#phnomenaltrip

[skookumtim]

Photo Journal // Day 5 // Sihanouk Ville -> Saim Reap (Home of Angkor Wat). Today's theme: Hurry up and wait. We woke up around 6:30 AM. I shot some sunrise video on my DJI Osmo. Then we had breakfast. I chose the "Canadian Breakfast" which is basically pan cakes and eggs. Lacey and I spent some time on the beach enjoying each other's company before taking a swim. We had to be checked out by 11 and our boat back to Sihanoukville was supposed to arrive at noon. It didn't show up until 1:30 causing Khavy and Socheat to miss their taxi home. We almost missed the boat ride altogether. As we approached the woman in charge, she said we didn't confirm our return so we had to stand by and watch everyone get on while we waited for open seats. Luckily we got on and all was well. The inside smelled like Cambodia met Taco Bell and had a stinky baby. So many European armpits contributed to the smell. Lacey and I parted ways with Khavy and Socheat who needed up staying the night in Sihanouk. I guess it's too dangerous to drive the road we came in on at night. Speaking of dangerous, we took a tuk tuk to the airport where we flew to Siam Reap. We were passed by big trucks, speeding cars, other motos, and even a sewage truck that made our driver plug his nose. We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare and happily waited for the plane in the air conditioned terminal. It showed up and the flight was fairly uneventful. Upon landing in Siam Reap, we got a new tuk tuk driver that took us to our hotel down a dark alley. The hotel is really nice, the road it's on, not so much. We rested for a bit, then hit the town for some food. That's where today's picture comes from. There's a pretty hopping night market that I wish we had time to explore. This is a shot of all the motos lined up on Pub Street ready to take you anywhere you want to go. Tomorrow we go see Angkor Wat. #PhnomenalTrip #cambodia #siamreap #pubstreet #angkorwat (at Pub Street, Siam Reap)

[skookumtim]

Photo journal // Day 4 // Koh Rong Sanloem, Cambodia. We woke up early to catch a bus to Sihanouk Ville to catch a ferry to Koh Rong Sanloem Island. It was an amazing bus ride. I thought we were going to get in multiple head on collisions on the single lane highway. It was cool to see the country side and to see how people live outside of the city. Lacey struck up conversation with a human rights lawyer. He's been here for 5 years trying to help people in the sweatshops. We got to Sihanouk Ville around noon and had some time to kill so we watched mostly locals play as we ate grilled squid, jack fruit, and mangos. Around 3 it was finally time to get on the ferry. There were so many backpackers looking to escape the heat and head out to the island. As I was climbing down the steps to the boat I dropped most of our food into the ocean. I wouldn't have been as embarrassed, but earlier I noticed a hole in the crotch of my shorts, plus I was wearing an I ❤️ Cambodia shirt that our Cambodian friends wanted us to wear. With camera in hand, I felt like a total dork in front of the tan, tank topped Millennials. The boat ride was uneventful and hot. We got to the island and THIS was our view! Totally worth it. // #PhnomenalTrip #cambodia #kohrongsamloem #beach #ocean (at Koh Rong Sanloem)

[skookumtim]

Photo Journal // Day 3 // Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We woke up around 7 AM to get ready for the day. We met Kavy and Soum in our hotel lobby and headed straight to the market. Because we were going to the King's Palace and I only packed shorts, I needed pants to meet the dress code. I got some "Georgio Armani's" for $15. I'm high class. When we headed to the King's Palace it was closed until 2. Something was going on in preparation for Khmer New Year next week. We killed some time at a museum that had a lot of Buddhist art. It's crazy to see all the detail in their work. We then got lunch at the Pizza Company. Cambodian pizza is not like any other pizza. With hot dog stuffed crust and shrimp and crab on it, it was still pretty good. We finally made our way over to the King's Palace. You could just walk around at your own pace. There were lots of interesting buildings, each with their own purpose, including the one pictured above which is for performing worshiping ceremonies. There's even a building dedicated to the gifts given to the king. After that we went to the Russian Market. It was hot, crowded and indoors. I bought a scarf to wipe my sweaty forehead. After relaxing at the hotel for an hour, we headed over to another one of Lacey's investigator's houses. She fed us shrimp and cucumber as we sat next to the Mekong River. It got late, so we headed back to the hotel and we took a stroll. Lacey impressed the locals with her ability to speak the language. #phnompenh #cambodia #PhnomenalTrip (at Royal Palace, Phnom Penh)

[skookumtim]

Photo Journal // Day 2 // Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We woke up early and met a few of Lacey's former companions, Sister Sok and Sister Un. Our first stop was the Tuol Sleng Prison Museum where thousands of Cambodians were tortured and killed during the Khmer Rouge. It was sad to see how Pol Pot's army senselessly killed Cambodians. If you've never heard of it, look it up. I didn't know any of it took place until I met Lacey. Then we boosted our spirits by going to the Wat Phnom. It's awesome to see the old Buddhist temple standing and people worshiping there. Next came lunch at The Spoon. It was a buffet where we could try several different nationalities of food. In the afternoon, we visited an orphanage. Lacey's former mission president had some money that was earned for us to deliver. It was earned by selling bracelets the kids made. Then we went and saw a few converts to the Church that Lacey taught. We had dinner with the family of one of Lacey's old companion's home in Takhmao Coty. That's where this photo comes from. People are living on those boats on the river. We had the Cambodian versions of Spaghetti. It looked like red Pad Thai, but it was really good. Our final stop was at a brand new mall the Japanese built. It felt like a regular shopping mall with stores I've never heard of. Lacey about fell asleep standing up at the end of a long day. I'm about to too, so goodnight! #PhnomenalTrip #cambodia #phnompenh (at Takhmao City)

[skookumtim]

Photo Journal // Day 1 // SLC->SFO->Shanghai->Phnom Penh, Cambodia. After over 20 hrs of flying, we finally made it. Left Sunday morning at 6:30 AM and got in Tuesday morning at 1 AM. You do cross the meridian of time, so it seems longer than it really was. This photo is from the terminal in the Pudong Airport in Shanghai. This is the the longest I've ever spent flying. Nothing too significant happens. It's been fun to spend this much time with @laceydallis and to see her speak Khmer (Cambodian). Tomorrow is touring Museums and Palaces. It's about 85° with 50% humidity. Tomorrow is supposed to be close to 100°. #PhnomenalTrip #cambodia #phnompenh (at Frangipani Living Arts Hotel & Spa)