Day 161 – Cambodia

 We enjoyed a little bit of time this morning to just do what we wanted, which ended up being on the computer and doing Facetime with Alisa.  It was sure nice to just sit in the cool breeze from the bay and enjoy the sunshine.

 

Last look of Ha Long Bay.  Sigh...

These beauties were outside of the restaurant where we had lunch.

We had to check out of the hotel and get on the bus by 11 a.m.  They took us to a very early lunch and then we rode the four-hour bus ride back to Hanoi.  There was a stop halfway through at another shop where they sold handicrafts made in Vietnam.  David and I got a kick out of the entrance to the men’s restroom.

We thought it was funny that the entrance to the men's restroom had these statues surrounding it.  The women's didn't have any statues of men outside of it!

We made good time, but the roads leading out of La Hong were extremely rough, a lot of construction going on, but no one working on it.  The bus didn’t have good shocks and the brakes made a terrible squeal every time they were applied, and they were applied a LOT!

After we arrived at the airport, we had to go through immigration because we were leaving the country.  It wasn’t too bad of a process.  Then we had over an hour wait before we could load the plane.  After we loaded us on the plane, we sat there for about an hour waiting for some luggage that was coming for a connecting flight.  It finally got there so we could leave.

The minute we stepped off the plane in Siem Reap (Angkor), Cambodia, you could smell the moisture and the heat in the air.  It was a very earthy smell that I haven’t smelled in a long time, and it was also scented with flowers.  We had to obtain a Visa as soon as we arrived and that went smoothly for us.  Some of the group had trouble because the American money they were trying to use was either a little old or had a small tear in it.  David and I had crisp $20 bills, so they didn’t give us any hassle.

It was a short ride to the hotel where we were greeted with cool, scented cloths, and lemon grass juice, a very nice touch.  I’m excited to see what tomorrow brings here in Cambodia.