Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

I'm sorry I haven't been able to post the last few days, but the internet in Cambodia is slooooow and I'm currently using a keyboard that only registers 1 in every 3 keys I hit.

The first night with the new tour group was great. About eight new people joined the other group from Vietnam - the ones whose names I know are Sarah, Martin, David, Heidi, Grant, Shoshanna. Our tour leader is P.K. Actually, his name isn't P.K., but it is completely unpronouncable in English, so we call him P.K. We had dinner together at a local place the first night and a bunch of us went out for drinks together after.

The next day started out incredibly depressing: we visited Tuol Sleng prison, the converted high school where the Khmer Rouge imprisoned and tortured the 200,000 men, women, children, and babies they considered to be "enemies of the state." Then we saw the Killing Fields, where those who didn't die in Tuol Sleng were killed by a blow to the head via bamboo stick or axe, since the Khmer Rouge didn't want to waste the bullets. Oddly, the field is a very beautiful, peaceful, and quiet place.

In the afternoon we went to the Royal Palace, and then Trent and I had dinner at the Foreign Correspondent's Club along the river: $30 for a bottle of wine and two entrees. Fabulous.

Today we hopped on the bus to Siem Reap. Cambodia differs from Vietnam in that it is so poor and there are many people so obviously in want. Everywhere we go are people with missing limbs and other beggars. But Siem Reap is a very beautiful and quiet place compared to Phnom Penh. Less traffic and less noise, even though there are quite a few tourists.

Today we had our very first view of Angkor. It's stunning in its scale. We climbed up the steepest stairs only to wonder how on earth we were going to make it down without slipping. Tomorrow we have a very extensive tour of Angkor Park, and then on Sunday we have a full free day.

A few things to add to my advice and observations of SE Asia:

-Everything you order will come with sliced tomato and cucumber
-They're not big on napkins. Hopefully you will get a box of Kleenex in the middle of the table
-They make no effort to bring everyone's food out at the same time in a restaurant. If you want to wait for everyone to be served before eating, your food will be very cold

I'm in denial that this trip will be over soon. A few friends are encouraging me to play hookey from work and come with them to Bangkok. If only! Thailand will happen next year, probably along with Laos.