This was really a great trip. One of the things I liked best was the variety of experiences. It worked really well to learn about the culture and experience the countries and then go off on our own to sail.
Cambodia seems like a country still recovering from the Khmer Rouge. Everyone is well aware of family members lost to this regime. They talked about how the standard of living was better in Vietnam primarily because of the Khmer Rouge and then the civil war. While the Cambodian people are held down by their current political situation, it felt like life for the average Cambodia was improving. The Cambodian society seemed very resilient and I am hopeful that life continues to improve for them. Of course visiting Angkor Wat and the other temples was a definite high point of the trip.
With the exception of the royal palace in Bangkok and white temple in Chiangrai we didn’t see a lot of amazing monuments in Thailand but we really got a good feeling for the culture and the people. Generally the people seem happy. They have to be very entrepreneurial to make ends meet. They are very kind and friendly. The Koh Chang island chain is beautiful. We are glad that we didn’t rent a boat in Phuket because we think the experience would have been completely different, a lot more boats and a lot more touristy.