Merry Christmas from Siem Reap!

This is definitely the dustiest Christmas I've had, but also one of the most interesting.  I kept having to remind myself that it was Christmas for a few reasons: it was 85+ degrees and I spent the day touring Angkor Wat.  Just before lunch, at the encouragement of a monk, I knelt on a prayer mat and bowed to Buddha before lighting some incense and sticking it in the pot of sand in front of the giant Buddha.  It was a neat feeling, especially on Christmas.  I have seen some signs of Christmas here, but not nearly as much as in Vietnam, where we constantly heard hip-hop remixes of Jingle Bells and the others. 

There is a lot of poverty here, just as I had heard.  At the temples,  we were also bombarded with children (and adults) trying to sell scarves and recorders.  They seemed to be quite skilled at their act.  First, they would ask you where you're from, then they would say,"Oh, the United States.  The capital is Washington DC, there are 300 million people there, etc."  One girl gave my friend and I nicknames: mine was Lady Butterfly and my friend's was Supergirl.    

There is a lot more to tell and lots of photos to post, but I have to run.  Trying to find some meat and potatoes for Christmas and some nice red wine, maybe.

Merry Christmas to everyone!  I miss you all!