Cambodia & Singapore

We were looking forward to this trip for a while! Cambodia was a blend of some of the most amazing accomplishments of man coupled with some of the darkest moments in history. We started in Phnom Penh. Everything was cheap, the food was good, but the history was horrible. One hostel had drawings of a girl who was a child sex slave. The pictures were dark and sad.
Across from our hotel was Tuol Sleng (S-21), the genocide museum. Once a school, it became a prison where 14,000 men, women, and children were tortured. Black and white mugshots of everyone of them still haunt visitors.

Not far away were the Killing Fields or Cheoung Ek. A 100-foot tower of skulls marks the entrance, and shallow graves are everywhere. It is estimated that only 8 people from Tuol Sleng didn't end up here. It was one of the most sobering places we have ever seen.
On a lighter note, we took a bus to Siem Reap, the gateway for the Temples of Angkor. This town was awesome! Food and beer for under a dollar, night markets, silk, - the shopping was endless! Then we hired a moto and hand a tour of Angkor Wat and about 15 other temples in the jungle. They were amazing! It was an excellent end to such an emotional trip.

But before we left, we went to Singapore. Although clean and beautiful, this place was expensive!! We had great dinners and ate at the Paulner Brewery, but we couldn't afford to stay long. The Singapore Zoo was one of the best around.

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Vietnam

All we knew about Vietnam was the war. But what we found was a country that was very interested in the US, was very kind, and took US dollars! We spent a few days in Hanoi beating the heat with some good beers, buying cheap dvds and silk ties on the street, and planning the next leg of our trip.
We were picked up in a van and transported to HALONG BAY, one of the world heritage sites. We spent the day on a boat, floating between islands and hiking in caves. Then we had dinner on the boat and met some people from MSU!! The next day we kayaked in the water. Pretty amazing.
We took an overnight train to the mountain town of SAPA. After hiking all day in the terraced rice fields, we were quite exhausted (I guess we shouldnt have done it in Teva sandles). We really saw how primitive people live.

The Philippines

When it was "freezing" cold in China, we got out and went to the islands of the Philippines. After the craziness of Manila, we flew to Palawan in the southwest. After getting on a jeepney (a jeep with a bed in the back, where up to 40 locals hang on for deal life), we drove 3.5 hours across the island on dirt roads, all for the cost of about a dollar.
Our home for the week was a thatched-roof hut on the beach. Blue and green waters made up our front yard. We didn't have power part of the night but when meals cost no more than $2, we were living pretty large. Our days consisted of runs on the beach, swims in the ocean, and hikes in the jungle. There was an underground river and wild monkeys, in addition to 6ft monitor lizards.
One night we went to the resort on the beach. A bottle of wine, appetizers, surf & turf, cocktails, and dessert ran $50. That was a pretty good night.
We moved back to Puerto Princesa and went scuba diving with turtles and sharks. Overall, nice and warm and it was dreadful coming back to China and the rain!

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