The start of Cambodia

Hello and happy 2014!! I hope you all had a happy, healthy, wonderful start to the new year. I sure did! After a lovely home cooked Vietnamese meal courtesy of Danit's coworker and his family, the next morning it was off to Phnom Penh, about 7 hours by bus. With only some minor overcharging for my visa (gotta love the mandatory bribes to get across with no trouble), I made it safely to Cambodia's capital. It's mostly what I expected, busy and a bit dirty and chaotic, some beautiful architecture, museums, markets...overall I liked it. It's also the home to S21 prison, now the genocide museum, from the Khmer Rouge, and the killing fields. More on that soon.

I had three days in Phnom Penh with Danit and Jocelynn, and we were really busy! In no particular order we: went to the royal palace, visited the national museum, ate dinner at the night market, wandered the central markets, drank 50cent beer and danced by the riverside, haggled for (or avoided) tuk-tuks, and walked around the city a lot. We also spent a day at the genocide museum and the killing fields--an intense and emotionally exhausting day. I learned much more about the Khmer Rouge and what happened during the genocide. I won't get into the politics or details here, but if you don't know much about it you should at the very least skim the Wikipedia page. Walking through the killing fields, now so peaceful with birds chirping and tourists snapping pictures, it's hard to believe the horror that it once held. 

I've also been putting on my social work hat, particularly in Phnom Penh. There is so much poverty, with so many street kids and families with babies sleeping outside. It's really heartbreaking, particularly when there is nothing you can do about it. I would really love to work with an NGO here, there is so much need. At the moment I am not committed to learning the language or settling in one place, so I don't think ill do anything with my complicated thoughts on this at the moment. But if I ever announce that I'm moving to Cambodia for a while, you have just been forewarned and this is the reason why.

After PP we bussed to Siem Reap, just in time for New Years. Siem Reap is the base for Angkor Wat, the star attraction in Cambodia (and probably in Southeast Asia). We arrived in the afternoon, napped and showered, and headed downtown to Pub Street. As the name implies, it was the place to be. We also decided to celebrate with a nice 3 course meal to start the celebrations, which set me back about $6. I had a smile when thinking about how much a similar meal would cost on New Year's Eve back in New York or Boston. We met up with some of Danit's friends who were also in Siem Reap, and we spent the night dancing out on the street with what felt like every person in the city. We had a really nice time.

The plan was to stay up until dawn and then watch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Let's be serious though, I am way too old for that. We ended up heading back to our guesthouse to sleep for about 2 hours.

Did we make it in time for sunrise? Whats the big idea with Angkor Wat anyway? 

Next post will tell! 

Here's to a 2014 filled with love, laughter, and adventure.