Cambodia Candidly Captured: Part I

[Cambodia]

Step off the plane & my initial reaction?

It’s hot, humid & I can’t stop sweating.  

Impression after two weeks in Phnom Penh:

o    It is still ruthlessly hot & humid (Upon reading travel guides on Cambodia, April is the hottest month with temperature getting to “melt your eye-balls out” degrees of over 102…)

o    The bustling streets are crowded with tuk-tuks, mopeds, bicycles, and Lexus sedans.

o    The air is filled with horns blaring, tuk-tuk drivers yelling for service, “Lady, you need ride?â€�, and Cambodian’s chattering to their neighbors as they sit outside their market stands, hair cutting salons, or bike repair shops.

o    I am only a year older than the average age of the country (which is 22).

o    The country functions as if the last 30 years of technological advances hadn’t happened.

o    Even though the poverty is greater here than any other country we’ve visited, the people are the friendliest! And finally that….  

I LOOOOOOVE CAMBODIA!!!!!!!!!

May 30-31^st

   4 buses. 1 Subway. 2 planes. 5 cities and 3 countries = 40 hours of travel and FINALLY, Cambodia!

We arrive in Phnom Penh after dark and crash at the YWAM base for the night, and meet Chris, our YWAM contact. He gives me the number for our contact, Cecil in Kampong Cham, for Phnom Penh is only a pit stop. Chris informs me that Cecil is leaving soon, but another staff would be in charge so the light is still green to go. Our plan for the morning is simple enough: take our bags via two tuk-tuks to the Capitol bus station, catch a 3 hour ride to the Kampong Cham province and enjoy a lovely month teaching English in the countryside.

April 1^st, and ironically enough, April Fool’s Day.

 

   We awake, load up the two tuk-tuks and head to the bus station…

 

     

 

Tickets to Kampong Cham: Sold out.

 

Ughhh.

 

Get back in the tuk tuk and find another station….sold out.

 

Noooo.

 

Find a third station…tickets! Success!!

 

   Tracy and I return to the team waiting at station 2 like conquering heroes! “We have tickets!!â€� I proclaim waving them high above my head!

 

  The bus doesn’t leave for another hour, so we sit at the busy, crowded station drinking fruit smoothies from the stand next door and laughing when Angela goes to throw hers away and trips and falls into the trash can coming up with banana-smoothie-juice covering her face.

 

   It’s during this time that I call Cecil and let her know when to expect us. “Oh, you are coming today? I’m flying to Philippines in a few hours and no one will be here…I’m sorry, we cannot take youâ€�.

 

My heart plummets to the dirty floor below my feet.

 

“Let me call Chris and get back with you.�

 

   As I wait, I try to get a refund on our tickets…which doesn’t happen…and search for an outlet to charge my phone which is dying, of course, and rack my brains for where a copy of Chris’s phone number could be if he doesn’t call me and I have to resort to contacting him.

 

 

   The latter proved true, and after charging both my phone and computer in a shady outlet in the corner of the station, I speak with Chris and we load up our bags for the fourth time, and ride back to YWAM.

 

 

   Praise the Lord, Chris makes a few calls and finds us another contact in Phnom Penh. Our ministry in the capitol doesn’t start until Monday and it’s currently Friday….what to do with our free weekend?? Umm, spend it in Seim Riep and visit Angkor Wat, of course!

 

   So, we pack our bags and load them in tuk-tuks for the fifth time in 3 hours, and go back to the bus station, which at this point I’m on first name basis with the men at the ticket counter, and we hop on a bus that in 6 hours will take us to the 8^th Wonder of the World!

 

 

April 1-3^rd

Our weekend of being “touristyâ€�….which was AWESOME(!!) & hot.    

 

  

 

               

 

           

  

Left: our incredible tuk-tuk driver that drove us around the temples ALL day

Right: two random boys…see how friendly this country is?!

 

        

 

Left: For 30 minutes this boy persuaded me to buy one of his scarves…I held stong and kept saying no until I actually looked at one, realized they they were cute, and caved 🙂

Right: two women convincing Addie she needs one of the shirts they are selling, “Ohhh, it look so nice on you!” Yeah, she caved too!

Below: Our team at the “tree temple” as we called it. Also where the movies Tomb Raider & Indiana Jones were filmed.

 

          

 

 

Tune in next time to hear about how I was killed in the slums, share a bed with ants, and more reasons why I LOVE CAMBODIA!!