Well, so much has happened since I last wrote in this journal. I wish I could sit here and write down everything, but I would be here all day long! Since I wrote, we have been to Siem Reap and seen all of the Wats we went there to see. One day it rained so we had to rush the next day to squeeze in everything we wanted to do before leaving. For the last 3 days I've been back in Phnom Penh, and really like it here. It's very much a different world though from what we are used to. It's amazing how quickly you can get used to something, and then it seems normal before long. For example the people we are hanging around with invited us to dinner at their house last night. Before we went, we shopped at a Khmer market and bought things for the dinner.

The meat in the market is just hanging in front of you in the open air, and the vegetables are there in huge stacks and people are looking at us 'barang' like we are aliens from Mars since no white people ever go there. We bought a lot of things and then headed over to Em's mothers' home. In about an hour the food was ready and it was a phenominal! The people here are wonderful if you get to know them. Only once did we have an occasion where we did not feel welcome, and that was last night at a Khmer restaurant. The guy was drunk, and saying something that we couldn't understand. Em and Chea got us out of there soon after since of course they did understand what was being said. Every other time we have gone somewhere we are treated like royalty or something. It's very strange, but it's kind of nice also! :) Everywhere I go people call me "Madame" and I've even had people come up to me and give me a hug for no apparent reason.

We decided to leave tomorrow and head to Sihanoukville for the rest of our time, then maybe stay one or two days in Bangkok again before heading home.

I will back up for a few minutes and tell about our time in Siem Reap. Angkor and the other Wats are not to be believed until you see them in person. The area was the largest civilization in the world a thousand years ago. So many parts of it are still just beautiful and you can imagine what it must have been like to live there. I will try to upload pictures as soon as I can, but I'm not sure if I can until I return home as the computers here for the most part are very slow.

We've had awesome food since we got here, and everything is incredibly cheap! Even though it is cheap, I am managing to spend money like it is water though! I will have to work a lot of overtime to pay for this trip, but it has been more than worth it. :)

One thing I've been planning on telling about southeast asia is the way people drive and the traffic. First thing to remember is that there are no rules. There are a million small engine motorcycles everywhere, and that is how most people get around, not by car. If you wish to cross the street, you cannot just wait until there is no traffic, or you'll be waiting until the middle of the night. Everyone is out riding around at all hours carrying vast amounts of baskets, full grown pigs, sacks of rice, whatever by small motorcycle. To cross the street you have to basically close your eyes and slowly move forward. You will hear many honks, and people will zoom around you just inches away as if you are wading into a fast river. The first time I had to do this, I was scared. Now, it just feels like part of what you have to do, so you just do it! :)