A Long Flight and a Cyclo Tour of Phnom Pehn

12/28/12 9:15 pm by Matt Hansan

We finally arrived in Cambodia after over 24 hours of traveling, but sadly our luggage didn't make it on time. After about a two hour delay in Washington D.C., because of some issue with snow and de-icing the plane, we finally took off. We got off our toy-sized jet and we were immediately in panic mode. We  were originally supposed to have a 3hr layover in JFK but because of the delay it was now a rush to get on an international flight in less than an hour. All eleven of us began sprinting to get to the next terminal. After weaving through the airport we reached the check-in desk for Korean Airlines, and we were told that we might not even make the flight. That was a possibility they would hold the flight for us (and they did) but one certainty was that we wouldn't be able to get our luggage transferred in time. Instead our luggage was flown into Siem Reap and then driven to the Phnom Pehn Hotel, arriving half a day later around noon.

Our first day was filled with mixed emotions. The early morning consisted of riding on cyclos which took us to the Royal Palace. The Royal Palace is both a religious and political shrine, and after spending about an hour and half looking at the elegant and stunning statues, gardens, and temples we headed back to our cyclos to take us back to the hotel (and our luggage). As we were getting re-acquainted with our cyclos, the tour guide asked me if I wanted to take the reins and cycle myself and my cyclo biker back to the hotel. I was delighted to have this once in a life time opportunity, and so I quickly said yes and hopped onto the bike. It was so much fun but also pretty tiring. I quickly picked up on how to get in and out of lanes, even with the horrible motorcycle traffic. I soon began to go from the back of the pack to the front, passing everyone and loving their flabbergasted faces as they noticed I wasn't riding it but driving it myself. After a good fifteen minutes I pulled into our hotel, tired but excited about what I had just done. It was something that I don't think happens often so I am thankful I had this opportunity. So far the trip hadn't been going great with the luggage but I think the cyclos really brought our spirits up and kicked off the beginning to an extraordinary trip.

(More to come tomorrow on our afternoon experiences at the Killing Fields and the Museum of War Crimes.  We are all still trying to process the stories told and evidence witnessed and we need to get a good night's sleep.)