peace to all

Let's see, where was I?

That's right, I was leaving the cloudy skies of Hanoi to be welcomed into the sunny embrace of Siem Reap.  As the plane descended yesterday, it broke through heavy patches of clouds to reveal a gray and warm Siem Reap.

If you have not been to Angkor Wat, you must know that the Siem Reap Airport is absolutely unique.  There are no walkways that take you from the gate to the plane.  Instead, you walk down from the plane into humid air to be astounded by buildings that resemble beautifully erected temples.  I secretly wondered if a short prayer was required before entering, so I prayed that my luggage wasn't lost and would appear before me in short time.  It worked.

On our way into town, it was evident, as I already knew, that Cambodia is not a wealthy country.  Without tourism, I don't know what state it would be in.  But I'll come back to that a bit later.  After passing through houses that don't appear to be sanitary enough for human habitation, we arrived at our hotel, Hotel de la Paix (Hotel of Peace).  This was a stark contrast to my previous 20 minutes of Siem Reap experience.  I was not allowed to take my own luggage in; the bellboy did so.  I was given a fresh, warm towel as soon as the door opened for me and escorted be a beautiful lobby to enjoy  artistic creations while sipping on a delicious fruit juice.  Check-in was done for me, a personal greeter walked with me:  all I had to do was breathe.  I am not used to this kind of five-star service and definitely never will be, at least I hope not, even when I become rich and powerful.  I want to open my own doors, carry my own luggage, and have my napkin stay unfolded when I get up from the dining table.  Maybe when I'm 80 years old I will change my mind.

There was definitely a sense of guilt in enjoying what lay before while the people of Cambodia lived in such poor conditions outside of this sanctuary of Peace, but if my staying here meant more income for them to provide for their families, then maybe it's not such a bad thing after all.

how many geckos do you see?

I didn't what other industries existed in the city other than tourism.  The answer quickly came as we strolled to dinner:  nothing.  The streets were packed with people - all tourists, with local people in restaurants, massage parlors, and tuk tuks doing their best, in any language you can thing of, but mostly English and Chinese, to lure them in.  The strangest thing was these massaging fish:  you put your feet in a tank of water, and schools of fish quickly arrive to gently (I assume) nibble on them.  It probably was legitimate, since I heard no screams and saw no blood.

There were more restaurants than one could possibly imagine on just a few busy blocks.  I believe I could have dinner at a different restaurant every night for at least a year before I repeated.  After a long selection process (my brother and I are both Libras and true to their indecisive form), we chose a restaurant featuring local Khmer cuisine.  I was joyously surprised - not just because each entree cost $3 USD, but also that every dish was flavorful, particular a Khmer specialty called Amok, which is a meat cooked with several spices mixed with coconut milk in banana leaves.  Our total for four entrees (yes, we were hungry), a large bottle of water, and a draft beer came to $14.25.

Now that's my kind of place.