The Joy of Traveling

 During our final visit to the hospital on Thursday the 9th, we met with a doctor who filled out Shirley's "fit to fly" form.  The doctor recommended that we return to the US for Shirley to continue her recovery.  The form he signed indicated that she was able to return by commercial flight, but also suggested that for her comfort, it should be in business class. With form in hand, I sent copies to both our travel agent and the travel insurance company.  The local representative got back to us with two options:  one flying Sunday and another flying Monday for $1000 less.  They suggested we run them both past the insurance company to make sure they would pay the bill. When we sent it on, the insurance company responded within an hour and indicated they had found a flight - for even less - that departed Saturday morning. As it was now Friday afternoon, we decided to cut our sightseeing short and get back to the hotel to pack up.   The short notice f...

Sorry to have left you hanging. Our last 36 hours in Phnom Penh were rather hectic and we ended up being medically evacuated on relatively short notice.  We’re now back in the US and recovering from our jet lag and setting up follow-up appointments with Shirley’s doctors.  Here’s a recap of our last day and a bit in Cambodia: Friday, November 10. This was to be Shirley’s first day without having to have an IV infusion.  Unencumbered by hospital appointments, our guide suggested a morning tour of the National Palace, followed by a visit to the National Museum.  While that was the plan, it was not to be. We arrived at the palace and as we were exiting the car, another guide who knew Nara approached and told us not to bother.  The King had decided to pray at Silver Pagoda inside the palace complex and the entire palace grounds were closed for the morning until he finished. We hopped back in the car and headed over to the National Museum.  Nara had borr...

 As I mentioned in a previous post, today November 9 is the 70th anniversary of Cambodia's independence from France.  We knew there was to be a riverfront fireworks display at 7 pm, so we ventured up to the bar on the 44th floor of our hotel in hopes that we could see it.   It's a rather strange experience to look down at a fireworks display, but the bar turned out to be a perfect venue to see the show about 2km away.   We were treated to another even more spectacular light show courtesy of Mother Nature, as we had a fantastic lightning storm as well that night.  During the fireworks to our east, they sky to the south seemed to try and one-up the human-made display. While the fireworks lasted barely a half an hour, the lightning continued through most of the night.  We're told it is very common this time of year and we've seen lightning most nights since arriving in Phnom Penh. Fireworks in the distance.

Thursday Shirley completed her last IV infusion and we met with the cardiologist who signed the "Fit to Fly" documentation needed for our homeward bound trip to be arranged.  We were picked up at the hospital by our guide & driver and we ventured about an hour outside of town to Choeung Ek, the site of memorial to the victims of the Khmer Rouge Killing Fields.   Prior to the Khmer Rouge reign of terror (1975-1979), this site had been a cemetery for Chinese families living in Phnom Penh.  It became one of thousands of mass grave sites around the country used by the Pol Pot regime as they attempted to ethnically cleanse the country.  In all, somewhere between 1.3 to 1.7 million people were executed in these Killing Fields.  Another million-plus died of disease or starvation during the period. This particular site has had the remains of roughly 20,000 people recovered.  Trucks arrived several times per week at first and then several daily as the pace ...

As our adventure in SE Asia comes to a rather abrupt end, I look back to some of the planning I did for which I am very grateful.  I wanted to share some tips that paid big benefits for us.  Some related to the medical crisis we encountered, others are useful for any international travel. Before Traveling 1.       A good travel agency is worth their weight in gold I cannot say enough great things about Audley Travel .   They were there for us every step of the way.   They have a 24/7 Duty Officer always available and have worked to coordinate the necessary changes to our Itinerary. Their local partners in both Vietnam and Cambodia have been so supportive of us during very trying times. 2.    Buy travelers insurance Nobody wants to think something bad will happen on their trip, but the reality is that for many, something will.   Be it a medical emergency, your luggage getting lost or stolen, a travel agency going bankrupt, polit...

I remember a family car trip to Canada when I was nine years old. We had some car troubles and ended up spending an unexpected day in Calgary - only to discover the Calgary Stampede was in in progress.  The lesson I learned that day is that sometimes plans change and you stumble upon a great surprise. While our trip to Cambodia did originally include three days in Phnom Penh, had things gone according to plan we would have departed this morning for our Mekong River Cruise.  Instead, we spent the morning at Royal PP Hospital again for outpatient treatment #2.   Shirley was feeling a bit better, so I contacted our guide, Nara and arranged to be picked up at the hospital and we went for car tour of the city.  And that's when the the surprise was discovered.  Cambodia gained independence from France in 1953.  Their independence day is November 9 - that's tomorrow.  According to Nara, while they celebrate every year, every tenth year they go all out....