Well we have arrived in Cambodia! I am literally writing this post as I sit next to the pool and enjoy the sunshine! Don’t worry, I will soak up plenty for you! Cambodia… where do I even start? It’s been an adventure. When we landed, got into the car, and made our way towards the hotel, I was literally thinking… what did we get ourselves into?
People living in shanty lean to homes, naked children running about, scooters and bicycles driving like crazy, dogs that has had litter after litter of puppies running around, cows strolling around everywhere, holes the size of a small child in the road… It was a culture shock (and still is) to drive around here in Cambodia. Some of the places you go literally look like a scene out of National Geographic. Cambodia is still very third world and has only in the last 10 years come into the age of technology and tourism. It makes you honestly count your blessings and all the things we take for granted. Things like clean drinking water, an abundance of good meat, good air quality, electricity, running water, democracy… I could go on.
Once we adjusted to the initial shock, we’ve actually REALLY enjoyed Cambodia. The people are extremely nice and accommodating (even if they are trying to sell you on cheap tourist crafts), things for the most part are cheap here, and there are some gorgeous places to stay. Since 1991, tourism has taken off in Cambodia. In 1991 (after recovering from the Khmer Rouge in the late 70’s) there could be only 3 hotels in Siem Reap and little to no tourism. Now, there are over 150 hotels and nearly 2 million tourists that visit Siem Reap every year. Siem Reap is also home to numerous temples that date from over 1,000 years old, most famous of those is Angkor Wat.
We have three days packed full of temple tours and afternoons spent at our leisure. We stayed at the Victoria Angkor Resort. It was one of the higher class places to stay but we enjoy a little luxury when we travel. We envy those who can wander and stay where ever at night but it just isn’t for us. The Victoria was gorgeous, the rooms were clean, and the service was fantastic! We’ve made friends with the bartender by the pool, he’s got our order down pat! 😉 
We ventured down to the famous Pub Street at night. Pub Street was something to experience! Lots of lights and nightlife plus endless Night Markets which are basically like big flea markets for tourists. There are a ton of t-shirts, figurines, scarves, jewelry, paintings, and anything else you could want. I picked up a couple scarves and we had to get a wooden figure elephant. We ate at the supposedly famous Red Piano (they’ve really got a red piano) and interestingly enough ran into a man from Sioux City, IA. I enjoyed a bowl of Cambodian curry, basically red curry with chicken and potatoes. It was fantastic! We also sucked down a couple of Angkor beers, one of Cambodia’s most popular beers.
