SE Asia Continued

After a couple amazing weeks of travel, we are about to begin our journey home. We are leaving Cambodia today, returning to Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam) from which we fly out tomorrow 17+ hours back to LA. While there are plenty of memorable details that Ang will surely fill in, here are some general impressions…

Since it’s our first visit to SE Asia, it is truly remarkable, unlike anything we’ve seen other parts of the world. It is all that we had hoped it would be: a mix of adventure and much needed relaxation in a place that is visually stunning, authentic and rich culturally. There are many beautiful hotels in the cities and beaches, but the vast majority of the population (which is quite poor) seems to exist culturally the same as it did hundreds of years ago. It does not seem to be “spoiled” by tourism, but rather co-exist with it. Before coming here, we were cognizant of the challenge of this economic disparity and prayed about how we could have a positive impact on the population that has faced so much hardship, namely from wars. We’ve found that just our presence is greatly appreciated, as the artisans, tuk tuk drivers, etc are starving for work. In Siem Reap, tourism is one of the main industries, and we were told it is down roughly 50% from last year (due to the global financial crisis). It is amazing how much each person appreciates the business we give them and find it unexpected when we tip even a dollar or two. But more than our tourist dollars, I think our greatest benefits of our visit will play out over time as a result of having a greater understanding and affection for this population, caring more about what happens here, seeing the impacts of war, and realizing how blessed we are in so many ways, not the least of which, is having reliable employment.