Day 18 - Phnom Pehn, Cambodia!

Hi all:

A quick note from Cambodia's captial city of Phnom Pehn...made a last minute decision to cross the border and don't regret it at all. Within view over the past 24 hours as we cruised up the Mekong River were smiling children laughing and screaming "Hello" from the rivers edge.

Poverty is firmly entrenched here...but the spirit of the people is amazing. We toured the small border village of Chau Doc this morning...simple huts of thatched bamboo make up most homes. Tricky border crossing as we had to get off the boat at two points before we continued our boat trip up the Mekong River into Cambodia...stunning green rice fields stretch to the horizon...cows wade in the water at the rivers edge...naked children dive into the murky waters...trying to gain a response from the dozen or so tourists who are with me on this boat...their screams of "hello" echo from the banks as we head towards the border...

Phnom Pehn, like Ho Chi Mihn City, is chaotic, bursting at the seams with energy...the oppressive heat makes travelling here more of a project...it really saps you...I'm staying in a clean, comfortable hotel in the "backpacker" district...$17 bucks night. Tomorrow, I begin exploring this city...more to come...

See you soon,
Keith