Cambodia

Since I never got to finish my cambodia post, I will try and recap the enjoyment we felt there from where I left off...We LOVED angkor wat, and I was so glad we could fit it into our already busy SE asian schedule. We climbed up and down some less than sturdy and less than level stairs to see the sunset at Bangkeg Mountain, as did several other tourists, and then a weird storm rolled in so we went back down...and back up when it passed. The sunset was sadly not a clear, crisp one so we opted to go down the scary stairs before the herds also did. We also had incentive to get back to our resort, since we pre-ordered some delicious Khmer specialties, which take 2-3 hrs to cook, and scheduled some relaxation massages to soothe our overworked muscles from the long day at Angkor.

I was thoroughly impressed by all of the Khmer food I ate throughout out time in Cambodia. I had a chicken curry the first lunch, some khmer flat noodle dish that night, and then the Cambodian specialty Amok (delicious fish cooked in cocounut milk and wrapped in a banana leaf), followed by a very delicious sour pineapple chicken soup. It was sooooooo delicious. My new goal is to find a Cambodia restaurant in whatever city I end up moving to this summer.

our massages were great. As were the pieapple pancakes we had for breakfast by the pool before leaving for the airport. We sadly had to say goodbye to Cambodia, but were excited to get on to the last country on our trip. The flight to Bangkok was super short (maybe 35 mins) but Bangkok Air made the most of those 35 mins. We were served plenty of orange juice & water, as well as a yummy tuna sandwich lunch pack. In the States, I dont think they would even give us a drink in that short of a time. I was very impressed with Bangkok Air. We had a tight (1 hr) connection in Bangkok before our plane to Phuket (also on Bangkok Air), and we had to go through immigration and customs. We were a little worried we wouldnt make it, but they put some stickers on our shirts, so we were flagged to go by as quickly as possible. We did it all and still had time to stop into the transit passenger lounge with had free internet, popcorn, delicious fresh juices, and conrad had 3 pieces of pineapple upside down cake.

An hour later we were flying over the Andaman Sea and landing in Phuket!

While our stay in Cambodia has been short, it has also been very enjoyable and memorable. It's also been the first time I felt like we were really just vacationing.

We arrived around 1pm, toured our hotel and just loved everything about the place. It was recommended to us by Emilie, Conrad's older sister, and I am so glad we took her advice. We stayed at the Palm Village Resort, not really in Siem Reap center, but out in real life cambodia (the dirt road we are on is very bumpy, dark, and its otherwise a poor area). Upon check-in, the hotel gave us a packet of menu-like pieces of paper. A page for ordering drinks, a page for ordering breakfast, a page for lunch/dinner, a page for Angkor Wat tour guides and/or taxis or drivers for your trip to the temples, and a page for all the massage options. The food pages are extensive (with Khmer and Western food) and then we have the option of having the food delivered to our room, eating in the restaurant, taking it away, or eating by the pool. our first breakfast was take away since we left to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat. tonights dinner was by the pool and tomorrow we have ordered pineapple pancakes for by the pool. We also had cocktails by the pool, and after a long day at Angkor we had hour long relaxation massages for $9/hr each.

We heard the guides through the hotel were good, so we booked through them. We left when it was pitch black at 5:15 and went to Angkor Wat for the sunrise. Unfortunately for us, the sunrise was not crisp and clean (too many clouds), but the colors were great, and it was just unreal to see so many people waiting to start their day on this incredible and powerful structure. After 5 mins of walking through Angkor Wat, I knew my expectations had been met. For those who don't know, I have wanted to visit Angkor Wat ever since 2003 (the first time I visited Thailand). I had such an amazing time exploring the similar styled Thai temples, and since angkor is bigger and older, I just had to visit the place. I finally have, and it was an amazing day. For those unaware, the Angkor Wat complex has hundreds of temples on it (all built by past Khmer kings in a style of a mix of hindu and buddhist). We visited all of the major ones (along the "short circuit"). Some tourists come and stay a whole week, most stay 3 days, but we only did one long exhausting day of the temples. You could easily fill 3 days with visiting them all, but since each one is in a different state of construction (some just rubble that you cant even walk through), I think we did just fine. We visited Angkor Wat (huge, immense and the "8th wonder of the world"), Angkor Thom and the Bayon (where Tomb Raider was filmed), Ta Proem (the one overtaken by trees). I enjoyed them all, but the Bayon was my favorite. I just loved it because I felt the most connected with it. Its been nicely restored but preserved in architecture, so we were able to walk up and down so many towers. Angkor Wat, on the other hand, is a bit more dangerous and less sound in structure, so you cant climb the stairs. We climbed our fair share of very scary stairs today, and Conrad did quite well for someone who is modestly afraid of heights.

Sorry to cut this short, but I have to run. I will continue this post tomorrow.

We made it safely to Cambodia yesterday, and after spending the rest of our day exploring the town of Siem Reap, we got up at 445 this morning to head to the temples of Angkor Wat to catch the sunrise. We then went on a whirlwind tour of the fascinating ancient temples with a guide that we hired.
Cambodia is quite different from Vietnam. The people are poorer, the terrain is quite arid, and there is a significantly different feel to it all. The people and the country are beautiful, but I just sensed this immense sadness throughout the day, starting before dawn when our guide told us that he is one of 11 children. 3 of his siblings and his mother were killed during the Khmer Rouge takeover and ensuing civil war. He was just 6 at the time. For those who know very little about Pol Pot and the atrocities he committed, need to google him or buy a book about it. I am reading a book about Lenin, Stalin and Hitler, all ruthless leaders with millions of people's blood on their hands. Pol Pot, I think, has outdone them all when he murdered nearly 2 million of his own people in about 4 years.
Vietnam has certainly seen its fair share of war and political unrest in the last 50+ years, but the Vietnamese, while fiercely remembering all the wounds of their past, are truly looking forward and don't seem to still be struggling with the issues. I have gotten the sense that this is not the case at all in Cambodia. While Vietnamese did fight each other, there was always another country also doing the fighting.
In Cambodia, it was one of their own who ruthlessly killed nearly one third of his fellow countrymen and I think this is one of the reason for the sadness I saw in the natives faces. Cambodia is a land with many natural resources and many years ago was quite wealthy. After the Khmer Rouge were overthrown the nation was in upheavel. THousand died of starvation and currently 85% of the country lives in poverty.
Cambodians, darker skinned than Vietnamese, are beautiful people. The children especially just melt your heart. The people have such kind eyes and are incredibly generous, shy and friendly. I could just see in their faces, however, an intense sorrow and incredible sadness borne of the terrors that are so fresh in their past.
Everywhere we went, the sweetest children would be selling trinkets for "one dollar, sir". Incessantly pleading with you to help them. It was so difficult for me to see that. On the way down the mountain from seeing the sunset, we passed a tiny girl of maybe 5, sitting in the dust, not making eye contact and just barely making a peep as we passed, begging. Not holding out her hands but just sitting there all alone on a jungle path. Really just broke my heart to see her.
We leave tomorrow for Thailand but this has been a memorable, yet haunting trip. Completely differen experience from Vietnam, but has made the trip even more memorable.