So they survived.... Some moments that were overwhelming, shocking, comfort-zone altering, uncomfortable and unbelievable were mixed with moments of awe, excitement, hilarity and relaxation. My parents have been in the Kingdom of Cambodia for two weeks and they will fly out late tomorrow night relieved at having seen where Leanne and I live, the country itself and a completely different lifestyle than what is familiar to them in Colorado.
We have had such a wonderful trip with them. They spent a week with us in Phnom Penh seeing where we are working, living and the city itself. Last Saturday we loaded into a 12 passenger van with another great family and drove to Siem Reap, home to the temples of Angkor Wat. The temples were astonishing and it was the first time in a long time that I audibly said "wow" at what I was seeing. The detail, history and construction of Angkor Wat was remarkable and many times I literally could not believe that people were able to build on such a massive scale.
On Tuesday, we headed from Siem Reap and drove the length of the country down to Sihanoukville where we stayed at a beach resort called Sokha. The water was crystal blue, the rooms were unbelievable and we all left feeling relaxed, refreshed and a little sun-scorched. We were spoiled at Sokha with the private beach, incredible breakfast and free Spa. Not our typical vacation which made the experience even more enjoyable!
Spending time with my parents has been so rejuvenating. We have loved having them see our life here in the city as well as some other gems in Cambodia. They have experienced a lot out here and we are so thankful that they had the chance to see us.
On a more serious side. We were in Angkor Wat when the tragic stampede happened in Phnom Penh. The bridge itself is on the other side of the city from us, we were obviously not impacted nor were any of our immediate colleagues. There was an estimated 2-3 million plus people in Phnom Penh for Water Festival and the city is just not suited to hold such an influx in population. We thank all of you who reached out, checked in and offered your thoughts and prayers for us and for the people of Cambodia during such a tragic event.
If you haven't read about what happened last Monday night you can read about it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/world/asia/24cambo.html?ref=asia
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