Cambodia

Siem Reap (7 – 15 Dec)

Lemongrass martini

Chicken stir fry & mango rice

Both from Viroth’s on Wat Bo Street.

Phnom Penh (15 – 18 Dec)

Crickets are considered a delicacy in Cambodia and street vendors have carts displaying deep fried crickeets, along with all kinds of other insects. Apparently, they are high in protein and, according to Suhail, they do not taste like chicken, but rather shrimp…a creamy, gooey shrimp. Yum. What I did not realize until putting together this post is that Cambodia experienced a shortage of the little guys last year!

Bag o’crickets

Suhail samples a cricket

Sihanoukville (18 – 25 Dec)

Khmer BBQ – that’s “bee bee que”

Christmas Eve Dinner, Mick & Craig’s

Suhail “happily” enjoys a chocolate banana shake on the beach at Kaya

While enjoying our Christmas Eve feast at Mick & Craig’s (on their open air patio, which faces the street), Suhail and I had the pleasure of viewing the most amazing performance by a street vendor thus far. I do not know this man’s name, but in the absence of Santa Claus this year, he single handedly brought smiles to the faces of at least two American kids. You have to see it to believe it!

Seafood stew and bia Saigon

Kep (25 -28 Dec)

We stayed at Jasmine Valley Eco-resort over Christmas and the lovely hosts, Owen and Jasmine herself, treated all the guests to a wonderful Christmas feast.

The barramundi was a particularly special dish. The fish is locally caught, but very expensive and most of us had never had the pleasure of eating it before. With its simple, but fresh and flavorful seasonings, I believe it met everyone’s high expectations.

Roasted barramundi

Barramundi unveiled