Poor OD didn't enjoy this outing much, as he was fighting against Montezuma's Revenge. Though we are usually very careful about what we eat and drink while travelling, apparently we weren't vigilant enough during our time in Cambodia and whatever we caught was pretty severe, lingering for weeks. So travelers beware!
The landmine sign was a dark reminder of Cambodia's genocide under the Khmer Rouge. During our stay, I read a fictionalized account of one family's real experience, In the Shadow of the Banyan Tree by Vaddey Ratner, which added another layer to my perception of Cambodia. It was sobering to realize that the young go-getters of the booming tourist town of Siem Reap and the children of the poverty-stricken countryside are only a couple generations removed from those tragic times.
Near one of the temples, we came across two boys playing with beetles. When the more mischievous one the placed a beetle on the other boy's shirt, the other boy didn't seem too happy about it!
The trip also gave us a chance to leave Siem Reap and see the Cambodian countryside. On the whole, it was very undeveloped, with some homes nothing more than mere shacks. We kept seeing stands with women by the side of the road, so I asked our driver what they were selling and he said it was sticky rice stuffed in a bamboo stalk. We should have stopped to investigate, but with OD not feeling well, I just took a quick snapshot from the car.
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