DAY 18

Saturday March 21st, 2009

SINGAPORE
One thing about Singapore, is that i ate well. And when i say well i mean almost constantly eating! Eva is a terrific host but one thing she expects her guests to do is eat! Eat so much that i ended up getting sick. hahahha so for the past few days i have been traveling with a mild case of travelers diarrhea. It was not a pleasant experience.

Singapore is a beautiful country. Eva describes it as China but advanced 10 years. My favorite part of Singapore, was the zoo and the night safari. 'They do a really good job recreating the animals natural habitat, but since Singapore's so small the animals don't have a lot of space to move around. Since they don't have that space, visitors are able to get a closer look at the animals. Ever seen a tiger close up? They are gorgeous animals! Never have i seen anything more majestic than a tiger!


CAMBODIA
Ankor Wat in Siem Reap is absolutly stunning! I remember being blown away by the temples when seeing the temples for the first time through Nick's photos and the real thing is even better! Aneitha, i think i found your dream destination. Think Ayyuthaya times 10.

I left for Phnom Penn the next day. It was a 7 hour cramped bus with outrageously loud Cambodian music playing on the speakers. I understand playing music on the bus, but what i didnt understand why it must be so loud!

Cambodia outside of Siem Reap is 100% different that the tourist areas. Since the genocide a few years back Cambodia has definitly been left in a helpless state. You can't go anywhere without having someone beg you to "buy from me". You see it more in the country side and the children are taught early on. It's pretty heart breaking.
The ride from Phnom Penn to Kam Pot was an experience. Ann and i had missed the last bus to Kam Pot so we decided to hop on one of those pick up trucks that pick up and drop off locals as they go along. One thing Cambodians love to do it pack in as many people as possible. Our first pick up truck was (i thought) packed full, but they insisted we ride in the back with all the luggage. I couldnt do it. I know they thought us Westerners were wusses, because to Cambodian people there was plenty of space. We ended up getting into a truck with jusrt a few people. I dont think there was a big difference in trucks because we continued to pick up people along the way. At one point there must have been 17 people in our truck! Other trucks i have seen as we were driving must have had 50 plus! They had people sitting on the roof, hanging off the sides and the backs!

The ride to Kam Pot was really cool because we got too see alot of what Cambodia is really like in the country side.
However, it was not so much fun how dusty and cramped the truck was. They had the windows rolled down so dirt was blowing in my face. And this was a 4 hour drive. Must of ate a galllon of dust that day. hahah