Well we have spent a lot of time on buses, but we have also had time to relax, take elephant rides, and swim in waterfalls. Our stay in Phnom Penh started with a early morning trip to the Killing Fields. In my mind it was the best put together memorial for a genocide. There was only one large monument in the field- a glass prism of sorts containing the numerous skulls, bones, and clothing that had been dug up from the mass graves on site. There was then a trail that led visitors around the area pointing out specific trees and locations significant to the sites history. We then returned to our guesthouse to relax and take a break from the sweltering heat. In the afternoon (probably the hottest part of the day) I took a bike ride to the Silver Pagoda and the Royal Palace. Both were beautiful, but the throne room was beyond spectacular. The next morning we bused to Siem Reap, a town only on the map thanks to the Angkor temples. We arrived in the afternoon so we had little time to see the sites, but we managed to catch sunset from the top of one of the temples located on a decently sized hill. The next morning we did the rounds of the temples, stopping at about four, but driving past many more. Sublime is an accurate description (yes Ali, in every sense of the word). We then moved on to Laos, crossing at an illegitimate border reserved primarily for tourists. Because of the corruption we were charged a dollar for them to check the passports and a dollar for the stamps. Twenty minutes into the country I read in the guide books that the small fee could probably have been avoided if we had asked for a receipt and the officers names. The whole drive through northern Cambodia and into Laos was an experience. At first we were crammed into a minivan with eight other travelers (there were six of us), we then dropped four off, and then eventually moved to our personal rickety out dated bus with no AC. We cruised past cleared forests and fields with the windows and doors wide open. Our destination was the 4000 islands that are just across the border. We stayed on the island of Don Det in bungalows right on the water with a perfect view of the sunset. We stayed there the next day again renting bikes and exploring. We crossed a few bridges, exploring different islands and eventually settled on the north end of the third. We left the bikes at the end of a trail and proceeded on foot to explore some waterfalls. The only other people around were three local fishermen. We stayed probably two hours or so leaving around 10:30. Despite the fact it was early morning (we have been waking around 6:30 daily - blame the roosters) the majority of us were a beautiful shade of red. Biking quickly back to the guest house we relaxed and read. Leaving the next day we opted for local transport which is generally cheaper. Our ride to Tad Lo (the next destination on our list) started in the back of a flat bed truck surrounded by coconuts. We made it to the town of Pakxe and transferred into another rickety bus. This time in addition to the lack of AC there were no aisles. The aisle was packed with sacks of sugar as high as the backs of the seats. I also was quickly joined in my seat by a lovely grandmother who took it upon herself to dump eggshells all over my feet. Tad Lo turned out to be lovely. We spent two days there taking an elephant ride and wandering through waterfalls and swimming holes. Leaving the remote tropical paradise that was Tad Lo at four yesterday we were dropped in Vientiane at 5:45 am this morning. The stop here is being used primarily for logistics, getting visas, money, tickets and the like. The plan is to head to Luang Phabang before hitting Thailand. Home in twenty days.
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