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  Siem Reap, Cambodia
Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Mar. 8th, day 59. We cruised through the Saigon River for 3 hrs., curving around strings of small fishing boats. I was glued to the railing in the early morning hours trying to visualize what it must have been like for our soldiers during the Vietnam War.
I took a shuttle bus to downtown Ho Chi Minh city (formerly Saigon), a city which quickly rose to the top of my Do Not Visit Again list. Honking cars & motorcycles coming from all directions, vendors yelling "you buy from me!", "how much you wanna pay?" & "25 dolla, 2 dolla, you buy, ok?". The odors from meat & fish diplayed in the open was nauseating. It was 85 degrees with 75% humidity.
I wanted to visit a large local market & stood at the curb stumped as to how I could cross the street safely. A young Vietnamese woman took my arm and, stopping and starting, led me across the street. For risking my life, I rewarded myself with the purchase of a gold Rolex watch with a diamond bezel. The vendor guaranteed it was a real Rolex. I paid $10. (She has no idea what it is worth!!!). I also bought a small bottle with a flared baby cobra packed in rice water & oil, guaranteed to cure what ails you (if you don't die of the venom first).
In the afternoon, I joined 159 other passengers for the short flight to Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia. We stayed at the Sokha Angkor, a 6 star hotel if such a rating exists.
Mar. 9th, day 60. Angkor Wat is a must-see destination for all visitors to Cambodia. It is the largest religious building in the world & one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was found in the jungle amidst 40 miles of the lost city of Angkor. There are many other 12th century temples here & in addition to Angkor Wat, we visited Banteay Srei, Preah Khan & Ta Prohm. It was an exhausting day but 5 of us decided to take Tuk Tucks (a 2-3 pasenger motorized open air vehicle) to visit Central Market. After a quick shopping trip, we were back at the hotel for a lavish buffet around the pool while entertained by local dancers. I ended the evening with a 60 minute massage. Veng was so good that I promised I would sponsor him & bring him to the U.S. to live with me. Fortunately for me, he did not speak English.
Mar. 10th, day 61. We flew to Phnom Penh, visited the Royal Palace, the National Museum & then took a terrifying 3 hr. bus ride to Sihanoukville where our ship was docked. We had 4 buses & swear they had a contest of how fast they could drive & pass each other at the same time. The only catastrophe was one chicken.
Our tour guides were so interesting-both lost their fathers during the Pol Pot (POLitical POTential) revolution of the Khymer Rouge during 1975-1979. Over 1.7 million people were killed. The guide on our bus said he began living on the streets at age 8, eating tarantulas & drinking rice water. We were in awe of the survival stories he told.
Cambodia is still a 3rd world country. Most don't have the basics like water, plumbing or electricity. They eke out a living by selling handicrafts to the tourists or growing rice. The Cambodians are very friendly & the cute kids loved my candy, pens & pencils.
We arrived in Laem Chabang (Bangkok) this morning, Mar. 13th, so I'll write you about it later.
Linda

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