Cambodia, Our 51st State

(PICTURE: Ryan and me at the Royal Palace)

Did you know that Cambodia is part of America? Well, don't feel bad because I had no clue either. It became quickly apparent to me though that indeed Cambodia deserves a star on the old red, white and blue when I saw the first exchange of money--it was in American dollars. That's right, despite having its own currency, Cambodians deal in hard earned Uncle Sam currency. You pay in dollars and then are given dollars in return. However, for small change, instead of quarters, nickles and dimes you're given back Cambodian riel. This was and is totally weird to me. It became even weirder when Ryan, needing cash, went to the ATM and withdrew money in American dollars. Totally bizzare.

Today we're taking a tour of the city in a tuk-tuk, basically a horse and carriage where the horse is replaced by a motorbike. It's the standard tourist transportation around here. It also turns out that I'll be in Cambodia for 14 days, a bit longer than I originally though. On one hand this is really cool since when will I ever again spend fourteen days in Cambodia? However, on the other hand, I just got a taste for Vietnam and want more.