Siem Reap, Cambodia - Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei

Friday morning, we headed to Ta Prohm. Brandon was all ready to go!



















































On our way, we passed some local people planting and plowing rice in the rice fields.

Local people hanging out in a tuk tuk.

We began our walk up the path to Ta Prohm. Brandon had taken to Mr. F.

We passed some local people playing music.

Ta Prohm was a Buddhist monastery built in the mid 12th to early 13th centuries. What makes Ta Prohm so different is that there is massive fig and silk cotton tree overgrowth. Ta Prohm is intentionally left partially unrestored, and this makes the complex feel very jungle-like. I thought that there was something peaceful and private about coming upon these ruins in the jungle.

Also, the temple Ta Prohm was used as a location in the movie Tomb Raider!

This is the tree where Steven's ITP group posed for a picture three years ago. Now the tree, as well as many other areas of Ta Prohm, have been roped off. Fortunate for the preservation of the ruins, although the area looked a little less natural with the ropes.

Can you find the hidden face?

There it is! A closer look at the face.

Brandon was getting back to his old self after being sick. I also think he was very relieved to have some shade and overcast weather. Much cooler!

Cambodian people are so beautiful.

After Ta Prohm, we stopped by Banteay Kdei. This complex is very similar to Ta Prohm, largely unrestored.

Baby bump! Mommy is 17 weeks along with #2!

Can I take this little fellow home?

There was a beautiful reservoir behind Banteay Kdei.

We headed back to the hotel where Steven had a nice massage while Brandon and I rested. We were much anticipating our afternoon trip to Angkor Wat!!!

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Angkor Thom and the Roluos Group

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Here we come!


We left our apartment super early in the morning on Thursday and made our way to Changi Airport. The two hour flight to Cambodia was fairly painless. Brandon woke up when we left the apartment, so by the time we were on the plane he was ready for a nap.

Since our flight was so early in the morning, we arrived at our hotel around 8 am. We stayed at the Borei Angkor Resort and Spa. www.boreiangkor.com/resort/

As we were traveling with a toddler, we hired a driver and tour guide to help us travel more comfortably while in Siem Reap. Our tour guide, Mr. F, was at the hotel to greet us when we arrived.

I was so tired from the traveling, but we decided to make the most of our time and head out for our first excursion.

Mr. Lucky drove us to Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom was a Buddhist temple complex built around the late 12th - early 13th century.


These are the Buddha statues that line the walkway to one of Angkor Thom's entrances.

The complex's main temple is the Bayon Temple. There are 54 towers, each with 4 large faces.

We climbed up through the Bayon Temple.

So elaborate. So stunning. Such detail.

The temple features a series of bas-reliefs. Some depict historical events and scenes from everyday life. Others depict mythological events.

We walked past the Terrace of the Elephants.

What a great start to our trip!

It was so hot outside, and we were exhausted. We headed back to the car for some a/c and back to the hotel for some naps.

In the afternoon, we decided to venture out again. A very busy first day in Cambodia!

We drove past some rice fields on our way to the Roluos Group temples.

The Ruluos Group is a set of three temple complexes from the late 9th century.

Lolei was the first of the Hindu temples we visited. It was built on an island, but now the surrounding reservoir is dry. Lolei is now a monastery.

Dragon fruit growing on a mango tree.

After Lolei, we went to Preah Ko. Preah Ko is the oldest of the three temple complexes in the Roluos Group.

Brandon rode the bull.

Lastly, we visited Bakong.

After our temple tours, we had our driver drop us off at the Old Market, the downtown area of bars, restaurants, and shops in Siem Reap.

We stopped for beer at The Temple Club bar. $.50 for a beer! Can't beat that! Even though Cambodia's national currency is the riel, we only used U.S. dollars while in Siem Reap. Very neat to us that they use our currency more there than their own.

Great first day! We took a tuk tuk ride back to the hotel for $3. Cheap!!!

It's a Secret!

Friday was a big day for us! Jo watched Brandon in the morning so that Steven and I could go to my 16 week doctor's appointment. The baby looks great, and we were able to find out the sex of Brandon's new sibling! We've decided to keep this information a secret for the time being. Even if we won't be surprised later, it will be fun making friends and family wait a bit. Shhhhh!!! :)



Now that my appetite is back, I am finally starting to gain weight. I am up about 1 pound since the start of the pregnancy.



Steven dropped me off back at home in the cab before heading to work, and I went to Jo's to pick Brandon up. We ended up walking to 313 with Jo's parents to grab some lunch at the Food Repubic. As I LOVED the Japanese curry, I decided to go for another new experience. I ordered "Laksa" this time. Laksa is a coconut milk and curry based noodle dish from Malaysia and Singapore. I was NOT a fan. Unfortunately, the broth was very fishy tasting. Even though I had them hold the prawns in the dish, there must have been some other fishy ingredients in the broth. "Laksa" are fresh rice-flour noodles. There were some chunky things in the sauce, and for me the dish was a little too mysterious. Maybe I'll try it again somewhere else before making a final decision...



