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Notes on Cambodia

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After we landed in Bangkok, we immediately started planning our side trip to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat.  Neither of us had read much about Cambodia and really didn't know what to expect.  What we had heard is that there are many victims of land mines and these victims can be seen on the streets frequently as you are walking about town.  And we heard that Angkor Wat and the surrounding ruins are amazing.  They didn't disappoint. The people in Cambodia are very sweet and proper. Even though this is a country and people that has been obviously scarred from it's past, they will welcome you, help you and give you a lovely smile. When greeting you, they will bow and bring their hands together.  Where those hands are located depends on who you are and the level of respect you are accorded.  For example, the higher the hand placement the more respect you are shown.  Elders are greeted with the hands at the forehead and...
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Ahhh, Bangkok!

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Arriving in Bangkok was so wonderful! No one was using a horn as a method of signaling (as they do in India). The streets and buildings and shops were modern and clean. The locals were extremely friendly. The food was safe. It was all very refreshing. One of the first activities that we signed up for right away was a tour through a local market, a boat trip through some local villages and the floating village where you can shop for food, drinks and goods.   But really, we mostly wandered through the city, visited the Grand Palace and the Reclining Buddha. And we rested while we also planned our side trips to Cambodia and Chiang Mai.  While we were in Thailand, there was an election coming up.   I wanted this guy to win, but the lady who promised laptops and an internet connection for every school kid won.
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Location: Bangkok, Thailand
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The Colors of India

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Just one parting thought as we move on from India... For all the chaos and mayhem that Teresa and I experienced while traveling in India, one thing did shine through on a number of occasions to make the trip constantly rewarding... the color in the people, places, and food. While the bigger cities can be more than a little grey, and the traffic a little loud and maddening, the women especially always somehow manage to inject a splash of life and color wherever they appear. We're not sure how they stayed so clean and vibrate, and full of life, but we're very glad the did.
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The sanctuary of Jaipur

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Teresa and I had been in India for about 2 weeks when we made our way from Agra to Jaipur. By that time the sensory overload was beginning to wear more than a little on us both. We had enjoyed seeing the Taj Mahal, but we happy about leaving Agra behind us. And then there was the train ride from Agra to Jaipur. We were very proud that we had managed to negotiate the train system relatively well from Delhi to Agra, but the trip to Jaipur was going to be 4 hours long (instead of 1.5 hrs) and it would be a night time train (instead of daylight), and the train wasn't scheduled to arrive in Jaipur until mid-night. I'm not ashamed to say, that in hindsight, we had bitten off more than we could chew. In theory it was simple... arrive at the station, wait about 30 mins, board the train, read and play cards for a couple of hours, and then be picked up at the Jaipur station by a car from our hotel... easy. Well unfortunately the practice was nothing like the theory. First, the train was ...
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