Saturday 12 April

We arrived in Phnom Penh last night after our long flight from Copenhagen via Bangkok and were very kindly received by Henning’s friends – Sambath, Ratha, their mother Sarun and a niece of hers.



While we drove towards our hotel in two cars we got the first impression of our first holiday resort. We saw lots of small motorcycles and lots of cars driving in all directions. It looked chaotic but we only saw one very small incident where a moped was involved. The heat really hit us when we came out from the airport and today it has been very hot for us! And last night was also very hot. Some of us had the air condition turned on all night while others were nervous of catching a cold and therefore endured the heat. Of course everybody was tired after the long journey and looked forward to being able to lie down in a bed so we turned in rather early after a chat and a drink in Henning’s room and had a good night’s sleep. We had breakfast in the roof restaurant where we had a beautiful view of the river. You could choose many different things from omelettes to fresh pineapple. Very nice! Today’s programme was a trip out of Phnom Penh to a farm which was about 50 km. away. Ratha and her mother came along and there was room for everybody in the car which had been hired for the day. As soon as we left the hotel we noticed what a fine address we have – almost next to the royal palace which looks very stately. And just opposite the river which reminds me that we were told last night that the journey to Siem Riep cannot take place as a boat trip as originally planned as there is too little water in the river at present. It was exiting to see the surroundings by day but the traffic was quite frightening. There are lots of big cars and as we noticed already last night very many small motorcycles driving in and out and between! It seems that the strongest decides the traffic rules but our chauffeur drove well and we were in no danger. After a long drive we stopped at a small house where we gave away the first bag of the clothes we have brought with us from Denmark. This was of course our first visit to a Cambodian home. There was a big open room downstairs where they could cook their food and they obviously slept upstairs. They seemed to have very little and were very pleased to receive what we brought them. When we saw they had a couple of small children we decided to give each of them one of the cardigans that Kirsten from Fredericia has knitted. The size could have been better but they were very pleased with them and looked proud. After that we went on to a farm which belongs to a brother of Sambath and Ratha.






We had lunch there but not till after we had visited a pagoda which was on top of a steep hill where we had a lovely view of the surrounding area. When we first came up the hill we heard some very poetic singing by the monks. It was hard walking up and down the hill because of the heat but as soon as we got down again lunch was ready for us. We were very surprised how cool it was in the room where we had our lunch – it was more or less the only room of the house and we were placed on the floor around the food. In the corner there was a kind of bed and some of us asked if we could sit there, so we were not all on the floor. After lunch Ratha and her mother had invited women from the village to come to the farm. They were given a sarong each. There were also quite a lot of children and Ratha gave each of them something – clothes or little playthings that we had brought with us. Everybody was happy and they were waving as we left. There was a lot of traffic on the roads both in the morning and again in the afternoon. There were lots of cars and we saw many motorcycles or mopeds with two or three persons on them – we even counted one with five persons! When we got back to the hotel 4 of us went with Henning to try blind massage which is massage done by blind people. There was room enough for us in one tuk tuk but it had some starting problems and also problems taking us to the place which Henning knew. But we got there and we were all very keen on the massage!! We have found it very hot all day and we drink a lot of water but that was not a problem as Ratha had brought lots of bottles of water and they even stopped the car to buy ice cubes to keep it cold for a while! It is almost 6 o’clock now and at 7 o’clock we meet again to find somewhere to dine after this very exciting start of our stay in Cambodia.

Sunday 13 April
The first item on today’s programme was a visit to the Royal Palace. Leif J. did not feel sure that he was fit to follow the whole programme as he was not too well. But since the Royal palace was so close he came along. When we got there three women from our group were not allowed in because they wore t-shirts without sleeves, but fortunately t-shirts were sold for one dollar so it was a minor problem. It surprised us why men with short were allowed in! We had Sambath as well as Ratha as guides and they took us round the big area with many very beautiful palaces, wonderful plants and so many blooming trees.



