Cambodia Day 1

With our adventure at Railay Beach complete we had a day to do laundry and repack and then we got back on a plane and headed to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. My first encounter with the idea of Cambodia came about 10 years ago. I dated a man who had been a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He had served his mission in the US but was Cambodian speaking. He introduced me to a book I read and my eyes were reopen to the atrocities that had taken place during my lifetime. My next interaction with Cambodia was when I went to the airport to pick up a Cambodian refugee. His spirit was strong and his smile contagious.

I was excited to finally meet Cambodia in person. I found that I wasn't prepared for the experience I was about to have. I am so grateful to have had my trusted friends at my side to experience it all with me.

After a short plane ride we arrived in Phnom Penh and headed outside the airport to catch a taxi into town. Once outside we were immediately surrounded by a host of men offering their transportation options to us. There were several options for riding into town including motorbike, tuk-tuk and taxi. Surprised by the mob that greeted us I asked them to leave us alone for a minute so we could discuss our options. We decided on the taxi and made our way to our hotel which was so lovely. We were greeted with cold fruit drinks and a cold wet towel to cool us down from the intense heat. The host showed us to our room where we left our luggage ready to meet the city. We only had an hour or two left before the sun would set. We stopped by the front desk and booked bus tickets to Siem Reap the next day and then began walking towards the riverfront where we found all sorts shops, restaurants and hotels. We selected among the many a french restaurant to enjoy dinner. During dinner we were approached several times by children wanting to sell us bracelets, postcards and other items. We turned each of them away slightly heartbroken. That's when we began to fall in love with the darling children of Cambodia.

After dinner we returned to the riverfront and walked back to the hotel. Along the way we met the personality of the city. The feeling was light and festive. There were several dance and exercise groups moving to various types of music...some more enjoyable to watch than others. One woman in particular looked like she was having convulsions. Poor thing. :-) There were food vendors and families strolling along the walkways. It wasn't a rich city, it wasn't a clean city, but it was a city full of seemingly happy people making the most of their situation. I had a good feeling about what lay ahead.