Last Day of River Cruise, Still in Cambodia

The crew on the river vessel AmaDara warmly bid farewell as we boarded buses for a five-hour trip to Siem Reap. 

A roadside pitstop was teeming with beautiful produce, dried fruits and sautéed bugs. Young boys were walking around with live tarantulas to entertain the tourists. It was a bustling market scene. 

With Kleenex in hand, I reached the "happy room," which is an endearing reference for the toilet in Cambodia. An enterprising woman was selling toilet paper at the door. Brilliant! I could have used her services earlier in the week when I discovered, rather unpleasantly, that public toilets do not have toilet paper, hand dryers or paper towels. You get just the necessities, a trough-like bowl on the floor with a manual flush. 

There were nearly 100 people on the AmaDara and I'd venture to say that a least half had been fighting a cold, flu or intestinal bug during the week on the river. I've been lucky, but not without occasional queasiness. Ginger tea has become my new miracle drug, offering instant medicinal relief when I feel punky. Incessant hand-washing and sanitizers have become routine throughout the day. 

Cambodia is the approximate size of Oklahoma. Motorbikes are plentiful, often doubling as the family's utility vehicle. It is not unusual to see a family of four, with a young one sleeping in mom's arms, on a scooter. There are no beggars; no pesky people, just smiling curiosity-seekers like us. In fact, I often feel like a celebrity with people waving, smiling and children shouting, "Hello!" Perhaps, as we explore the popular tourist sites around Siem Reap we will notice a change in cultural behaviors.