back in Bangkok again

The Internet connection was horrible in Siem Reap so I was unable to get online to answer emails or to make posts. I decided to give up after a couple fruitless tries. Now I am back in Bangkok after four days and five nights in Siem Reap. When I thought about going there, at first, I didn’t think it was enough time. But after being in the extreme heat and visiting Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom twice, I felt the time was sufficient.

We had a tuk tuk driver for three of our days there. He drove us from temple to temple and anywhere else we needed to go. It was fun. We felt like royalty. When you look at the town and the poor dwellings, in some ways we were royalty.

Siem Reap truly had a beautiful countryside. I loved looking at the landscapes. I don’t know what the rest of Cambodia looks like since I don’t have the time to go there. But Andrea and Annie will have to fill me in at a later day, as they headed to Phom Phen yesterday.

We watched the World Cup opening ceremonies at a bar called Angkok What? It was pretty much a solemn affair. I think the Cambodians were more excited than the tourists who were gathered around tv screens. For the both times that we went out on Pub Street, we didn’t feel that festive. It’s hard to be festive drinking a beer when you have amputees and beggars looking at you and begging for money. I couldn’t escape the feeling that what we were doing was a slap in the face to all the poor Cambodians. But on the other hand the country needs our tourist dollars.