Last days in Cambodia

The night before we left Siem Reap, we took our favorite Tuk Tuk drivers out to the FCC to play some pool and order a few smoothies. We played a few games that were somehow able to include everyone and had a great time. After the FCC we went to dinner, but before that we had to say goodbye to Tony, Pealy, and Mr. Aht, who were by far the best drivers we've had this trip. They made each trip a little bit more fun whether it was teaching us some new phrases or telling a few jokes. It was sad to say goodbye to them, but at least Steve and Karen will be back to see them again, if not some of us as well. We went out to dinner and relaxed for a little while in the old market and also enjoyed a few more games of pool. (I was told not to mention this, but I successfully beat Riege in a game of pool, although he will most likely deny it if you ask him about it) After dinner all of the travelers, Arn and Sayma went to Zone one where we danced and sang Karaoke.

I think that I can speak for us all when I say that this trip has been nothing but amazing.
After leaving Siem Reap, we took a public bus back to Phnom Penh. The bus ride was very long, and although we made a few stops along the way to grab some food and stretch our legs it wasn't the best part of the trip. Most of us were sad to be leaving Siem Reap where we had made new friendships and had been extremely rewarded with being able to help the village whether it was teaching the kids english, or making contributions to allow them to have a healthier community.


We arrived in Phnom Penh in the afternoon, and directly after getting off the bus we were attacked by Tuk Tuk drivers who wanted to take us to wherever we had to go. With a little bargaining Karen managed to get us 6 Tuk Tuks for all of the travelers and all of our luggage. After, we went to the hotel and checked into our rooms and then we all split up. Some of us stayed back at the hotel to relax a little bit, while others went to the Russian Market for a little while to do some shopping until we all had to meet again as a group.

That night, Arn took us to a very nice and relaxing restaurant. It was a Cambodian style restaurant where we all sat on pillows on the floor and ate our food around the table. The food was delicious and the environment was so relaxing that we had to leave before everyone fell asleep there. After dinner, some people decided to explore the city to find some places to play pool until late, while the rest of the went back to the hotel and fell asleep.

This morning we woke up and had a group breakfast at around 8:30 in a nice small place on the top of a building where there was a nice view of Phnom Penh. We then went straight to the U.S. Embassy and met the United States Ambassador. We got the chance to meet with him in a room where it was just us and him. We talked a lot about the issues going on currently in Cambodia, and what he is doing to improve the situation. He also had a lot of questions for us about what we were doing here and why we were doing it. We also got the chance to ask him a few questions, and it was very interesting to hear his point of view on all of the issues going on currently between Cambodia and the rest of the world. He was very laid back and friendly, which made the experience even better.

After meeting the Ambassador, we all split up again and found a few places to have lunch and shop some more. We met up again around 2 to go and see the man who taught Arn how to play the flute. When we got there, Arn was so excited to learn that he remembered him. He's an older man and has started losing his memory. He played a few different songs on the flute for us and also sang some songs. It was really exciting to meet the person that taught Arn how to play flute since that is basically what saved his life. A few of us bought flutes that were made by him and his family and it was good to be able to support them.

After that the people who bought instruments went to pick them up, while other people went back to the Russian market for more shopping. We definitely loved buying things on this trip.
It's now our last night and I think that there are mixed feelings. We all have had such a life changing experience and would love to stay here for longer and do so much more even though we've already accomplished so much, but at the same time we all miss home life, family and friends. I'm pretty sure that everyone would come back here if they were given the chance.

For now, we're headed out to our last dinner together with Arn and Sayma, and we are leaving for the airport early tomorrow morning.
See you all soon!


--Hannah