Australia remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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New Zealand remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Anyhoo, Tokyo was incredible of course. Tanya and I decided to go there to see the Red Hot Chilli Peppers at Tokyo Dome, which is emaculate!! But what really struck me was how clean, orderly and organized the city and the people are. My image of Tokyo was totally different to what I experienced. For example, on the escalators in the crowded subways, those who want to stand make a line on the left side and those who are in a hurry run up the right side of the escalator. And when getting on the subway, everyone makes perfect lines along the sides of the doors and don't even dare to get on until all those who want to get off have. It's just so impressive how polite Tokyo people are, yet there are more people crammed in Tokyo than any other city in the world.

I always felt safe, too. Sure, there were some quackos running around, singing and stuff, but they really just keep to themselves and pay no mind to other people. When I went to New York, the crazies bothered everyone and asked for money, but in Tokyo, they just mind their own crazy business. It's really quality entertainment! And several times people stopped to ask us if we needed help finding something. It's just quite an exceptional large city.

We stayed on ODaiba, which is actually not a real island, it's reclaimed land created on top of tons of blocks of garbage and waste material. Sounds pretty dodgy, but you would never know the difference and it was really nice and spaced out. The view from our room was spectacular.

We also visited Shibuya, Roppongi, Shinjuku and Hakone to see Mount Fuji. I had climbed it a couple of years ago, but it's always so cloudy I never actually got to see it, just the view from it. So, I was really disappointed when we arrived because we were surrounded by thick clouds all the way. You can even see from the photos how cloudy it was. Inside the ropeway car it looked like a sauna. But, we rode the ropeway with some Russians and that made it more interesting!

Other than that we took part in such luxuries and Subway, Red Lobster and any non-Japanese food we could find!

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Guam was so relaxing and refreshing. It's as American as Tennessee, just with a coast and a ton of Japanese tourists. I have to admit it was fun watching them run around having no clue what to do for a change and me knowing what's goin' on! Of course, I did help them out anytime I could - in fact, I helped a young Japanese girl who was getting ready to tip the TGIFriday's waitress 25 cents. That could have gotten ugly, perhaps...

I mainly just laid on the beach and ate Taco Bell, Lone Star and at other restaurants I missed terribly. I rented a small Toyota Echo and drove all around the island. The scenery was breathtaking!

It was just so nice to be around and speak natural speed English to friendly, down-to-earth Americans for a few days.

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Kyushu remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Japanese Graduation remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Sushi!! remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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No matter what happened in just your day or in your whole life, the sun does always rise again the next morning. And maybe, if you're paying attention and keep your eyes open, you can catch something wonderful like this when you least expect it.

Sunrise remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Mount Daisen in Autumn remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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We actually sat inside a tent and watched the whole process, then, they served us the matcha (ceremonial green tea) and Japanese sweets. Matcha is a little bitter and thick, and our sweets were made from sweet potatoes. Sounds weird, but it was really good!

Tea Ceremony remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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South Korea remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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My birthday! remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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He was always doing the most fun and clever things for everyone, lifting up everyone he knew. He was always taking in stray dogs, one of which was Irwin, who he nursed to health and took care of for many years. He was so bright and clever and funny, and often, he had me laughing so hard at times I doubled over and cried. No one could make you laugh or feel as good as Jack Fagan could.

He leaves behind the most amazing, loving mother who needs your prayers. Please pray for BJ Fagan Croonquist that the Lord will bless her and give her strength through such a sorrowful time.

Thank you for your prayers.

Your prayers are greatly needed remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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I was so nervous I wanted to cry, seriously. Actually, several of the kids were crying and I wanted to start bawling with 'em too. I didn't know what to expect. I thought my sensei, who has trained me all this time, would be doing the testing, but no. Some big scarry dude in a suit from Osaka was there to do it and I couldn't understand half of what he said. But it's all good. He let me pass, shaky knees and all.

I also didn't expect the test to last for three and a half hours! We not only did katas, but our sensei conducted a class as usual and the Osaka inspector watched all of that too. We also had to do other things like push-ups sit-ups and stretching. If we passed the exercise, we had to yell our name out to him. The whole process was surreal.

