We left Phnom Penh after a night of thunderstorms...fortunately it stopped as we took three tuk-tuks to the bus station. The bus ride was organized as a flight--it had assigned seats, overhead storage, snack and bottled water, rest room, and a bus attendant. During the ride we rode through the Cambodian countryside viewing such sites as horse drawn working carts, thatched homes, mud streets (since it rained during the night), naked children playing in puddles, Brahman bulls grazing in front yards, and trash everywhere.
Arriving earlier than expected, wew were met by our tour guide and drivers. We headed straight for Angkor Wat. Perom was quite knowledgeable and the experience was wonderful. To think that it has withstood so many centuries before being discover in the 19th century is unimaginable! Three were not many tourists as we arrived, but getting cose to sunset, many Asian tourists and locals came to pray and view the sunset.
Our guide speaks three languages and wants to learn Polish! He said that many Poles visit and he finds the language fascinating...he even exchanged some very simple phrases with me and he hopes to go to Thailand to study more!
Our second stop was the killing field memorial in Siem Reap. Local people were killed and buried in the fields. Their bones and skulls were found and brought to this memorial and are viewed through a glass case. Photos of Pol Pot, work camps, and prisoners are also
displayed.
Then we checked into our hotel which is quite nice. We were greeted with refreshing cold face towels and pineapple/apple juice. Ellen quickly went next door to purchase frozen margaritas for us...only $1.50 each! At that price we each bought a round and enjoyed the third drink after a swim in the infinity pool!
