After a short flight from Ho Chi Minh City, we arrived at the Siem Reap airport which is very tropical-looking. Our guide, Soeng, met us and gave us a great deal of information about his country
- population about 15 million
- 70% are farmers whose main crop is rice
- Usually there is only one crop of rice a year unless there is an additional water source from a reservoir.
- Farmers can earn about $300 a year from a crop of rice
- The the parliamentary government holds elections every 5 years
- Education is not compulsory. About 75% of the people are literate.
- Solar power is used at the hotels, so getting hot water can take a while.
- Cambodia buys some if its electricity from Thailand
We drove to one of the infamous "killing fields" of Cambodia's bloody Pol Pot Khmer Rouge regime (1975-79). During the regime, approximately 25% of the country's population was murdered, mostly the well-educated. A Buddhist temple sits on the site now.
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| A grim reminder of the Killing Fields |
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| A Buddhist temple on the site |
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| Our Cambodian "Lexus" |
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| Climbing on and staying on was a challenge! |
The "driver" was a local farmer who "drove" us on a tour of his village and then to see his home.
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| Mel with our host in his home |
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| Inside the house is an altar honoring a deceased relative |
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| Outdoors |
We ended our day at a dinner theater that features traditional foods and a puppet show as well as some beautiful native dances.
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