Karate here is just so different from martial arts in the States. Here, you do the same moves over and over and over until you've perfected one, and then you can learn the next thing. Most of our class time is spent doing basic punches and kicks, and honestly, I was starting to get really bored, but, after testing and finally getting to spar quite a bit, I'm seeing the benefits of repeat, repeat, repeat. Yelling is also important. They judge your power based on your voice, which I still don't get completely, but I can say some of the black belt guys sound really really scary! Maybe I could get my black belt in about eight years - which actually is the average.

It was so strange, but one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. I never thought I'd say I have passed a karate test in Japan!

Karate Test!! remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Me and my Aussie roomate Rebecca went to Kobe last month. Kobe is such a nice city - it's hard to believe it was almost completely destroyed about 10 years ago by an earthquake. It's quite cosmopolitain actually. We managed to find a Turkish restaurant and a great China Town. As a matter of fact, I loved Kobe's China Town more than I actually loved China!

One of my students suggested that we stay at a sauna hotel. Sounds strange, right? It is technically a hotel, but with two floors of onsens (hot springs) and various kinds of saunas and baths. Those were all fantastic. However, we didn't know it was a capsule hotel. It was strange because it looks like some scene out of the Matrix where humans are growing in capsules or something. And, it is does seem like your sleeping in a coffin. We were intrigued with the idea of it all, so we did it and it wasn't so bad. It was really cheap and in a great location. They even had a radio and mini TV inside!

Summer Travel: Kobe remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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After walking around the historic downtown area, I stayed at a ryokan, or Japanese style inn. I had been wanting to stay at a ryokan for a very long time, but never had enough courage to go, but I finally did it!

It was amazing. When I first arrived, the staff were waiting on me at the front and immediately took me into a room where waiting for me was over ten yukatas (Japanese robes) to choose from. I picked out one and they showed me around.

One of the most appealing thing about ryokans is their architecture and design. Everything inside is traditional: tatami floors, Japanese flower arrangements, old wooden walls and sliding doors. The staff wear kimonos and serve your meal and wait on you in old traditional fashion. It's definitely a true Japanese experience that few foreigners are lucky enough to get to experience I think.

There was a gorgeous onsen which overlooked an old traditional Japanese garden. I took a bath three times while I visited there because it was so relaxing and I was always the only one there! I just soaked up in the hot stone bath and looked out over the garden. I don't think I'd been more completely relaxed in all my life. Then, I went up to my room and they brought a traditional Japanese dinner right to my room. By traditional I mean seaweed dishes and miso soup, sashimi, tempura, rice and Japanese style vinegared vegetables. All ridiculously healthy.

After finishing dinner, I went to the onsen again and when I returned back to my room, the attendant had laid out my bed for me. I felt so taken-care-of and pampered. Then the next morning, they served a Japanese breakfast. After checking out, they followed me outside and all bowed, then didn't go back inside until I walked out of sight.

I had always been so nervous and afraid to go to one because I felt like I didn't know enough about Japanese manner and language to not make a huge fool of myself, but, I finally mustered up enough guts to go. And, I'm so glad I did! I knew after living here for a year and a half how wonderfully polite and curteous Japanese are, but after experiencing a night's stay at a ryokan, I'm definitely blown away!

Summer Travel: Kurashiki remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Back to Mount Daisen, again remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long, but really, this summer's been pretty normal after China and Mom and Dad's visit to Matsue - just working and trying to focus on karate and Japanese. I'll be taking a short trip with my Aussi roomate, Rebecca, next week to Kobe and Nagoya. Maybe I'll have some interesting pictures to put up then...

Earthquakes Typhoons and Floods!! remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Of course there are always good and bad points, so I'll get the bad ones out of the way first. Yes, Beijing is very dirty, but not as dirty as I expected as far as the streets and sightseeing places go. HOWEVER, the toilets are a NIGHTMARE! In most places, they have your typical asian style ones, which sometimes require some tricky squatting, but that wasn't the problem because it's the same as Japan, but, in many of the bathrooms they don't have doors! So, there's no much needed privacy (in the most needed time if you ask me), and if there is a door, many times, the women don't close the door!! Okay, so, I'll just have to stop there and you'll have to let your imagination do the rest...

