Cambodia!

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Hey everyone! So far Pat and I have had an amazing trip! We started in Siem Reap for three nights. We spent a day and a half exploring Ankor Wat and its surrounding 'Wats' and temples. I can't even describe how amzing it was. The temples were all built between 1200-900 bc... how they made such amazing places so long ago is way beyond me. Siem Reap itself was a lot smaller than Pat and I expected (I guess we didn't do our homework). It seemed to be just a tourist stop for Angkor Wat. But like all good tourist stops the bars were a plenty. Pat and I had a great time hanging out there and even met another couple from Holland that we decided to travel with.

After Siem Reap we all headed down to the capital, Phnom Pehn. This city, unlike Siem Reap is huge. We stayed in a nice hostel on the lakefront with a beautiful view. Phnom Pehn was like nothing we have ever experienced. We visited the S-21 prison camp from the Khmer Rouge regime and then went to the killing fields where they executed the inmates. It is believed that over 9000 people were brought to the prison where they were tortured and only 7 people were said to have survived. Not to mention the over 2,000,000 people that were killed throughout Pol Pot's regime from 1975-1980. In the killing fields mass graves were dug-up and the skulls of the victims were placed in a huge Buddhist shrine. Experiencing the hatred that went on there was such a life changing experience.

We ended our Phnom Pehn tour with a visit to one of the orphanages. I thought this was going to be another very depressing experience to end a very depressing day - but to our surprise it was quite the opposite. We bought a huge bag of rice, some cookies and a few toys and brought them all to the orphanage. The kids were amazing! So happy eager to play with us. It was also really nice to see that there was about 5 other foriegners that spent half days volunteering there and teaching the kids. Pat and I expect that these children live happier and safer lives then the poor Cambodia children forced to work the streets. But, I am not sure how great their future is when it seems all the jobs and marraiges here depend on family ties. Anyways, Pat and I decided that we will do everything we can to one day volunteer in an orphanage sometime in our future.
After three nights in Phnom Pehn the group of us travelled south to the beach in Sinoukville (where we are now). We have spent our days relaxing on the beach day and night. We had planed on a trekking tour of near-by waterfalls and islands today, but unfortunately had to cancel. I have had a bit of a stomach parasite or something... seems to be getting better though with some medicine our friends gave us.
So, we changed our plans and are now heading to Thailand tomorrow morning. We are going to Koh Chang and Koh Somet for some more beach time and then to Bangkok.
So Cambodia has been a very amazing, educational, mind-blowing, depressing, relaxing..... trip. We have loved every moment of it in some way or another. Pictures take forever to download so I only got a few up. Hopefully we will show you all the rest when we get back.
Miss you all!
Love Laurie and Pat

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Photos

So many stone faces
Pat chilling in Angkor Wat.

Having a beer
We met up with this Dutch couple in Siem Reap and decided to travel together. Ester and Megal

eating snake
our two friends, tuk tuk driver and us thought we would all have a bite of snake! yuk.

Phnom Pehn guesthouse
Our Guesthouse was on a lake. The view was amazing.

skulls of 9000 victems of Pol Pot
They collected the victems' skulls from the killing fields and had them placed in this Shrine. Buddhists believe in having the important bones of their loved-ones placed on display to prey to.

Orphanage in Phnom Pehn
Me giving cookies to the kids.

Pat and the boys
Pat playing with the boys. They all love getting their pictures taken.

My little girl
She was attached to me from the minute we got there. I wanted to take her home!