Apr 06 2006
Picture Updates – Thailand & Cambodia
Feel like catching up a bit on my blog tonight… I mentioned previously about my break between P2 and P3, where I spent New Years in Thailand, and then traveled for a week in Cambodia. Although my posting was quite somber, the trip was in fact full of adventures and eye openers, my first time in South East Asia. While in Thailand, we decided to get out of busy Bangkok for a few days while waiting for our INSEAD friends to show up. We signed up for a 2-day leisure tour package to Kanchanaburi, famous for the bridge over the River Kwai. On one section of the tour, we enjoyed a relaxing lunch on a boat, stationed under a little waterfall.
A little box lunch and a dip in the water.
Ta Prohm Temple Tree
Alas we tired of the endless temples and traveled down south via boat to Phnom Penh, the capital city. The six hour boat ride went through the large lakes that ran north and south between the country. Along the way, the friendly fisherfolk would wave at us gringo foreigners.
I was impressed by the spirit of the Cambodian people, where despite their poverty, they beamed positive energies in their interactions with others. The most interesting encounters usually involved children who picked up a nice repertoire of English to peddle their goods. A little exchange would typically go like this:
Kid: Buy bracelet for 1 dollar?
You: No thank you.
Kid: For your girlfriend?
You: I don’t have a girlfriend.
Kid: That’s because you didn’t buy anything for her! 
The general advice is to refuse them, because once you buy, the entire village of kids will be on you to buy more. Dave had an elaborate interview process, where he would quiz the kids basic math questions. And only if they got it right, would he buy anything. Most of the time, they closed.
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