In general, okay, no, keeping totally honest here, 9 out of 10 people were not nice, polite or kind whatsoever (in the Western and Japanese sense). Upon checking in to the hotel, there was no kind greeting, "welcome to China," nothing, just "What's your name" and "here's your key." I tried to change money at the hotel, which clearly they said they do 24 hours a day, but each time, they just said "no," and "we have no money." It's really quite shocking. Having worked in a hotel for four years, I'm going to be even more appauled at this type of "service." Anytime I bought something at the supermarket or any shop, they never say "thank you" and even I know thank you in Chinese. They just hand your change to you and move on to the next customer. At the hotel, once they don't want to talk to you anymore, they just put their head down and start doing something else. Really shocking.

On the first day, I decided to go to the Forbidden City, where all the old Chinese emperors lived. It is the most famous place in Beijing, and maybe, second to the Great Wall in being the most famous place in China. So, I took a taxi there, which was about a six or seven minute ride. Boy do I wish I had walked. I didn't notice that the taxi driver had not turned on the meter. When we arrived, he said, "YOU, GIVE ME MUCH MONEY!" He wanted about 15 US dollars. I was really shocked. I looked at the meter and it was off, but I knew that taxis in Beijing were supposed to be really cheap, so I said, "but it wasn't very far, very close..." He yelled at me again. It was my first day, so I was so scared and nervous, so I just gave him the money and got out.

In every shop and restaurant I was treated with this same kind of attitude. But, after I got my bearings and felt a little more confident about being there alone, I realized I'm just going to have to suck it up and be agressive myself and stop letting them push me around. After about three days, I'd had enough.

My first "Raging Southern American Woman Tourist Monster" incident was when I went to change money again. I went to the desk and asked kindly to change Japanese traveler's checks to Chinese Yuan cash. But again, the clerk said, "No." Just "no." I went off. I raised my voice a bit and said, "Look. YOU are the worker. I am the customer. I don't think you understand this. I need money and I need it now!" She said, "We have no money." Ya know, it's not as if she can't speak good English either because I heard her talking to other customers before and she is fully capable of handling this situation. The Chinese actually speak much better English than here in the Japanese countryside, but I would never be treated this way in Japan, English or no English. So, I was lit up, so I said, "I don't care. That is your fault you don't have any money. I am not going to be inconvenienced anymore. Either you exchange this now, or you go get someone to get it for me." She said, "you can got to a bank." And then I just said, "Get your manager out here RIGHT NOW." She went in the back and I heard her talking to someone and when she came back, she said, "Manager said, no money." I said, "I didn't tell you to ask him anything I told you to tell him to come out here RIGHT NOW." Again, she went in the back and when she came back this time, she said, "Okay, I change money."

AHHHHHHH!!! This situation drove me nuts, but it was a catalyst for my next, "Revenge of the Raging Southern American Woman Tourist Monster." I had to take another taxi that day, and this time, the ride was about 25 minutes. Again, the driver didn't turn on the meter, expecting to bully a stupid blonde western tourist out of more cash. But, no, I had popped. When we arrived he said, "You, give me 150." That's about $20 and that's about 300 times too much money. I had learned by talking to other tourists that they charge about 2 yuan per kilometer. So, I said, "NO. You didn't turn on the meter. That's too bad. I don't know the cost. We'll negotiate. Here." So I gave him about three dollars, which really is about the right amount. But he was so mad. He started yelling in Chinese and I'm sure I'm glad I couldn't understand. Then he said, "NO, very much more money." I said again, "you didn't turn on the meter," and he said, "No meter, no meter." But I then pointed right to in and said, "ON, you didn't turn ON! Bye bye." Then I got out and slammed the door. I thought he might come after me but he just sped off, probably because he did get paid the right amount, but was angry that he couldn't screw me over.

