Today, like many other days, I had the pleasure of visiting my friend's house up near the famous Angkor Wat temples. Of course, since I am a foreigner, I get stopped by the ticket checkpoint guards. Luckily for me, all I have to do is explain to them that I am strictly here to eat lunch with friends as opposed to taking a pleasant drive along the perimeter of the temples. I'm new to driving a motorbike (as in a few days new), so the bumpy, pothole ridden, dirt road is a bit challenging for me and I travel at practically snail speed with my brother in tow at my back. My friend lives in a traditional wooden, raised Khmer house to avoid flooding. She has a good sized plot of land with a few chickens, ducks, dogs, and cats. She runs a poultry business and knows how to prepare a chicken to be eaten (she tends to bring a raw one on outings so that we have something to grill and eat when we arrive). My brother was thrilled to be able to play with her younger family members, so I was able to get a quiet moment to lay on a hammock under the house. They laid out a plate of fish, salad, rice, and sauce for us to try. Everything is prepared fresh and nothing is frozen or from a box. We stayed for an hour or two but returned later that night to celebrate a birthday party with cake, alcohol (I had orange juice haha), music, and general conversation. On our way out of the back roads and woods, we waved bye to the guards as we drove by and I was successfully able to drive home with no problems. With little driving regulations and heavy congestion at some points during the day, I have trouble keeping my balance during those busy hours. I apologize that my pictures kinda suck, but my phone camera is no good and I also do not want to be rude by snapping a few too many photos of their home life. Thank you!