On Saturday we drove about 6 hours from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. We stopped by a fruit stand and I bought mango and grapefruit. An old woman with a tumor on the side of her face held her hand out for money. Then a one-legged man tapped my arm with his hat. Then a boy looked up at me and asked for money. Then a woman holding her baby asked for money. I was overwhelmed. I knew that if I give one person money, the rest would crowd around me...I learned my lesson from the Hmong kids.
We visited the Royal Palace (not as impressive as Thailand's Grand Palace) and then a temple that had monkeys running around by the nearby park. I was more interested in the monkeys than I was the temple.
On Sunday we drove back to Saigon. I was stuck listening to horrible Vietnamese pop music and since I sat in the back, the speakers were blaring in my ear. As we waited in the car in line for the ferry to cross the river, a mob of people surrounded our car to sell sunglasses and to ask for money. They tapped our windows and stared at us. It was stuffy inside our car but we didn't want to open the window to let the hot air in or the people to stick their heads or hands inside.
Once we crossed back into Vietnam, I was relieved to be back. Vietnam looks so rich compared to Cambodia but even then, Vietnam is still poor.
On Wednesday my family and I are going to Mekong Delta area and to see where my dad grew up.
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