I was also lied to when I took a tour to see the Great Wall. There are several tourist spots to see the wall, but only one was opened to group tours and buses, at Badaling. So, I signed up for a tour that said we would spend two hours at the Ming Tombs and two hours at the Great Wall. I was excited about the Ming Tombs because 13 emperors have large tomb structures scattered throughout the countryside about an hour outside Beijing. The countryside is what I really wanted to see anyway and the history of these places is fascinating. Or so I imagined it would be. On the tour, we actually ended up spending 20 minutes at the tomb and an hour at the Great Wall. Other parts NOT included on the itenerary were an hour visit to a jade factory (which was okay because I love jade) and three hours at some type of market where our tour guide made commission on what we bought. I was so frustrated because I had come all this way to see the Great Wall for one hour. I had imagined myself climbing to the top of a mountain, looking all around at the most incredible scenery I've ever seen, not stuck in a swarm of tourists and not even able to get to the top because of old German ladies trying to climb with their canes and holding up the lines. Considering I only had a hour here, that was obviously impossible.

The next day, I asked the incompitent front desk if they knew of any way to get to another section of the wall, and again, just, "no." I also asked how much it would be by taxi and they said, "I don't know, go ask one outside." AHHHHH! And they are going to hold the Olympics here?!? These people are going to be hosting hundreds of thousands of western tourists. Holy moly. Don't stay at the Howard Johnson Paragon if you ever go to Beijing, okay?? Thank you.

So, I did go outside and ask a taxi, but of the two drivers I asked, one just laughed and the other said, "$200 US dollar." Well, forget that.

That night, I went to a restaurant near Tianmen Square, the center of Beijing, and tried the famous "Peking Duck." It was not what I expected. They brought out a plate of chopped greasy flesh and a questionable brown sauce. I tried the white meat and pealed off the skin. It was really good actuallly. So I ate a bit of it until I saw something stange under the mountain of chopped duck. It was the head, beak and all, and the neck hiding at the bottom staring right at me. I almost screamed. I just couldn't eat anymore after that. When I got up to leave, the waitress looked concerned and motioned for me to come back. I went back to the table and she brought out a huge bowl. The "chef" had made a soup from the duck's bones and probably whatever else they could find. Out of politeness, I tried it, but it was just too scary. The waitresses and cooks kept looking at me and kind of giggling at my shock, but I just couldn't eat it.

Although the duck was scary, all the other food I ate in Beijing was really good. The ramen is soooo good and sweet and sour pork is really really good. I tried duck one more time at another restaurant, but I didn't order Peking Duck this time and it was much better. Jasmine and Oolong tea, which is most famous in China is really good too.

Con't to next entry......

China I remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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So, I went to the subway station and stared at the map until I got a handle on how to use it and bought a ticket. Then, after riding it a couple of times, I got a good handle on it and used it the rest of the trip. It's only .25 cents each ride, so it was definitely a much better option than fighting with taxi drivers, eh? And then while I was out, I found a tourist center and saw a brochure on a kung fu show!!! My dream!!! I also asked if there was another place to visit the Great Wall that wasn't swarming with tourists. The man said there weren't any buses there and if I'm desperate to go, I'll have to hire a private car, which would be about $100 for half a day. I didn't want to pay that, but, that's the whole reason why I came to China. So, I talked him down to finding someone to do it for $50. I had paid $40 for the other tour, so I thought this was a great deal. I could go there and stay as long as I wanted and there would hardly by any tourists.

That night, I went to the kung fu show. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY MINDBLOWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had watched so many kung fu movies and used to watch over and over a DVD of a Shaolin Monk show, and of course, studied Shaolin for over two years,so it was a dream come true to ACTUALLY BE THERE, WATCHING IT, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME ON THE SECOND ROW!!!!! They did all the animal forms and some unbelievable katas with broadswords, bo's and other weapons and broke iron plates, laid on nails and swords.... I bawled. I honestly sat there and bawled so many times at the fact that I was sitting there watching this in real life before my eyes. I saw it again two nights later.

The next day, I met my driver to go to Mutianyu to see the Great Wall. It took about two hours to get there and I got to see "real China." I could see houses and local shops from the car, and the mountains were such an interesting shape. They aren't like Japanese or Tennessee mountains. Their really sharp and it looks like God carved them with such detail to make the lines exactly how he wanted. Gorgeous.

