bangladesh bound

We got the plane tickets and visas last week, so it's official . . . we fly to Dhaka, Bangladesh on Sunday! I'm really excited. Bangladesh has been the most tentative part of our trip and I think it's because I was afraid of being too disapointed if it didn't work out. In many ways, this is the most looked-forward-to part of the trip as well. My dad worked in Bangladesh for two years in the 70's and it's the combination of growing up on his slideshows from there and my mom's stories from South America that that have been my primary inspiration for travel. While we're there, we're hooking up with the organization that he used to work with (called HEED for Health, Education, Economic, Development . . . see their website for more info). They're going to show us around a bit, particularly in the area where my dad lived and where they continue to work on various projects. This is something I've wanted to do for a very long time, so I'm pretty happy it's all working out!

pathetic

My blog, that is. I left Vietnam two months ago and have been to three more countries since, yet haven't posted a thing. It's a combination of sporadic/expensive/not-always-very-good internet access . . . and pure laziness. But I still have some photos and stories I'd love to share, so I'm going to keep adding them as I can. I'm in Bangkok for the next few days, so hopefully I can get a little more caught up.

cambodia catch-up

In the spirit of catching up, here are some photo highlights of Cambodia, where we spent three weeks in April.

One of the biggest highlights for us was visiting Angkor Wat and the other ancient temples in the area of Siem Reap. We spent three days there riding in a tuk tuk from sight to sight and doing a lot of climbing around and picture-taking. Most of the temples were built from the 10th-12th centuries and while many are amazingly well-preserved and restored, others have been overtaken by the jungle. Both scenarios make for picturesque scenes.

Angkor Wat . . . the big one.

One of many huge faces carved in the walls of Bayon.

An out of the way, overgrown temple called Beng Melea.

Ta Prohm, famous for its jungle roots (and now, for scenes in the movie Tomb Raider).

Carvings at Banteay Srei, a small beautiful pink stone structure.

We also really enjoyed our time in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Some of the Khmer architecture in the city was really beautiful.

The National Museum, a beautiful building filled with beautiful, ancient sculpture.

The vibrant throne hall at the royal palace.

On our way north to Laos, we visited the dusty town of Ban Lung in the Northeast of Cambodia. We rented a motorbike and drove to several waterfalls in the area, as well as a crater lake. We also spend a lot of time at our family-run guesthouse, where we were the only guests, chatting with the mom and eating her delicious meals.

Town of Ban Lung.

A little boy standing under one of the waterfalls.

Jesse beside another waterfall.