Thanks to the Chinese government, we had to get up at 3 a.m. to fly our plane to Cambodia. (the only time they'd allow our private plane to land). RS gave us today “on our own,” which we really needed. Got to our Incredible resort hotel where I gathered up my laundry & sent it out to be done today. Merle & I booked 90 min massages which we really needed especially after walking the wall yesterday!
Cambodia feels just as Roger had told me to anticipate: lush green, humid, rural, and a LOT like Hawaii in its natural state. And Roger said to me on the phone today that he bets I feel more comfortable here—-which is totally true! I am used to being around VN people at home and the Cambodians seem so similar. Warm, friendly. After being in Arab and Communist countries, this feels so much better! We were greeted at the airport by a team of local RS guides who will be with us for the 3 days. Big smiles. Welcoming.
I loved Cambodia from the time of landing. The town is called Siem Reap and it means something like “Siam get out. “. The town was basically all built since the 1990s. The temples and the country over all were not on peoples’ Destination lists until recently (thanks to the Khmer Rouge and several other powers in control. To think how far these people have come!
Nov 13– our pre-dawn
visit to Angkor Wat temple. Goose bumps!! Got great pix. I had watched videos about several of our destinations and this was one of them. It was really magical to see it in person. Our hotel is a Sofitel which is a French hotel chain and we were greeted at the door by a man in management who was French! All of the staff members greet everyone with "bonjour" !
Wow, this hotel!! Not to be believed how beautiful! We had our 90 min massages for $75!!
In the evening we attended a traditional dance show. The style nearly died out during Khmer Rouge. The story we heard is that one woman survived who was able to teach young people to dance the traditional way. This is the style where the women have their fingers bent backwards. We got lots of pictures.
We also visited another temple (Angkor Thom) also called the “jungle temple.” It was the most overgrown of the temples when it was re-discovered after hundreds of years. It served as the location site of the movie “tomb raiders.” I really liked this one. Again, took at ton of pictures.
As we left the country I realized that I am in awe of the people and their perseverance and how they have rebuilt their country. I highly recommend coming here!
( forgive typos. Unable to edit it right now)
Cambodia feels just as Roger had told me to anticipate: lush green, humid, rural, and a LOT like Hawaii in its natural state. And Roger said to me on the phone today that he bets I feel more comfortable here—-which is totally true! I am used to being around VN people at home and the Cambodians seem so similar. Warm, friendly. After being in Arab and Communist countries, this feels so much better! We were greeted at the airport by a team of local RS guides who will be with us for the 3 days. Big smiles. Welcoming.
I loved Cambodia from the time of landing. The town is called Siem Reap and it means something like “Siam get out. “. The town was basically all built since the 1990s. The temples and the country over all were not on peoples’ Destination lists until recently (thanks to the Khmer Rouge and several other powers in control. To think how far these people have come!
Nov 13– our pre-dawn
Wow, this hotel!! Not to be believed how beautiful! We had our 90 min massages for $75!!
In the evening we attended a traditional dance show. The style nearly died out during Khmer Rouge. The story we heard is that one woman survived who was able to teach young people to dance the traditional way. This is the style where the women have their fingers bent backwards. We got lots of pictures.
We also visited another temple (Angkor Thom) also called the “jungle temple.” It was the most overgrown of the temples when it was re-discovered after hundreds of years. It served as the location site of the movie “tomb raiders.” I really liked this one. Again, took at ton of pictures.
As we left the country I realized that I am in awe of the people and their perseverance and how they have rebuilt their country. I highly recommend coming here!
( forgive typos. Unable to edit it right now)
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