if i were a travel writer... i'd write of places near or far... of places i've arrived to by plane, bus, train or car... and along the way, i'll take some photos... and so, here my story goes...

We have left the chaos of Viet Nam's capital for the calmness of Cambodia's Siem Reap. Only a three hour flight from Hanoi, you can sense how much more laid back Siem Reap is by even walking through the airport which to me, felt like a museum. There were statues lit up in almost every corner. The "customs" process was to simply hand a piece of paper to a man on his cell phone behind a counter marked "Customs." Very different from the military like officers in Hanoi's Airport. Our guesthouse is located only about 20 minutes from the airport and 15 minutes from Angkor Wat. It is spotless and there are shoes on a mat at the entrance which signaled to us that we should remove our shoes before entering. 13th Villa is run by a Japanese woman who came to Cambodia not speaking the language or English, both of which she speaks quite fluently now. There is a restaurant attached, and sitting on floor cushions last night it was comforting to hear the sound of crickets replacing the sound of horn honking that was so prevalent in Hanoi. We decided, after just a few hours here, that we are going to extend our time in this country. Back to our original plan, I think. It's definitely quite liberating to keep switching itineraries, and so far we have all agreed which is kind of nice. I would love to write more - considering 1 hour of internet access is only $1 - but we are hoping to do some more market shopping and get a long massage before heading to dinner and a performance of the Cambodian traditional dance.