Siem Reap, Cambodia - Wood Carving Shop and The Killing Fields Cemetery

One of the employees at our hotel

spends his off hours working at

a wood carving shop.  It's located just down

the street from the hotel.  So on the

morning we were to return to Bangkok

we took a walk to the shop, in hopes

of purchasing some hand carved vases.

The items for sale were beautiful

but not as nice as what we had seen

in the hotel souvenir shop.

On our walk back to the hotel

I asked the employee "What's this place?"

- pointing to this gated park with many different

monuments inside.

He said "This is a place for those killed in Siem Reap

during the Killing Fields.  Over one million people

were cut (killed) in my home town Siem Reap."

He went on the explain that his Grandfather was one

of the first killed and his father saved his own life, 

and the lives of his family, by fleeing to the 

countryside for 3 years.

"It was a terrible time for my country."

Back at the hotel

we shopped the souvenir boutique for 

hand carved vases.  

Caleb, Haleigh and Ammon with two of the

hotel employees.  The man in the orange shirt

is the one who took us to the wood carving shop

and the CUTE little lady in yellow was our

server in the restaurant.  She had the sweetest smile

and a DARLING high pitched, cartoon like voice.

We wanted to take her home with us.

After checking out of the hotel we

stopped by KFC for some lunch

and made the two hour ride to the Cambodia/Thailand

border in a taxi.

It was a NIGHTMARE trying to find a ride back to Bangkok.

The WORST "TRAVEL TRAUMA" of the trip.

It took us 1 hour and 45 minutes to find a 

good and honest person we could pay 

to drive us to our hotel.

THANK GOODNESS for a kind man who's

family was also making the trip.  He offered to let us

ride to Bangkok with them.  He accepted our

payment, gave us drinks for the ride and 

told us to call him if there were any problems.

WOW!  WHAT A TRIP!!!