Mutianyu was astounding. There was hardly anyone there, and I just walked all I liked around the rims of the tall mountains where the wall was built. I was content. I felt like all I had been through was worth coming to this place. At Badaling, most of the wall there had been rebuilt, so in reality, when you add the million tourists factor, it kind of looked, and definitely felt, like I was at a theme park. But at Mutianyu, only a part of the wall had been rebuilt and the rest was original. So, of course, I walked to the original part and felt like I was actually in history, walking around almost two thousand years ago. The mountain was so high that I could see miles and miles out into the other mountains, and in the distance, there were several buildings where the guards used to stand post guarding the wall. They looked like mini castles out into the distance. I sat at one spot for about an hour by one of the old army posts and let my mind wonder. The view brought me to tears, which were tears of relief that I had finally done here what I wanted to do and all the drama that let up to this, and tears of joy, that I was sitting right at that moment on the Great Wall of China and I never thought my life would have turned out for me to have a moment like this. Also, it was a moment where I realized, wow, I've lived in Asia for one year on my own. I can't believe I've done that. This is the ninth country I've been to, the fourth in one year, and a little over a year ago, I was a clueless countrygirl from East Tennessee, completely confused and down and out about my life. Truly spectacular. I spent about four or five hours walking around there and met some other tourists throughout the day from Sweden, Pennsylvania, Israel and Germany of course. It was a day I'll never forget the rest of my life. Yes. Definitely one to tell the grandkids.

On the way back to the parking lot, I cringed when I got to the bottom of the mountain and saw a narrow alley filled with vendor sharks. There weren't many tourists here this time of year, but it didn't stop them from setting up camp. They saw me coming and immediately, again, "LADY LADY HEY LADY HERE SHOPPING HEY LADY!!!" I walked quickly through them, but then I stopped when I saw something I just had to have. An official Chinese army hat, ya know, the big puffy brown fur ones with a red star in the middle. I just had to get it. So, I asked the old man how much it is and he said, "Special price for you, 350 yuan." I pretended to choke. Luckily, I had a little negotiating experience under my belt from Thailand and Cambodia, but the Chinese are much more brutal. 350 yuan is about $44. That's insane. So, after my choking spell I walked off, and of course he came running after me. He handed me a pencil and paper and said, "You, what price." I had really had enough of these annoying vendors, so I decided to aggrevate them back. I wrote down 10. He started dying laughing and walked over to a group of old men who had been watching and showed them the paper. They started laughing really hard too. I was just amusing myself and apparently them too. He asked me where I was from and I said, America. So, he handed me the paper again and said, "One more." So I wrote down 20. Again, histerical laughing. Then, he put the hat on my head and held up a small hand-held mirror. It looked ridiculous but he said, "Ohhh, so beautiful." Then, I started to walk away again, and he said, "Okay, special for you, 200." Again, that is crazy, so, I pulled out a 50 yuan bill and said, "only money, no more." When I started to walk away for the last time, he said, "Okay okay, 50 okay." I took the hat. gave him the bill and walked away very quickly, but as I was walking away I heard the old men laughing, and one of them yelled in English, "CRAZY!! CRAZY AMERICAN WOMAN!! HA HA HA HA!!"

The other vendors saw that I had bought something, so I was really getting harassed on the way to the parking lot. There was just no way to escape. So, I figured, hey, crazy is as crazy does. I ran down the alley, covering my ears and yelling, "la la la la la." Many of them were laughing and some of them just staring, kind of freaked out by this crazy American woman yelling and running away from them. But again, I had just had enough and I just didn't care what anyone thought at all anymore. I had to do what I had to do to get by and I learned a lot from all of this.

Although most of the trip was pretty bad and I went a little bazerk, of course I don't regret going there at all. The Wall was so amazing and I just have a whole new appreciation for being American and I am so glad to live in Japan. I was especially grateful when I got back to the airport in Osaka and the Japanese workers put my luggage nicely and delicately on the airport bus and all bowed as the bus rode away. I almost cried at that moment, with an all new appreciation for Japan.

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After that we ate "Kimchi Nabe" at Calvin's house. Nabe is like a Japanese vegetable soup and Kimchi is a Korean cabbage salad. I know, it sounds really bazarre but it is sooooooo good!

To think about what I was doing at this exact same time last year, and then to think, sheesh, I just went snowboarding on a Japanese mountain... wow!

