just another saturday morning in Phnom Penh

Johm riab sua --Hello

Today is our last day at the Billabong Motel in Phnom Pehn.  We fly to Siem  Reap to visit Angkor Wat today.  As Molly and I agreed last night, we have to keep telling ourselves that we are actually in Cambodia and this is no a dream.

Yesterday was a full day.  In the morning we visited Roteang Orphanage, an NGO where almost 80 orphaned children live, (about 1/4  of them being living with and being  successfully treated for HIV). On site we visited their Montessori school, their sewing projects and agricultural program.  We observed a lesson among the 9 and 10 year olds reciting the khmer alphabet.   We met a girl who has lived there for many years and is finishing high school and attending the university in Phnom Penh next year.  She wants to be a teacher.  I'm sure she will be.  The children are very well taken care of.  Thank you Joey and Daryl Lapinski for your very generous donation of toothbrushes and toothpaste for the children and the orphanage's dental hygiene program.  It was much appreciated by all. (google Roteang Orphanage)

We visited the Russian Market, a hugh indoor market that sells everything imaginable and was about 100+ degrees and very lively.  We also visited the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, an amazing and exquisite  architectural complex built in the 1800's to serve the king.  Amazing it was not destroyed during the reign of the Khmer Rouge.  

From their, Molly Ethan and I returned to hotel totally exhausted.  Lisa and Isaac went to "Tiny Toons", where street children are taught breakdancing, dj-ing  reading and writing.  Google Tinytoons for the amazing story of it's origins.  Lisa and I first learned about it from the new york times website.

Everywhere we drive or walk, the flow of life here is amazing.  So many motos and tuk-tuks, so many carrying so many people or goods and merchandise it is truly amazing how it can be done. We are fortunate to have an amazing young man --Mr. Thon, who is our driver and guide and liaison to the city.

We hope everyone is healthy and doing well at home.

Happy birthday to my bro, Glenn.

Juab kh'nia th'ngay krao-y -- See you later.