We left the ship at 8 AM once we arrived in Phu My, Viet Nam and headed to the airport about 2 hours away. The drive took us through Saigon which was as busy as everyone had said. The airport was, as usual with so many airports nowadays, very busy...took us 2 hours to check in, go through immigration and passport check, then security check which was one of those where they check everything...cameras, Ipads, phones, watches, shoes off, jackets off, belts off, etc....since Chris and I always set off the alarms we always have to go through the body pat, too....so we got to the gate as the plane was loading, so no time for snacks or drinks...it was now 12:15. (Hey, we're on a cruise and used to being fed every 4 hours!) The ride was short, only 45 minutes, so we were met at the very nice Siem Reap airport by our guide and driver for the 3 days, Pech and Lao. They transported us to the magnificent old Raffles Hotel where we immediately were served an excellent lunch...3 courses...I only ate the wonderful mango salad course. We then quickly went to our rooms to gather our things for the afternoon's tour of Ta Prohm, one of the top 3 temples to see (this is the Temple of Doom one)...loaded up the bus and off we went. It was nice to do this temple at the end of the day when most tourists are gone...indeed we were the last ones through, so it was very nice. Our guide, Pech, was outstanding. We were happy to have this basic introduction to the area, as well as to sample the heat and humidity so we would be prepared for the next day. We had only an hour once we returned to the hotel for a shower and change of clothes before they drove us (there were 13 of us) to a nearby restaurant that was beautiful...Chantery Tree. Again, too much food, and some of which I didn't care for, but those that like the real Asian food, said it was excellent. It was certainly presented beautifully. We managed to stay awake for an hour back in our room to take advantage of some good wifi to download books and movies, but our 6 am wake up call would come quickly.
The hotel breakfast buffet was one of the best I've had...but our 8 am van arrived on time, so off we went for one of the busiest days of my life. We saw Angkor Wat first thing...the famous temple one sees every time Cambodia is mentioned. HUGE complex with lots of stairs, but I powered through knowing it would be worth it. Following that, we had lunch in a nearby restaurant (again, too much food!), after which we visited 2 more temples. We were late returning to our hotel, so had only 45 minutes to shower and change before our dinner and show on the terrace at the hotel. Wonderful local dancers (Aspara dancers) and lovely food, but the heat and humidity had taken their toll...we were all exhausted...so quickly to bed before another 6 am wake up call. Our final day, another excellent breakfast buffet before we were off to another temple, followed by a drive north to a rural area where our group of 13 had funded a well/pump for a small village to provide easy, clean water to the locals. We visited the nearby school where all the students were very busy with their studies...not a sound from any of the classes (no, they did not know we were coming!)...at the door of the 1st grade class, a small girl stood longingly at the door. She had a sibling in the class and she really wanted to join it, but she was too young for school yet. School is from 1-12 grades for free other than the cost of uniforms. The classrooms were simple with very few resources that i saw...few books, etc. These are the children of the families that will benefit from the well we helped provide. They used to have to bring their water from a nearby pond about 1/4 mile down the road.
After seeing the well, it was back to the hotel to check out and have lunch...again too much food, so we left it early to finish packing. One more temple before the trip to the airport. At least this airport was easier to get around in...and...it had a DQ!!!! (And a Burger King!) So, we were able to grab a snack before our 2-hour flight to Singapore to meet the ship. By the time we reached the ship it was after 11 PM, so our cabin was very much welcomed...quick shower and to bed!
Alas, the food or "bug" has gotten Chris, so the next day in Singapore and yesterday (Sea Day) and today he's laid low. We had no plans for Phuket, so we are enjoying an empty ship and getting some work done on the many, many photos and videos we took in Siem Reap.
Our thoughts on Siem Reap: Cambodia is a very poor country. The murders of the whole intellectual class by Pol Pot destroyed those that could have built up the country, so it still flounders with rampant corruption. People have a very poor standard of living, but they are trying hard and are appreciative of any help. Once outside Siem Reap, they are just now beginning to bring in electricity, but even that will only run one light bulb and perhaps a small refrigerator. Most people get around on motorbikes, cars are prohibitively expensive. Houses are on stilts with the living area the shaded area below (with hammocks everywhere) and the upper level room is for sleeping. The few cows we saw are used as beast of burden in the rice paddies, etc. Never for milk. They were just skin and bones. In the city of Siem Reap there were stalls after stalls selling fruits and vegetables, gasoline (in recycled liter bottles), and a few extras...not much. They shop for their food supplies every day. The heat was definitely some of the worst I've experienced because of the humidity and our activity level. We went through bottles and bottles of water each day. My research had shown that sweatbands would be good and they were...we wore them under our hats, and also had buffs that were made of that "snap to make cold" fabric...they were nice. Long pants, long-sleeve shirts were needed too. The mosquitoes weren't bad at all since they are still in their dry season, but we still saw a few, so we did use Picaridin on our exposed necks, hands, and faces. This was a Bucket List item for us and we're happy we were able to do it now while I still can. The steps were a challenge, but I knew I had plenty of days after to recover, which I am doing now. The temple complexes are absolutely amazing considering they are over 1000 years old and were pretty much built within 50 years of each other. Amazing art work on the walls. I'll be posting the photos separately in a few days. We have an all-day tour coming up in Sri Lanka, so I know we won't have time to find internet there.
We're now docket in Phuket, Thailand with beautiful small islands surrounding us. It's a perfect day...warm, but not hot in the shade. I'm taking advantage of it by sitting on the Promenade Deck watching sailboats, longboats, fishing boats, etc. go by. Beautiful! They are busy maintaining all our verandahs so our verandah can't be used today...they have all the doors open to them so they can put the final coat of paint on the areas that had had the rust taken off, primed,and now painted.
Sri Lanka, then the Seychelles as we make our way towards Africa...still a lot to see.
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