There were so many things we had hoped to do in Siem Reap. There is a very cool silk farm we wanted to visit; Tennie sent a picture of a waterfall that is considered the most sacred waters in Cambodia that we hoped to make it to, called Phnom Kulen; there are some butterfly sanctuaries around (can you imagine how beautiful they are here?); we could have explored more temples and taken a canoe ride down the river along Angkor Wat, etc. etc.
Alongside all of the adventure and service and sites, there are logistics to deal with. Booking hotels, airbnbs and flights (and checking in and checking out), arranging transportation or rental cars, researching what to do in a place (since we didn't do it before!), exchanging money, buying and figuring out local Sim cards, finding food we can eat without getting sick, and figuring out how to get some clean clothes!
I washed my cloths twice in the month we were in Cambodia. The first time was at the bungalows and they were left out to dry, enduring a few rainstorms before I snuck over and took them down to "dry" inside our bungalow. The second was the Marriott laundry service. It was a pricy load of wash, but they came back looking like they were brand new! Here is our most adorable laundry guy. He was stooped down every time we talked to him, but in the picture he is standing up straight! I think the stooping posture was a submissive, service-oriented posture. Oh, he was so lovable (and not just because he did my laundry)!
I'm a minimalist packer, but my minimal wardrobe for this trip, all clothing for sweaty and dirty island life, has been a bit of a problem. Three pairs of shorts is not enough for doing laundry every two weeks and getting very dirty in between! A handful of shirts causes the same issue! Then there is Geoff who packs just about everything under the sun "just in case" (which actually came in quite handy on the island). If we can meet in the middle, we'll be just right!
Our luggage, our EIGHT bags, have taken a lot of time. Like a house with too much stuff, the bags need to be organized and reorganized and sifted and sorted into places. We've seen a lot of backpackers with their one bag and admired their simplicity. At a market the night before, we found some knock-off backpacks and got a couple.
And since our bags were filled for the unknowns of the island, we decided to ship two bags home to lighten our load. Then we had to pack with just the right weight amounts to get on our flight to Thailand and then New Zealand.
This was a major undertaking and took all morning and afternoon. Our nice Song Saa friends went way over the call of duty to find cardboard and help us pack up our two extra suitcases. They researched shipping options for us and found scales, measuring tape, packing tape and more.
Meanwhile, Adele and Ceci were having fun gambling with Cambodia monies over a game of jacks, only with small rocks (throw a rock up and see how many rocks on the table you can grab before catching the tossed rock).
The shipping ended up being so outrageously expensive that we decided to take it to Thailand with us and see if shipping would be less expensive there.
We did make it to our 4:00 ceramics class at Khmer Ceramics. None of us had done this before, so we were looking forward to the experience. The teachers were deaf and couldn't speak, but they gestured how to do it with hand motions and hands-on help. Their initial demonstration made it look so easy! We got to make five items. The first three they helped with, the last three they stood by, only helping if we asked.
I've thought a lot about that class. In Isaiah, the Lord is likened unto a potter, a masterful creator. As I watched my teacher, she easily moved the clay as she wished. Her sides were even and smooth, her shapes as she wished them to be. When I took over I was pleased with myself, liking how my bowl was turning out. She would come over and change the shape, creating something different than I wanted. At first I was frustrated, but I soon realized that she knew what would last through the baking and glazing process. She wanted the final product to be solid and usable.
When I was on my own toward the end, I was going along and made a wrong move, and the side of my creation completely buckled. When I asked for some help, my teacher immediately knew what to do to quickly form it into something balanced and beautiful again. I would watch as she masterfully controlled the clay. Sometimes her corrective moves would stretch the clay outward, but only until the inside was perfect, then she would easily form the outside back to its original shape. In a matter of moments she took what I thought was a ruined mess and turned it into something workable again.
I imagined God and me working on my life (the clay). When I let Him lead the way, things seem to go more smoothly. When I mess up and ask for help, He is quick to come in and set me on track. When I rely on myself and get a little over confident, he lets me go until I make a mess and, again, is quick to help me find a solid balance and peace when I seek His help. It was a good visual lesson for me.
We loved this class and have already looked up how much it would cost to buy our own potter's wheel!
