Thursday, August 7, 2008

Goooooooood Morning Cambodia!


We've spent the past couple of days staying with some family friends in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Their apartment has air conditioning and hot water (so as far as we're concerned it's the Ritz Carlton!) We've taken it pretty easy here in the capital, mostly enjoying the "creature comforts" that are offered in a larger city. We even managed to find a delicious Italian restaurant on the riverfront (quite an oddity in this part of the world). We've also taken the opportunity to learn more about Cambodia's recent history by visiting the Tuol Sleng museum and the Cheong Ek memorial nearby. The tale of the Pol Pot regime and the Khmer Regime is quite chilling. Scary to imagine that it happened just 30 years ago. At the same time, the resiliency of the Cambodians is impressive. The country has come a long way in rebuilding over such a short time.

I don't want to dwell on history, but will instead turn to the future. Tomorrow Emma and I are going to return to Bangkok where we'll gather our belongings (thank you Claire!) and head off to Guangzhou, China. I'm really looking forward to reaching Suzhou and settling down a bit! I can't wait to check out the new apartment and neighborhood. Find new local restaurants and bars. Etc... It's going to be exciting!

Side note: when I was booking our tickets to China, I was attempting to arrive in the city of Huangzhou (outside Shanghai), but unfortunately I chose Guangzhou as the destination (a city 21 hours by train from Shanghai). At least we'll save a lot on airfare!

- Jon

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