Let's start with April.
April 6-7
MCC took off the first Friday in April and headed down to the beach for our annual retreat. The 4 hour bus ride was filled with some stand up by the one and only Chylong. Chylong is one of the longest serving MCC Cambodian employees, and seemed to enjoy the spotlight that the bus platform afforded him. He was grinning from ear to year throwing out the Khmer and English mixed in with a little re-verberator. Upon arriving we ditched our gear at the hotel and made our way down to the beach for an afternoon of swimming. In the evening we all gathered for a delicious dinner in what appeared to be a garage. We shared the resturant with a large group of male business men who were standing through most of there supper and toasting every few minutes. After eating we made our way back to the hotel where we played some Khmer New Years games and some more traditional North American games.
The next day was spent mostly in the shade around the pool, as I had a wicked sun burn from the day before. After lunch most of us crawled back on the bus and made our way back to Phnom Penh. Though the retreat was short it was a great time to catch up with everybody and leave the stress of work back in the city.
April 13-16 Khmer New Year
One of the many great things about living in Phnom Penh is the number of New Years we get to celebrate. In recent years International New Year (January 1) has become an honored holiday in Cambodia. There is also Chinese New Year and of course Khmer New Year. Khmer New Year is often celebrated by going back to your hometown and celebrating with your family. My host family got together however we did not go back to their hometown instead we went to resort down by the beach. The resort was located on a lush hill in amongst a forest of trees and wildlife. It was gorgeous and the best part was it was only an hour or so from the beach.
The view from our bungalow
On our first full day we headed down to Ream Beach. This beach is located outside of Sihanoukville, where most of the beaches are, so were able to escape all of the crowds. The day was spent like any old day at the beach. Swimming, eating seafood, sleeping and reading. In the afternoon we headed back to the resort had a barbecue supper and playe Dutch Blitz while getting attacked by crickets. These things were huge and my one host brother caught a few and grilled them on the grill. Yummy!
On our final day we visited Kiriom resort another beautiful natural area in Cambodia. Cambodians have a little different idea when it comes to mountains. You see they don't enjoy hiking or climbing mountains like we do. Walking as a whole is not hi on the priorities of many Cambodians. So instead of climbing this mountain we just drove our cars to the top. Definitely saves time, but takes something away from enjoyment i f you ask me. On top, or close to, we grabbed a place to eat. We had been carrying around leftovers for most of the trip and so we ate what food we had left and then played a few games, before heading home. Fast Forward to May.
May
May 12-15
I had been waiting for this weekend since at least Christmas. The province of Mondulkiri is located in the Northeast region of Cambodia. It is known for its cooler weather, waterfalls and elephants. Luckily we were able to experience all 3! On Saturday Grace, Phil, Tiya, and myself made the 8 hour bus trip to the Nature lodge in Mondulkiri. The nature lodge was one of the first eco-tourism places in Cambodia. If ever in Cambodia I really do recommend it.
One of the Cabins at the Lodge
Because the trip was so long we only had two full days in Mondulkiri. The first day we rented mottos and explored some of sights in and around the Nature Lodge. The highlight for most people visiting the province is the Boursa Waterfall. Being a holiday it was not a surprise to meet a large group of Khmer tourists at the waterfall. Luckily we had been given inside information that there was a lower portion of the falls that was more beautiful and guaranteed to be less crowded. After one or two wrong turns we eventually found the path that led to the lower level. It was so much more amazing down below, and we only had to share the setting with a handful of other people.
A view of the upper falls
Our second day involved another, this time with a different mode of transportation. We hopped on a few elephants and trekked through the Cambodian Jungle down to another water fall. Ridding elephants is quite the experience. They are magnificent animals, but not very elegant. Your body gets bounced around on top and the sitting area that you have is extremely small and not really made for large people from the West. What I want to say is you need to try this sometime because it really is amazing (especially when they let you get into the water and play around with them a little) but expect to be sore for a few days after the trek. Our group did run into one situation that reminded us that these are giant animals and if they want to they can do really whatever they want. One of the elephants was guided by a kid who was probably 10 or 12. Near the end of the trek his elephant stepped off the trail into the bamboo brush. Not a big deal. Most elephants would stop and take a few steps off the trail every once in a while to grab something to eat. However, instead of pulling the elephant back onto the trail, the kid urged the elephant to go through the brush to presumably come out on the other side. The elephant seemed to get spooked and veered off to the right and further into the brush knocking the driver and one of the women off. The other women who managed to stay on came out badly scraped up and visibly shaken. Luckily for both the women the cuts were minor and they seemed to be good sports about the whole situation. The thing that shocked me was how nonchalant everybody seemed to be about the situation. The guides acted as though it was no big deal. Maybe a cultural difference, who knows.
The view from the elephant
One other thing I need to add, the last night in Mondulkiri I pulled my sweatshirt out of my bag and put it on! I think that is the third time I have worn a sweatshirt in Cambodia in 9 months!
May 18-21
Finally this past weekend us Yalters payed Prey Veng a visit. I hadn't been out to Prey Veng since Thanksgiving (American), so it was nice to be able to get out of the city and just relax. The highlight of the weekend was the Murder Mystery Dinner Party we had on Saturday. Unfortunately my emotions got the best of me and I was the one who committed the crime. Thank you Lisa for organizing that, it was so much fun!
So I have tried to hold off on the countdowns, but being so close to the end I have started them. I have 9 days (maybe 8 a co-worker told me that the school was taking off one more day off. Because the 20 plus days we have had off this semester wasn'y enough) of teaching left. 36 days until my family gets here, and about 7 weeks left here in Cambodia!
