One of our highlights in Cambodia and a few travel tips.

When we were there in May the weather was in the late 90 degrees F. with over 100% humidity.... Dale and I hardly sweat but this ensured that those glands still work! After checking out a few markets on our last day there and talking about how hot it was, Mr. Mada confessed that his fan at home broke so his boys never slept in because of the staggering heat. Dale and I talked over the idea of buying his family a going away gift.

And we thought we were crowded in the tuk tuk with all our luggage. This takes the cake!

We let him know that we wanted to buy them a gift before we left... a fan for his home. He seemed speechless but helped us pick one out at the local store. One that stood on the ground and oscillated so it could reach many places. Afterwards at lunch he got quiet, looked at each of us then said, "I have never done this with anyone that has hired me but I would like to invite you over to my house for dinner tonight."

We were honored and humbled by his invitation! He then apologized for his house and we told him that he shouldn't be ashamed as he worked hard to take care of his family. That is something to be proud of!! In fact, many times while he was driving us around he would tell us how grateful he was that we gave him work (wouldn't this be a great attitude for some of our youth to have at work?).

Above was taken at Mr. Mada's modest one room apt. with no furniture, stove, fridge, etc... but the warmth we felt from their reception more then filled our hearts. We sat on the ground and ate a dinner from the common plates placed on the floor. We were so honored and excited to experience the real Cambodia, and to enjoy incredible experiences and cultures with new friends. This is what fuels us for more travel adventures....meeting people from different cultures and walks of life. Learning about their lives and experiences. Sharing new experiences and connections through friendship with them.

Dale knew that he was so happy for the work so he set up a FB page for him but it is best to call:

+855 86 877 807

https://www.facebook.com/MrMadaTukTuk/?fref=ts

Travel secrets:

1- Always be willing to enjoy a little local experience and rent or hire a local driver with a tuk tuk or something similar. This is often 1/2 the price of what a taxi would cost.

2- Most places you need to pay for museums, local entertainment, etc... You spent so much time and money getting here so enjoy seeing things that you really want to see. We recommend making a list of the top ten things you have to do and see. Then make a list of the extras to visit or see. Schedule the days with your must see places and then fill in the rest of the time, if any, for the extras.
3- Don't be afraid to meet and get to know people in other countries.... you never know where that will lead!

Just outside of Phnom Phen is a MUST visit! Humanitarian or Bust!

Have you ever come away from serving someone and felt awful or down? We don't believe that is possible! This is the 'Why' of our travels.... serving and meeting the locals. We like making a difference wherever we can and in doing so, it changes us for the better. For each trip we plan at least one or more opportunities for service.

While in Australia I did much asking around to see what opportunities there would be for us in Cambodia and Thailand. We found the 'Rock Foundation http://rockfoundationcambodia.webs.com/'. The founder, a christian man from the USA, heard that many of the 'undesirables' from Phnom Phen were rounded up by the government and taken 3 hours outside the city and dropped off. No housing, no food, no water, and no way to make a living... these people and their families were destined to die. 

He decided to start this foundation to help get their houses built up high so the floods wouldn't ruin what shacks they may have built, to help put in a well so they could have clean water (which was just put in a few weeks before our arrival), to build a simple structure where they could go to school and have church services, find a way for them to make a little $, put in a garden area (they had the land but needed $ for the seeds so they could plant), amongst other things. Which included also bringing some food once a week until they were self sustaining.

We traveled almost 3 hours outside of Phnom Penh in a tuk tuk, which was an adventure in itself with Isaac and another great guy who both help out the Rock Foundation Cambodia. 

We brought treats for the kids but even the adults asked for some... you can guess why Dale is so popular.

This is Dale's favorite photo from our village trip. Look at the sweet face of this little boy. 

This cute thing is trying really hard to pray while keeping her lollipop in!

They asked if we would talk at their church service about Faith and God... we felt honored that they asked. Afterwards Dale, Marissa and I sang, "I am a Child of God". They didn't seem to mind that we were not really always on key but they just sat and smiled at us.

Marissa and Dale listening to some Cambodian stories!

The beautiful kids from the village.

Here are a few of their houses that have been upgrades to withstand the floods. They are proud of what they have built out of nothing... and they should be.

Here is the Mayor in front of his village.

The people from the village were dragging the bags of rice off the tuk tuk to start cooking it in the big community pot, even before we could get out of the tuk tuk. In the photo above you can see the pot setting over the cooking hole in the ground. They were cooking the rice we brought for everyone. In this photo is our great guide Isaac who works with the Rock Foundation and rode with us to the Village. Isaac told us that they are always hungry because they never have enough food so they are THRILLED even when they only have plain rice because most of the time they don't have anything.

