On the Road Again (Times Two)

I am writing this from the really nice hotel where we are now staying in Siem Reap. The day started with breakfast on our own, followed by a Plan B execution. We were warned that Plan B was typical in Cambodia, so we all just hung on for the ride, some of us quite literally! We were prepared for a 15 passenger van to come pick up ten of us and our luggage, to take us to the bus stop for our ride to Siem Reap. However, no van showed up, so David Ens quickly called his wife Patti, who had just dropped him off, and told her to come back with his truck. We put all the suitcases (let’s say 20 of the, some quite large) plus carry-ons in the back of his extended-cab pick-up truck, along with six people – one standing on the tailgate. Ron has video. I can’t wait to see it. Marti and I (Liz) were among the lucky ones (four of us, total) in the cab. All went well and we made it to the bus stop on time, alive, and with all our baggage!

Typical house, out the window, on the way to Siem Reap

Another shot out the window

The bus was a nice one – Marti says the nicest she has traveled in for the trip from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. We had a “hostess” who served us a snack (think a Cambodian version of “pigs-in-a-blanket” or maybe a corndog, and a little Hostess-sized pound cake). We stopped at a nice restaurant (where we ate the subway sandwiches Bill had purchased for us back in Phnom Penh). We watched a movie (Princess Protection Program). And we drove through some of the most breathtaking scenery I have ever seen. Up to this point, we have mostly been in the city. It was nice to see a true picture of rural Cambodia. The weather was interesting as well; it would rain a bit then clear off and be sunny. It went back and forth about four times.

Our fancy, schmancy hotel room!

The drive from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap took about 6 hours. We arrived at just about 3:00 in the afternoon. We are staying at the Freedom Hotel, and it is a very nice place. It has a pool, wi-fi in the rooms (hence my ability to post again), and huge rooms with good-sized refrigerators. We are settling in to our news space very nicely. Tonight we had supper at a nearby mall (Lucky Burger has American style fast food) as a group and got to meet some of the new teams arriving for the Siem Reap English camp. Then Ron, Marti, and I found a deal on dessert right next door. It was after 8:00, so you could get two for one. These were fancy, layered  desserts, and we got two for the three of us. They weren’t quite as good as they looked, but they were still mighty tasty.  First impressions of Siem Reap are that it is a lot different from Phnom Penh. We are eager to explore this new place, and can’t wait for the rest of our team to join us and help us do it! We hope their travel day was as good as ours.

Praises:

1.       Ron, Marti, and Liz arrived safely in Siem Reap.

2.       We praise God for the beautiful world He made, and all the variety in it.

Prayer Requests:

1.       We are praying for the rest of the CCC team to arrive safely tomorrow morning and have as good a night as possible, resting in the Bangkok airport. (Team: Don't forget they have a Starbucks there....)

2.       We pray for the kids coming to this English Camp in Siem Reap, that they will feel the love of God in everyone they meet, and that they will be blessed by the experience.

3.       We pray for growth in each member of our team as we experience this amazing culture together.

4.       We lift up the families left behind, that they stay safe and healthy.