Clickity clack. About 6 hours after leaving Bangkok, we slowly rolled into Aranyaprathet train station in Thailand. I love train travel. It feels so nostalgic watching the country go by out of a dirty train window. If it were up to me, locomotion would be my sole way of travel. Im certain Nate does not agree but
choo choo me!
Regardeless, after disembarking we hopped a tuk-tuk to Poipet, the border crossing town, and were promptly dropped off at a fake visa office. Again, thank you lonely planet! We had read that often times, fake visa offices are set up near the border. They will charge you for a visa and all the paperwork and only when you get to the actual crossing do you realize you've been hosed. Your instincts are sometimes your only resource when traveling and thankfully ours were working that day. Men in plain clothes, claiming to be police and housed in a shady lil office do not = border patrol! All of that aside, we really love Cambodia. We have been in Siem Reap for a few days and next we will travel by bus to Battambang. Yesterday, along with our adorable tuk-tuk driver Mister B., we visited the temples at Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. WOW! Mystical, magical monstrousity of wonder! They were incredibly beautiful and much more expansive than I had thought. Many Cambodians actually live amongst the temple grounds. There only means of income seem to be selling food or souvenirs, which they hawk RELENTLESSLY. Strategiclly placed, their most adorable or forlorn children are at the gates. It nearly impossible to just walk by or say no. Im not sure how much they actually sell by these means but its quite the ''window dressing"!
Each night that we've been here, eating dinner at various little places, we have been fortunate enough to run into Jingh (pronounced Gin) or perhaps I should say, he has been finding us. The first night, as we were eating at a tiny little family restaurant behind the night market, the most adorable little smile peeked out from behind some flyers. Jingh, along with 23 other children, lives at 'The New Life Center Organization'. Each night, he and his fellow orphans bike into town (2.5 miles)and hand out flyers canvasing support for their orphanage. After passing by us a handful of times the first night, waving and smiling, never taking his eyes off of us, we felt compelled to pay him a visit. Yesterday we hired a tuk-tuk to take us to the Orphanage. Down a dusty and very badly kept road, was the true source of sunshine! Our timing couldn't have been more perfect. The children were outside practing "the coconut dance", a traditional Khmer dance. While we were quite the interruption at first, they were very eager to show off their skills. Jingh, with the biggest smile of all, seem really surprised that we fulfilled our promise and came to see him. Im sure he gets the run around from tourists fairly often. The orphanage itself is not much to speak of. A simple thatched hut encompasses the administrative area and school room, then at night, the boys bedroom. A smaller hut houses the kitchen and a newer slightly larger building is where the girls and the director and his wife (who are Cambodian) sleep. This is a very humble operation. In a land where its nearly impossible to take care of yourself sometimes, let alone 24 hungry little mouths, these people are the true image of love and selflessness. When the directors wife, who is the main cookis away, the handicapped neighbor helps to feed the children. There is a sense of love and community here that is unparalleled with anything is the US. While they have a small garden on the property, it seems to take care of only a very small portion of their needs. If anyone is interested in learning more about the center or would like to make a monetary donation, the website is www.slec-Cambodia.webs.com. At the present moment they do not have a proper means of receiving donations but this is something that we agreed to help them with. This will most likely be by paypal. In the holiday spirit, if nothing else, just send love and blessings to these children who so deserve it.
Each night that we've been here, eating dinner at various little places, we have been fortunate enough to run into Jingh (pronounced Gin) or perhaps I should say, he has been finding us. The first night, as we were eating at a tiny little family restaurant behind the night market, the most adorable little smile peeked out from behind some flyers. Jingh, along with 23 other children, lives at 'The New Life Center Organization'. Each night, he and his fellow orphans bike into town (2.5 miles)and hand out flyers canvasing support for their orphanage. After passing by us a handful of times the first night, waving and smiling, never taking his eyes off of us, we felt compelled to pay him a visit. Yesterday we hired a tuk-tuk to take us to the Orphanage. Down a dusty and very badly kept road, was the true source of sunshine! Our timing couldn't have been more perfect. The children were outside practing "the coconut dance", a traditional Khmer dance. While we were quite the interruption at first, they were very eager to show off their skills. Jingh, with the biggest smile of all, seem really surprised that we fulfilled our promise and came to see him. Im sure he gets the run around from tourists fairly often. The orphanage itself is not much to speak of. A simple thatched hut encompasses the administrative area and school room, then at night, the boys bedroom. A smaller hut houses the kitchen and a newer slightly larger building is where the girls and the director and his wife (who are Cambodian) sleep. This is a very humble operation. In a land where its nearly impossible to take care of yourself sometimes, let alone 24 hungry little mouths, these people are the true image of love and selflessness. When the directors wife, who is the main cookis away, the handicapped neighbor helps to feed the children. There is a sense of love and community here that is unparalleled with anything is the US. While they have a small garden on the property, it seems to take care of only a very small portion of their needs. If anyone is interested in learning more about the center or would like to make a monetary donation, the website is www.slec-Cambodia.webs.com. At the present moment they do not have a proper means of receiving donations but this is something that we agreed to help them with. This will most likely be by paypal. In the holiday spirit, if nothing else, just send love and blessings to these children who so deserve it.
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