Hello to everyone out there for the last time!
We’ve finally reached the end of this crazy journey. Here’s a quick recap of the last few weeks:
After the elephant village, the group headed up to Vang Vieng To do a kayaking trip to Vientienne. It was a lot of fun and just about everyone ( with the exception of Charley and Camille who were talking about the differences between fall an winter coats and not paying any attention) got dunked at least once in the rapids.
From Vietienne we left in two groups to fly to Siem Reap in Cambodia. Several of us got really lucky and get to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to catch our flight! jk none of us felt that lucky at all to tell you the truth. We flew into a ridiculously hot day in Siem Reap (Cambodia is by far the hottest country we have visited). We were lucky enough to be in the city during the water festival and got to see some really cool cultural stuff like the boat races. We also went to go visit Angkor Wat which was another really amazing cultural experience for everyone.
From Siem Reap we headed over to Battambang to volunteer with an organization called Ptea Teuk Dong which helps trafficked girls start their lives over and reintegrate into society. While we were there we helped to put a new roof over their restaurant and dig and put in a drainage system so the compound doesn’t flood during the wet season. We also had a great Thanksgiving complete with pie (and some other tasty but unidentifiable Asian desserts).
After our week of volunteering we went to Phnom Pehn for a little R&R; and a chance to learn a bit more about the Khmer Rouge and the Genocide that occurred in Cambodia not too long ago at S.21 and the Killing Fields.
From there we headed south to the beaches of Sihanoukville to embark on out scuba certification and spent a night on a dive boat finishing our courses. With only 3 days left until we arrive back to the States we are all trying to make the most out of the sunshine and the last leg of the trip.
See you soon!
