Bali, Indonesia

We are feeling much better and have started to explore the wonderful Island of Bali. We spent the last two nights in a lovely hotel in Seminyak. Yesterday we took a long walk down the beach, watched surfers, swam in the waves and watched a lightening storm pass through.

Miles walked last two days: 17.4

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Layover in Kuala Lumpur

We had a one day layover in Kuala Lumpur which is just long enough to get a taste of the city. Unfortunately we were feeling a little under the weather, probably from something we ate the day before. Therefore we didn’t get to see as much of the city as we planned. But we did enjoy the Christmas decorations around town, shopping in China Street, as well as a movie at the cinema!

Miles walked: 5.1

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Siem Reap

On our last day in Siem Reap we rented 4-wheelers for exploring the country. We can see why 4-wheelers are recommended considering the narrow, bumpy roads and mud pits! We finished the day by taking a Tuk Tuk out of town to a rice field to watch the sunset. On the way back we had the driver stop in a small village so we could pass out bananas and clementines to the kids. We’ve done this a few times throughout our trip and it always amazes us how appreciative and happy they are (and also how fast the crowd can grow in 2 minutes!)

Miles walked: 5.33

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Angkor Wat

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There are over 300 temples here in Siem Reap, so our guide helped us choose the best ones to explore in order to maximize our time. We saw an amazing sunrise at Angkor Wat, one of the largest and best preserved temples. Other highlights were Ta Prohm, where the jungle is taking over the temple (Tomb Raider was filmed here), and our favorite, Bayon, with all the faces carved into stone. We finished the day with dinner and a show of traditional dances.

Miles walked: 8.5

Angkor Wat:

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Ta Prohm:

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Bayon:

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Cambodia

We have left Vietnam and are now in Siem Reap, Cambodia. We hired a local guide for the next two days to teach us about Cambodia’s history, Buddhism and of course the temples that make this area famous. This morning we visited an amazing ‘floating village’ which is actually on stilts rather than floating. Our afternoon was spent at the ruins of Beng Mealea, a Hindu temple built by a king 900 years ago which was eventually converted into a Buddhist temple and is now overrun by jungle.

Miles walked today: 2.5

Buddhist Monastery:
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Floating Village:
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Both sides of the river are lined with houses like this. Around 800 families live in this village.
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Kids wanted to pose for a photo:
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Beng Mealea:
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Mekong Delta

We spent a day boating/biking around the Mekong Delta. First we visited a floating market by boat. Then our guide took us and a couple from the U.K. biking through charming rural roads where the river or canals are never far and the people yell hello from their houses as you pass. We also stopped at a candy factory to sample fresh coconut candies and other treats!

Today was our last day on Ho Chi Minh, and it was especially hot, so we spent the day drinking coconut water as we walked through the city. We went back to the amazing street food restaurant for lunch and got a massage before going to the airport.

Miles walked yesterday and today: 13.5 miles
Miles biked yesterday: 20k

Mekong:
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Floating Market:
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Pumpkin boat in market:
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Biking through town:
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Biking through country:
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Kids run out to say hello as we pass- this is the friendliest town we’ve ever been to:
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Coconut candy factory:
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Making rice paper:
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