Where Was I?
Cambodia
Total Flights: 1
Luang Prabang > Siem Reap
When Did I Go?
Nov 21 – Nov 25
Currency
Cambodian Riel
Cambodia was another quick stop as I only had about four days in the country. While it was a short trip, I packed a lot into the four days and really loved it. It included one of the word’s largest and most famous religious monuments, celebrating holidays (both Cambodian and American), and a diabetic incident.
Cambodia
I was still on the group tour through this part of the trip and we took our first flight of the tour from Laos to Siem Reap.
The Best Thing I Saw in Cambodia
There were a lot of options to go with here but in terms of what I actually saw it would be tough to put anything ahead of Angkor Wat at sunrise.
This was one of those things you have to do if you’re in this part of the world and it was pretty spectacular to see in person. It’s really an experience to arrive in darkness and then slowly watch as the sun begins to appear over the top of the temple, which created quite a visual.
After watching the sunrise and getting some pics, we were able to tour the temple which was also a treat. We spent the rest of the morning and afternoon seeing some of the other temples around Siem Reap, which were not quite as large and not as famous as Angkor Wat, but still pretty amazing in their own right.
Other Highlights in Cambodia
Thanksgiving in Siem Reap
This was a last minute arrangement that ended up working out better than I imagined. While I originally was hoping to simply find a place that served turkey, I ended up finding an American cafe/restaurant in Siem Reap that was serving a full Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans, mashed potatoes, yams, and some pies for dessert. I was joined by the only other American on the tour and a guy from Mexico, who was experiencing his first Thanksgiving dinner. The meal was outstanding and the manager, who was from the U.S., couldn’t have been nicer and more welcoming.
Seeing Angkor Wat in the morning, enjoying a Thanksgiving dinner in the afternoon, and attending a Cambodian circus at night made for a day I won’t forget.
The circus was another highlight of the Cambodian trip, but I didn’t take any photos. It was kind of like a local Cirque du Soleil type show, with acrobatic performances mixed with humor and music. I’d definitely recommend going if in Siem Reap.
Cambodian Water Festival
We were fortunate to be in Cambodia during Bon Om Touk, also known as the Cambodian Water Festival. It’s one of their most festive holidays and attracts Cambodians from all over the country into the big cities. The biggest celebration of this was in Phnom Penh, where we were for the last two nights in Cambodia. There were firetrucks spraying water into crowds of people, boat races in the river, a giant carnival with rides, games, and food, and hundreds of thousands of people on the streets. Despite the late night fireworks never going off, it was fun to see how the locals celebrated this time of the year and trying some of the local Cambodian street food was very interesting.
The Sugars
Highest high: 152
Lowest low: 37
Avg Morning: 69 (nice)
Avg Afternoon: 86
Avg Night: 102
Insulin Pods: 2
Avg Basal Rate: 1.10
Emergency sugar supply: Skittles, glucose tablets, energy drinks
My sugars were pretty steady through the festivals and holidays in Cambodia. I was getting used to storing my insulin in the refrigerators in each location and then packing the vials in my Frio bags when we would go to the next city. At the hotel in Phnom Penh, we didn’t have a mini fridge in the room so I had to store my insulin in the community refrigerator in the lobby. When I was loading my Frio bag around check out time, I noticed that one of my vials had cracked and most of the insulin inside had leaked out. I’ve had insulin vials for nearly eight years and I’ve never seen one crack or break, despite occasionally dropping them on the floor. I still don’t know if this one had fallen or if it could have cracked from the temperature inside the refrigerator, but regardless the reason, the insulin was gone. That’s a few weeks worth of insulin down the drain and with only travel insurance, each vial of insulin is worth a lot of money in the U.S. This was depressing, but there really wasn’t anything I could do. I tried using athletic tape to save what was left of the vial, but it was a lost cause. I had to toss the vial away, clean up the glass, and move on to my next vial. I still don’t know exactly how this one cracked, but my best guess would be it was dropped and shattered, something that would come up again later in my travels.
Despite leaving on an unfortunate note, Cambodia was another great stop and a place I’d love to see again.
From Phnom Penh, I moved on to Vietnam, a country with so much history and one I was able to visit for a little over two weeks.
Until then,
Jeremy
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