Nov. 7 – Day 18 – Heading to Siem Reap.
The power has gone off twice this morning as we are trying to get ready to leave the hotel. We are on the ninth floor, so wish us luck with the elevator.
It is supposed to rain here tomorrow. The rainy season has ended however. We are flying out to Seim Reip and Ankor Wat this morning. It is 5:42 am here.
We have enjoyed our stay. Life is different here to be sure. You take your life into your hands just crossing the street. There seem to be no traffic regulations and if there are, no one obeys them, what ever they might be.
Scooters and motorcycles come up behind you on the sidewalks as you walk. There is little room to walk on the sidewalks anyway due to the thousands of motorcycles parked on them. The government has talked of banning the motorcycles, but that could never happen. The streets are already clogged with cars and the rest can’t afford them, so they ride their motorcycles.
They say Son My is a smaller version of Ankor Wat. We are now off to see the Grand Daddy of temples, Ankor Wat.
We have made it to the airport after a harrowing drive. There are no left turn arrows and few traffic lights at the intersections, so everyone uses the force of their own will to get through the traffic and on to where they are going.
The streets are crowded all of the time and it is a thrill and an adventure to cross one. Life at home as a pedestrian will look completely different to us for awhile. But in time sadly, we will forget even this crazy traffic. That is why I am writing these short notes. I think they will be a book or two some day.
We have been in situations like this years ago in India, Napal, and China, but one forgets over time. Even this crazy traffic will be forgotten. These places remind me of how well our traffic works. It is much better than many places, as is our local government’s ability to deal with “situations”.
On the other hand, it can be quite boring here in the US, putting politics aside.
I cannot express how wonderful all of the accommodations have been. This country and the others should be proud of how well they treat their tourists. Sadly, everything is more modern than one might expect. Do come to Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia before it becomes too modern and looks like the rest of the world.
They are modern enough to travel min comfortably. Laos, less so, but much more fun for those reasons. We have been smart about what we ate and have had no issues with that. We have inhales several pounds of Lao dust however. That must account for my pants being a little tighter.