Cambodian Favorites...Top Ten

After 17 days in Cambodia, we are officially in Vietnam, Phu Quoc Island to be exact.  It is phenomenally nice here.  Before writing about Vietnam, we want to reflect on our time in Cambodia, which was beautiful, disgusting, heartwarming, and disheartening all in the same breath.  Above all though, the place is full of hope and potential.  We really enjoyed it.  In no particular order, here are some top moments from our time.

10.  Perhaps the first thing we noticed were the pajamas.  The ladies wear them everywhere.  Maybe with high heels on a motor bike going to the market, maybe in sandals while serving lunch in a cafe.  They favor the long kind some people get over Christmaka....and it is hot.  We're sweating our tails off, they're parading around merrily in long, flannel-looking PJs with pictures of bears or kitties on them.

9.  Siem Riep and Ankor Wat is saturated with trinket peddlers (we've talked about them before).  We found the most common words out of our mouths were "no" and "no thank you" (and later 'a te a kuhn').  People employed some creative tactics to gain our business.  Take the young lady who offered me bracelets that would help me with my "boom-boom" or even better, "they help your girlfriend boom-boom if she shy".  The girl was 7.  No bracelets for me, thanks.

8.  Angkor Wat Sunset Moon Rise.  We were fortunate enough to see the sunrise and set (twice) at Angkor Wat.  It really is a majestic setting.  Even cooler, after watching the sunset from the steps of the Angkor Wat Temple, we saw the full moon rise behind it.  One of the best moments of our trip.  The pictures can't capture the beauty, but this gives an idea:

From Cambodia...Ankor Wat to Pnom Pehn

7.  The moon rise delayed our 7km bike ride back into Siem Riep town.  So, instead of cycling home in twilight before the rush back to town, it was basically dark, and everyone else was coming home too...on motor bikes, tuk-tuks, buses and cars.  We thought riding down Market Street in San Francisco during the commute hours was hectic.  Market Street is Bush League compared to this.  Exhilarating and terrifying come to mind.  It was great fun, and great to make it back to the hotel in one piece.

6.  We've got Friends in New Places.  Our friends (Daniel and Henry) (and colleague/boss) happened to be in Siem Riep for one day while we were there.  It was so fun and surreal to meet halfway around the world for dinner and drinks!

From Cambodia...Ankor Wat to Pnom Pehn

On a similar note, we were able to spent a good amount of time with an old friend, Andrew Muss, who we hadn't seen in 5 years (since he moved to Cambodia).  He gave us an outsiders/insiders look into the country that we would not have been able to get on our own.  This "helmet" allows him to comply with the law (in letter, not spirit)....

From Cambodia...Ankor Wat to Pnom Pehn

5.  One of our stops was in Kampot, an old French Colonial Town famous for it's amazing pepper.  It has a great, sleepy waterfront.  We noticed some big speakers and two guys dancing on our first pass.  When we came back a crowd of 20 or so Cambodian women had assembled for some evening aerobics.  With minimal prodding from me, Jenn joined them.  They weren't sure what to think, but as the class wore on, Jenn became one of them.  We were the only fair skinned people around.  It was great, and unfortunately, the one time we didn't have our camera with us.

4.  On a somber note, trash is everywhere. There is minimal infrastructure developed for refuse.  As a result people either throw it where ever they are, or burn it.  It's a big, depressing problem.  If we were King and Queen, it's the first thing we'd address....

3.  Phnom Phen relaxation.  This city is going to be a hot spot very soon.  They're developing the waterfront, tastefully, and assuming the government proves its stability, business should increasingly be attracted to the area.  That said, it is hot and a little dirty.  As a respite, we managed to find a leafy hotel pool that we could swim in if we bought cocktails.  They had some made with passion fruit that are worth writing home about.  How did Jenn feel about it?  We think this picture captures the mood:

From Cambodia...Ankor Wat to Pnom Pehn

2.  Cambodia's Resiliency.  Cambodia and the Khmer people have been to hell and back, within many of our lifetimes.  Poverty is still everywhere (aside from tourism and farming, economic opportunity is minimal), you aren't supposed to go off trail for fear of stepping on a landmine, and the guy living next to you may have contributed to the genocide that wiped out your family.  That being said, the people are eternally optimistic and gracious.  Jenn said it best...."Cambodia is wonder, beauty, savagery and resilience".  We really enjoyed it.

1.  Our true and undisputed number one happened on a little island off of the southeast coast, called Rabbit Island.  There are about five bungalow restaurant operations, no electricity, coconut palms, 80 degree F waters as calm as a lake, hammocks and plenty of shade (in other words, tropical paradise).  On the way back from a late dinner, Jenn wandered into to ocean and noticed incredible bioluminescence (which was easier to spot given the lack of generated light and moonlight).  For you non-science types, bioluminescence is what you see when fireflies light up at night; it's a bright-green light created by a chemical reaction in the body and in our case, it was created by plankton in the water.  We stripped down, jumped in and had every movement highlighted by this amazing plankton.  Swimming made us look and feel like superheroes as sparks and fireworks shot from our fingers and toes.  If we had a chance to make a short movie about our lives, this scene would be in there, no question.

Alright, that is enough for one sitting.  We loved Cambodia, have enjoyed a day in Vietnam, and are looking forward to more!  We hope all is well on the homefront!

From Cambodia...Ankor Wat to Pnom Pehn