Day 3 - Travel to Phnom Penh and Night markets. After a long bus ride we got off the bus and made our way to the hostel. We then tried to find our way around the city exchanging money and buying a phone, and then a short walk to the nearby night markets where we embraced the wide variety of Cambodian cuisine.
Day 4- Killing fields and S21 museum. Today we experienced first hand information on the confronting events that took place in the time of the Khmer Rouge. Although this information was hard to process, the team made the most of the experience, and took a lot away from the day.
Day 5- Bus to Banlung. The bus was an interesting ride full of laughing, sleeping and games, with many memories to share when we get home. Once we arrived in Banlung we made our way to our new hostel where we were briefed on the layout of our trek that would take place over the next few days.
Day 6-9 Trek. Overall the team found the trek challenging, but at the end of each day we were greeted nicely by the flowing waterfalls of Cambodia. This was a nice way to end each day as it gave us time to wind down before the next big day ahead. Although there were a few bumps in the road, we managed to push through to the end of the trek. The last day was one of the most enjoyable as we were greeted by the local people of the village we were staying in, and we got to play with baby puppies for the rest of the afternoon. By the end of the trek, I think we were all relieved and proud that we'd finished the trek and we're looking forward to the next few days of relaxation before beginning our project.
Day 10- Bus to Pleiku. Hello Vietnam! We made it. Crossed the border from Cambodia into Vietnam on a very cramped bus. The scenery in Vietnam was much more exciting than Cambodia, making the bus ride not as horrendous as it could of been. We were faced with very different conditions compared to Cambodia, nearly no one spoke any English which made exchanging money and purchasing food and drinks rather difficult for the team.
Day 11- Bus to Nha Trang. WE ACTUALLY HAD A PRIVATE BUS! This bus trip was the most enjoyable as the scenery we passed on our way through the mountains was very different to anything we see at home. This was the first time we got to go out and adventure the street foods of Vietnam, and we all loved it. Everything is so different here, and I think that everyone really enjoys exploring the diverse culture.
Day 12- Snorkelling. After an early morning we got on a short bus ride to where we would jump on our boat. The marina was a very chaotic place where we tried to make it out without hitting any other boats. I think that this day was the most exciting for the team, as we got to see the variety of exotic marine life swimming about the snorkelling sites. We visited two marine sites where we snorkelled for a few hours before relaxing on the top level of the boat, getting a tan and enjoying the local fruit.
Day 13- Cooking class and night train. We started the day with a trip to the local food markets with our cooking instructor where we learnt about different local foods and how they make a difference in certain dishes. We then made our way back to the restaurant where the ingredients were prepared and enjoyed some of the fruit we bought at the markets. Once the food was prepared we made our own three course Vietnamese meal consisting of rice paper rolls, chicken curry and mango flambé. After our cooking class we caught some taxi's to the beach where we spent the afternoon on the inflatable water park. For dinner we ventured into the streets once again and found some delicious, cheap food and gelato :) The overnight train was not what any of us were expecting as the rooms were very small with 6 in a room. We had some trouble opening and locking doors but overall was a new and memorable experience.
Day 14- Start of project. After the overnight train we gathered our bags and hopped in a very large, air conditioned bus where most of us slept until we arrived at our new hotel. After settling our stuff, we took a short walk to the project site where we spent the majority of the day meeting the young kids, playing handball/soccer, taking photos and taking a tour around the orphanage.
Day 15- Project. Today, while the builders where making the structure for the canopy, we dug a trench along the ground where we would move the a newly painted railing once we finished scraping all the paint off. This took up the majority of the day, so by 4 o'clock most of us made our way back to the hotel, while a couple stayed back and played soccer.
Day 16- Project. Today, we continued scraping the fence, and sanding it down, before washing it with water and moving it into the trench. Others began painting part of the canopy which we will hopefully finish tomorrow.
