Back in the ol' USA

After nearly 40 hours on airplanes and in airports, I have successfully made it home sweet home! I am struggling with the unavoidable reality check that always seems to go hand in hand with the return of any fun adventure as well as the dreadful jet lag. I could not have asked for a more well-rounded experience and I left Cambodia feeling as though I accomplished my main objectives of the trip- to teach, travel, and gain exposure to a new culture.

To provide a recap of my last few days in Cambodia....

My last day in Kampot was filled with an invigorating truck ride and jungle trek on a tour up to see the abandoned French buildings atop Bokor Mountain. For this adventure, I hooked up with the Long Villa Guesthouse, which organizes tours for your average backpacker/tourist types up to the misty mountaintop which was developed by the French in the 1920's.

The hollowed shell buildings at Bokor now make for an eerie, deserted place that represents a dream that never came true, but but provides a beautiful viewpoint of Kampot and the ocean in the valley below.
I was amused to find that among my tour companions of 6 Swedes, 10 French, 2 New Zealanders and a handful of Brits, nearly everyone came to the trip completely unprepared for a hike (many were wearing flip flops and had no rain gear or water) yet most of them managed to remember to bring a lifetime-supply of cigarettes to smoke like chimneys throughout the day! We were lead by park rangers who just happened to carry imposing AK-47s (rumor has it there is a three-legged tiger who roams the jungle in those parts).

On Sunday I took a "taxi" (a 1989 sedan crammed with as many people that will fit) to nearby Sihanoukville and "splurged" $20 dollars on a lovely Orchidee Hotel near the beach that also had a pool, air conditioning, and an amazing complimentary French breakfast! Sihanoukville is considered to be a tourist destination, and I could tell judging by the frequent bombardments of 10-year-old bracelet sellers who all used the line, "Don't be stingy girl- open your heart and open your wallet," after I continually denied purchasing anything from them! I had an entertaining bus ride back to Phnom Penh on Monday which took 6 hours instead of the scheduled four due to the strange occurrence of having to follow what seemed like the entire Cambodian military transporting suspicious crates (my guess is that they contained dynamite?!)

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Tuesday and Wednesday I spent some quality time with my housemates and made my last visit to the Olympic Stadium I have made an offer to everyone to come see me in Montana anytime, and I genuinely hope that I will be able to make a return visit to Cambodia before too long! As John said, the world is an onion and I have only begun to peel off the first layer...

On the way home, I had a 12-hour layover in Korea; surprisingly, I ended up having a ball as the Soeul airport puts all U.S. ones to shame! I went on a transit tour of the city of Incheon and was befriended by two lovely Filipino ladies who now work in San Francisco. We were able to take a fairy ride, see a historical park, visit the immaculately clean market, and participate in various traditional Korean customs by paying a visit to the many free "Korean Cultural Experience Centers" within the airport. Who knew a layover could be so much fun?




I am starting to go back through and add pictures to my old blog posts to spruce up my written descriptions. I am also working on adding more pictures in new posts as well! Thanks for all of the support and interest- my hope is that I have helped educate you all about the incredible people of Cambodia and what treasures can lie beyond our own homes- happy travels everyone!