Friday, June 15, 2007 . 10:34 AM

31 May
We took a 2 hour bus ride to the district of Baray. On the way, we stopped to eat crickets and spiders. I, only tried the cricket. No spidey for me ever. NO. There we stayed at aunty esther's home stay area. This is where outside people come and experience kampung life Cambodia style. Honestly,I was shocked cause we have to sleep in mosquito nets. Technically, I never used one of those, so I did not know how to, and that explained the horrifying night later. Well, I did not know we have to stuff all the nets under the bed. So I happily go in and out without stuffing it. Then night came. The bugs were everywhere, including the inside of it. Luckily there were 2 beds, so we were able to sleep in the other one. but nonetheless, lesson learnt.

1 June
Woke up at 6am. It was as bright as 8 in Malaysia. Anyway, one of the best things about a simple life is you are able to just sit and relax. In hammocks. Life at its best. We took a horse cart(more like pony cart) to go to sight seeing. We even went to a kindergarten where we played games and gave out clothings to the children. Then, we went to a nearby village to give out clothings to the people around. One lady, (i think she is mentally unstable, no disrespect) came and snatched away my mum's jacket, which she did not intend to give away. oh well.....
in the afternoon, we were able to paint our very own t shirts. And the best part is having the artist to do all the leaves printing which is way cool.
in the evening, we took a buffalo cart,(really disgusting. i got front view of how they actually poop and walk at the same time) to a paddy field, where we played football, Malaysia versus Cambodia. I scored the first goal, but they equalized later. it was decided with penalty kicks. We lost. That night, the generator failed, so had nothing much to do but to go to sleep.

2 June
like i said, simple life. so after breakfast, we took the bus to go fishing. at this lake, we went fishing at around 12.30... smart ole me, sapu sunblock lotion everywhere but the leg... and by the time we were done burning ourselves, i came to the horrible realisation that i got sunburn on my leg. the worst aftermath was i got this ugly tanline on my leg which is oh-so-visible... the horrors...
Later, we went to the dam, where they actually allow people to swim in it. so fun, just walking on the dam wall(no pun intended). We had lunch there, just enjoying the scenery.
that night, we had a cultural dance show by the local children. quite nicelah. but the fun part came when they asked us to join in their dance. did the uncles and auntys go wild. they were having more fun than the kids themselves. i just took photos. that night, i went to bed early.

3 June
visiting the local church was an eye opener. the church may be small, but yet it was inspiring. they had a session of just sharing about their life experience. Different people came forth and shared. I was encouraged. that afternoon, after all the farewells and goodbyes, we departed to Siam Reap, another 2 hour bus ride north. It was raining then, and everyone just slept.
upon arrival, we stayed at Lock Yinh hotel. not a bad place. its cable tv would put ASTRO to shame. we had dinner at Khmer kitchen. the food there is marvelous.

4 June
we were greeted by our tour guide, Mr Sok Korng. he speaks thai and english quite well. we went to Angkor Wat. amazing place. even though it was old, it's amazing to see the structure itself after reading about it so much in our text books. i climbed all the way up to the third tier, the view is just breathtaking. but of coz, the descend is another adventure by itself. had lunch at this chinese restaurant, where we had 10 course meal, and i had 3 bowls of rice. talk about weight gain.
spent the rest of the afternoon exploring all the temples around town. and also visited this carving and sculpting school. quite cool to see how those patungs were actually made by them using comparison of the naked eye. they take one done product, and then they follow. the dexterity is definitely a skill acquired after much practice. the souvenir shop however was a cut throat. so no one really bothered to buy anything, but to find a spot where the air conditioning is the strongest.
at night, we went to this place where we had buffet dinner, while watching a cultural show about something... can't remember what... but i know it has something to do with an apsara.(is dat how u spell the word?)

5 june
after breakfast, really nothing much to do. adults went shopping. we packed and left for the airport.

-end of trip-

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