say hello, wave goodbye

After six wonderful weeks and one last minor bout with food poisoning (I'll spare you the details!), it was time to leave Kien Svay. I hope to have shown you that this is a beautiful country. Cambodia has shown me that it's people have much hope and that there are driven, intelligent people making efforts to improve quality of life for them. They are content and love their homeland! I hope I get to return someday, who knows. Maybe I don't know, as my Khmi friends in the medicine room say. :-)

I'm thankful to RDI for helping structure the experience. The organization is doing great things in Kien Svay and all over the country. Please check out their website if you haven't yet. (www.rdic.org)

I'm thankful for the many great volunteers I was able to work and play alongside. Jem reap sua!

priceless!

Actually, "you pay one dollah" according to the lay Cambodian photographer. We pay one dollar for him to use our camera! But it was worth it, wouldn't you say?

Angkor Wat got the shaft!

As the title suggests, I'm a tad bitter that Angkor Wat did not get selected as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. But it hasn't phased temples - no, they've been standing just the same for nearly 1000 years. It was amazing to see the temples, realizing you could spend weeks exploring the intricacies and wondering how the heck they were built in the first place.

Angkorian adventure

Caleb, Woods, and I boarded the Mekong Express bus for Siem Reap this weekend to tour the ancient temples. Our first morning in town we woke up at 5am to catch sunrise at Angkor Wat. We hopped on our bicycles, which were equipped with bells and baskets, and arrived in time to see a magnificent scene. We toured several temples, biking a total of 30 miles (50km) over the day! Caleb was able to shock and amuse many of the Cambodians with his command of the language. At one stop along the way, 3 Khmi ladies were trying to entice us with cold water and food. Caleb got off his bike and shouted to them in Khmi, "My butt is so sore." They cracked up. The women replied that a butt massage was not included with the water. We spent time climbing the temples, up nearly 90 degree angles! The carvings are also really amazing.

I will post some photos soon. How are you?