The past few days:
We’re at the Siem Reap airport, awaiting our flight to Hanoi, Vietnam.
We’ve spent the past 3 days in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital. The 6 hour bus ride through the country was butt-numbing, but so beautiful. Rural cambodia is beyond poor, poorer than anything Marcia or I have ever seen. But the people are so sweet and funny and all smiles. When the bus stopped for a pee break, all the folks on the bus wanted to have their picture taken with me, in front of the bus. so sweet.
Phnom Penh was beautiful but hectic. It was kind of like chinatown on steroids, set in a crumbling post-french colonial city. a million whirring motorbikes, cars, trucks and cyclos (tall french bikes that push a one person passenger seat). broad sidewalks filled with markets, food stalls and parked cars. no one walks in Phnom Penh, so sidewalks have developed into open air businesses. There are very few services here, so the french architecture is offset by trash and dust and remains of the morning markets in the streets. Even still, the city is very charming, if a bit chaotic. sprawling, living markets every few blocks, where everyone does their business for the day, selling food and motorbike parts, buying vegetables and meats, spices etc… This is urban Cambodia at it’s fever pitch.
We’re at the half-way point in our trip now and we’re both so happy we’ve chosen the trip to be so long but we’re both having a tinge of homesickness and could use a day or two off. After Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phenom Penh all being fairly large cities, Marcia and I could use a little down time in a sleepy little -beach town. Hopefully, in Vietnam, we’ll be able to travel down to the middle section of the country, to where there is a good mix of culture and beaches. The more I read about Vientam in our guide book, the more I think we’re going to like it, it sounds like such a wonderful place.
