This morning we had a flight to Cambodia scheduled to depart at 8:40 am. We woke up at 5 and were at the airport at 6, only to discover that our flight had been delayed until 12:30. We just hung out in the airport during that to time. To be honest, the only thing we missed was part of the orphanage visit which I don’t think is ethical to do anyway so I appreciated the relaxed morning even though we woke up so early.
When we arrived in Cambodia we went through immigration no problem and headed straight for the orphanage. At the orphanage, some of the orphans performed a traditional Cambodian dance for us. It was really pretty to see. Afterwards, we split up to interact with the orphans. Most of the girls were taught the Cambodian dance and most of the boys played soccer. It was hard for me to enjoy this visit because I really think that tourists visiting orphanages is a problem and not something we should be taking part in.
Afterwards we went on a boat ride on Tonal Sap. This was beautiful and maybe one of my favorite things we’ve done so far. We watched the sun set from the boat and had a really wonderful time.
When we arrived back at the dock, we got back on the buses to go to the hotel. We checked into the hotel and then had dinner there because Miami paid for it since they were supposed to provide lunch but didn’t due to the delayed flight. I had Pad See Ew and it actually wasn’t as good as the ones I’ve had in the United States. It seemed almost bland. However I was so hungry that I was just happy to be eating something and it was still pretty yummy.
Overall the day was somewhat uneventful but I really enjoyed driving around Cambodia. It is starkly different from Ho Chi Minh City because there is so much green space and way less development. I am still somewhat nervous to be here but I’m really starting to like it!
Allison Around the World 