To all our American friends...  Happy Thanksgiving! To non-American friends...  Be prepared not to get answers to any email for the next few days as America shuts down for the traditional 4-day holiday!

A trip we took last week was a good reminder of things to be thankful for...  Family, Friends and a good life.

Cambodia is far in away one of the most interesting places we have visited!  It started with the airport, where, when applying for a visa, there was a row of 11 uniformed police/immigration officials who each performed a specific task.  Passport/forms/picture assembly, form review and signature, extra picture/passport picture comparison, passport review (page by page), official immigration stamp (takes up entire page), immigration stamp review, immigration stamp signature, re-review of every page in the passport, final review of visa application, comparison of application and visa stamp, last man holds up passport and collects US$20.  After that... it is on to immigration for more stamps....

Once outside the airport, one starts to open one’s eyes to a completely different world...  Let’s look at some interesting comparisons:

The numbers speak for themselves.  People are poor and don’t have much.  However, in spite of the lack of wealth, education and a horrific recent history, we found some of the friendliest people we have met anywhere in the world.  Quick to smile and laugh, quick to bargain, quick to please.  We stayed at the Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh.  The hotel was a recently renovated old colonial style building which was magnificent.  The service, food and accommodation were impeccable.  The world is indeed small as when we pulled up we were greeted by the General Manager who is someone I have known for almost 20 years!  He was the perfect host and made the trip that much more enjoyable.  If heading that way, we highly recommend you stay there.

We visited Toul Sleng which was a former high school turned torture chamber by the Khmer Rouge.  A tough place to visit as a tourist.  The guide told us of the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge and the final part of the tour shows you the pictures of some of the millions of men, women and children that were killed under the former regime.  We reflected on how we were busy getting married, setting up new homes and enjoying a peaceful life while millions were being slaughtered over here.  The reality that it happened only a few years ago really hit home hard!

On happier notes, we visited the Royal Palace, saw the beginning of the annual water festival on the Mekong River, the national museum, had some great meals and shopped till we dropped.  Carvings, bedspreads, drapes, shirts, robes, purses, video cd’s... you name it, they found their way into our suitcases.  The food was great (sort of a mild Thai) but we passed on the roasted potato bugs and grubs abundantly sold in the market...We took a few pictures and have posted them on the web...  You can get there by clicking here.

“Why Cambodia?”  (we’ve been asked several times)...  Why not is our response.  Great people, great trip and it is somewhere we’ve never been.  Try it, you’ll like it!

Have a great “T”-day in the USA!  For the rest of you...  See you at work on Thursday!

November 1999 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

One evening Joe, Gerri, Dave and Doreen (Clifton) were talking about taking a trip.   Joe and Dave travel all the time and are not always the best tourists when returning to destinations with their better halves. They suffer from "Been there, done that" syndrome.  After some thought, it was decided that the four of them should go somewhere that none of them had visited before.  The list of countries in Asia that met this criteria was short...  Cambodia was thrown on the table and it was decided it should be the next destination....

  Hotel Le Royal - A Raffles International Hotel
Incredible hotel! Well located, outstanding, friendly service! The General Manager, Mr. Sunshine Wong was the perfect host!  We all highly recommend you consider staying here!