2 more days

The religious ceremony is fast approaching and our family and friends are arriving in force now. The last few days have been filled with picking people up at the airport, making sure everyone knows how to get to the temples/old market, not to get ripped off by the tuk-tuk drivers, massages, shopping, drinking, dancing and singing... its hectic but we are both loving it all. We feel blessed to see all our familyand friends here. Its bizarre, awesome, unnerving and lovely all at the same time.

The hotel bar has become the go to spot for relaxing when getting back from a full day in the city or the temples. Joel's family has taken over the stage and his aunts are now singing side by side with the hired entertainment. Last night, the family got the Geneva crowd involved when Svetlin took to the dance floor and showed what Bulgaria could offer.

Today the bridal party will going for the traditional dress fitting. Rene and Joel are in a tight spot if things don't fit properly. They may have to wear bolts of silk wrapped around their bodies. Let's hope that's not the case.... and Vinuon will be watching out that the wedding coordinator doesn't go for another hubby grope.

Tonight the whole gang will be out for the Jack and Jill pub crawl. We are all meeting at the Piano Bar on Pub Street. We think alcohol will be involved.... wish us luck!

Family dinner

Last night the two families met each other for the first time during dinner at a BBQ place. Vinuon's father, mother, brother and sister-in-law were there to welcome Joel's mom, dad, brother and Holly (Joel's Best Woman) in the open air restaurant. Everyone got on well together and enjoyed a good meal. Afterwards, the Opulencia clan returned to the hotel for an early night. Joel suggested they have a nigthcap at the bar. There was a couple of singers on stage that took requests. We discovered shortly that they were Filipinos and we were soon chatting away with them. The bar is equipped with a karaoke machine and Joel can't wait to get on stage! Vinuon shudders at the thought but Joel reminded her that his relatives from Canada will be fighting for the mic every night as well...

Today the girls are at the old market shopping for odds and ends while the boys go for a massage. Joel's dad couldn't stop asking about getting a Thai massage last night at dinner with a big grin on his face...

Joel's aunts and uncles from Toronto arrive today. The volume will turn up exponentially as soon as they touchdown. Joel has warned the hotel :-)

First Arrivals

Today the invasion begins.... Joel's parents and younger brother will be flying in from Toronto, Canada this afternoon and Holly 'Man up' Simpson is taking the bus from Phnom Penh this evening. We are both very excited to have the first visitors and can't wait until the entire crew descends upon Siem Reap.

The weather has cooled down a bit (only 33 degrees at the moment) with a nice breeze but the sun will still burn you if you are foolish enough to go swimming with no suntan lotion (Joel did just that and is now looking for aloe to rub on his sun-burnt nipples).

One other note. We continue to get questions about what currency to use here. For the record, US dollars is your best bet. There are ATMs aplenty to withdraw from. Everthing is based on these green bills. You will only need the local Riel currency for small items at the market and for tipping. Again, you should have some US dollars with you on arrival so you can pay for your VISA ($20 each). Make sure you have a passport photo or they will charge you an extra dollar.

Fat guy in little coat

So we went to see the wedding coordinator this morning to talk about final costs and for Joel to try on the traditional costume for the Khmer ceremonies. As soon as the coordinator (named Srey which means girl) laid eyes on the big kahuna she looked worried. Srey promptly brought out one of the shirts/jacket and proceeded to manhandle Joel into position so it would fit. She aggressively prodded, shifted and even fondled Joel's manly chest (V's calls them man boobs or moobies). Joel was sllightly taken aback but soon found it exciting until he saw the look on his mother-in-law's face. As soon as the shirt was in place, Joel did his best Chris Farley expression and danced a little jig for all the innocent bystanders in the restaurant. Srey said it won't be a problem to adjust but worried that Rene's clothing might be too short for the giant dutchman. The entire bridal party will return this Sunday for the final fitting. Let's all hope that there will be less fondling involved.

We met the DJ last night and he assured us that the speakers will be loud enough to rock the entire hotel. The venue manager suggested we could use the karaoke machine like the Korean guests do but the thought of Uncle Marky, Pui-Ching and Svetlin singing 'Girls just want to have fun' has V shivering. We declined the offer.

The weather continues to be hot and muggy. Bring susncreen and a hat to protect yourselves. We'll be hanging out by the pool tomorrow to get that extra layer of colour for the special day...

Wedding Cake

We just picked out all the details for the wedding cake at the Blue Pumpkin bakery. Its run by two French guys. We've been hanging out here for the ice cream and free wifi. And its close to Vinuon's parents' place in downtown Siem Reap.

We're going to see the wedding DJ now to pick out a rockin' hit list. I wonder if he will have any Barry Manilow (Joel speaking) and Vinuon is hoping for a little lil wayne (Joel shaking his head).

We saw the hotel yesterday as well. Very new and spacious. We can't wait to move in and try out the pool and spa. Its outside of the downtown area so you will have to take a tuk tuk into town. Costs only 2.50 USD each way though.

Stay tuned. This space will be updated regularly...