We woke up early the next morning to get to the airport. At the desk we found it was going to be $880 for our extra bags! We quickly arranged for our driver to take our bags back to the Marriott where our friends agreed to send them home.
So long Cambodia. We hope to see you again sometime!
Alongside all of the adventure and service and sites, there are logistics to deal with. Booking hotels, airbnbs and flights (and checking in and checking out), arranging transportation or rental cars, researching what to do in a place (since we didn't do it before!), exchanging money, buying and figuring out local Sim cards, finding food we can eat without getting sick, and figuring out how to get some clean clothes!
I washed my cloths twice in the month we were in Cambodia. The first time was at the bungalows and they were left out to dry, enduring a few rainstorms before I snuck over and took them down to "dry" inside our bungalow. The second was the Marriott laundry service. It was a pricy load of wash, but they came back looking like they were brand new! Here is our most adorable laundry guy. He was stooped down every time we talked to him, but in the picture he is standing up straight! I think the stooping posture was a submissive, service-oriented posture. Oh, he was so lovable (and not just because he did my laundry)!
I'm a minimalist packer, but my minimal wardrobe for this trip, all clothing for sweaty and dirty island life, has been a bit of a problem. Three pairs of shorts is not enough for doing laundry every two weeks and getting very dirty in between! A handful of shirts causes the same issue! Then there is Geoff who packs just about everything under the sun "just in case" (which actually came in quite handy on the island). If we can meet in the middle, we'll be just right!
Our luggage, our EIGHT bags, have taken a lot of time. Like a house with too much stuff, the bags need to be organized and reorganized and sifted and sorted into places. We've seen a lot of backpackers with their one bag and admired their simplicity. At a market the night before, we found some knock-off backpacks and got a couple.
And since our bags were filled for the unknowns of the island, we decided to ship two bags home to lighten our load. Then we had to pack with just the right weight amounts to get on our flight to Thailand and then New Zealand.
This was a major undertaking and took all morning and afternoon. Our nice Song Saa friends went way over the call of duty to find cardboard and help us pack up our two extra suitcases. They researched shipping options for us and found scales, measuring tape, packing tape and more.
Meanwhile, Adele and Ceci were having fun gambling with Cambodia monies over a game of jacks, only with small rocks (throw a rock up and see how many rocks on the table you can grab before catching the tossed rock).
The shipping ended up being so outrageously expensive that we decided to take it to Thailand with us and see if shipping would be less expensive there.
We did make it to our 4:00 ceramics class at Khmer Ceramics. None of us had done this before, so we were looking forward to the experience. The teachers were deaf and couldn't speak, but they gestured how to do it with hand motions and hands-on help. Their initial demonstration made it look so easy! We got to make five items. The first three they helped with, the last three they stood by, only helping if we asked.
I've thought a lot about that class. In Isaiah, the Lord is likened unto a potter, a masterful creator. As I watched my teacher, she easily moved the clay as she wished. Her sides were even and smooth, her shapes as she wished them to be. When I took over I was pleased with myself, liking how my bowl was turning out. She would come over and change the shape, creating something different than I wanted. At first I was frustrated, but I soon realized that she knew what would last through the baking and glazing process. She wanted the final product to be solid and usable.
When I was on my own toward the end, I was going along and made a wrong move, and the side of my creation completely buckled. When I asked for some help, my teacher immediately knew what to do to quickly form it into something balanced and beautiful again. I would watch as she masterfully controlled the clay. Sometimes her corrective moves would stretch the clay outward, but only until the inside was perfect, then she would easily form the outside back to its original shape. In a matter of moments she took what I thought was a ruined mess and turned it into something workable again.
I imagined God and me working on my life (the clay). When I let Him lead the way, things seem to go more smoothly. When I mess up and ask for help, He is quick to come in and set me on track. When I rely on myself and get a little over confident, he lets me go until I make a mess and, again, is quick to help me find a solid balance and peace when I seek His help. It was a good visual lesson for me.
We loved this class and have already looked up how much it would cost to buy our own potter's wheel!
We woke up early the next morning to get to the airport. At the desk we found it was going to be $880 for our extra bags! We quickly arranged for our driver to take our bags back to the Marriott where our friends agreed to send them home.
So long Cambodia. We hope to see you again sometime!
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