Phnom Penh

After quite a long flight we arrived in Seoul, South Korea. In Seoul we met fellow aid expedition members the Reinherz and Gunterson families. We got into Phnom Penh around midnight with everybody exhausted but excited to be back in Cambodia. It was also noted that
Maia had no entry fees or expiration date appended to her Visa since she is Cambodian!

We have had a full day here in Phnom Penh starting with a "Tuk Tuk" ride (a Tuk Tuk is a cross between a motorcycle and a Cyclo or rickshaw) to the venerable temple at Wat Phnom (a Wat is a temple) There we encountered a clan of monkey's as well as Sumba a 48-year-old elephant (three years younger than me!) When we were here in 2001 we could see Sumba seen making his/her way up the boulevard towards the Wat. Of course we could not resist the chance to take a ride on Sumba (see photos) Liam and Maia also wanted me to post pictures of a member of a clan of monkeys that live on the grounds of the temple.

We had lunch at the venerable FCC (Foreign Correspondents Club) restaurant overlooking the muddy brown Tonle Sap River as it flows into the Mekong River that can be seen off in the distance. After lunch Our Tuk Tuk driver shuttles us off to the Royal Palace. This evening we motored about the city, bumper to bumper, with cabs and mopeds carrying entire families for a traditional Khmer meal. Although everything is quite familiar to us Phnom Penh is changing. There is a new urban vibrancy that one feels. There appears to be more prosperity and less poverty than in 2001. From our hotel in the background I can see the city's first high-rise of 20 stories or so. The moped is still king of the road but the automobile is staking it's claim. It's good to have returned!