Large circuit Temple Tour

 After hearing loud thunder most of the night and rain this morning we weren't sure if our tour was going to be a go.  Last night on Pub Street the power went out a few times as well. All OK, tour off and running, started about 15 minutes late, the rain has stopped.

First temple today is the one we skipped yesterday, the one where Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie was partly filmed. What a great decision to postpone this visit until early this morning.  There was only 1 other tourist and guide exploring with us. We really enjoyed looking  around here, so many beautiful trees woven within the temple structures. 

Another change in itinerary, what was supposed to be our last temple visit was moved up to our next. It is a larger temple and I think Bun has figured out we run out of gas early in the afternoon, it was another great choice.

Our driver has gone off somewhere and arrives back with palm fruit to try. Our guide and driver have bought us lotus seeds to try, palm fruit dessert, palm fruit, coconut and a coke today. They are having fun introducing us to things and we are enjoying trying new things.

Back to the hotel and our guide has asked us if we could pay part of our balance with a 5.00 Canadian bill. Invoice all sorted, goodbyes given, we have had 2 great days with them.

Ordered room service club sandwich to share for lunch. Another laundry done, showers and we are off again.

We have a 3 pm tour booked at Apopo to go learn about how the African Large Pouch rat is being trained to find land mines. Fascinating, rats can search in 30 minutes what man takes 4 days to do with a metal detector.   They have some rats that are still in training and not out working yet that gave us a demonstration.  Pictures available at the end if the tour, I passed, but Andre now has pictures holding a rat.

It was really hot at Apopo, back to the hotel in time for a swim. It was nice to sit by the pool and have a drink and relax. Spoke at length to a Australian couple with their 3 kids.  Those kids are on quite an adventure. 

Time for another shower and then dinner. Tonight we are trying a little local place less than a block from the hotel.  Fish Amok and Red curry were our choices tonight,  very good. As we were finishing supper our driver from the last 2 days came in.  He asked if he could sit with us, of course. We asked him what he was having for supper, he did not know, his friends own the restaurant and he comes often and asks them to make him something that doesn't take too long. Now Andre is jealous, he hasn't tried this yet,  he has been sticking to menus. Not sure what he was served, a sunny side up egg on top of rice, and some kind of meat in gravy, he seemed happy.  Ready to go, Andre finds the owner  gets our drivers meal added to our tab and the total is $16.00. 

Back to the hotel, another early morning tomorrow,  again I'm not 100% sure what we are doing, but we're getting picked up at 7am and it is costing us $40.00.

Todays pictures:

We were lucky and the rain stopped as we departed for our tour

Someone was not so lucky with the storm last night.

They removed it later

Our first stop was the ruin where the movie tomb raiders was shot

Many trees growing on top of the ruins.

Excited about this one

Looks like a python

So many stories in the carvings

Guide said it looks like a dinosaur, how did they know they existed,, we will never know

Very quiet since we were there when they opened

Next temple

Mythical bird

Love how every thing lines up and on the 4 compass point N E W S

The king was cremated and this is his urn

Cleaning after the storm

Next temple was just a small one with 5 ponds with beautiful reflections

Look at me I am so pretty

Temple #4

Love the faces on the towers on all 4 sides

Bats in one of the towers

Next 2 temples were made with smaller bricks and dates back to the 10th century with very high towers

They were amazing but now getting very hot 35 plus degrees

Snack break between the 2 older temples

Palm fruit cake

3 headed elephant

We saw monkeys on the way home

Container market that closed because of covid and did not reopen

Saying bye to our tuk-tuk driver and our guide

Late lunch at the hotel. Never knew that the bacon went outside on a clubhouse sandwich.

We took a tuk-tuk to APOPO to learn how the train rats to detect land mines and support their cause

Supper at a local place just a short distance from the hotel. Our tuk-tuk came in and join us for supper