Snowboarding!! remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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I tried parasailing and rode a jet ski and again, rented a motorbike and went all around the island. One day, I found a temple that had a "mummy monk" who had been dead for 20 years inside a glass case. I also went to a very exciting and REAL THAI BOXING MATCH!! It was so intense!

One of my favorite days of the whole trip was a tour of the islands on a large speed boat. We went snorkling and sea canoeing around several small, deserted islands, which were about an hour away from Koh Samui. On one of the islands was the Emerald Lake and I have just never imagined water could be that color. From these islands were the most spectacular views!!

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After we got off the train, which was 2 hours late, we got on a bus to the ferry port. When we arrived there, they told us that there were no ferries to Koh Phangan that night. This was a huuuuge problem because we had non-refundable reservations there and we just had no clue where we were or what we should do. They said we could stay in that town overnight, pay for another bus to Krabi, on the other side of the southern strip of Thailand, or, we could buy another ferry ticket to Koh Samui because, "Government say no ferry, dangerous ocean today." You know, we had just gotten screwed over so many times that I automatically smelled a rat. I got a little tisky with one of the staff and he finally said that we could probably get to Koh Phangan if we first go to Koh Samui. Which all that of course means, buying another bus ticket to another port AND buying another ferry ticket. So, we went to Koh Samui and sure enough, we could in fact go to Koh Phangan from there. We normally would have been so angry because we missed a whole day on the island because of their scam, but, we were so glad to finally get to our resort that we just couldn't get too upset about it.

Our resort was great though. Our bungalow was pretty nice and the beach was great. Koh Phangan is much less developed than Koh Samui, so at times, we were the only ones out on the beach! I enjoyed getting up pretty early a couple of mornings and walking along the beach. I felt like I owned the whole thing! You just wouldn't believe how many coconut trees there are along the beach either. One late afternoon, I found a coconut that had just fallen from the tree and took it to the maintenance man at our resort and asked him to open it for me. He made a small hole for the straw and I drank the milk. When I finished that, he opened it up and I ate the coconut inside. A couple of days, we went to the local market and got fresh pineapples and ate them while we were sunbathing. The fruit was soooo delicious!

I also really enjoyed renting a motorbike and riding around the island. There were so many little jungle roads that were so secluded that all I could see at times were forests of coconut trees and rivers. I literally rode all the way around the island over the course of the week, stopping whenever I liked to catch an overlook for a fantastic view. It was absolutely gorgeous. One day, I was riding around and found an old Chinese temple on top of a small mountain. I was the only one there, besides a little old Chinese lady that was cleaning the steps. From the temple, I could see out to the ocean, so I just walked around and enjoyed the spectacular view for about half the day - I just didn't want to leave.

We had a couple of very rainy days when we got there so we were kinda bummed out for a while. But by Christmas Eve, the weather cleared up. That night, I had Christmas Eve dinner on a restaurant situated on a cliff overlooking the ocean and the next island over, Koh Samui. After I got back to the bungalow, a group of Thai people from a Christian church came by and sang carols. I was so excited because I was actually missing Christmas at home and they were so adorable singing with their heavy Thai accents. I have a video of them singing, so if you want me to email it to you just let me know... Anyway, they invited me to their Christmas program the next night, so, I went and it was again, just so adorable. I have pictures of that below. We had Christmas dinner with our "Adopted Travel Mom" and her family from Canada. It was very very good, but I have to admit it was a little strange having a barbeque and fighting off mosquitoes during Christmas dinner!

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I wasn't expecting a beautiful relaxing time here, I just really wanted to see Angkor Wat and that's all I imagined about Cambodia before I actually got there. It's just an experience I'll never forget.

Our hotel in Siem Reap was ironically amazing. That's what's so strange about Siem Reap. On one side of the road, you've got a four-star hotel with a huge swimming pool and valet parking, on the other, a dirty, smelly, run-down shack with people begging you for a dollar as you walk by. It's just stange because they've tried to boost tourism so much and so soon after a major war that they just haven't recovered. It's just so surreal because you are literally in paradise and a war-torn place all at once. You can still see the burned buildings and so many of the people I saw had such blank and dark expressions on their faces. They are actually very kind people and I never really felt unsafe, it's just that they had zero joy about them at all - but they really have no reason to have any, especially compared to the lives that you and I have. I think that's why I took so many pictures of just people in Cambodia.

