Journey of contrasts Part 1

We've done it. A great treat in a stressful time of great changes. We hopped on Queen Mary 2 for the Singapore-Cambodia-Vietnam-China-Hong Kong sector. All I can say is that it was an amazing trip and a great convenience to travel this way visiting few extremely exciting countries.

sun bathing on see days

Cambodia was in the end a quite sad but a very eye opening experience. To see poverty in these dimensions makes you appreciate even more what you've got and how lucky you are. We probably will never go there again but it's only because we have a choice. People born there don't really have a choice ... We had a lovely tour guide who was still proud of his country and wanted to show us all the highlights. It was very challenging for him not to show us the real life though.

So here are few shots from Cambodia:

isn't she beautiful?

our tenders going back and forth to the shore

Cambodian fishing boats

extremely good housing

gorgeous kids @ school

people trading whatever they can get their hands on

kitchen in a display home

At the end of the day we were taken to a 5-star resort for refreshments. This is what you will see in the colorful travel brochures and guides:

But even from there, with an average lense, you can capture the real life ...

It felt good to be boarding the tender back to the ship. Our tour guide had to stay on shore and kept waving good bye till we lost sight ... This was Queen Mary 2's very first visit to this place.

no real port or terminal, just our tents and a little market set up just for us

just back in time for a fancy dinner - how pathetic ...