Cambodia – this was my 2nd favorite country that we visited. We arrived in Phnom Penh by public bus from Viet Nam ...a comfortable eight hour trip. The country ethnic population is known as "Khmer" and they once ruled an extensive area of Indochina ...from Thailand to Viet Nam. The people have suffered greatly under the Khmer Rouge (Khmer Red) during the late 1970s but now the country appears to be advancing economically. The current government opened up the country to tourism and foreign investment in the mid-1990s. I wished that we had more time to spend visiting Cambodia.....Phnom Penh and Siem Reap are interesting cities, people are friendly, there are many sights to see and it was a definite contrast to high-strung Viet Nam.
· Angkor Wat Comple** – this has been a dream of mine since I visited Thailand in 1996 and saw a mock-up of Angkor Wat in Bangkok. Seeing the sunrise was wonderful. Visiting the entire complex was worth the entire trip.
· Angkor Thom’s Bayon** temple with its numerous stone faces of Buddha was magnificent along with Ta Prohm, the jungle temple, whose walls and carvings are being embraced by the jungle.
· Phnom Penh’s Killing Fields – visit to S-21, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, where 1,000s upon 1000s of Cambodians of all ages were tortured. Seeing the bone filled stupa at Cheuong Ek Killing Fields where the victims of S-21 were finally exterminated.
· Phnom Penh - watching sunrise over the Mekong River, “visually participating” with a group doing aerobic dance exercises, seeing an elephant walk down main Street and having a delicious breakfast that featured French toast at the Foreign Correspondence Club…all before 8 AM. The day’s events began with a whirl-wind tour of the beautiful Royal Palace to view the gorgeous buildings and wall murals, Silver Pagoda** and Wat Penh, followed by an hour long “Seeing Hands Massage” administered by a blind masseuse. After visiting the “Killing Fields” memorials, the day ended with a wonderful dinner that included fried tarantulas (yuuum) and a $1 mug of beer at the Foreign Correspondence Club.
· Our guide, Thou, is Cambodian and his parents were forced to walk from town to town for four months during the Khmer Rouge regime. He provided an insight into Cambodia that will remain with me always. See the map of the forced evacuation routes.
· Seeing the joy in the face of a five year girl who was selling postcards at Angkor Wat when I agreed to purchase ten postcards for $1….I know that feeling of making a big sale!!
· Traveling by private van from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap…..seeing rural life in the countryside, avoiding oncoming traffic, stopping to purchase and eat fresh fruit including lotus pods, savoring the taste of bamboo stuffed with sticky rice/beans/coconut milk/sugar and watching stone carvers create Buddhist statues.
· Beginning to gain an understanding of the culture and mix of the Hindu/Buddhist faiths.
· Downtown Siem Reap – a lively town with a lot to do…parades, markets, massages, restaurants and bars…a fun place..
Returning to see more of Cambodia is a must!!
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