After an early 5am start Dan, I, the tour leader Imbi (or Mim for
short) and 12 other travelers where off.. Destination – Siam Riep,
Cambodia. Of the 15 in the group, there are only 3 men, so Dan is
feeling a little out numbered.. Its a young group and a great mix; We
are the only couple, there are a few other Aussies, a Canadian, a
couple of Poms and some lovely Scottish girls.. After a 45 min tuk
tuk ride, 5 hour public bus, 3hr boarder crossing and another 3.5hr
bus journey we arrived... As soon as we had crossed the boarder the
difference between Thailand and Cambodia hit us instantly. It is
truly a third world country where poverty, corruption and child abuse
is still prominent. Cambodia is still recovering from the Khmer Rouge
Regime and Vietnam War with an average age of only 25 years!
Unfortunately, instead of being hassled by salesmen, here we are
hassled by children who beg for money or for you to buy something
from them. It is heartbreaking however we have been told not to give
them money or buy their thing as this will keep them on the streets..
its depressing! After checking into the hotel we sampled our first
Cambodian dinner.. We were amazed at the restaurant – the food was
delicious and including an entree, 2 large mains and 6 beers a total
of $12! We are going to struggle when we get to Europe LOL! Tomorrow
we are off to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat, a 4am start!!!
