Jenny and I have survived the (non)Holidays in Cambodia. There were no Christmas tunes, no houses decorated, no days off for businesses. The major shopping centers had a tree and decorations, but there was little or no awareness of what this time of year means here in Cambodia. It is far removed from December in Canada.
We spent Christmas Eve and most of Christmas Day at Matthew and Nary McCullough's. Matt is a missionary from Ottawa, and Nary is his Cambodian wife. We got up and watched the family open their presents, and afterwards, we had a Christmas feast!!! Turkey, rice, gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls, and marshmellow salad!
We returned to Keat & Sally's house following, and went up to the 4th floor of NLCC and had a time of food and fellowship with the staff of the ministry here.
On Boxing Day morning, we got on a bus and headed 6 hrs north to the city of Siem Reap for a 3 day vacation. We stayed at the King Angkor, which, was pretty good, compared to Cambodian standards. On saturday, we toured the temples; most notably: Angkor Wat, Bayon, and Ta Prohm (where some of Tomb Raider was filmed). It was one of the most amazing days I have ever had.
We looked for the kids we had met during the water festival in Phnom Penh, and found them outside Angkor Wat!!! We spent some time with them, and then went back sunday morning and spent some time with them as well. It was the best time of the trip.
We arrived back in Phnom Penh yesterday, with ittle time to prepare for our evening classes. And so, we trod on.
To see photos of our amazing trip, click -->HERE<--