Cambodia

We had the pleasure of visiting Cambodia for 4 days during the P1/P2 break - We flew into Siem Reap where we spent 2 days, and then rented a group bus to Phnom Penh.

Siem Reap was the capital city and home of the 12 Century Ankor Wat temple that was built as the state temple and capital city. This temple is the symbol of Cambodia and appears on the national flag. We also visited other temples like Ankor Tom, Bayon, and Ta Prohm (Tomb Raider Temple). The "floating village" of Kompong Phluk was a must-see - the village is built high on stilts for the flood season. We visited a primary school there and gave the students books and pencils.

Phnom Penh is the capital today, and is a growing city. We had a chance to share a sunset boat cruise with a group of friends...thanks Lucinda and Jeff for organizing! The Royal Palace was okay.. we ran into some interesting challenges with the dress code - apparently shawls are not allowed so ladies make sure you cover your shoulders some other way. Bought some neat souvenirs such as paintings from the Russian Market. The most important place to visit (and saddest) was the S21 genocide museum (Toul Sleng). During the Khemr Rouge regime (1975 - 1979), this high school was converted into a prison. It is estimated that between 1.5 to 3 million Cambodians were killed during this period...a very heavy experience visiting the museum, but very insightful into the history of this country.

The food in Cambodia was amazing - we ate at some great restaurants which had a blend of European and Asia food. Also, finding vegetarian food was quite easy. All in all, this trip was fantastic!