Bouncing out of Cambodia

Picture 801
Originally uploaded by bigquestionmarks.

Cambodia had quite the effect on us... it was an amazing place full of great people. We began to feel like family at the Green Park Village guesthouse in Siem Reap by our 5th day there. We listened to Cambodian pop ("Hey Boy"... by an unpronounceable singer... very catchy) in the car with Hak, and rode Sotee's tuk-tuk around Angkor.

On our last day, we rented some bicycles and headed down a bumpy road to Aki Ra's landmine museum ... which we spent hours engrossed in the stats and info on the state of Cambodia and other countries afflicted with them. We even met Aki Ra, who's the former child soldier who used to lay them, and who's now made it his life's work to dig them up and disarm them. Humbling, that's for sure.

We set out on the bumpy bus ride early in the day, this time prepared for the ride ahead. We landed at the border, caked in dust, relieved to get back onto pavement. And coming back to Bangkok-- which we were so eager to leave two weeks ago-- really felt like we were coming home. Familiar streets, food vendors, even the sound of that annoying bird that woke me up every day. Refreshing, but we wouldn't trade our intense, horrifying, awe-inspiring, and humbling trip to Cambodia for anything.

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After a lot of showering and some beer, the dust is gone, and we've suited ourselves up in, yes, $6 pairs of Birkenstocks (Yippee!), and we're counting the minutes till our bus takes off tonight from Bangkok south to Ko Tao.... the island where we're going to indulge our dreams of becoming scuba divers... time to frolic with fishes (hopefuly not sharks!) and loaf around on the beach like proper bums. Wish you all were here!!!

-Love Dayle and Adrian "?"