We were lucky enough to get a photo with Isaac and the Mayor of this little village ... with the rice bags we brought.

The kids were hiding from Dale, then laughing and laughing when they were caught!

The founder of the RFC has 'adopted' this sweet lady as his grandmother. Whenever anyone comes to see the village he has his friends make a special visit to see if there is anything she needs.

Saying our good-byes after a long, hot BUT wonderful day!

The Rock Foundation Cambodia could use any donations you can send their way. Also they are helping a man from the village who is in a wheelchair to sell his soap to make a living. You can check both of these sites out below:

http://rockfoundationcambodia.webs.com/

http://rocksoap.webs.com/

Island hopping or almost....

After the morning tour we were ready for a quick bite to eat with our driver Mr. Mada. We were fascinated as he told us about his family, kids, wife, and growing up. He really felt more like a good friend than a driver in a strange new country. He was always watchful to make sure we didn’t get hit when crossing the street, he suggested great places to visit, and that we went to clean but very nicely priced restaurants ($3-6 a plate).

                https://www.facebook.com/MrMadaTukTuk

(Dale set up this FB site to help gather more business for our good friend, Mr. Mada)

We spent the remainder of the day on a cute little island close to the capital, which we reached by having Mr. Mada drive his tuk tuk onto the boat (below) then ride it over.

It was a bit of an experience to get it down the semi-steep hill but Mr. Mada was up for the challenge. So glad not to be driving!

Our time here was spent learning how to weave the intricate and beautiful designs that they are known for. Ok... maybe we each did just a few lines with them telling us what to do BUT we felt excited that we could do it. It is likely not a good profession for us to go into however! 

This cute little boy was checking the rice while we took some time to weave our "Silk Masterpieces" at his house.

We went to a silk farm where they taught the whole process on how they extracted the silk from the worms to the finished silk thread. There are so many processes to make this work from start to finish. 

On our boat ride back to Phnom Phen we noticed all these little house boats. We would have loved to go inside and see how they live. We cannot imagine sleeping here in the cold, wet or mosquito infested times of the year. 

Perhaps these kinds of experiences and visuals when you travel will help you to appreciate even more profoundly what you have. Coming home from our travels through Cambodia and Thailand made me want to pack up most of our stuff and give it away (actually I did give much away... simplified more). What do we really need anyway. We had lived away from our "Stuff" in Australia for 3 months and there wasn't much I missed. It is just things to take care of, clean or spend $ on. It was amazing at how much more time we had when we didn't have so much stuff to take care of. Instead we spent it on time together!

We love watching all the fisherman as they literally use anything they have to catch something in all kinds of weather. 

Top 5 places to visit in Phnom Penh

Top 5 places to visit in Phnom Penh (our top 5)

1- Choeung Ek - One of the infamous killing fields - 17,000 people died here (mentioned in the previous post). When you pay your entrance fee you are given earphones that tells of the horrific history.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choeung_Ek

2- Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum - A former Khmer Rouge High School turned into a prison. In 1975 this High School was turned into a prison know as the Security Prison but this was far from truth! It became the largest centre of detention and torture in the country, between 1975-1978 more then 17,000 people were held here at S-21. 

Much like the Nazis, the Khmer Rouge Leaders were detailed at keeping records of their inhuman acts. Almost all the women, men and children that had photographed here were tortured then later murdered, including several foreigners. We did not hire a guide here but wish that we would have to understand more of it's history although very grim.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuol_Sleng_Genocide_Museum

3- Royal Palace of Phnom Penh - In the Royal Palace walls is the stunning Silver Pagoda, the floor alone is covered in 5 tons of gleaming silver. Amongst the extravagant floor is the gleaming Baccarat-Crystal Buddha which sits atop an impressive gilded pedestal. There is also a Life Sized solid gold Buddha and is adorned with 2086 diamonds... it is over the top and lavish.

Where ever we traveled everyone we met had personal stories of how their lives were effected because of the "Killing Fields". Our tour guide told us his brother, who was a teacher, was buried alive and that his parents were tortured so that now he must take care of them and their deformities. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Palace,_Phnom_Penh

4- Wat Phnom- Built on the only hill in Phnom Penh - Wat phnom is atop the only hill in town. The Legend has it that the first pagoda was erected on this site in 1373 to hold four statues of Buddha left here by the water of Mekong River and discovered by Penh. The entrance is guarded by Naga (a mythical serpent) and lions balustrades. 

