The Jungle Temple at Ta Prohm

By Cynthia Sawtell
San Anselmo, CA

FEB 19 — At 9AM sharp our group gathered together to finally meet each other and embark on our first day of adventure in Cambodia. We had an entire very warm day of touring the temples at Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm, the jungle temple.

Then a quick freshen up, and we were off to the campus of New Hope Cambodia, a school which operates in the poorest slums in Siem Reap to provide advanced eduction in English for anyone who wants to pursue this learning to enable good jobs in future. New Hope also operates a free clinic for the targeted communities, as well as a training restaurant for future hospitality workers. After helping the students practice reading aloud in English (they were really pretty good!), we were feted in the training restaurant with a traditional Cambodian meal… And cocktails! Who could have imagined drinking a margarita in Siem Reap?

Tomorrow, we are off to visit the floating villages of Tonle Sap lake where fishing is the main occupation.

View trip photo gallery in Flickr