In the afternoon, we went to the Forum. On our walk there, I noticed that the Youth Olympic Games countdown clock on Orchard Road displayed a "1". Only 1 day until the YOG begin! Wow. When we left the States, the clock read "140". Time really has flown.



Saturday was a great day. Steven, Brandon, and I took a nice leisurely stroll along the river and the quays. We stopped for some breakfast at a small coffee shop. Brandon enjoyed running back and forth under one of the bridges. Over and over. Finally, we had to tell him "one more". We walked to Liang Court and took a cab back home. In the afternoon, we did some grocery shopping at Carrefour in Plaza Sing. Just a great family day.



On Sunday morning, Brandon seemed to be running a very low fever again. We thought that maybe the fever was due to teething, so we decided it was okay to go out for the day. The YOG basketball was being held about a five minute walk from our apartment, so we took a walk there in the morning just on the off chance that there were some tickets available. As expected, it was sold out. Instead, we walked to 313 for a bit and then took a cab to Underwater World at Sentosa.



Daddy fed the sharks.




















































































After a visit with the "ish", we took a cable car from Sentosa to Harbourfront.

We had a nice view of the new Universal Studios that just recently opened at Sentosa.

Brandon found some more "ish" at one of the cable car stops.

After Brandon's nap that day, he felt really hot. His temperature was 103.5 F! We called the doctor. He suggested to give Brandon a luke warm bath and fever reducers, Nurofen (Ibuprofen) and Panadol (Acetaminophen). He told us to call back the next morning if Brandon still had a fever.

The next morning the fever was still there, so I took him to see Dr. Chiang. Dr. Chiang sent Brandon for some bloodwork. Dr. Chiang called in the afternoon to tell us that the bloodwork indicated that Brandon had a virus.

The fever continued to run high that night. We continued the fever reducers and the luke warm baths.

On Tuesday morning the fever was down with the medicines. Unfortunately, Brandon and I had to skip our YOG gymnastics. I was so bummed but just didn't feel right about taking a recovering, tired baby. I bought the tickets in May and was looking so forward to the event with some friends. Oh, well. The life of a parent. The health of a child is top priority.

Brandon's fever was back in the afternoon, but it was much lower than it had been.

Wednesday morning we went back to Dr. Chiang. We had plans to leave for Cambodia the next morning, but we needed to see the doctor again to assess whether or not Brandon would be well enough to travel. Dr. Chiang said that Brandon seemed to be much better. The fever was lower, and Dr. Chiang felt that Brandon was almost over the virus. Steven and I still hadn't booked any hotels for the trip. We wanted to wait until the last minute to see about Brandon.

After Brandon's nap on Wednesday, his temperature was down to normal. I also noticed a small rash behind one of Brandon's ears. A little later in the evening I also noticed it behind the other ear. Dr. Chiang had warned me that Brandon might have the Roseola virus. If so, once the fever had completely broken, Brandon would break out in a rash.

That afternoon, we made a trip to the grocery to get some items for our Cambodia trip. We also had to make a trip down to the guard house to say a very sad goodbye to Dino. Dino's last day at Leonie View was on Friday, and since we were leaving on holiday, Wednesday was our last day to see our Dino. We gave Dino a small gift and a couple of pictures of Brandon. We also took Brandon's picture with Dino on Wednesday. Dino said goodbye to "my hero". He told Brandon to be a good boy. He told Brandon that he would miss him. Made me so sad. When we got back up to our room, I really felt like I could cry. Dino has made our SG stay here friendlier, and we will miss his helpfulness and his happy face. Sad to know that we will probably not see Dino again.

Steven and I finalized our trip plans that night by booking our hotels. We packed for our early morning flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Some new things with Brandon -

When we walk to the street, Brandon sticks his arm up in the air to hail a cab. It's so funny. He's seen us do it so many times. He even does it when we don't need a cab.

Brandon and Daddy hail cabs together now.

There is more communication with Brandon everyday! This week I told him to go to his bedroom and get me two books. Sure enough, he did. After we read them, I told him to take them back and bring me two different books. He did. Cool stuff.

Brandon has his first freckle! It's on his inner right thigh. At first, I thought it was a little poo that I couldn't wipe off. :)

This past Tuesday, I think I felt the baby move. Not completely sure though. I think it was around 20 weeks when I felt Brandon move. I know that you can often feel movement earlier in subsequent pregnancies because you know what to feel for. We'll see if there's any more movement in the next few days!