The Lost Temples of Cambodia-Beng Malea & Phnom Bok

Phnom Bok Temple

If you've been following along for awhile, you know that Jeremy and I love to experience out of the ordinary destinations while on vacation. Whether it's swimming with whale sharks, road tripping across the country, or zip lining through the jungle, one of our favorite parts of traveling is finding places or activities not commonly stumbled upon. 

That's why we knew that once we saw all of the temples at Angkor, we also wanted to travel outside of the city to the 'Lost Temples'. These temples give a true Indiana Jones feel as most of it has ben left in ruins, the forest taking back claim to what was once theirs.

The first temple we visited was about an hour ride outside the city of Siem Reap called Beng Malea. It was a massive complex that was almost completely destroyed and overgrown with moss and trees. You had to crawl under and climb over the rubble at certain points to make it back to the clear path that was made just for tourists such as ourselves. 

Along the way, we inherited a tour guide. Three to be exact, even though two were too shy to say anything. We didn't really ask for one per say, he just immediately attached to our side once he saw us. Now, I realize that it's somewhat of a scam but I figured what's the harm to have a cute kid show us around for an hour or so? Even though all he did was point at all the statues and repeat the words 'flower' and 'apsara dancer'. He tried.

My favorite part of the temples were the trees shooting out of the stone and the intricate detailed carvings that littered every inch of the temples. 

The second temple, Phnom Bok, was just a short thirty minute ride outside of the city and was even more desolate than the first. We were the only tourists there exploring the grounds of the temple that sat at the top of a large hill. These are the stairs that we had to climb to get to the top...in about 90% humidity. Go early in the morning if you want to not faint on your way up!

Even though this temple was the smallest that we saw, it was one of my favorites. How cool are the trees shooting up out of the rocks? I may be a little obsessed with the tree, rock combo. Just wait till you see our pictures from Ta Prohm.

Snail Mail Collective Partners + Everyday Happy Giveaway!

First things first. We have the next Snail Mail Collective Pairings up and ready to go! We had over 155 people sign up this month! Each month I love reading about your partners, seeing your tweets and the general excitement over meeting someone new. After all, I believe that's what blogging is all about. Not the numbers, not the hope of blogger fame, but the inevitable friendships that are made from people that were once perfect strangers. Click on the link below to find out who your partner for this month is!

Pairings are at the bottom of this post. Please take a moment to read the rules of this program and to figure out what to do next: 

1. The theme for this month is 'Back to School'

2. You have 72 hours to communicate with your partner. If your partner does NOT respond within 72 hours, please e-mail Chelsea at lostintravelsblog@gmail.com to be re-paired by 11pm PST on September 13th. Re-pairing requests will not be taken after this time.

3. You have about two weeks to get to know your partner. After that, your package MUST be sent by September 22nd. 

4. Your gift(s) should total no more than $5. Think small, but meaningful. Also, all packages must include a postcard (preferable) or a letter to your partner. Motivate them, tell them all the beautiful things you learned about them this month, and make them feel special!

5. Once you receive your gifts, we highly encourage you to write a blog post about your experience. Share what you gave, received, and learned through participating in the Snail Mail Collective and meeting your new buddy. At the beginning of each month, we will hold a link-up on our blogs (The Nectar Collective & Lost in Travels) where you can share and link-up your SMC blog posts. This way, you can see how people around the world interpreted the theme, learn about other cultures, and meet even more new friends!!

6. We did our best to pair you with someone from a different country. If your partner is from the same country as you, then we tried to put you with someone from a different state or region. If you didn't get an international partner, we hope you understand and still have a blast building a friendship with someone new! That's what this is all about, right? 

Snail Mail Partners

If you didn't sign-up for this round, but want to participate next month, look out for next month's sign-up form which will be posted on The Nectar Collective and Lost in Travels on October 1st. We'd love for you to join us!

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And secondly....Happy Tuesday Everyone!!  Today is a day to really be happy.  Today, my friends and I have come together to support our friends' (Erika and Melyssa) new project Everyday Happy - an ecourse to finding your happy, everyday!  We are so excited for them, the course and the lives that they will be reaching that we couldn't NOT put together a GIVEAWAY for all our our lovely readers.  We realize that some people would love the opportunity to participate in this course with these amazing ladies who are the coaches of this course, but may not be able to afford it financially.  We're sending one of you to participate in e-course FREE OF CHARGE!  Check out these 10 Reasons why you should enter this giveaway!

Stephanie | Victoria | Erika | Kayli | Mal | Crystal | Chelsea | Amanda | Kenzie | Aukele

This giveaway could not have been possible without my amazing sponsors and lovely friends so please say hello to them and visit their blogs!!


Now on to the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules:

1. Upon verification of winning and required entry, the winner will be
contacted within 3 days after the contest closes.

2. Winner must respond within 48 hours of the email, or another
winner will be chosen (please add 91dash@gmail.com to your address book).

