Today has been a very long day. We began our journey to Siem Reap at 8:00 this morning and arrived here around 4:15. Although it was a long drive, we are glad we did this versus flying. Throughout, we saw the rural areas of Cambodia. There is such a difference here in comparison to the city living. No matter the area though, it became even more evident the poverty in this country.
A typical home in the countryside is no larger than the family room in our home. The building type varies from either concrete pilings or wooden ones. The houses are elevated due to the flooding during the rainy season. Roofing can either be corrugated metal which is usually worn or a thatched type roof. The sides can be wooden, thatched or bamboo. There can be cows or chickens in the yard. Their water is stored in a large ceramic vessel.
We pulled over a few times along the way to see things. We got to walk down a road and stand at the base of a mountain. There were vines climbing up the rock and the stone formed to look like the eye of a needle. As we looked down the side of the road, an ox cart was headed our way. The next stop was the friendship bridge that was built during the Angkorian period (10th or 11th century). Only foot traffic and motos are allowed to cross it. This bridge far surpasses modern day ones as it has really lasted through time.
We passed through a town called Santuk. This town is known for its stone carvings. On both sides of the road you saw magnificent stone carvings in various states of completion. It was quite an inspiration for Annie to see this.
Driving in Cambodia is challenging. We are so thankful that Yoen is driving instead of us. People pass all around you. It seems as though the rule of the road is the biggest vehicle wins. Imagine passing a moto pulling a cart full of hay piled up to 15 feet in the air with people laying on top and the driver barely seen from the hay surrounding him. Then as you are passing, there are motos to the right of you going the opposite way and a car coming right at you. Yoen honks the horn so the moto with hay pulls slightly to the right so he can get ahead of it before the car coming at you reaches where you just were. It can be a bit harried.
The infrastructure is not as we have in the U.S. We have vowed never to complain about pot holes again. There are sections that are good and then you come to huge potholes. It can go from a paved asphalt road to unpaved. It appears that the Chinese are putting a lot of money into Cambodia. Seems they are financially everywhere in the world.
Schools here are different than the states also. You do not see buses or parents bringing children to school. They either walk or mostly ride their bikes. You see nothing but a sea of bicycles parked outside the school. The children go to school from 7:00 am until 11:00, get on their bikes to go home for lunch and then pedal back to school to be there from 1:00 pm until 4:30. School is from Monday through Saturday. The girls think they are fortunate having two days off.
Not sure if you all know that fried spiders are quite the thing here in Cambodia. We passed through Phsar Skuon (Skuon market) today. The vendors were selling fried spiders. In talking with Yoen about them he said that people said the body was like eating an egg. Needless to say, we kept on going.
The girls are enjoying swimming at the new hotel. There are gardens all over here. It is a tropical paradise. Orchids are hanging everywhere. This is just beautiful.
We got to try some more new food tonight at dinner and our favorite spring rolls. We are going to look for a recipe for amok chicken as it is delicious so we can fix it for Cambodian New Year in April. Got back to find that we have a new pet in our room, a lizard. We have named her Lillie. It is now time for bed as we get up early to go to the temples. Until tomorrow . . .
LILLIE
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