Siem Reap

After teaching a couple of morning workshops at Daughters on saving (investing and planning) Shoklah picked me up and took me to the River Side where I boarded a minivan headed for Siem Reap. I was the only English speaking person on the bus of 13, which made for an interesting 5 1/2 ride. I was, however, fortunate to sit next to Pear, a 32 Khmer man, who did speak a little English although some of our conversation went like this: me to Pear "Do you like living in Siem Reap?" Pear's response, "Anything glass, like rock, or steel". But as the trip went on Pear's English seemed to improve (while my Khmer most certainly did not improve at all). Pear told me that the beautiful, large fields we were passing made up 80% of all of Cambodia's fields for growing rice and vegetables, but that the fields have been unproductive for years, which is one big reason why Cambodia is such deep poverty. I asked him what it would take to get the fields back to productive, but I couldn't communicate that question in a way that he understood me. On the drive up to Siem Reap I did see even more abject poverty than what is evident in Phnom Penh. Pear said that the poverty in the Cambodian countryside is in fact much greater, with lower education as well. But that there are efforts in the current generation to focus more on education.

To get to Siem Reap one may pay $12 to take a big bus that is advertised as taking 6 hours or for one dollar more you can take a minivan that is advertised as taking 4 hours to Siem Reap. I don't know how that is possible since it took us 5 1/2 hours and I believe that our driver has a good shot at becoming Cambodia's first NASCAR driver. At one point when we were passing through a town with a posted 40KMH speed limit I looked at the speedometer and we were going over 130KMH! Not only that, but there were good stretches of the road where cows, chickens, and dogs were roaming loose.

Tomorrow will be an early and long day starting at 5:00 when a Tuk Tuk driver is going to pick me up to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Then it will be an adventure, which will hopefully include riding an elephant. (Did you know that unlike cars elephants have their trunk in the front? Yes, I did make up that joke.) Then I am going to meet Jen Leitch and Paul again as they just happen to be in Siem Reap and also are staying just across the street from me!

Pear, said that he was just returning from a business trip to Vietnam and that the economy in Vietnam is better than in Cambodia because their crops have come back strong. He said that he doesn't enjoy the people in Vietnam though; that they are not as kind as Cambodians. Well, I have never been to Vietnam, but I will say that all the Cambodian people I have met have been very gracious. In fact, as I am typing this blog I received a call from Pear wanting to make sure that I made it to my hotel OK.

I am sharing a couple of pictures to show you the countryside we were whizzing by (so they are not the best quality pictures)