3. This contest is open internationally.

Have an amazing day!!
Aukele

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Travel Tuesdays-Nepal

Just a little something to spark your wanderlust for the week.

via

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang

Philippine Budget-How to Keep Track of a Budget on Trips+A Giveaway

There are so many different types of travelers and traveling styles. There are people who go all out on vacation and do not spare any expense. There are the budget travelers that try to get the most bang for their buck. And there are the backpackers who try to stretch their dollar as far as it will possibly go. There's absolutely no wrong way to travel, it's all simply based on preference and budget.

Without a doubt, Jeremy and I fall into the budget traveler category. We like to enjoy ourselves, will splurge from time to time, and try to overall travel comfortably. But for the most part we try to just get the best deal we can and save as much as we can. We figure that the cheaper we can go, the more we can see, longer we can go for and the more often we can go. Win win right? 

I have talked before how Jeremy and I have somewhat specific roles while traveling. He books everything from hotels to airline tickets, and I plan what we are going to do and keep track of the budget. I can be quite particular about this and actually have a notebook that I always carry with me while traveling. It's to write and document but also to keep track of our spending on a day to day basis. I fill in the sheets of paper like this:

DAY OF THE WEEK

Breakfast:

Lunch:

Dinner:

Snacks:

Entertainment:

Transportation:

Extra:

Then, each time we spend something, I put it in the correct spot. It doesn't take long and it's a great way to keep track of your spending. If we see that we're under our budget for that day, then we know that we have extra money to use towards something else, or do something extra on the trip. 

It's also a great reference for future trips. A lot of our trips recently have been around South East Asia. So if we save our detailed budget from Thailand (which we did) then we can pretty accurately plan our trip to any of the surrounding countries as well. 

So in hopes of helping some people out in their planning and budgeting process, I've decided to post our spending for each trip. Obviously from what we spend, you could easily spend a lot more or a lot less depending on your personal preference. Also, it's safe to say that depending on your starting point, plane tickets are going to fluctuate a lot. However, once you make it to South East Asia, you can stay pretty cheaply. 

Here was our total spending for our three day/three night trip to Moalboal, Philippines. The numbers include the price for both my husband and I. 

*I just had to share the $1 bike repair in the budget because I'm still in shock at just how inexpensive things are there!

Was this helpful for anyone? Would you like to see more of these?

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This giveaway is loong overdue! As promised, I have something to giveaway from a trip we took. And even though we had a short three days in the Philippines back in June, I still managed to find something to bring back and giveaway at the last minute!

On our two hour drive from where we staying in Moalboal, back to the airport, in Cebu City, we came across this small handicraft market. The owner has a small operation where she makes bags, placemats, baskets, hats and more all by hand. She told us that she actually produces some baskets that are bought by a company in Cebu City and then exported to Targets in the states. So if you ever see any of these baskets, please let me know! I quickly spotted this handwoven purse with wooden handles and thought that it would be a fun addition to any wardrobe. 

Enter below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules

1. Open internationally. 

2. Winner’s entry validity will be verified by me and if an entry proves to be invalid, you will be disqualified.

3. Giveaway ends on the  14^th of September at 12:00 AM EST. Winner will be contacted by email no later than the 17^th of August. Winner has 48 hours to respond, if the winner does not respond, a new winner will be picked.

4. Please note that Lost in Travels Blog is responsible for the payment and shipment of won items but not responsible for any packages lost in transit. 

Lindsey Letters Giveaway!

it is the first friday of the month and that means it is time for my crush of the month giveaway! i have been so blessed by you and all my readers that it is time to give back! each month i giveaway one of my favorite things. today i am co-hosting with Chelsea of Lost in Travels to bring you two of my favorite Lindsay Letters prints - Whatever is Lovely and Be True (a $40 value!). i have been in love with Lindsay Letters ever since i first stumbled on her shop and have given many gifts from her shop (like this) as well as bought a couple gems for myself (like this & this). i want you to have the opportunity to find these pretties on your doorstep and be able to display them in your home!

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

this giveaway is run via rafflecopter with plenty of chances to enter! after a week has passed, one winner will be selected at random and announced! all entries will be verified, so please play by the rules! 

this giveaway is sponsored by the following wonderful ladies: Jess of Jess Vartanian, Samara of The Secret Life of Samara,  Elah Tree, Suzana of This Girl Loves, Leslie of A body that Won't Break, Ruth of Isn't that Sew, and Erin of Mr. & Mrs. Toews. 

if you would like to be one of the sponsors for the next CRUSH OF THE MONTH GIVEAWAY become a sponsor! you can find more information by clicking here and for 10% off advertisement options use code CRUSH at checkout!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Letters/66 + GUEST POST ON LOST IN TRAVELS

Dear Patbingsu, I don't know how I've survived in Korea for so long without you. I finally caved and tried this traditional Korean summer treat the other day and I must say, I'm in love. The traditional one includes shaved ice on the bottom with red bean, sweetened condensed milk, jelly bits, rice cake, ice cream and fruit on top. Ok, I admit, after typing it up, it sounds disgusting. Just trust me on this one.

