It has been a busy few days. We started in Phnom Penh, Cambodia with the hustle and bustle of city life and headed to the coast and enjoyed the slow pace of Cambodia country. We took one day to visit Boker National Park, which is a pristine National Forest. Through the forest at the top of the hillsides are the remains of a casino and hotel and church from the pre Kymer Rouge era. They were destroyed during the battle between Kymer Rouge and Vietcong. You could see how splendid it must have been. Who would have thought that on top of a peaceful, beautiful forest, they built a casino… Cambodia is reinvesting over 1 Billion dollars to build another casino. It would be like having a casino in the heart of Yosemite.

At the end of the trek and visit to the ruins, we had a sunset cruise. The river is breathtaking. It is such a change from Nepal. Even the clean rivers and lakes were polluted with people washing their clothes and bodies and a lot of trash.

We met a lot of great people on our day long excursion. Most were young people leaving their jobs for a year to do a world tour. They gave us wonderful ideas for our trip to Laos. We all went out for dinner afterwards. I ordered Octopus to try and see what it was like. Let’s just say I will not order it again.

Next day we spent the whole day traveling to Laos. We had a few hours in Phnom Penh, which we used to get some things fixed. Our very expensive (ha ha) watch was not keeping time and sunglasses lost a screw. The people were so nice and fixed everything (or so we think).

We arrived in Laos and it is even cleaner than Cambodia. I guess I was lucky to visit Nepal first, so I would think everything else was slow pace and clean. We are anxious to see the natural beauty of the country; so far we are in Vietiane, which is the capital and very clean (it has a French flare).

Tomorrow we are going trek in a national forest and the next day is zip lining.. yes, I am very brave.

Namaste

The Oceanside Towns in Cambodia

We started out touring Kep. We hired a Tuk Tuk and went around the perimeter of Kep and visited the caves. Two young girls were our guide. Thankfully they had torches (flashlights) so we could see in the caves. The kids are on vacation for the New Year and they were all over us to make money as a tour guide. They were all so cute.

Before we left on the tour we found out that the hotel requires cash and there were NO ATMs in Kep. We were told that one of the guest houses exchangs money. So after the tour we stopped at the guest house. They did not have cash at that time. What to do??? We did not have enough cash to eat and pay the hotel/food bill for two days.

We spent the next hour arguing with the guest house on the fact that we had to leave and go to Kampot early because we had NO money. They said we agreed to two days and had to pay. With what?? We only had enough for the food we ate and the one night hotel room and the transport to Kampot. We didn’t even have enough for lunch (although we did drink a beer while in the argument). We finally got them to agree to paying for one night and all the food; not that they really had a choice. Apparently, this happens a lot because there are no ATMs and Kep and this is extremely unusual.

OK, truth be told, we were very happy to leave Kep. We had seen everything we wanted and we were ready to move on. The lack of money was a great opportunity to leave early. Kep is very small and isolated.

We arrived in Kampot and loved the beach town. It is a small town along the coast and is really beautiful. It reminds me of Italy in some ways. Definitely a wealthier village in Cambodia! We wandered the streets and enjoyed the cooler air of the ocean.

One major observation is the women wear pajamas during the day. They may not think they are pajamas, but in US they are definitely pajamas, including teddy bears on them. Now the question: if they wear pajamas during the day, what do they wear to bed? I really need to know this@#? I have to find a pair for my Mom. What a great Mother’s Day gift!

Tomorrow a hike in the Boker National Forest.

Namaste

A Nondescript Day

Today was a nondescript day. We spent the morning buying the very expensive watches and Ray Ban sunglasses (look expensive but are fakes). We also shopped for anything else we could find. Yes, we spent money but a lot of cheap stuff.

The rest of the day was riding in a bus to Kep on the coast. The countryside farmland is beautiful. You can see that the people of Cambodia have a beautiful life now. Although not wealthy, there is no sign of the poverty I saw in Nepal. The houses are kept neat and people are clean. There seems to be more pride for the land.

We arrived at our hotel, which is right on the ocean. Although we are right on the sand, the room is very expensive at $25. Really outside of my budget.

Cambodia is beautiful, but I really feel like I am in Mexico, rather than Cambodia. I really do not have the feel of the culture so far. Not sure where to find it.

