After some much needed down time after the Angkor Wat morning yesterday (where I can’t describe the level of humidity cause that would be whinging…), we headed back out for a 3 hour vespa tour of the countryside in the afternoon with 8 others from the group.  We got about 5 minutes into the ride when the rain started smashing down.  So with raincoats donned we rode on….

Despite this, we had so much fun.  Our first stop was to a home where the ladies weave baskets.  I was lucky enough to get a turn and found it so cathartic.  Maybe I could weave baskets as my craft when we travel Australia again…

Then to a demonstration of traditional cooking of sticky rice.  The rice is stuffed into a tube of bamboo and cooked in a fire for 3 hours.  We sampled the rice and tried it dipped in palm sugar as well.

For our final stop we were shown the process for making rice noodles followed by a sampling of them as well as more fruit and a coconut to drink.  We are being fed way too much food on this trip.  It’s simply not possible to eat what we are being given.

Then back to the hotel in time to dry off and head out for our farewell dinner for the tour.  We were shown through the workshops for local people that are being supported to develop trades and skills to become self-supporting over the next couple of years.  Then a ridiculously large Cambodian dinner with 4 starters and 4 mains before dessert.  Through the dinner we were entertained with traditional Cambodian dancing and some really talented martial arts/dance displays.

Absolutely exhausted, we arrived back at the hotel after 10pm and said goodbye to half of the tour group that we have travelled with for the last 3 weeks.  We have shared so many fun times with everyone and have really loved getting to know them all.  Such lovely people that really have made this trip so memorable for us.

Now to today,  after a slower start we headed out on Tuk Tuk to APOPO – an organisation that trains rats to clear landmines around the world.  It is mind boggling how many undetonated bombs and landmines there are in Cambodia alone.  It is estimated around 6 million land mines were planted during the past volatile times and approximately 70% of those have now been cleared.  This year, the rats have identified 500 land mines and 40000 unexploded bombs that have been removed – ensuring the farming land is safe for families as it is worked.  We watched a rat identifying a container containing TNT and got to hold one.  The rats are treated very very well – 1 hour of work a day and they live in air conditioning.  We had to wash our arms before we could hold them.  Very different to the conditions the average dog and cat live in around here.

We are sitting at Siem Reap Airport about to embark on 2 flights and 2 train trips before we arrive back home.  I can’t fully describe the experience we have had over the last 3 weeks – from a typhoon, torrential rains in Halong Bay, floods in Hanoi, the sights and sounds of millions of people existing in a working city, and above all the resilience of those people dealing with natural disasters.  Then to the metropolis of Saigon and all the bright lights, 9 days on the Mekong River where we were treated to glimpses into the lives of villagers, business people, schools, religion and architecture specific to the regions we were in.  Some sobering times in Phnom Penh in  Cambodia and finally to Siem Reap where the people have been just as welcoming and so keen to teach us about their culture and history.  And to top it off, the amazing ancient temples were an incredible highlight.

Along the way we had many laughs – turns out Sandra and I are difficult to tell apart (go figure? – first time in nearly 30 years of friendship we’ve been called each others names 🙂 ).  And even occasionally Bob and Glenn were confused.  We decided to make things easier and I decided we could all just answer to Kendra and Glob…..

We are so thankful to Sandra and Glenn for allowing us to share this 30th Wedding Anniversary trip with them.  An awesome time spent with great friends.