After our rather trying and sobering stay in Phnom Penh, we’ve finally made our way to the west coast of Cambodia.  We left Phnom Penh yesterday and hired a taxi to bring us here.  Serendipity Beach is simply lovely. We’ve rented some small bungalows on the beach and we woke up to adagio breezes and blue skies this morning. 

Cambodia is a country of extremes.  Each place we stay in seems totally contradictory to the last place.  Siem Reap is as I suspected.  It’s very touristy.  Most of the villas here are old French Colonial.  Pub Street is hopping with great restaurants.  We enjoyed eating at The Red Piano in particular.  I found the locals to be very happy and sincere.  Everyone we passed waved and smiled.  We were bombarded by hawkers at the ruins, but most of them were friendly and not at all pushy. 

Phnom Penh is a complete opposite. It has remained the hardest part of this journey to date.  It’s heart-breaking to see kids and amputees in the street.  We have continued to spare what we can each day, but it’s so hard to remain optimistic for some of these people, who seem to have never been given a chance at life. 

Children here are like wild animals.  There’s a gleam of desperation in their eyes that will continue to haunt me for the rest of my days.  No smiles, no talking, not even tears.  They constantly beg for food and I could barely finish my meals.  They waited and watched anxiously until we finished and then moved in for scraps.  I’ve even watched kids pick satay sticks off the street to suck on.  I am continously reminded each and every day of how fortunate we all are.  To have family, friends, our health, food on our tables, clothes for every occasion and freedom.  We lead charmed lives, indeed.

Sihanoukville is lovely and we have arrived just in time for the Khmer New Year.  Festivities begin tomorrow evening.  The beaches here remind me a lot of KoPhanghan in Thailand.  Bars and outdoor restaurants line the beach and we’ve enjoyed our meals overlooking the sea while being kissed by the wind.  Still, we are continuosly bombarded by beggars, fruit vendors, children hawking paintings, bracelets and sarongs and massage ladies patrolling the beach from sun up to sun down.  It is very very hard to see amputees dragging themselves through the sand with cap in hand.  Last night, two twelve year old boys sat down with us and made us some name bracelets.  They talked to us about school, family life and working every day.  They were very candid and honest.  Most of the kids here are happy and well-fed, although they are still very poor.  I found out tonight that they like pizza and were more than happy to help me finish mine.  They come and cuddle and cajole us at every opportunity.  I had kids flopped on my beach chaise all day and well into the evening, but I don’t mind.  They’re a wealth of insight.  They know all of us by name and natter off phrases they’ve learned from American movies.  Smiles come quickly and easily to faces here, despite their demands to buy their goods or a school uniform. 

We went to get our Vietnamese visas today at the embassy and received them in 25 minutes.  I couldn’t believe how easy it was.  Let’s hope we don’t have any problems at the border.  We leave on Tuesday.