Day 1: US to Phnom Penh

Upon our arrival to Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, after a long plane ride, we were greeted by our enthusiastic tour guide, Mr. Por Heng. We were welcomed to the country with fresh leis made of jasmine and boarded our bus to be taken back to the hotel. We learned quickly during our first bus ride that Cambodia has very few “rules of the road” that American’s are accustomed to. Throughout the ride we saw countless whole families commuting on only one small motorcycle. Once at the hotel we had a few minutes to move our bags into our rooms and become acquainted with our roommates before getting back on the bus to go and enjoy our first meal in Cambodia.

Our first meal was served family style on a lazy susan in the middle of a large table. We enjoyed traditional Cambodian foods such as rice, fish, soups, vegetables, and fresh fruit. These were a welcome change from the airplane food, and even included a Cambodian delicacy: snakeskin soup! Following the meal, we were back on the bus and our tour guide continued to teach us more of the history of the Cambodian people and of Phnom Penh. We had the opportunity to stop and take photos at the Independence monument as well as the Victory monument.

After this, we took a boat across the Tonle Sap Lake and the Mekong River. This was an incredibly interesting experience. Our boat, which was a fairly large boat meant for tourists, was next to some of the small boats that the locals took out to fish. Not only did they work on these boats, but they lived, ate, and slept in them as well. This was the first time since arriving that we were able to truly see the disparity of living conditions in Cambodia, and only less than a mile away from the extravagant Royal Palace.

After our boat trip, we went back to the hotel to get some much needed rest and relaxation in our rooms before leaving again for dinner. We had a delicious papaya salad and an entree of chicken with pineapple and bell peppers. Afterwards, we had a fruit platter with all kinds of different fruits on them for dessert. Not a bad way to end our first day in Phnom Penh!

Blog written by: Laney, and Emerson Pictures by: Sarah