Namaste

Sightseeing in Phnom Penh

Today was a real tourist day, since we had one day for Eric to see Phnom Penh. I had spent yesterday preparing for a full day of seeing everything in Phnom Penh. I hired a Tuk Tuk driver and put together an itinerary. What could go wrong you ask?? Well, It really started off good… but… I thought I remembered the Tuk Tuk driver I hired the day before. He walked right up to us and acted like he was the ONE. He wasn’t.. He took us to the first spot and we walked around the temple. When we went to find him again, he was gone. We waited and waited but could not find him. So we hired another Tuk Tuk driver. The motorcycle was noisy, leaking, and releasing fumes, which made it difficult for us to breath. Thank goodness he was driving down the wrong side of the road and a policeman stopped him. We took this opportunity to get out of the Tuk Tuk. Now we needed to figure out how to get to the killing fields. I tried calling the Tuk Tuk driver I originally hired. When he answered, I thought he was the wrong guy because he had a different name than the one in the morning. Finally I realized that he was actually the right Tuk Tuk driver and he came and got us. Now if you are confused, it is because I am confused. How could I have been so mistaken. The guys don’t even look alike. Another Paula mistake!!! The rest of the day was busy and hot taking in all the sites. We leave tomorrow for the sea and hope it is a little cooler. Namaste

A Tourist Day in Cambodia

Today was my first full day in Cambodia. The heat makes it difficult to do a lot. I walked to a few of the temples in the morning before it got really hot. The markets are similar but different than Nepal. You can see a sugar cane market and some beautiful flowers at the flower stand. Neither were in Nepal.

I cannot resist the kids selling on the streets. They are really cute and can speak English very well. They are mostly selling books and handmade bracelets. If you get a bracelet, don’t think your special; I need to get rid of all the ones I bought.

I was wandering and came across a market filled with beauty parlors. As I walked down the aisle, I saw men and women getting facials and having their hair done. It was amazing. I was almost tempted to get a facial but chickened out, mostly because I didn’t want to sit in the heat.

I am moving hotels tomorrow. This hotel is $40 a night… way too much… I am moving a few doors down for $15 per night. Yes, I am cheap but I can buy more things if I save the $25.

I did find an interesting area of Phnom Penh this evening. It is much more upscale. I actually went there for dinner. It was excellent. The hotels in the area are mostly for the embassies, NGO’s, and ex-patriots in Nepal.

I am really tired, even though I slept over 10 hours last night. It is definitely the heat.

Namaste

Cambodia Day 1

It was hard to leave Kopan Monastery. It is a beautiful, peaceful place and I really was just starting to wind down. I was reading a wonderful book from the Kopan Library, The Perfect Mirror by Adrian Feldmann. He is a western monk and really makes it easy to understand the Buddhist philosophy. I highly recommend reading this book. My plan is to spend some time in a US monastery to learn more about Buddhism and Meditation in July.

It was a long tiring trip to Cambodia. I spent the night trying to sleep on the airport benches in Bangkok…when I finally gave up I spent a couple hours on the computer. I met a woman from Denmark, who was at another monastery in Nepal. We had an opportunity to discuss the Buddhist philosophy. She is a psychologist, who applies the Buddhist practices to her work. It is a great combination.

When I finally arrived, I took a Tut Tut (a motorcycle with a cart on the back much like a golf cart) to my hotel. Now I am staying at a $40 a night hotel, really past my budget. I spent a little time looking for a less expensive one and found some right on the river. I plan to move when Eric arrives.

Cambodia is so different from Nepal. It is much cleaner and modern. The people are nice, but do not seem as happy as the Nepali people. There is more begging, even though it does not seem to be as impoverished as Nepal. It is early to bed to make up for no sleep the night before.

Namaste

A Farewell to Nepal

This has been an amazing experience. I think the most important thing I learned is: what is the true meaning of happiness. The Nepali people are happy and kind people dispite the poverty and political chaos.

I believe their happiness is routed in their spiritual belief and their family.

I know that I will return to Nepal and hopefully will be able to make a difference in a little way. My plan is to organize a group of women that would like to experience Nepal and also visit some of the villages first hand to see what just a little can mean to a woman, a family, and an entire village. I hope you will join me.

Namaste