We admired some old trees with orchids of many different kinds growing up the trunk. We went into several of the palaces which were all richly decorated. One of the palaces had a floor made of silver and we also saw a gold statue of Buddha weighing 80 kg and decorated with about 2000 diamonds. We spent so much time there that we decided to skip the National Museum and go straight to the great pagoda Wat Phrom. Unfortunately Kirsten and Leif left us by this time as Leif had not become any better. In connection with the New Year which they celebrate for the next three days there were many people in and around the pagoda which is situated on top of a hill. Yesterday some of us passed the pagoda and saw an elephant there but unfortunately it was not there today. After this visit it was time for lunch. We went to a fish restaurant. A fish was brought to us in a bucket while it was still alive - for approval and later consumed with great pleasure. There were more things on the menu which we found very nice except maybe for the first dish which was chicken feet! After having enjoyed lunch we went to the Tocul Sleng Museum. That is where Pol Pot during his terror regime tortured many people .Before it became a gaol it had been a school – even a beautiful school it was obvious. When we saw the first cells we were surprised to see how big they were, but Sambath soon made us forget that by telling us how he had visited one of these cells shortly after the breakdown of the regime and seen it with the walls covered in blood and blood-stained clothes lying about. That changed the atmosphere among us and you could feel that for both Sambath and Ratha a visit to this place involved strong and sad feelings for them and it also made a big impression on us.


After that we should have gone to the Russian market which unfortunately was closed for the New Year. Instead we visited a smaller market and got a chance to see what a market here is like. Tonight we visited our Cambodian friends for dinner. It was very interesting for us to visit a private family. They live somewhere in the centre of the town but if we should have found our way ourselves it would have been very difficult for us. There were so many very small gravel roads to pass - filled with holes and very narrow. The streets were filled with small houses and many of them were shops selling all kind of stuff. When we met a car or one of the many mopeds it was a problem to pass them. When we got there the whole family was there to receive us and a long table consisting of many small plastic tables and chairs had been made ready for us in the yard.


After having said hello to everyone we sat down and dinner started. As we have seen it before dish after dish was served for us. It was all very nice and we enjoyed ourselves. Afterwards we agreed to sing a couple of songs from our ‘repertoire’ – our hosts also sang and even a small girl sang a song for us. Everybody clapped and it was all very nice. Before we went home we were invited to see the house. They live different to us of course, kitchen downstairs all other rooms upstairs, lots of pictures on the walls but less room than we have and you can feel that they are pleased with their home. It was a very nice evening and a lovely experience to meet so many nice people. Although you can hardly talk together you are met with so much kindness. When we got back to the hotel some of us went round the corner of the hotel to photograph the palace by night. There were lots of people in the streets and when we had a sit down by the river a young fellow came up and talked to us. He was quite good at English and told us a lot about Cambodia.
Monday 14 april

We got up very early to get ready for the long journey to Siem Riep. The traffic went well even if there were lots of cars and mopeds on the roads. They are still celebrating the New Year and we met many families - consisting of both 3 and 4 – on their way to visit family or friends – on mopeds. The road was good and we had a good look at the changing nature. We drove along a river which of course meant that the area was fertile and we passed through many bigger and smaller towns. Sometimes the houses were big, built of brick and very nice while in other areas the houses were quite simple, made of palm leaves and boards. But they are all built on posts with nothing much underneath while they live upstairs. Sambath told us many things on the way and you can feel that he would like more progress for his country. Among other things he told us that the farmers do not work during the dry season. They rest then and only work in the rain season. After arrival at our hotel in Siem Riep we went to the famous Ankor Wat where we had planned to see the sunset.



Many other people had had the same idea so we walked in a long line all the way up. Before we went up we saw elephants but only as a tourist attraction. We were met by a lot of young people and kids selling scarves, books, bags and other souvenirs. They were quite aggressive and their goods very cheap so you hate to say no, but you cannot buy everything so we try to seem unapproachable! The walk to the top is easy to begin with but at the end you have to climb some very steep stairs which was quite a test for us but we all made it. We had a beautiful view up there towards the sun which went down over a lake. Besides we could also see a big forest and the sound of cicadas filled the air the whole time while we were there. But as we could see that the sun would go down behind the clouds and there were so many people up there some of us decided to start the climbing down before the sun had disappeared.
More about Angkor Wat

Everybody came down without any problems and we ended up in a nice restaurant with a delicious dinner before we turned in rather early as we have to be up before dawn tomorrow!
Tuesday 15 april

We had a very short and very hot night – so we are thankful for the air-condition! The alarm clocks rang as early as 4.30 and at 5 o’clock we were all ready outside the hotel to get into the 5 motorcycle taxies (tuk tukker) that were waiting to take us to Ankor Wat. It was still dark but lots of people were up and about, cleaning the streets, driving cars, mopeds or tuk tukker towards Ankor Wat to see the sunrise.


