Cambodia

Go before it changes. You can currently climb all over the temples, respectfully of course, but it will likely be like Athens soon, where you just look from afar.

I went to go visit my family for a month. It was even more beautiful than I remembered. Of course, I was 12 back then, and 6 before that.
We first went to Thailand then bussed to the border to PoiPet, Cambodia, which was the worst. After we spent hours trying to get across the border, we finally found a cab that drove us all the way to Siem Riep.
We also visited Battambang, Kampot, Phnom Penh, and the Angkor Wat in Siem Riep. The most memorable place I visited was Prey Mol, where my my cousins resided along with my grand parents.
When I came back home, I developed this feeling kind of like depression.
So, I’m going to finish up college, and make enough money so I can live in Cambodia permanently.
If it wasn’t for this trip, I never would have felt this way about Cambodia, and I would’ve never noticed how boring living in Canada is compared to living over there.

Gosh, I miss everything about Cambodia.
Of the three times I’ve been there, this trip was the most fun I’ve ever had, and I can’t wait to go back again.
:)

I’d like to enter from Thailand and go straight to Siem Reap. Then take a boat to Battambang and then either bus or trian to Phnom Penh. Afterwards, a trip to Sihanoukville and its white beaches and Ream National Park.
Next: into Vietnam direction Ho Chi Minh…

One day I want to travel through Cambodia and Thailand. I really want to see Angkor Wat. It seems as if Cambodia is behind a lot of the rest of Asia in development, so it would be cool to take a step back in time.

It is an amazing experience that I had cycle around by renting a very old junk bicycle.

Although I am a new guy there, but I am using a download e-map to guide me. Why I had this idea? Hmm..actually I had found an interesting acticle about this trip at http://www.asiatrip.org/2007/11/06/itineraries-of-angkor-archaeological-park/

The benefit of cycling is you can really enjoy the nature of Cambodia.

I took this trip with my family in February 2006. It was a trip to visit my grandpa, on my dad’s side. My grandpa was 97 years old (no lie) and my dad wanted him to see us. The plane ride took about 16 hours and i didnt get up once the whole time. We had to stop in Taipet, then catch a smaller plane to Cambodia. We laneded in Cambodia’s capital Pnhoem Phen. Right when i got off the plane, you could feel the heat wave smack you in the face. The humidity there was ridiculous. It was very emotional meeting everyone from my dad’s side. The biggest reality check was seeing how people lived there. I realized how lucky i really am being born in America…i had an epiphany during the trip. But overall the trip there was fun. A dollar would last you the whole day. The places we visited were amazing, a sight for sore eyes. It was more than just a visit for me, it was a journey into my roots. My grandpa passed away in November 2006. I’m glad i got to see him before he passed away. No doubt, i’m going to go there again.

We found him on the dirty streets of Phnom Penh, just off of Sisowath Quay. He was dressed in rags and sucking on discarded satay sticks from the gutter. He crouched, like a small animal, mournful brown eyes gazing hungrily as we passed by. He raised his fingers to his mouth, never uttering a word. He stood up and silently fell in line behind us, a small, wraith-like figure in the folds of the dark sky.

As we entered a small convenience store, he pressed his nose up against the glass. His grubby fingers left streaky brown spots on the glass. The shop owners chased him back to the street with brooms. We stood inside the small shop and wondered what to do. Did he have a street boss? If so, we knew he wouldn’t receive a single penny we gave him, so we opted to buy him some apple juice, cheese and crackers. It was a pitiful dinner and we felt horrible as we lumbered outside and solemnly handed our purchases to him. A fleeting look of thanks crossed his face and then fear. His head darted around quickly, as though looking for someone and then he scampered off into the black night. We wondered where this small, innocent child would rest his head this evening.

The next morning, he was waiting for us when we stepped out of our hotel. He is such a smart little boy, to know instinctively that we are bleeding hearts. There are so few of us left. We couldn’t turn our eyes. We started trudging up the street and found a small, shaded restaurant. He sat down in the gutter and watched us closely. His heavy flannel shirt stuck to his skin in the heat of the morning. His tattered shorts hung from his thin frame. We could hardly bare it.

We invited him to join us. He crawled to our table on all fours, like a dog that has been beaten. We quickly stood and helped him stand. He clambered up onto the big chair and sat quietly. Scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh orange juice and bread were placed in front of him and he valiantly tried to use his fork and knife. He dabbed his napkin at his mouth and tried to clean his hands before eating his bread while I helped him cut his food. We struggled to eat our meals, all of us self-conciously aware of our health and robustness. In the end, each of us left food on our plates, which we packed into a bag for him for later. A quick thank-you and he slipped away into the morning crowds.

We saw him again later that evening. He was precariously clinging to the back of a tuk-tuk. His bare feet pounded the hot asphalt as he hitched a ride to God knows where. We thought we had seen the last of him, and each of us silently said a prayer for him. Nevertheless, we saved our food for him, just in case. Just as we were getting ready to enter our hotel, we saw him emerge from a dark alley with a friend. We bought some more apple juice and crackers for them. We hoped that somehow this might fortify him for another twenty-four hours, each of us wondering when he would get his next meal. He accepted it gratefully, and his lips pulled back slightly. It was the sorriest excuse for a smile I have ever seen, yet a smile nonetheless. As he walked off down the street, we waved good-bye as he looked back over his shoulder. A flash of teeth and the night swallowed him whole.

His name is Jack. He’s ten years old.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”Martin Luther King

If you going to Southest Asian, should not miss Cambodia. Can go to Cambodia by bus from Saigon (Vietnam).
I had done :
Saigon-Phnompenh-Xiepriep(angkokwat)-Bangkok. All by bus and pretty cheap!
Many things to see and experience!

Did my medical elective here.. twas awesome.

I have traveled to Cambodia on two previous occasions. I went to Cambodia 8 years ago and fell in love with the country. Outside the temple of Angkor Thom was a little girl selling flutes. I took a photo of her and bought a flute.

When I came home, I looked at this photo for 5 years – always wondering why I did not help her more!

Well, a year ago – I went back to Cambodia with my daughter and 6 of her friends from school. I managed to have someone find the little girl. It was amazing to find her – it took us nearly a whole day!

And so we took the photo of her holding her old photo! It was wonderful – and this time we did take care of her and her family.

Read more touching stories
- David, The Moto Driver from Omar Montenegro
- Clockwork Radio from Anth Pearson
- My story about Cambodia from Jessica Beltran, and more

http://evisa.mfaic.gov.kh/story.php

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