Here is the final report on our (mine and Carson's) stay in Cambodia. Rick's final report is yet to come, as he is still working hard over there.
I taught English to 2 classes of students. They had a very hard time understanding why I had decided to leave Cambodia early.
Shopping in the markets was probably my favorite activity in Cambodia. Tons and tons of the cutest silk purses ever, which you can get for as low as 5 dollars.
The markets, however, were very hot. Here, a store owner helps to cool Carson off.
Rick and Carson making friends while I complete my transactions.
A highlight of our stay in Cambodia was a visit from
Brian and Callie. They are even crazier than we are for touring nearly all of SE Asia before working with a leper colony in India for 5 weeks. They are much smarter than we are for doing all of this before they have a baby.
We decided that Rick and Brian could pass for brothers.
While Brian and Callie were with us, we were invited to a "funeral." It was actually to commemorate the 3-year mark of the person dying. They do a Buddhist ceremony when the person dies, 7 days after, 100 days after, and then 3 years after. (I think.) Here, a Buddhist priest is chanting (very loudly) while others sit and worship.
These kids are worshiping, too. I got the impression that Cambodian children are very obedient and respectful. No temper tantrums from these kids about wanting some toy.
Our friends, Eng Bun Huouch and Dani. The funeral was for Eng's father.
Just our cute baby.
Just our cute baby's buns.
Carson enjoyed repelling off of the bed in the hotel room in Siem Reap.
This is the spider that was on our wall in the same hotel.
Cambodia offers some very exotic fruits. The purple bulb is mangostein, and I already forget the names of the others!
This is a dragon fruit, closed...
and open!
Carson's Cambodian bath tub.
Carson's Cambodian mo hawk.
This is the outside of Central Market, right in Phnom Penh.
We visited the Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng prison in the same day. I didn't take a ton of pictures, as it was a pretty sobering experience.
One of the rooms in the prison. Another building in the prison features paintings from a survivor of the Pol Pot years. He survived by painting propaganda for the Khmer Rouge. Afterwards, he painted tons of huge pictures of the torture and victims. Tears came pretty easily from that display.
Our trip to Cambodia was worth it just to get a picture of Carson on an elephant.
How many people can say they rode an elephant as a baby?
Angkor Wat.
Just frolicking amongst the ancient ruins.
Some of the kids at Angkor Wat.
These kids wanted money for doing crazy dives into the water.
Call CPS if you want, but there were no car seats in Cambodia. I still can't believe we did this.
Monkeys played around Angkor Wat. This one is digging out some coconut.
And these are kindly picking lice off of each other.
All the time, people like this would ask for a picture with us and Carson.
Carson befriends the natives.
"Whoa, that baby is white!" says the Cambodian kid.
At the Cambodian Cultural Village, Rick was selected out of the crowd to be part of a performance. They took him away for a few minutes during the play, and they brought him back later...
...looking like this!
Us with the king and queen.
A view from the bus on our way up to Siem Reap.
We attended the dedication of the church's second building in the country of Cambodia.
This is a very nice family that Rick taught on his mission. Doesn't Rick fit right in?? He is American, I promise.
Now let's just hope that Rick makes it back as safely as we did!!
