CAMBODIA

Hi Everyone,

I just got back from my big adventure to CAMBODIA!!!  Wow, what a great trip.  I really enjoyed Cambodia, wonderful world heritage sites like Angkor Wat, delicious food, like the national dish Amok, and the friendly people.

I went to Cambodia overland from Bangkok.  I set out at 6am by bus and reached the border town of Aranyaprathet about 5 hours later.  You have to pass through Thai customs where you get an exit stamp.  It's a short walk to the Cambodian border where you then have to go through Cambodian customs.

Cambodian customs was easy.  The line wasn't long and all you had to do was pay $20, get the visa and get your passport stamped.  I was in and out.  Of course my entry back into Thailand was another story, but that's a nightmare I'll share with you later...

Once I got through to the other side I was in Poipet Cambodia.  

I still had another 2 hour drive to get to Siem Reap but I split cab fare with another traveler who was also going to Siem Reap, so it wasn't bad.  The journey through the countryside was spectacular to see.  The verdant fields of rice rippled in the wind like silk. 

 The rice fields were so lush and beautiful it seemed that if I could just reach out and touch it, it would be like stroking velvet.

Yet even with all the beauty, the stark reality of how poor Cambodia truly is was pushed to the fore.

The juxtaposition between the beauty of the landscape with the realities of extreme poverty could be overwhelming at times.

  After 2 hours of driving through the countryside once inside Cambodia, it was nice to get to my hotel which was an oasis in the heart of Siem Reap.

The outside garden was very peaceful and a great welcome after the end of a 7 hour journey.

I met up with friends (we had prearranged to meet in Cambodia), and we ended up having a relaxing dinner before going out to enjoy the nightlife of Siem Reap.

The nightlife was great.  Great night markets...

lots of good restaurants...

and of course some great clubbing!  I had a great time dancing the night away with a couple of good friends.

But as much fun as I was having, after getting up at 4:30am to catch the bus, I decided at 2am it was time to call it quits so went back to the hotel to turn in.  After all, I was getting up in a few hours to go explore a world heritage site, Angkor Wat!  Unfortunately you will have to wait for the next installment to hear all about my adventures going back in time to the early 12th century!

Finally, Back Online!

Hi All,

I have been having major problems accessing my blog while in China.  I bought a VPN which allows me to bypass the restrictions put on the internet by the Chinese government but alas they periodically attack the VPN servers and so mine has become a casualty of the war on internet freedom.  I've missed not being able to post.  It has been an exercise in frustration.  Sometimes I can get on and look at my blog but when I go to post something it freezes on me.  The connection to the VPN is so tenuous that by the time it takes to upload a pic my connection is severed.

BUT, now that I'm here in Thailand, where there aren't as many restrictions, I can finally blog again!  When I do get back to China I will have to have my tech guy find me a better VPN to buy so I don't get cut off from the world again!

So as I said, I'm in Thailand!  I'm staying with friends in Bangkok and it has been great.  When I left Nanchang it was snowing and COLD!

Fortunately now I'm in the sunnier climes of Thailand where I sit by the pool and soak up the sun.

I'm really lucky, the friends that I'm staying with have a swimming pool that is great to do laps in.  I figured it out and 2 laps (once back and forth) equals out to about 25 yards.  Right now I swim about 70 laps or 875 yards which is just under a 1/2 mile.  It's great.  I just have to walk out the door and I'm right there at my own private pool.  I even got to swim in the rain yesterday!

As much as I enjoy being able to swim laps and lounge around poolside, I have been able to experience some first, most notably, riding an elephant!  Of course if that wasn't enough, I also got to play with a baby elephant, even getting to feed him corn on the cob! 

The adult elephants were huge!  Just look at big pink!  And boy are they strong!  Their trunks are amazing.  It was so neat being able to pet them and ride them.

They are so tall that you have to climb up onto a platform in order to be able to get on their backs.  If you notice in the picture below, I'm at the same level as the roofs on the buildings to the right!

What an amazing trip so far!  I am loving Thailand.  I'm enjoying all the sun and so many new experiences.  I've been lucky enough to go to a few different Wats (temples) and was even allowed to go to a ceremony to honor the dead Up country.  But, you will have to wait for those adventures until next time.  I'm leaving tomorrow for Cambodia, and am not taking my computer, so might not have access to the internet for a little bit.  But I will be sure to post the next big adventure as soon as I get back to Bangkok!

Until next time....

Sawadee Ka!