You will know from my last report that I am in Siem Reap, Cambodia
visiting the ancient temples of Angkor. But there is something more
modern for which Cambodia has a reputation. It is the Land of Smiles,
and for a visiting sheep like me it is easy to see why. Cambodians are
charming people, they greet visitors with a smile and they smile a lot
in their ordinary every day activities.
Just to show you, we go to a little travel shop in Siem Reap and you
can see the gently smiling Salom holding me. Salom works in the travel
shop with her friend Samoun. On the second day that we go to visit the
temples Salom comes along in the tuk-tuk. Salom is best friends with
Kai who guided us on the first day. So, how lucky can you be? A simple
sheep like me with two pretty girls as guides.
Well, you can get even luckier. When we pull up at the temple of Ta
Prohm there seems to be an endless supply of smiling pretty girls.
Firstly Sarein gives me a cuddle along with her friend Saron in the
cute hat, and of course, they are smiling. Both Sarein and Saron sell
mementos to the many tourists who visit the temples. Then I become the
most popular sheep in Cambodia when all the selling ladies gather
around big-smiling Kai for a picture. It is a hard life for the
selling ladies. There are many, many of them at all the favourite
temples, so it is hard for any of them to make a really good living.
But that does not stop them enjoying each others company through the
day. They are always having a little laugh, a little joke.
The rest of the day becomes a bit of a blur. We have a marvellous ride
out to the beautiful red sandstone temple of Banteay Srei and we see
at least three temples but the problem is Kai and Salom. They have
been best friends since early childhood, they say that they are BFF -
best friends forever. They find such joy in each other that a day in
their company is a day filled with laughs and good fun. So, I really
don’t remember much about the temples.
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