View source for Independent travel has been great but after 4 months on the road all the planning and organizing was getting a bit tiresome

Independent travel has been great, but after 4 months on the road all the planning and organizing was getting a bit tiresome.� We booked an 18-day guided tour that would take us from Bangkok all the way through Cambodia and Vietnam with the luxury of nearly everything being planned for us.<br><br>In Bangkok we met up with our group of 11 fellow travelers, as well as our guide and a new trainee. As it turns out, everyone has been great and our group is getting along quite nicely.<br><br>The first part of our tour took us into Siem Reap, our first stop in Cambodia.� Before I get any further, I�d like to go over some shocking statistics.� The [http://www.wood-furniture.biz/search/search.php?query=average%20age&search=1 average age] in Cambodia is 57.� About 50% of the population is under the age of 18.� Their literacy rate is said to be between 40-50%.� And about 1/3 of their population lives on less than $1 USD per day.� Another interesting fact???� 80% of all visitors to Siem Reap are either Japanese, Korean, or Chinese.<br><br>Getting from Bangkok to Siem Reap involved a 12 hour bus ride across the boarder, of which the last 160 kilometers were on a very bumpy and unmaintained gravel road.� At one point our bus had to stop for repairs as we had 3 flat tires.� As we crossed from Thailand to Cambodia the changes were immediate.� Garbage was everywhere you looked, piled high in fields and ditches.� At the boarder we had to get off the  [http://www.visahanquocgiare.com/ viajes birmania laos] bus, walk through customs, and wait on the Cambodia side to be picked up again.� Brian managed to get robbed in the first 5 minutes in Cambodia, luckily it was only his bottle of water.� A young barefoot and [http://www.Zixiutangpollencapsules.com/?s=filthy%20boy filthy boy] walked very slowly up to him, looked him in the eye for a few seconds, bent down and grabbed the bottle sitting near Brian�s feet, and ran off.� Everyone in our group just watched in a combination of amusement and sadness�then clutched their belongings a little tighter.<br><br>Day two, and three, and four brought us on a guided tour of the famous Angkor Temples which were built between the 8th and 13th centuries and are spread out over about 40 miles around the village of Siem Reap.�� Some were in nearly complete ruin, some in the middle of restoration, and some in surprisingly great condition considering they are a tiny bit old.� For you movie buffs, the Angelina Jolie movie Tomb Raider was filmed in one of the jungle temples there.<br><br>While in Siem Reap we also took a boat ride on lake Tonle Sap which is home to a floating village of houseboats, floating stores and churches, even a boat that serves as a basketball court.� We did some shopping around the temples and in Siem Reap, because every few feet there are children surrounding you begging you to buy there bracelets/scarves/books /etc.� We�ve also done a lot of eating - Cambodian Khmer food is very tasty.� Lots of pumpkin, coconut sauce, and fresh fruit.<br><br>So far our travels in Cambodia have surpassed our expectations.� Next stop?� Phnom Penh.� Stay tuned�..<br><br>Author: Anne<br>Source: The Hallgrens� Blog - Realtravel<br>They are traveling as a couple in their 30s from Belle Plaine. They decided to quit their jobs, sell their house in the suburbs, and spend time exploring the world.<br><br>Recommendation:<br>Angkor Wat Discovery Tour: website<br>Other Adventure Tours in Cambodia: website<br>Tours in Asia: website temples of Angkor Wat, Cambodia in mind