding, but it didn't fall over.

On the way back, there were a whole bunch of people playing in the foam around the fountain.

Joel's greenhouse

Nile went to see her friend Joel's green house (on his birthday). He has a nice greenhouse with hundreds of plants. It's amazing how clean and organized he keeps it. In the middle is a really cute curly spined plant, and on the right are tiny baby ones. He thinks he has about 600 plants in his collection.

He used a sea snail shell as a pot. He also has art work sprinkled througout the pots. He wants to open a cactus and succulent nusery business one day. If anyone wants any, I can get you in touch with him. :-)

Christmas in Creston

We went to Matt's parents place in Creston California for Christmas. The weather was beautiful: clear skies and 72 degrees. We were in short sleaves in the shade, and it was really nice.

Matt's niece Claire was there too. She is just about to start walking now. Her favorite toy was this box which she used to stand up and even dance. Matt's mom knit the hat, and Nile knit the flower. We had a really nice Christmas.

Donuts!

Matt and Sarah both love donuts, so Nile made stuffed felt donuts for them to put on their desk. Matt's is raspberry glazed (with sprinkles), and Sarah's is the feather boa (coconut on chocolate).

Sweet and Sour Pork

Now that Nile has more time during the day, she has been making fabulous dinners. This is her sweet and sour pork. She got her recipe from Fumi-chan who is a friend with a fabulous food blog. She pressure cooked the pork a day before. Boy, was it tasty. Matt loves sweet and sour pork.

Snow Day!

It snowed in Seattle! This is a little out of date, but we forgot to post it when it happened. (It actually happened Dec 1.) Here is our building in the snow. It's just starting to stick.

Nile took Cooper out since Sarah and Matt were at work. He wasn't as enthusiastic as we thought he would be; it was his first snow! The conservatory was beautiful in the snow.

When Matt got home, it was starting to warm up, and it was a perfect temperature for building a snow man. The snow stuck together so well, it was just a matter of rolling it around.