3/31- 4/7 Vacationing in Cambodia with son, David

David and I  had a Wonderful week in Cambodia!   I’ve really enjoyed taking him to see some of the places we visited with the CSC team. Many things were better the 2^nd time around and I’ve had a chance to experience some new things as well.  For Sunday & Monday we saw the sites around Phnom Penh so he could adjust to jet lag.  He had no issues and so we were able to do a lot.  We did a tour of the city, went to the Killing Fields, took a boat ride on the Mekong, and visited the Central market and the Royal Palace. 

Memorial Stuppa to the 1000s that were killed at the Killing Fields during the Pol Pot regime

                                                                                   Monk at walk around killing fields

  

Boat on the Mekong while on the river boat tour

Tuesday to Friday we spent in the Siem Ream area visiting the temples, the floating village, the landmine museum and the Angkor Butterfly Center.  We also had a chance to go for a bike ride with Bruce T. and have dinner with his family.  This trip, with just two of us, we took the Tuk Tuk everywhere.  We’d start about 8 am and go until 3 to 4 in the afternoon. It was a real adventure bumping around the Cambodian countryside in the Tuk Tuk- luckily we had a very good driver and no accidents! It was a great way to see another side of Cambodian life that is very different from Phnom Penh.

 David and Mary at Bayon temple- there are ~ 54 smiling faces on the pillars!

Mary and David in front of Ankgor Wat reflecting pool.

The day that we visited Angkor Wat, Bayon, and the Jungle temple we hired a guide and he was wonderful- I now have a much better appreciation of history, stories, and carvings.  My favorite story is the Hindu story of the Churning of the Ocean, which is carved on a 60 foot wall in Angor Wat and the statues leading into the city are of the “good guys” and the “bad guys” from the story.   Also, while we were at the top of the towers of Angor Wat, there were several Buddhist monks leading a ceremony - wonderful to listen to in that setting.  Across the 3 days, we visited 8 to 9 of the temples- the scope and scale of the whole complex is amazing and it was great to have a full 3 days to appreciate them.  It’s amazing the organization and engineering that went into them in the 9^th – 12^th Centuries.

#ibmcsc cambodia