An inside look at a travel day from Cambodia to Thailand:
Just a few days ago, I wiped away some tears from my eyes as my students said goodbye. We worshipped together, took some pictures, and then headed out to the truck to leave. But let’s be honest—travel days basically never go as planned. We get out to the road…. which is covered in large piles of rocks. At this point, I just start laughing. This is actually the second time we’ve been trapped in because of large rock piles this month! They say, “Oh. We wait to make flat”. They bring in a bulldozer, move the rocks, and we’re off! Funny.
We have some time to kill before our evening bus ride, so we head to the mall in Cambodia (!) to go see the Hunger Games (!). I eat some soup that looks mostly mysterious to me, and then go with some friends and get a Thai massage. They say it’s like yoga for lazy people. It’s more painful than that, but I walk away relaxed and thankful. We watch a movie together, buy snacks for our upcoming travel day, get a coffee and dinner, and then go back to meet our bus. It’s a great way to celebrate the month.
I’ve prayed that I will spend most of the 15 hour bus ride unconscious. I take a melatonin, put earplugs in, and put on my eye mask that I got from Turkish airlines a few months ago. I forgot to pack a scarf or a sweatshirt for the ride (rookie mistake), but I curl up in a tight ball to stay warm. I wake up once an hour to squadmates getting on the bus. An old teammate takes the seat next to me. We happily reunite and spend the next few hours squished in the little seats. Groggy, happy.
We’re about a mile from the Thailandborder when our bus breaks down. We switch busses (actually about an hour ordeal), travel to the border, and get out. I help unload our packs onto the side of the street. A woman comes up begging and I give her some crackers. From here, we go to the border crossing. It’s its own form of insanity. Everything smells like weird fish, no one quite knows where to go, and we’re all pretty tired. In place of lines, there are mobs. Throw out all concepts of justice here, or you’ll go crazy in this plac;. Everyone cuts everyone, and we’re only moderately confident that we are ever going the correct direction. At points, we literally have to use our bodies as barricades to remain in line. People push push push. My teammate Jenna and I try to start a hum revolution, so we start humming amazing grace. It doesn’t catch on, but it entertains us for a while. 3 hours later, we’re into Thailand!
The squad is mostly behind us, so we start getting the packs. 8 of us carry 53 large packs across the border into carts. My arms are tired little twigs, but I am thankful for the opportunity to care for my squadmmates in this way. I wait with some others for the rest of the group and get a coffee in a shop just outside of the border. 2 hours later, the remainder of the group is through. We pile into minivans for the 5 hour drive to Bangkok.
I alternate between catching up with friends, eating snacks, listening to podcasts, and trying to sleep. We get to Bangkok. I help a friend who’s sick carry in her stuff, and grab mine from the street. A guy on the squad carries my big bag for me. I settle into the hostel. (BLANKETS! AIR CONDIITONING! CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS! REAL TOWELS!) I’m glad to have a real bed. I’m looking forward to this time with my squad. I go with some friends and manage to find vegetables and chicken for dinner. We sit and eat together, thankful for where we’re at.
We will celebrate thanksgiving together tonight. Tomorrow, we will take another 12 hour bus ride to get to our destination for the month: Phuket, Thailand.
