Most Inspirational Moment
I loved Angkor Wat and I was horrified by the Killing Fields. But, strangely, for me, there was two inspirational moments. One was Ly explaining how Buddhism helps people move on from the regime - whether that works for everyone or not is another thing, however taking those concepts on board is healthy for all of us. The other was the stilt village near Tonle Sap lake, built to cope with the massive increase in water levels during the monsoon. Seeing their resilience and acceptance was, again, another lesson to take on board.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ly is one of the best group leaders I have experienced with Exodus - and I have probably been on around 15 or more trips now. His expertise and experience showed through, never rushing us, always foreshadowing, always being able to supply what was needed. He was the exemplary host, proud of his country, his family, his culture whilst also recognising what was not quite so great. And, of course, the stories he shared of his and his family's experiences added a resonance that we need when we are trying to comprehend the horrors of human behaviour
Advice for Potential Travellers
There is a surprisingly large amount of down time on this trip and, for a couple of us, that was quite hard to adjust to - taking a few novels helped me - but maybe its not such a bad thing really. Mainly, go now. Cambodia is changing fast now, there is a lot of building going on, the government are trying to move it forward. We went to Koh Rong island, which is idyllic -however, we came across the building site for a multistorey glass fronted hotel and heard tell of the airport being built. Everywhere has to evolve, take the chance to see a phase in Cambodia's story before it disappears. And there is plenty to do in Siem Reap if you can extend - I definitely would have seen more of Angkor Wat and also the centre for the landmine seeking rats if I had stayed longer.