Our initial itinerary for Southeast Asia was a whirlwind tour by even by American standards (as we tend to be the nationality that travels through countries the fastest. Our 1 week delay getting to the region only amplified this pace. So after 2.5 weeks in Thailand we only had another 2.5 to get through Cambodia and Vietnam to catch a flight on March 22.

The result - prioritizing only a couple points in the remaining 2 countries and then spending lengthy and tedious hours arriving there via overland travel (flying would have been significantly easier and less time consuming but still trying to keep costs down).

It was for this reason that we arrived in Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, after 26 hours of sitting upright on buses with our departure being Chiang Mai, Thailand. If you were to look at the map you would realize that this is a ridiculous route as we ventured from the far Northwest of Thailand to the opposite Southeast corner to reach Cambodia.

In our eyes Angkor Wat and surrounding temples, as a runner up to being a member of the new seven Wonders of the World (declared on 07/07/2007), should have made the finalists list. In a state between deterioration and renovation, these 12th century Buddhist / Hindu temples are stunning as the appear amongst jungle and moats. The most famous of the temples is Angkor Wat, however just as fascinating are the temples of Angkor Thom (known for the 216 smiling faces carved into 54 Gothic stone towers), Banteay Srei ("Citadel of the Women", prominent characteristic is the delicate and detailed carvings decorating the temple towers and walls) and Ta Prohm (a crumbling temple with majestic tress growing straight from the ruins). To only mention these is to ignore the fact that the area houses numerous other temples in various states of completion and reconstruction, and in their own right are great spots to explore. The following website is a brief overview of the Angkor time period with links to the specific temples mentioned above for more specific info on each.

A visit to Cambodia usually includes a trip to the afore mentioned Angkor temples which stand as a testimony to humanity's ability to create and appreciate beauty. In contrast the second highlight, if it can be called that, is to visit the country's museums and historical sights that stand as evidence to humanity's ability to destroy and disfigure. Cambodia's recent tumultuous history includes the genocide of approximately 1/4 of its people through the destructive regime of the Khmer Rouges. The regime was committed to returning Cambodia to a precorrupted state -a state without Western influence, without modernization, and without those of foreign blood. People were herded back to the country side from the cities to reinforce an agricultural state, those that wore glasses/had education/or were of mixed heritage were killed, and all modern objects, like watches/TVs/western clothing, were destroyed. This is just a quick history of the atrocities of the time. For more on the history please visit this link.

Our visit to the landmine museum was a visual reminder of the remaining destructive forces of war on the innocent. The museum was created with thousands of various types of detonated landmines and served as a fundraiser to stop landmine use, as a way to educate people, and as a support for the country's victims. As tangible as the museum was, the book "First They Killed my Father : a daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung was what drove the deep emotional and personal impact of war into our soul. This book tells of her life as a 5 year old child through the 4 years of the regimes hold. As a result of reading this emotionally packed story I personally decided I couldn't handle seeing the killing fields (where evidence of the mass killings are hauntingly seen as bones and clothing sticking out of the ground and the work in progress of creating graves for the thousands killed here) and the Khmer prison/torture camp which was formed in an old school (here blood stains still linger on the floor, torture devices are on display and pictures of the dying and dead are posted).

With not a lot of spare time and choosing to skip the museums in Phnom Penn, Cambodia's capital, we decided to head for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This was a quick, 6 hour bus ride, and literally a 10 minute stop at the border - by far our easiest and best overland border crossing.

March 2nd - 5th
Cambodia