cambodia is no joke Cambodia, well, words alone can’t begin to describe the environment surrounding this unique place on earth. The number of people is startling, and their way of life even more astonishing. With elephants walking on the road, cows, water buffalo, and small children everywhere you better be wide awake and very alert while driving thru this country. The main mode of transportation is moto, (mopeds). These moto’s are everywhere, some drive cautious while others drive as though they were on a death mission, flying through intersections, riding directly into head on traffic, on and off the roads, they cover it all. The cami often ride 6 people on one moto, and carry anything, really anything you can think of while riding on the back of these little bikes. When riding thru phenm pehn, we have seen it all. After crashing on the bike, you will see individuals riding while holding the I V over there head after just leaving the hospital. People with boxes of every kind, sacks of who knows what piled so high it’s a wonder how they can even see to drive, whole beds, with the ends sticking far out on each side, some try to pull a trailer full of about 30 or more people with one of those little motos, so forget about trying to stop of slow down fast with all that weight behind them. Others ride with animals on the front in baskets, on the gas tanks and even on the small seat behind them. This is all normal everyday life for the cami people but for u and I words just cant give this email justice of what you see while traveling thru this land.

We stayed in the city capital for one night only, where I was able to meet my mother and the other ladies from back home. Also found was our lost traveler, free Noah, so we are all finally together traveling thru Asia at last. We are lucky to have found noah, as he has had the worst experience ever from the very start. Missing his flight because of weather out of San Francisco his bags made the connection and he did not, then arriving late into Bangkok he also missed his flight into Cambodia he had already booked and paid for. He had planned to meet us in the airport at 1:20am on the morning of nov. 5th but his flight didn’t arrive until 12:00pm. We had already booked our flights out of Thailand at 7:00am thinking he would be there already but since his flight was late we flew without him. So we spoke emailed and told him to just spend the night in Thailand and catch the next flight over on nov. 6th first thing in the morning, this was the plan. Well arriving in Thailand, no bag, no friends, he just couldn’t deal with all the madness, totally understandable because this place is extreme to say the least. He tried and tried to locate his bag but was unable to do so, being alone he was going to have to stay in Thailand and then fly out the next morning. After missing his flight and losing the money from the flight he missed his plans changed, he thought to himself why stay here when I can just go ahead get this night flight over to Cambodia an be with friends instead of having to stay the night in Thailand alone. With all this said, eric and I with all the others were enjoying our first hours in Cambodia, walking the streets, resting and later eating dinner before I realized I needed to check my mail because I knew noah was going to send an email about his flight the next morning. Walking the street I find a small shop with a few computers, checking my mail I see urgent, urgent from noah, he was flying in on this night, nov 5th and would arrive at 7:30, Wow! It was now 7:00, so we rushed back and caught a ride to the airport to see another flight he was on was delayed, poor noah, but finally, finally after traveling since 8:00 on Friday arrives about 8:00 on Sunday, but still with no bag. It’s a wild story I know but trust me, he lived thru it and now rest next to us in our amazing hotel. Still today, nov. 7th he has no bag and its not looking very good as far as finding it, we try many times a day, so hopefully it will pop up. Just thought I would share the story of how we finally meet noah and the amazing trip he has had without clothes and without anything he really needs, just a computer, ipod, and basically the clothes on his back. Yesterday we found some taxi moto’s and went to the local market so he has been able to buy some clothes to get him by until hopefully the bag is recovered.

So we will be down south on the coast till sometime next week around Monday. We have plans to travel north past the capital to Angkor wat, many temples from Asia’s past. google this if you have some time, it’s the best ruins in all of Asia and some of the best in the world, will be an amazing experience I am sure, something I am really looking forward to.

Well I just thought to explain just a small portion of the many experiences I go thru on a regular basis, some wonderful and others terrible, but they all make me a stronger person, help to keep me open minded and all help shape me into the individual I am.

I hope to stay in touch with all of you, and will try to send more mail in the future.

asmithlife  ¶ 9:20 AM