Cambodia February 16th, 2008 – March 2nd, 2008

Dodge and I went to Cambodia in the latter part of February.  We went to see the ancient temples and cities of Angkor Wat and Ankor Thom and to see the birds and sights of Cambodia.  He had been to the temples in the early sixties and wanted to see if there had been any changes.  He was delighted by what he saw and I was enthralled by the ruins and the history that accompanied them. 

The history of Cambodia is rich and bloody.  The Khmer Kings started their temple building projects around 790 AD and stopped building in 1219.  The earlier temples were built to honor the Hindu gods the later temples had Buddhist motifs. The Khmer Rouge ravaged the country in the last century, killing off the intellectuals.  The end result is that you rarely see any “older” people in Cambodia.  The majority of the citizens are young.  With the loss of the older, educated people, a lot of history was lost; also many Buddhist temples were destroyed.  Nevertheless, the Cambodians have come back like the phoenix and the country is thriving with small businesses, a growing tourist industry, and the rebuilding of the temples.  Still, you see reminders of the Khmer Rouge in the people who are missing limbs and in the signs that inform the passersby of the existence of landmines in certain areas. 

We were able to see over 250 different bird species in Cambodia in a two week period, while traveling in the eastern half of the country.  The accommodations ranged in quality from nice hotels to dorm facilities.  The food was deliciousand varied. We learned how to eat pineapple in many different ways and were able to enjoy fruits that we had never tasted before.  Dessert was usually a fruit.

Pictures of the trip are forthcoming.  You can request your own personal viewing of some of the pictures taken in Cambodia by sending your request to lornaleticia@mac.com.