Dear Jeremy, I'm so glad that you have lots of experience riding bikes. I don't know if we would have made it out of Cambodia without it. I have never in my life seen such crazy driving. We would have the green light but still drivers would come from the sides and weave and honk their way through the crowds of motorbikes and cars to make their way to the other side. Dear In-laws, I can't believe it's only one week until you get here! Don't worry, we won't make you eat anything too strange. Dear City, you keep opening the cutest lounges and bars. The one we found this weekend even made us feel like we were back in the states. Too bad even the smallest drink was still $8. Even though we're a small town, we still have some of the highest prices in the country! Dear Mountain Biking, after my first ride this weekend, I now remember why I have avoided you for so long. Good thing going with a fun group of friends always makes even the most difficult work outs enjoyable. Even if I couldn't walk for days afterwards. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I finally convinced Jeremy to go to our first Korean wedding together so we'll be heading out tomorrow! Don't worry, I'll be sharing lots of details about it in the coming weeks.

Attention! Attention! 

We're heading out of town soon and I'm looking for one person to guest post for me while we're gone! I have just ONE SPOT available for purchase on my sponsor page. The guest post will have to be turned in no later than the 12th of this month; costs just $15 and includes a 250 X 250 sized ad on my sidebar for two weeks. 

So why should you get in on the action? The price of my ad spot that includes a guest post is currently $30, my vacation guest post is half that price. Plus all of my other sponsor spots are currently booked up for the next few months. This is a great way to not only get to take over my blog for a day (for a lot cheaper!) but also to get your ad up quicker! It's first come, first serve so reserve your spot today!

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And now onto one of my lovely sponsors this month. Be sure to check her out and say hi!

About Rachel: Hi there, I'm Rachel, the blogger behind With Love, Rachel. I write about all of the things that make life wonderful, from adventures in traveling to fabulous shoes. I drink more wine than I probably should, I consider bargain shopping one of my talents, and I often think out my plan for how to survive the zombie apocalypse. While I love to travel, I consider California the best place on the planet, and so I spend a lot of free time exploring the lesser known treasures of the Golden State-- and sharing them on my blog, of course!

Her best traveling advice: When booking flights, if you can, choose the flight with the long layover. Often times the flight is cheaper, and you get to spend a day in another city. You'd be surprised by how much you can see in 6 hours. I've had wonderful afternoons in Amsterdam and Frankfurt because of this, and it's also a nice break in between long flights.

Where to start exploring

Out of Africa

The Princess Aboard the Queen

Where to follow along

Twitter // Instagram

Expat Diaries-Signs You've Lived in Asia

It's that time again! Link up your expat/travel stories below and make sure to stop by some other bloggers and say hi! We also have a very special co-host with us this month, Nicole from Treasure Tromp so be sure to show her some love as well! Thanks to everyone for linking up and spreading the word! We have had so much fun getting to know you all!

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Have you ever lived abroad and realized that you've developed tell tale signs that you've been out of your home country for awhile? I was skyping with a good friend of mine back home the other day when all of a sudden, she started to giggle over something I said. You see, when you live overseas for a certain amount of time, you're lingo beings to...change. College turns into University, air conditioners are now air cons. We've also started using the Korean word 'mogi' for mosquito in our household. But that's a whole other type of confusing that we will impart upon our children.

This whole conversation got me thinking about how else we'll stick out when we return back home and what are some tell tale signs that show that a person has lived in Asia for a little too long.

.You've mastered the art of chopsticks. Just call me the Mr. Miyagi of chopsticks.

.You consider squatty potties you thigh workout for the day.

.It looks as if you're preparing for the apocalypse when you visit Walmart back home. Because of course, not just one bag of peanut butter m&ms will do, you need five. When we visited back home, the lady at the cash register gave us more than a few weird looks as half a dozen deodorants, six containers of oatmeal and various vitamins and medicines pass her checkout line.

.No shower curtain in the bathroom? No problem. And let's face it ladies, the toilet is the perfect height to rest your leg while shaving anyway.

.You think it's gross when people don't take off their shoes when entering a house.

.You can't have a conversation without pausing to think of the correct word. When your job is to try and simplify the English language as much as possible, your vocabulary tends to go out the window.

.You can't wrap your head around a car that can comfortably fit people in the back seat. Our current car you have to sit sideways since there's not enough room for your knees to sit facing forward.

.You have to roll up all of your pants and pass them off as cropped pants because let's face it, that's as long as you can find them

.You bow...to everyone.

.You could have a degree in the art of charades. Ever had to play charades to find out where the lady doctor is? Pray you never have to.

.You don't understand what people do with homes more than 1,000 sq. ft...but you're still a little jealous of them anyway.

Are there any other signs that I've missed? Have you ever lived abroad and felt a little different when talking with people back home?