Cambodia made me think about so many things, especially how extremely lucky and blessed I am. You know, a bad day for us is getting a speeding ticket or having a cold. A typical day for them is trying to walk around with one leg and/or one arm, bathing in a dirty river (which is also the city's sewage) and begging for their next meal. Once, a boy about seven years old hobbling with one leg came up to me and asked me for a dollar. I know that most believe that giving money to someone who's begging only makes the problem worse, but I thought, "what else is this boy gonna do?" Plus, it's not his fault that landmine was there... But, after I gave him money, many other kids saw me and they all started asking for money too. It was a bad situation and I just had to stop after that because it caused a big scene, definitely not what we wanted.

If you're like me and you didn't know about what happened in Cambodia in the late 70's, you must read about the Khmer Rouge, a radical political party who took control of Cambodia and massacred over 2 million of their own people in an attempt at genocide. If you spoke French, you were murdered. If you wore glasses, you were murdered. If you owned a business or lived in the city, you were murdered. They believed that Cambodia should be cleaned of any trace of anyone who could possibly oppose their communist ideals, so only countryside peasants were spared. It is gut-wrenching to even read about what happened to people. They took groups of innocent people out into the jungle and mass-murdered them by beating them to death and they had the "work camps" similar to those of Hitler's. It is pretty much a Cambodian holocaust. I just didn't realize all of this while I was there, and, I guess at the time it was better that I didn't.

The first night in Siem Reap, we went to a dinner theatre where they had a huge buffet and a traditional Cambodian dance show. It was incredible. The food was so wonderful, it was like very very good and high quality Chinese food, and it's not as ridiculously spciy as some Thai food is.

So, the second day, I went to Angkor Wat. It is truly spectacular. The day I was there it was quite cloudy and there were hardly any tourists, so I really felt completely consumed by it. There are so many narrow, shadowy corridors to walk through. You really feel like you have been transported to and ancient place in an ancient time. There were many monks walking around, so at some points, I could see only ancient ruins and monks praying or appearing to be comtemplating something deep. I actually had a nice conversation with one who had actually been to California. I was really shocked when he came up to me and asked me where I was from because I didn't think they were allowed to talk to women, but he said we couldn't hands and he couldn't look me in the eye, but, he was allowed to practice his English with foreigners. We talked for quite some time about Cambodia and what's it's like for him to live there. He said he loves Cambodia, but his heart is always sad there. I really just can't describe the feeling of walking around Angkor Wat, so I really hope my pictures can say a lot.

The last day in Cambodia, we went to the markets and got Cambodian massages. They were relaxing, but also a little violent! Barbara actually ended up with bruises! They do a lot of stretching as well as deep massaging, but I felt great afterwards. The markets have just as much of an aggressive vibe as those in Cambodia. People are always yelling at you to come look in their shop. They are very quick to haggle though. The only time I coudn't haggle though was in a store that was run by the most charming and adorable little girl, maybe about 8 years old, and I actually gave her more than what she asked for. I got a picture with her too as well as you can see toward the bottom.

That night, we went on a boat ride to "The Floating City" which leads out to a huge lake named Tonle. So many people were living on the river, mainly for fishing. It was, well, it was life-changing. I knew people in the world lived like this, but, to see it up-close in person is remarkable. Again, we had groups of children coming up to us begging for money. Families lived in very small, one-room huts made of straw and sometimes light wood and were taking baths in the very dirty river, which I just didn't understand. The communities were divided up between Cambodian, Vietnamese and Muslum and everyone stays on their side of the lake.

We rode out to the lake and our tour guide was telling us that many people die each year living around Tonle Lake because of sudden flood during the rainy season. I didn't feel to good at that moment needless to say. He said when he was young, his brother drowned in the lake when he went fishing. I asked why then did people still live here when they know it's dangerous, and he said that this place is all they know and they don't care because they can catch the most and best fish here. We stayed to watch the sunset and headed back to our hotel as quickly as possible after that.

Visiting Cambodia just completely changed my life and how I view everything and everyone around me.

Cambodia remains copyright of the author jbennett, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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