Hello from Siam Reap, Cambodia!

It has been a few days since my last entry in Bangkok. The last few days in Bangkok were full of activities. I went to see the national art galelry and the national museum of Thailand. They have had quite an interesting history and still are unclear (and they admit it int eh museum - how refreshing!) I truly enjoyed the history lesson and how Thailand was thought to be inhabited - many wars as one can imagine. Bangkok is sooooooooooooooo busy, with soooooooooooo much traffic, and soooooooooooooo much pollution, but i braved it all to see many temples and being inside them made me feel a sense of peace while looking at Buddha. Such a peaceful way of thinking and living - and that is attractive to me.

I spent a alot of fun times shopping at the local marlets and bargaining with the shop owners/workers. It is always a good time. Maybe I will try that at the mall when I return to the US! On Valentine's Day I took myself to a gret restaurant called Cabbages & Condoms in Bangkok. This place was amazing! It is owned by a former population control/AIDS activist in Thailand. When I arrived i was seated outside amidst an incredible setting of trees, lights, misting fans, and incredible music. It was THE most pleasant atmosphere I have ever encountered. It was quite romantic, but i just decided that i would be my own date. The service was remarkable, the food outstandding (i have become a vegetarian on my trip), and the gift shop was hilarious. At the end of the meal you get condoms instead of dinner mints. The place was just outstanding and I felt like I was in a tropical oasis far away from any city.

On thursday i changed hotels to meet my tour group for our trip into cambodia and vietnam. The group consists of 12 people from all over the world and a good mix of ages - althoughI am the oldest i think. OUr tour guide is actually from Cambodia and that has been a good thing for sure. We left for Cambodia on friday morning and got to Poipet at the thailand/cambodia border. After celaring customs, we got onto a bus that would carry us over 100 miles of bumpy, pot-hole filled, dirt and gravel road for the next 5 hours! It was quite an interesting journey. The reason the road is not paved is because the Airlines in thailand pay the governement of Cambodia NOT to pave it, therefore keeping the flights up from Siam Reap to Bangkok. Hard to beleive. there is SOOOO much corruption int he government here. I guess that makes it seem familiar to home!

Life in Cambodia is tough for most as 1/3 of the populatin lives on less than $1 US dollar perday. Our dollar is their "unofficial" official currency, which is a bit strange. There is much poverty, much illiteracy, and alot of awful history here. Siam reap is a town of about 90,000 that has really grown in the last 5-10 years because of tourism. The main attraction here is one of the 7 wonders of the world - The temples of Angkor Wat.

They did not dissapoint. We left out hotel at 5:20 am to catch the sunrise at the main temple. I must tell you that seeing the sun rise over this majestic temple is just about the most beautiful sight I have ever seen! I was in absolute awe and felt so at peace and so full of gratitude. These temples date bck to the 9-12th centuries and they are all amazing to see. At one time there were over 200 temples around the city of siam reap, but many were destroyed due to war.

Being in Cambodia has made me feel alot of things, but the world has been and continues to be a cruel place for many and it is becoming quite clear to me that my next phase in life must be some type of public service. So many kids here cannot go to school because of government coorruption, most cannot get healthcare, and all the corruption does not provide much hope.

I will add more as I journey through Cambodia. Next week we visit the killing fields outside of Phnom Penh and I think that will have a profound impact on much of the group.

Thanks again for everyone keeping in touch and reading my journal. I will upload more photos soon!

All my best,

jeff