Cambodia!

You know you’ve discovered a special place when you find yourself thinking about coming back to it before the first visit is over.

We loved Cambodia.

It was truly an amazing place and it completely caught us by surprise. Given that it’s a third world country with a long history of bloodshed, it is located in a malaria zone, and the city we visited doesn’t have drinkable tap water, I suppose we had low expectations. Experiencing Cambodia completely changed our thinking – it may be a poor country, but it is rich with history, culture and beautiful, kind people. Of all the fabulous and exotic places we have visited, this is without a doubt our favorite destination.

Cambodia is located southwest of Hong Kong and is bordered by Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. We visited the northern city of Siem Reap.

Siem Reap is a vibrant place with a population of about 90,000 and is a prime tourist destination. Even so, it has maintained its local character and charm – other than the major resorts and one Kentucky Fried Chicken we saw no Western branded establishments. It felt a little like we went back in time - or had finally found a place that where major commercialism hadn’t yet reached.

Transportation in Siem Reap is decidely different and less "modern" than in the US or Hong Kong. But, it works quite well. The main forms of transportation are motorcycle, bicycle, and tuk-tuk (a covered cart pulled by a motorbike).

At first the traffic situation seemed out of control – so many bikes going all directions! As we embarked on our first tuk-tuk ride I hoped that we would emerge alive. However, it proved to be a calm, even relaxing, ride. Drivers were courteous, seemed keenly aware of their surroundings, and (remarkably) no one was speeding. It felt safe. In fact, I would much rather ride in a tuk-tuk than a Hong Kong taxi!

With hundreds of tuk-tuks on the road, tuk-tuk drivers face a lot of competition for customers. At $1 per ride per person, they aren’t making a bunch of money. As a result, they are very enterprising people. This tuk-tuk driver’s marketing made us laugh:

(In case you can't read it, it says: My tuk-tuk is the smoothest, coolest, most delectable of chariots...cheap and swift. Deliver you safely to your abode.)

We had a very loyal tuk-tuk driver. On the first day in Siem Reap, Dave took a tuk-tuk – each day afterward, the driver made a point to meet us at the hotel and politely asked if he could be our driver. One day he was with us for more than four hours, patiently waiting while we shopped and ate lunch, and he suggested some great places to visit and to eat. We liked him a lot.

Over the next few posts, I'll take you to the temples we visited, show you more of Siem Reap and the Cambodian people, and then move on to our time in Saigon. Stay tuned!