90% Tourists

In Taiwan, most people we saw were Taiwanese. Some were tourists, but mostly from China and Japan, and most of the time I couldn't tell the difference. Not so in Siem Reap. This place is like going to the Grand Canyon. It's packed with people, and they seem to be from all parts of the world.

We had quite a day of travel today. Barbara was right - Cambodia really isn't anywhere near Taiwan. It took a taxi, a 3 1/2 hour plane ride, another plane ride, and a tuk-tuk ride to get to our hotel.

The second plane, the 50 minute flight from Phnom Phen to Siem Reap, was the most entertaining. The whole thing was more casual I could imagine. When we asked about checking in at noon, they said we should come back at 1:15. The flight was at 2! We finally got checked in a little before 1:30. Security was quick - it was just the three of us plus one other guy. No one was waiting at the gate when we got there. Finally they led us across the tarmac and up the back steps onto the plane. The front "door" was the luggage compartment. And sure enough, we left soon after 2.

Arriving in Siem Reap, we were met with a guy with a sign. He led us over to a minivan, but it turned out that he was actually driving the tuktuk next to the minivan.

Tuk tuks are a kick. They're a little trailer pulled by a motorcycle. Ours has two benches, facing each other, with a canopy on the top. Our tuk tuk driver carefully manuvered us from the airport to our hotel, not being phased by the cars and buses that honked and passed us. Tuk tuks are not particularly fast, and our driver is slower than most - I bet we go about 15 miles per hour. But they are delightful. We get all the smells and sounds of the area. When air conditioned tour buses pass us, we feel sad for those people. After all, they don't get waved to by all the school children on their adult bikes! It's a kick.

After checking in at the hotel, which does have air conditioning (did I mention this place is like a furnace?), we ventured out with our tuk tuk driver again. We got our tickets for Angor Wat for tomorrow, then headed to Phnom Bakheng to watch the sunset. Our driver dropped us off, and we followed the throngs. Hundreds of people headed into the jungle with the cricket-like things hollering away. We didn't exactly know where we were going, but they all seemed to. Eventually we wound up this mountain and came out to see a temple on top. Mom said it was too steep for her to climb, and I had to admit, she was right. Apparently using your hands to climb up is a sign of respect to the gods, so they made the steps VERY steep.

The sunset was nice, but not worth the huge fuss.

Afterward, our tuk tuk driver (and we did find ours among the dozens waiting around) took us to the night market for dinner and a little shopping. We had really good Indian food - it felt like comfort food after all the new tastes we've had lately.

Then we walked through the night market, looking at wares. Usually I'm a good shopper, but a few minutes in there made me want to run away screaming. Hopefully Meg will buy souvenirs from this trip - there won't be many from me!

Lots more to tell about this unusual place, but mom and Meg have got to sleep and I should too.