Brother Ritchie decides it's time for one of the fam to come see how I'm doing in Korea. He finally arrives and is VEEEEEERY happy to be here....and to meet my Irish "friend" apparently!(had to keep the pics small to fit them all, but can see bigger versions when clicking on them...)
After only 2 days in Korea, we hop a flight and arrive in sunny, warm Phnom Penh. First staying at a $3.00/night guesthouse on the "lake side" part of the city, but after being kept up all night by the patio danceclub we decided to high-tail it outta there. We met up with some friends of mine I know from teaching in Korea, and spent the first day walking around the more expensive "riverside" area, shopping and drinking .75 beers!
Next day decided to make a move west and head to the beaches of Sihanoukville. I enjoyed a full body massage and lived through the most painful hair-removal process I've ever encountered (called "threading")...
which included my armpits, an old lady with a piece of string, screams of agony, and a burning rash.....not worth the extra $2.00 I paid for it... Mark was a little smarter giving in, finally, to one of many ladies offering manicure/pedicures.
After 2 days of relaxing on the beach, somehow Mark dragged me out of the beautiful, lush gardened huts we were staying in, to catch the 8:00am bus back to Phnom Penh .
Not wasting any time, we decided to take the advice of a well-traveled Irish man and hop the boat up to Siem Reap. It was about a 5 hour ride through the middle of Cambodia on the Tonle Sap, the biggest fresh-water lake in South East Asia. Most of the ride was spent passed out on dramamine, but I somehow managed to wake up just in time to take some photos of the floating villages along the lake.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by a mass of Cambodian men trying to convince us that their "tuk-tuk" (motorbike taxi) was the ultimate and we should chose them. Pretty sure the 2 boats a day that arrive there are their only chance of making money for that day, so you can imagine how 30 men trying to do the same thing might be a bit intense!!
which included my armpits, an old lady with a piece of string, screams of agony, and a burning rash.....not worth the extra $2.00 I paid for it... Mark was a little smarter giving in, finally, to one of many ladies offering manicure/pedicures.After 2 days of relaxing on the beach, somehow Mark dragged me out of the beautiful, lush gardened huts we were staying in, to catch the 8:00am bus back to Phnom Penh .
Not wasting any time, we decided to take the advice of a well-traveled Irish man and hop the boat up to Siem Reap. It was about a 5 hour ride through the middle of Cambodia on the Tonle Sap, the biggest fresh-water lake in South East Asia. Most of the ride was spent passed out on dramamine, but I somehow managed to wake up just in time to take some photos of the floating villages along the lake. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a mass of Cambodian men trying to convince us that their "tuk-tuk" (motorbike taxi) was the ultimate and we should chose them. Pretty sure the 2 boats a day that arrive there are their only chance of making money for that day, so you can imagine how 30 men trying to do the same thing might be a bit intense!!Got hooked up with a great 17 yr. old tour guide, Daryl, who Mark took to immediately and 
spent the next 2 days checking out hot Cambodian chicks with...
He took us around the temples at Angkor. Angkor Wot looks quite small in this photo, but it was massive in person! Mark's temple of choice was Ta Prohm, the giant tree over-grown filming site of "Tomb Raider". 
spent the next 2 days checking out hot Cambodian chicks with...He took us around the temples at Angkor. Angkor Wot looks quite small in this photo, but it was massive in person! Mark's temple of choice was Ta Prohm, the giant tree over-grown filming site of "Tomb Raider". While I was partial to the giant face structures of Angkor Thom. In any case, it was an amazing experience!
For the last leg of the trip, we took the bus option back down to Phnom Penh and spent the afternoon wandering around the Royal Palace. 
Met back up with my friends and decided after all this fun we should explore the depressing, brutal history of massacre that happened under the Khmer Rouge. Got a tour of the prison, Tuol Sleng, which was a high-school turned torture camp. The rows and rows of photos of the prisoners and cabinets of clothes and skulls were a bit too much to handle...
Off to the "killing fields" to observe the mass graves...what more to say???
After 10 days in the scorching sun in December, $75. beers, being harassed by small children, and culture galore, it was back to the airport. Pulling up in a $2.00 tuk-tuk can't get much classier than that!! Thanks Cambodia, I loved every minute of you!!!
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