For our next stop on our Asia travels, we landed in Siem Reap, Cambodia which is the home of Angkor Wat. If you’ve studied Asian history, then you’re aware of the UNESCO Heritage site of this amazing place. Cambodia not only boasts Angkor Wat, but 100’s of other temples line the countryside and are also protected by UNESCO and is the largest religious Buddhist monument in the world. There is so much historical information it would take pages and pages to list; therefore I am sharing a link by the BBC who spent years documenting the history of Angkor Wat and published a video documentary last year. You can find it here: https://videodocumentary.info/angkor-wat-bbc-documentary or query BBC Angkor Wat.

To enter Cambodia, you will need to apply for a Visa in advance or purchase one upon arrival. Pat and I didn’t have time to apply because we weren’t sure of our arrival date, therefore, we choose the visa upon arrival option. The visa is $32.00 per person and is easily done without 10 minutes of arrival depending on the number of people in line ahead of you. It really was a simple and easy process with the customs agents laughing with me when I said, “he’s (pointing at Pat) is carrying all the money”. The country uses U.S. currency and will occasionally give back Cambodian money when they can’t make exact change. The temples are Buddhist, and custom requires women to cover your shoulders and knees before entering, therefore come prepared with appropriate clothing. Otherwise, you can purchase a pair of cute rayon pants or skirt from the local vendors for a very cheap price.

Pat found a great hotel package and booked us into the Lotus Blanc which is a beautiful boutique hotel via Booking.com. The package included 24/7 car and driver with a tour guide, daily cocktail hour, spa massages and two meals. After the high prices in the Maldives, this was a steal and they treated us like royalty. You can really get a lot of bang for your buck in Cambodia which is similar to Indonesia and other undeveloped countries.

The main source of income is agriculture in which they grow rice, fruits and vegetables followed by manufacturing and tourism in that order. The farmers are often still very poor because they often sell their wares in their villages and just make $3.00 a day. The Cambodian people were repressed throughout the Khmer Rouge regiment during the 1970’s and 1980’s and lived in poverty but are still struggling to make ends meet and feed their families. Our driver lives and works at our hotel while his family lives 200 kilometers away in a village with their two children and parents. While he appears to have a good job, he makes $150 per month and is able to send home $50.00 per month after living expenses. Even though the Cambodian people live minimally, they are very happy and content and love the tourism industry because it gives them the opportunity to interact with people from around the world. Pat and I both didn’t know what to expect from Cambodia but fell in love with the people and the country because of their peaceful and happy nature.

The country is amazingly clean with the landscape well-tended by government workers (I saw mostly women) who are distinguished by bright Green shirts on bicycles. There is minimal trash on the roadside and the country is in the early stages of recycling. Most of the sorted items are sent to Phenom Phen for recycling.
Tourists are driven by motorized Tuk Tuks and can rent a bicycle or electric motorcycle to tour the countryside. It is illegal for tourists to rent a gasoline powered motorcycle because there are too many unsafe drivers.

The night market was on our destination list and didn’t disappoint. You’ve read about all the night markets we’ve attended these past 18 months and they are all similar but different. This is our last night market for a while as we prepare to leave Asia and our last opportunity to collect artwork and other mementos from Cambodia. Pat and I tend to buy a piece of artwork that speaks to us when we are visiting a country. Sometimes it is a wood carving, stone carving or painting, and then commit to one piece to commemorate our visit. This time we found a beautiful picture of Angkor Wat with elephants, monkeys, monks and greenery in the background. We haven’t bought a painting since we made a purchase in Indonesia four years ago. The market has everything imaginable with excellent prices which can be negotiated down especially since it was low season. It is always a fun time to scour the market for your treasures.
Lastly, we visited the Artisans d’Angkor silk farm which was a nonprofit founded to educate poor or disabled people, (mostly women), who have only completed school through second grade. The goal is to teach the women to spin and weave silk into fabric and intricate designs which is then made into clothing, purses, wallets, scarves, table runners, etc. The farm handles every detail from growing the silk from cocoons to spinning, dying, weaving on looms to the finished products are all done on site. This is the first silk farm that we’ve seen throughout Asia where the complete process is done onsite. In many other places, we’ve viewed the process but all of the work is done elsewhere. Originally, when the silk farm was started, it was a nonprofit, but now is a self-sustaining organization. The company does rely on outside donations to sponsor the women for the one year of school that it required to learn the complete process. Currently, there are 500 women and a couple of men who have lost their legs to land mines during the war that reside on this farm. The end goal for these people are to go back to their village and support their families. The government does help support the initiatives to educate the Cambodia people in a trade in order for them to stay in their villages and keep their families intact. The farm was very impressive, nicely organized and well planned. Pat and I managed to leave money in the retail boutique before leaving the farm. After all, it was our last stop before heading home.
During my travels I’ve accumulated numerous sacks of foreign currency coins which I’ve been carrying with the intention of dropping them in a donation bin in an airport. When you’re looking for a bin there is never one in sight but was able to find a drop box dedicated to the local children in Malaysia. I had at least 10 countries worth of coins and security was constantly asking to see the bag during screening. They were usually amused when I explained why I had so many coins.

For the time being we are headed back to our Seattle apartment where we will regroup, decompress, visit friends and family and eat American food. Pat and I will travel to Florida before August 15th in order to take delivery of our boat in Palm Beach, Florida. The plan is to move the boat back to Burnt Store Marina near Punta Gorda for electronic updates and minor repairs. During the winter months we will sail Chapter Two to the Bahamas and into the Caribbean. I’m going to take a break from blogging so I can focus on my family and friends and will restart when we get to Florida in August. Meanwhile, Happy Summer!