We have spent the last several days in the Kingdom of Cambodia. About 17 million people live here, mostly Buddhist, speaking Khmer but you do hear quite a bit of English. Cambodia has fought hard over many years to be a neutral and independent country, surviving under French, Japanese and Vietnamese rule. They have also suffered much; more than I ever knew, as they experienced a terrible Genocide (Khmer Rouge) and were a victim of the Vietnam War, attacked by Americans. Land mines still exist, and many were harmed by them.
The appreciation I have for this country is magnified by the fact we had a local with us all along the way, our dear friend Krishna. He went out of his way to make us feel at home, introducing us to family and friends. Heck, the guy who gave us our visa at the airport was a classmate, recognizing him on sight! He has been taking us to the places that he had fond memories of from his childhood, as well as allowing us to understand the pain even more deeply through his vantage point. I am so sorry for what has happened to the many people from this country. Everyone we have met is friendly, helpful, and hardworking, and opportunistic. The energy of the country is very spiritual, connected and grounded.
We spent time in Phnom Penh, visiting the S21 Genocide Prison, National Museum, The Royal Palace, Wat Phnom, a new mall outside town, many markets, and a spa. I said a special prayer at Wat Phnom for good luck but I will keep it to myself until it comes true! We walked for miles, as well as enjoyed fun rides in Tuk Tuks across town, which you can hail like an Uber. There are more Tuk Tuks and scooters than cars, and a great way for large groups to travel across the city.
We took a long taxi ride to Siem Reap; where we visited the Angkor Archeological Park exploring the ancient temples of Angkor Wat, hiked to ruins and shrines in a the Phnom Kulen National Park, had many massages (including a super weird fish foot massage) walked Pub Street, and took tuk tuks all over the city. A highlight of the trip was a stop along the way to Krishna’s childhood home, as well as a visit to the bank where is mother was an official at one time.
We have been attempting to pay in USD during this part of our trip, only to learn of the crazy obsession with only obtaining the perfect looking dollar. This was explained to us by the hotel manager…. during COVID all the banks closed and there was no way to exchange money. If they didn’t obtain the most pristine money, they would not get the exchange done with the limited financial institutions. Post COVID, only a handful of banks have re-opened. And the hotel we stayed at was only at 20% occupancy. They anxiously await tourism returning to pre COVID levels.
Our friends Chuck and Finley hooked up with us on this this leg of the trip, and it was fun to spend so much more time together and make new global memories.
John and I have split off onto the next leg of our trip, our first solo time during this venture.  We will spend time in Bangkok, Thailand and Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam.  Looking forward to the new adventures, but sad to leave the dreamy fun we had in Cambodia.
