This was my third visit to Bangkok and it is larger and more modern than ever. We visited the Royal Palace and temples, cruised a canal, and visited out-of-town sites with my former student, Josephine, from Hong Kong, and her friend.
Phnom Penh is a lovely town which has been rebuilt since the horrors of the early 70s. We visited the Killing Fields where 17,000 were killed, toured the large palace grounds, and visited many temples before retiring riverside for dinner and drinks.
This is the base for exploring Angkor, which is truly stupendous. We spent four days there and were so sad to leave. We met wonderful people and enjoyed an upgrade to the Royal Suite in a five star hotel for $58 a night -- excellent buffet breakfast included. We saw an great Cambodian dance performance and ate at a Mexican restaurant. We will be back!
Before we arrived in Malaysia, Debbie said the trip was 1,000% better than she dreamed it could be. Malaysia was truly the icing on the cake. Haresh Sakhrani and his family hosted us and made suggestions for our last week of travel. He and Premila Mahonan had organized the reunion with my students. We arrived on Independence Day and had a night tour of the holiday lights. They had a family gathering and we visited Batu Caves. The college reunion was at a Mexican restaurant, then we went off to Gentling, an entertainment/ amusement park/ resort atop a mountain reached by a cable car traveling over 2 miles. Next, we visited Malaka, an historic coastal port. Before leaving, we went to the top of the Kuala Lumpur Tower for views of the city then I also had little fish eat the dead skin off my feet. What a trip!!!!!!
Haresh and Bill
