Vietnam Cambodia and Thailand

These are countries that we never imagined visiting, and they are a striking contrast to what we have seen to date.  The first thing we noticed was the amount of debris and garbage scattered along the roadways.  The wiring systems are positively amazing.  Hundreds of wires span the distance between poles and large coils of excess wire and a rat's nest of connections adorn each pole.  The countries are also similar in terms of the level of poverty and smog, and heat, and humidity.
The other common and very remarkable feature of these countries is the amazing number of scooters and small motorcycles on the roads.  I lost count of how many families of four we saw riding one scooter.  In Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon in the old days) they have 33 road fatalities a day.  Our bus swerved twice to avoid bodies strewn on the road from scooter accidents.
Each country is relying on tourism to grow, especially in Cambodia where, around Angkor Wat, in the last five years many new five star hotels have sprung up with full facilities, huge guest rooms and great buffet meals at a fraction of the cost of similar amenities in North America and Europe.  Just don't drink the water.  
The most fascinating aspect of Vietnam and Cambodia was listening to the history of each country, particularly the number of wars that have occurred throughout the past 100 years and the impact these conflicts have had on the countries.  Even Thailand has been warring with Cambodia as recently as last April but supposedly they are currently friends again.  The most developed country is Thailand and annually they have 10 million tourists that just come for one day alone, not including other tourists for longer durations.  In both Cambodia and Thailand we got a sense from our tour guides of high dissatisfaction with their governments.  All of the countries operate on bribes in one form or the other.   
The sites we saw were one of a kind like the laquer factory in Hanoi and the Temple of the Sun Goddess.  Angkor Wat is a spectacular set of ruins that goes on and on and on.  By the end of the day I was templed out but an interesting one was Ta Prhom temple where the trees growing around and on and even into the temple walls looked as it they were designed as part of the site.  Angkor Wat is a spectacular place where one can easily spend a few days but be sure to bring deet and lots of it. The highlight in Bangkok was the Royal Palace with many of the buildings covered in 24karat gold, which helps to explain why the king is worth 33 billion.  This overland trip has been stimulating and thought provoking with a view of the world that we never thought we would see.  Next stop Singapore. 

Cruise tip:  In Angkor Wat US dollars are the currency but just make sure that they are not torn or looking old or else they will return them to you and ask for replacements.

Princess sea definition: Limey (looking for verification from our British friends)
The reason British sailors are known as Limeys stems from the 18th and 19th century when the navies of the world were providing their crews with fresh citrus fruit rich in vitamin C to prevent scurvy.  Whilst most navies opted for lemons, the British opted for limes, because although they are lower in vitamin C , they were cheaper and more readily available from British Caribbean territories.  British ships subsequently became known as lime juicers and their crews Limeys.