This is a popular place for the people to pray for good luck and success whether in school or business affairs. When the wish is granted, the faithful return to deliver a gift. We noticed piles of money and fruit setting in different areas of the temple, as a thank you. We noted one particular pile that was of probably 1,000 bills. We learned later that they sometimes use fake notes to show what they WOULD do, if they could.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Phnom

5- Wat Ounalom -  Founded in 1443, this headquarters of Cambodian buddhism, is comprised of 44 structures. During Pol Pot's reign it was badly battered but is now back to it's glory. Many monks and the head of the country's Buddhist Brotherhood call this home. There is a statue of Huot Tat, on the 2nd floor, who was the fourth patriarch of Cambodian Buddism, who was killed by Pol Pot. The statue was made when he was 80 years old and thrown away by the Khmer Rouge to show that that Buddism was no longer a driving force in Cambodia. The statue was later retrieved after the war and set by the royal families statues.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Ounalom

Unconventional Accommodations: Hospitality Exchange (Our FAV)

Another type of unconventional accommodation option that we fell in love with is Hospitality Exchange. Where there are plenty of sites to go to for home exchange, hospitality exchange is rather new. Often these types of options have come to us from other travels we’ve done and people we meet. When you open yourself up and talk to locals and find people of like mind, they will invite you to be their guests. 

We had friends invite us to stay with them in their Villa in Sorrento, Italy. This is the view from the roof.... simply heaven. As this is being written I can almost feel the relaxed atmosphere mixed with the aroma of Italian cooking coming from all corners of this beautiful little courtyard. This simply took my breath away!

We have also invited and hosted kids from all over the world to stay with us for the summer to have a cultural exchange and often those have naturally evolved in replicating offers from their family to come stay with them. One summer traveling through France and Germany we were able to stay with 5 families all for free and our experience was out of this world.

Here we eating with our friends, the Kluths on an excursion to the Black Forest in Germany. They hosted us at their home with a few excursions along the way. Not only to the Black Forest but to the fresh crisp air of the Swiss Alps. 

Here is Brianne helping to fix dinner during our hospitality exchange.

You will never experience different cultures and traditions of countries in the world better than by living with people of that country. We have made lifelong friends around the world through hospitality exchange. The idea here is that you open your home up to singles, couples and families if you have the room for a few days or for however long you want. You become their host. You don’t have to feed them, be their constant guide or stray from your daily routine - if you don’t want to. All they are usually looking for is a comfortable place to sleep and call a base camp. Now, it has been our experience that if you do this right, they will become like family. You will share meals, stories, laugh and show them what your region of the world is all about. 

Remember this is all called “exchange” and if you just do your own thing you really aren’t exchanging much. Once in Germany we stayed with this incredible family, the Kluths, who opened their home up to us. When we arrived, they showed us to our room, the house was small and so to accommodate our family of 6 was quite the juggling act. We soon learned that the room they put us in was their master bedroom. They made the camper their room while we were there. We insisted that we take the camper but they argued that we were the guests and insisted we allow them to do this for us. Such was the graciousness of our host.

The Kluth family not only had little German Chocolates... Yummyness, on our pillows when we arrived but they cooked some of the most amazing meals, including this beautiful cake above.

Marissa is just hanging out with Milena's Brother at their home in Germany.

We visited Switzerland with the Kluths and here we are contemplating our jump off the bridge for a little swim!

This type of exchange can often be easy to arrange and fit within your normal travel schedule. You don’t need to be as flexible, just make sure you are understanding to the needs of your host and always bring a gift of thanks, usually something unique from your country or region. I’m sure if you give this a try you will fall in love with it as much as we have. Keep your options open and you will be surprised at what comes your way. On the trip through France and Germany, one of our French families who invited us to stay with them gave us the most incredible surprise when we pulled up to their address. As we drove into their drive, right in front of us was their summer home.

To the right of us was a 14^th century full blown French castle with a proper mote, we might add. When we had finished the most incredible dinner they prepared for us, they asked, “Do you want to sleep in the farmhouse with us or would you prefer to sleep in the castle?” They didn’t have to ask twice, how many times do you get the chance to sleep in a castle?

If you are going to look for sites for hospitality exchange here are a few to start with, www.couchsurfing.com is the one that most people think of but keep in mind they are more geared to the single or couple travelers. Others are www.staydu.com. www.warmshowers.com, www.hospitalityclub.org, www.globalfreeloaders.com and for those who are Latter-day Saints there is a sight that caters to you, www.mormonexplorer.com.