Surprising fact: few American’s travel to this part of the world. While in Bangkok, we met an Israeli merchant who said he could count the number of American tourists he’s met on both hands since moving to Thailand seven years ago. I’m in the airport at Siem Reap, Cambodia. Equivalent in size to say, Burbank airport, there’s even a Dairy Queen (“queen” being the operative word here in SE Asia). Our hotel in town was fantastic. Small, French, quaint and pretty luxurious compared to the tin roof shacks we saw on the way into town. There’s a term for backpackers who stay in hotels – “flashpackers”. I embrace that label with joy and an up-turned smirk.
Cambodia was incredible to see! Never in a million years would I have guessed I’d walk her dusty streets. Beautiful, lush, chock-full o’character and history, the people here seem happy with their lot, and even happier to see my shiny, American face. They’re hungry for tourism.
We took a mountain bike ride to Angkor Wat yesterday. The King of Cambodia (during the Khmer Empire) lived there in the 1200’s. It was vast and impressive. Our bike rental cost five dollars and our clean bag of laundry, three. Clearly, you can live like a king in this part of Asia. After a day of sightseeing, we took a saltwater swim in the hotel pool during a tropical rainstorm. Holiday highlight. The pool was surrounded with lotus trees. It was a lovely experience..
Today we fly back to Thailand, so I can witness the beaches of Krabi, see the rain forests, and (maybe) the jungles, and climb with my rock climbing girlfriend. 🙂
Day 8 of this adventure brings me to the following conclusion – I’m living a charmed life. I’m not always conscious of this fact, but today, I surely am.
You can follow Cynthia’s stories, and become a “fan” at The Huffington Post.
She is also writing for Amnplify – the Australian Musician Network.
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