We’re finally here!
Before we tell you more about our first day, I’m sure you readers are interested to find out who exactly we three bloggers are…
Now, onto the happenings of Day 1.
We reached Cambodia safely at 8.30am local time. Cambodia’s clocks are an hour behind Singapore’s. Upon landing, we made our first discovery! Cambodia isn’t as warm and humid as Singapore, despite being relatively close-by. The air is cool, and the breeze smooth. After collecting our luggage, we boarded a mini-bus and headed for our hostel – home for the next six days.
On the way to the hostel, we made more discoveries. Cambodia isn’t a run-down country. In fact, there are some really well-furnished buildings there! That said, there are also dilapidated ones. Just look at the two photos below to get an idea…
The roads and traffic system here however are not as established as Singapore’s. We had a lot of difficulty crossing the roads!
Ultimately, we reached the hostel safely, and were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the facilities and service there. One thing shocked us though, and that was the huge lizard we found in the hostel’s main room! Just look at it in the photo below…
Once we’d settled down, it was time for breakfast, which we had at the St John’s Catholic Church. The church is right next to the hostel, and there, we were introduced to Fr Heri, a warm and hospitable man with an infectious laughter!
After breakfast, we continued packing clothing for the children we would be visiting in the coming days. A lunch prepared by the church volunteers was served shortly after. It was a delicious and heart-warming meal of local fried chicken, stir fried egg plants, sour mushroom soup, fresh tomatoes, and cucumbers. Mmm… Once lunch was done, we headed to the Old Market to purchase more presents for the kids!
The market was a fascinating place. Guided by the church’s youth volunteers, we navigated the nooks and crannies of the stuff market. There were countless shops, and some items on sale were entirely new to us! Particularly interesting was the centre of the market, which housed gold and jewelry shops. There, we got to see how gold chains were made.
While at the market, we also saw young children selling food stuff all by themselves, to make a living. Though their work was tough, it was visible that they were contented with life. At that point, the group felt that we had much to learnt from their positive attitude towards life.
After finally leaving the market, we headed for our first dinner in Cambodia. The group dined on an extremely satisfying meal of Cambodian steamboat (yes, it exists!). For dessert, we had ice-cream that came in some pretty interesting flavors such as, passion fruit and ginger. And, and, and, we also had these great macaroons that cost on USD 0.75 each!
Following that awesome meal, we headed back to the hostel for some much needed rest. Tomorrow, we will be visiting children at the floating village. Currently, the group is still getting used to the lifestyle and environment of Cambodia. Guess we really are too pampered in Singapore! That said, we’re excited to experience a brand new culture as well.
Stay tuned to our next post. Tata!