If one had had a longing for a cool early morning like in Denmark we were disappointed as it was already quite hot but we enjoyed driving along in the open taxies. Lots of people had had the same idea and we all gathered by the entrance of Ankor Wat. We found a wall where we could sit and watch the sun rise over the temple – it was beautiful even if there were some clouds on the sky. Afterwards it was time for breakfast which we could get nearby and after that our tour to see all the temples started. It is an impressive place to visit – rain forest, large open areas with huge temples and a lot of history told through picture friezes that are very well preserved.


Our guide Chhier was very nice and well-informed but he could not do anything about the heat! We believe that we had well over 30 degrees and as the day went on it was hard to walk about in the sun. When we were inside the temples the temperature was not so bad and when we drove from one area to the next in our open taxies we enjoyed the fresh air – like cycling at home on a warm summer’s day. All day long we heard the cicadas sing very loudly and sometimes we also heard exotic bird song which made us feel that we were in the jungle. By 3 o’clock we returned to Siem Riep but 5 of us drove on to new adventures together with our guide who took us to a diamond shop. We saw beautiful jewels, bargained and bought a few very nice things. The rest of the group went to the hotel to rest, visit the nearby market or look around in the neighbourhood. Dinner at 8 o’clock in the hotel.


Wednesday 16 April

We started out in Cambodia and ends up in Vietnam - in Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon as we usually call it! But before leaving Cambodia we had quite a program in the Siem Riep area. Once again we had hired motorcycle taxies for the day and we first visited a famous pagoda called The Killing Field’s Temple. Close to this pagoda the Pol Pot regime executed and buried many people who were against the regime. Many of the corpses have since been dug up and buried and as a memory of that dreadful time we saw a so called stupa - a shrine containing sculls of the local Khmer Rouge victims. Like when we saw all the pictures in The Tocul Sleng Museum of people who had been killed these sculls also made us think deeply.


Afterwards we went to see an internet café owned by our guide – Chhair’s wife. Her family owned two houses next to one another with a big backyard and many houses round the backyard where 4 generations lived together. Chhair and his wife and two children had built their own house somewhere else but her mother and grandmother and many other family members were still living there.


Most young families live together with the wife’s family but if the new husband can afford it the young couple can choose to live elsewhere. Chhair and his wife have a very nice brick house with beautiful big wooden chairs which were almost new. We saw the house which consists of a bedroom, sitting room and a kitchen. Later when they can afford it they will build an extra storey. Beside the house there was a big enclosure with a high wall around it. We were offered to see what was behind the wall and went up a ladder to have a look down – at his crocodiles!! He has a crocodile farm and he is also an estate agent so they are really a family with ideas and energy.


He is quite optimistic about the future of his country. You can understand that when you think of the development there has been in the area where they live since the civil war ended. You can really see that this area gets many tourists. We still had one more visit to pay and that was by the man who is in charge of the motorcycle taxies and who has also driven with us during our stay.


He was proud to welcome us in his very nice house traditionally built on poles. The whole family was there to welcome us and we had a look around the house. There was a lovely big sitting room with a lot of furniture and kitchen and bedroom. Downstairs they had built an extra room for one of their married daughters and her husband and one of the other daughters who is to be married soon will also live there with her husband. As by Chhair’s we were offered drinks - which we found very nice since it is very hot today. We were also offered fresh fruit of their own – and very nice - and had a look at their big back garden with lots of fruit trees. It was nice to visit both families and they received us with great hospitality. Then it was good bye to Cambodia and in our minds are all our experiences that I have written about plus a lot of other pictures – a man driving with three pigs on his moped –another with a lot of geese fixed to his handlebars – a lorry filled with standing people on the back of the truck – a car filled with people and an extra one sitting on a couch on the roof of the car!! I could easily think of other pictures but this will be all. Next stop Vietnam! We arrived safely but it is still very, very hot We are staying at a very nice hotel and one of the first things we noticed when we first arrived is an enormous traffic mostly consisting of mopeds that really drive in and out and in between. There is a shopping centre nearby where most of us had a look around. The prices are very low and there are many things to be bought if you like to go shopping. We will all meet at 7.30 pm and go out to eat. We are hungry I think because all we have had up to now is a sandwich on the plane.