Dear Mrs. Ha,

 

We returned home late Monday evening and went right to work Tuesday morning (the difference between total luxury and abject slavery! J).

 

We want to thank you again for all your kindnesses of arranging the tour (there must have been hundreds of details to attend to), for assisting to contact the guide in Phnom Penh, and for the beautiful gifts of the tie and scarf.  We will really treasure them.  We had SUCH a good time, we  enjoyed everything and learned so much.

 

We have never travelled in this way before, with everything arranged and with personal guides (we called them our baby-sitters J).  We really liked it: (1) it saved a lot of time, we didn’t have to look for restaurants, and we had many wonderful meals; (2) we had the opportunity to ask our guides questions about the culture and to try new things (sticky rice cooked in bamboo, palm sugar) that we might never have found otherwise; (3) we could take additional time or alter the plan when necessary; and (4) we always felt very safe.  There was an excellent variety of activities.

 

We just adored our guides.  Each one had a different personality, each one worked hard to see that we had a good experience.
Would it be possible to have their email addresses?  If yes, we would like to write them.

 

The only problem we had at all was in Phnom Penh, when the guide did not meet the boat.  But I do believe there was a confusion of time, as our schedule said 8:00-13:00, but the boats left early and arrived at 12:00.

 

We have just two suggestions:

Cara Hotel, Phnom Penh – beautiful hotel, helpful staff, good location.  Our balcony room happened to be located at the front of the hotel.  A nightclub had just opened across the street, and the loud music, into the early morning hours, made it difficult to sleep.  If someone else requests this hotel, you might advise them to take a room in the back, or perhaps just a different hotel.

 

When the schedule has a large number of activities (for example, HCM tomb, cottage, pagoda, temple of literature, ethnology museum, ancient quarter), the guide might ask at the beginning of the day if the clients have priorities (so, if the ethnology museum is expected to be the highlight, sufficient time will be saved for it).

 

We always find after travelling, that a piece of our hearts has remained behind.  We remain forever connected to the people we met and the places we visited and  the news from that country.

 

So—thank you for all your hard work which made this experience possible for us.  We do hope to travel in Southeast Asia again and will definitely contact you.

 

All best wishes from

Your friends in North Dakota,

Diana Skroch and Joe Stickler

 

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