Siem Reap, Cambodia

I've had a grand old time exploring the ruins of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap but I think the reason I like Cambodia so much is because of the people. I don't think I've ever met such friendly, good humored, and generous people as the Cambodians. Before I came here, other travellers were complaining about Cambodia, saying in the words of one girl "Cambodia is scary. All the intellectuals were wiped out by the Khmer Rouge and now the people that are left are really rough and scary." What rubbish! I have not for one moment felt unsafe here. Even the people who I suppose might be considered "scary"- the pushier tuk tuk drivers and beggars- are nothing to be frightened of. The tuk tuk drivers are very jokey and make a big show of hollering "Helloooooo madaaaaammmeee!"when they want me to hire them for a trip across town.

The beggars, on the other hand, are just incredibly sad. A lot of them are land mine victims or children. I will never forget one woman who was begging outside of the temples: she sat on the ground in this ridiculous tropical heat, holding her baby. The baby was hydrocephalic (medical term, i.e., a huge swollen head) and had what looked like a tumor growing over his right eye. He was crying and squirming and it literally felt like somebody punched me in the heart when I looked at him. I gave the mother some money and kept going to the temple but I am still thinking about her. If you want to donate money to a worthy cause, please please PLEASE donate money to one of these two hospitals: Kantha Bopha Javaryaman VII Hospital or Angkor Children's Hospital, both in Siem Reap. Kantha Bopha actually has several branches throughout Cambodia and offers free medical care to all comers. I donated some money to both hospitals and gave blood, which they are in desperately short supply of here. I toured Angkor Hospital and again, it feels like your heart is being shredded when you look at these kids. Malnutrition, TB, dengue fever, malaria, and their parents just have no money to pay for their medical care. They would have to sell their land, their animals, their everything, to save their childrens' lives if hospitals like Kantha Bopha did not exist. The people of Cambodia, who have been so hospitable and kind to me as I visit their country, deserve better than this. Thanks for reading.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Because my brother Peter said it all the time when I was planning my travels, I have to say this now: "Holidays in Cambodiiiaaa!" Dead Kennedys song, I think? My first impressions of my "holiday" were not so great. After crossing the Cambodian border from Laos (in a beat up Toyota Camry with 4 Cambodians and 2 Americans named Lavender and Grasshopper - yes, I kid you not about the names) I stayed in the provinicial towns of Kratie and Kompong Cham. Both towns have very kind, friendly inhabitants but are just not very much fun. Kratie in particular was very dirty, as in dead animals on the street, trash strewn everywhere, mysterious puce colored, nasty smelling smoke coming from windows. Kompong Cham was cleaner but terminally boring. So I was not expecting much from the capital but I have been pleasantly suprised! The parts I've seen of Phnom Penh are beautiful - a little dirty but that's southeast asia for you and certainly cleaner than parts of NYC or Philly. It's a very French town, but it's on the Tonle Sap River and has tons of coconut trees, so there's a tropical feel as well. I walked through a park at dusk today and everyone was outside playing in the cool of the evening. I even managed a few brief conversations in Khmer! The downside here is the food: there are tons of Western restaurants but I have some principles against eating fries and burgers while in freakin' Asia. Then there are the Khmer restaurants. but one can only eat rice and stirfries so many days in a row. And then there are the noodle stalls but my stomach says "If you EVER eat noodle soup again, I will make you very very sorry." I can barely even look at noodle soup anymore, which is a shame because it's cheap and good here, and it used to be one of my favorite foods. So mostly I just eat fresh fruit and French baguettes - no complaints so far! I'm really looking forward to heading to Angkor Wat later this week!

Luang Prabang, Laos

It seems that Luang Prabang is my own personal Hotel California: I can check out any time I like, but I can never leave. Twice I have bought bus tickets to other towns, and the night before each trip I wake up so violently ill that I have to stumble to the travel agent in the morning and ask to change my ticket. Tip: if you visit Luang Prabang, and go to the night food market, do not eat at the noodle stall at the very far end of the market street. You will regret it, trust me.

So hopefully I leave tomorrow for southern Laos with an intact digestive system. I have spent more time in Luang Prabang than any other place I have visited - 11 days in total! Several days were spent unwillingly flat on my back in bed, though. It is a beautiful town, with gorgeous old Buddhist temples, banana and coconut trees along the Mekong, French colonial architecture, and little kid monks in bright orange robes strolling through the streets. But it's also extremely touristy and comparatively expensive to other towns I've visited (comparatively meaning that I am reluctant to hand over more than $2 for a meal - maybe one reason I vomited for 3 hrs last night?) I am ready to leave and see other places and people.

Just read on CNN about the cyclone in Myanmar - so sad. I've heard it's primary day in North Carolina - hope you all voted for either Obama or Clinton! I'm going to see if my stomach will tolerate some flat Coca-Cola now, next time you hear from me, I'll probably be in another country.