We woke up early to a very cold morning for our trip to the waterfall. The bus ride to the waterfall was filled with Khmer, English and Mandarin songs. Now we know that a lot of us can’t really remember lyrics and that Meng can sing a lot of Mandarin songs! The ride was a bumpy and dusty one with muddy water and uneven terrain. We were amazed at Jack’s superb driving skills!
Breakfast was at a roadside stall. The pork noodles and grilled pork rice were especially ching-an (aka delicious) after a freezing long ride!
When we reached our destination, the SC people guided us to the waterfall. We had to navigate through rocks and unlevelled ground. Just when we thought that we have reached the waterfall, we were told that we had only completed half of the walk. We finally reached the waterfall after some time.
The waterfall was nice and for many who have not played in a waterfall before, it was an exciting experience. Upon arrival, we could immediately sense the coolness of the water and were quite apprehensive about going into the water. But well, since we were already there, it would be a waste if we do not experience waterfall first-hand!
After some fishing, chatting and sleeping (where Sam was repeatedly caught on camera), most of us finally made our way into the river. Wei Hong was the first brave warrior who went into the river!
Almost everyone dreaded the coldness of the water but it got much better after we spent some time inside it. And we can clearly see the guys shivering with chattering teeth in the cold water. We then made our way to the waterfall where we had individual shots of us in meditation and also group photos.
Lunch was next. It was ginger chicken with rice and grilled pork with rice. We also tried something interesting – baguette with condensed milk, placed in a bamboo which was slit into half. It’s quite amazing how resourceful the Cambodians are; they seem to be so at ease with nature where they could create things they need from natural resources. Other examples include the fishing rods that were made with branches and the grilling of the fishes with bamboo and fire. However, there were some things they did that intrigue us. One example, Jack was happily burning the Styrofoam lunch box when he realized that there was uneaten rice in one. He then naturally retrieved the partially burnt box to finish the rice. Maybe he wasn’t aware that burning Styrofoam emits poisonous gas; maybe it was because of thrift and the reluctance towards wastage, or maybe such concerns do not even feature in their lives.
While some of us were drying our clothes by the fire, a second batch of us went to the waterfall. It was very nice of Wei Hong and Meng to accompany the girls down to the waterfall again! After that, a group of us went for a hike leaded by Sokun, Vicheka , Siap and semi-Cambodian Wen Hao. The route was fun and challenging. It was super nice of the four of them to ensure our safety and pave the road for us, including moving a big log so that we could use it as a bridge to cross the currents. We were really grateful for their help.
We then made our way back to SC! The trip was long and freezing and dusty, but the night sky was dotted with stars! Some of us played lame games such as the water bottle game, Around the world in eighty days, how many meh-meh jump over the fence, ji ke xing xing diao xia lai, and black/yellow/red/green/blue magic.
Back at the guesthouse, we took group photos (including with Jack!) and we finally told Jack the meaning behind his name. He is so cute :D Then, we made our usual trip to the petrol station to have our ice-cream, betagen and other snacks. Chang Tat, as usual, replenished his food supply. Zhi Hui also finally and successfully raced to the cashier to get small change for her USD note. We then ate a lot of fish for dinner.
Time flies! With only the R&R portion left, our trip is almost coming to an end! It is very heartening to see how SC and also the children and villagers have helped make our trip meaningful and enriching. We are really grateful for their kind hospitality and sincerity in making us feel at home. Sometimes, it almost feels like we are on a tour than the usual OCIP trip. It is great that our trip is not a once-off thing because of the business component we have with respect to the sewing class. SC has been very sincere in making a positive difference to the lives of their fellow citizens and we have witnessed this by their hospitable treatment and cooperation with us. It would be great to come back to Cambodia someday again to look at the trees that we have planted, to see how the kids have grown and learned, and also to contribute in more ways through SC. This trip not only helped us understand more about our project by putting faces behind the organization we have been working with, it also allowed us to understand and experience the Cambodian way of life and make us more appreciative of what we have in our home country.
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