Phnom Penh

The food here in Phnom Penh is unbelievable! Noodle soup for breakfast and Mexican food for lunch. You can get burritos or bowls in the Mexican place, Cocina Cartel. I ate French food here in Phnom Penh, too. Some local food here is fish amok, noodle soup, sweet and sour pork, noodles, and tarantulas.

I also visited the Killing Fields and the Genocide Museum. I was shocked by what I saw and heard about this place. Families were separated and tortured. Almost no one escaped. The Khmer Rouge, who were conducting all of this, did not like the cities or their people. They killed lawyers, teachers, students, monks, and anyone they thought was a threat to their ideas. They forced labor in rice fields.

The Killing Fields was where the graves were. I saw a spirit house that was put in to honor people's elders. Mass graves were everywhere I looked. It was terrible. In the center of it all was the memorial, a pretty building with racks upon racks of skulls. There were signs that said how each person was killed.

From the food to the museums and sites, Phnom Penh is definitely a must see. I almost cried at the Killing Fields, but the rest of Phnom Penh is one of the most cheerful places I've ever been.

Siem Reap in the house

In Cambodia there are many big and unique temples. Some are dedicated to individual Hindu gods. For example, Preah Khan is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, the protector. Preah Khan was made in the first half of the 12th century. Preah Khan was made by King Jayavarman Vll. There were thousands of carvings on the temples.

I said that Cambodia had big temples, but Cambodia also has gigantic temples too. One example is Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat has outer walls and moats, not unlike some other temples near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Angkor Wat is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, the destroyer of evil. The wall carvings of some temples tell the story of everyday chores and activities and battle scenes.

The food here is awesome. The noodles here are the bomb! But people sell street food, too, and not just restaurant foods. Some street food that we ate was fried grasshopper, cricket, beetles, silkworms, frogs, and tarantulas. They were all pretty good. The frogs tasted like chicken and were, by far, my favorite.

The Old Market is a must-see. There is basically everything ever there, from headphones to oranges and tablecloths to paintings. The things there are cheap, too.

This Christmas, I didn't feel like it was really Christmas. I didn't wake up at 4:00 to look at the tree, nor did I see my extended family this year. It didn't even feel cold. It was humid and hot, but I wasn't sad. In fact I really didn't feel like it was Christmas... just another day on the trip.

Singapore in Three Paragraphs Or More

Gardens by the Bay is a gigantic garden near the water. We went to the supertree garden. The supertree garden is an area with giant, fake, trees that light up at night. There is a long bridge connecting the trees in the air. I found out I’m afraid of heights. There was live music, too.

We went on a night safari. It was the coolest! We saw different types of male lions, hippos, rhinos, hyenas, wild dogs, white antelope, etc. Also, I saw the biggest squirrel ever! A Giant Flying Squirrel! Yeah, that is their real name. I saw two clouded leopards, too. Clouded Leopards are now officially on my most-beautiful-things list.

Singapore is so awesome! The buildings here are all unique and tall. One is Marina Bay Sands, three buildings connecting at the top with something that looks like a gigantic cruise ship. Also there is underground street crossings, parks, a big ship loading area, etc. Singapore has been independent for about 50 years.

I love food. Eating different kinds of foods is one of my favorite ways of exploring different cultures. We went to La Pau Sat. La Pau Sat is an area with lots of food vendors. The dim sum was delicious. There is Costa Rican, Korean, Chinese, Singaporean, and others. I can imagine an La Pau Sat in Maple Lawn, Maryland.

Singapore has been independent for 50 years. We have seen red signs with SG50 on them.