Last Weekend, New Friends!

Sadly, it's our last week in Phnom Penh. We leave for Siem Reap (closest city to the famous Angkor Wat) on Friday, where we will be taking different classes and exploring until we go home on December 13! I'm sort of sad to be leaving Phnom Penh because I am just starting to feel connected with the city; we're just starting to find our favorite places to eat and bars to go to and places to hang out. I'm finally starting to settle in! It's bittersweet to leave especially because we just started making Cambodian friends, and yet I am so excited to go up north and see Angkor Wat!

Last weekend, Kyle introduced Tim and I to a handful undergraduate students whom he facilitates in a sort of cultural/history class/club. Kyle calls him the "star students" of UC, and they are awesome! They wanted to take us on an outing on Sunday afternoon to Udong, a local-ish Cambodian weekend hang-out spot. It's sort of a tourist spot for Cambodians, and we saw very few barang (foreigners) there. We rented a minibus and it was a short drive outside of the city. The region is beautiful -- very flat and very green with the occasional rolling hill popping up in the landscape. The million shades of green in this part of the world never ceases to amaze me.

At the base of the mountain (atop which stands Wat Udong), there is a small market and memorial for Khmer Rouge victims. There are many covered "rest" areas that consist of raised bamboo platforms and hammocks. They sort of look like tree-house hangouts, only on the ground. You can rent a section for a period of time. Most Cambodians bring picnics or get food at the markets and take naps in the hammocks. It's a nice place to relax and chill out on a Sunday!

Shelling palm fruits at the Udong market (the Sugar Palm is Cambodia's national tree and is one of the most versatile natural materials in this part of the world)

Tim and I relaxing in our hammocks

Khmer food with our new Khmer friends!

 After lunch, we rested for a bit before we began the climb up to Udong temple. There are over 500 steps, but luckily we weren't rushed and we could take our time. It was quite a hike regardless (is anyone picking up on the "stairs" theme here? I feel like I've climbed a lot of stairs in Cambodia...)

Tim almost at the top!

A beautiful view!

Tim and I back on the bottom, hot ans sweaty from a nice hike!

 We climbed back down and I bought some fruit and a very cool wicker-like basket as a souvenir. A child beggar, who had followed me around all day fanning me (despite numerous attempts to decline his services), demanded I paid him. He told me he was hungry so I tried to give him some bananas -- he refused them. This is very typical of Cambodian children who "beg;" they often aren't orphans, they often aren't the poorest children in the community, and they are always relentless. If this boy was really that hungry, I imagine he would have gladly accepted my gift of food. Instead he gawked at me and demanded I pay him cash. Begging is a huge problem here, and often children are trained to pray on the sympathies of foreigners. No other boys begged from Cambodians, only from the three white people (Tim, Kyle, and me). It's a difficult situation because there is no way for me to know whether this kid needs the money or not -- it isn't my place to make that call, and how could I? When we got to Phnom Penh, Maryann told us that if we feel guilty about refusing begging children, we should donate to a reputable school or childrens' NGO. I've been pretty good about desensitizing myself to the kids (they are literally EVERYWHERE here), but I caved in and gave the child at Udong 2,000 riels (about $0.50 USD). He looked at me, looked at the money in my hand, and demanded more. I didn't feel too bad after that...

It was a great day, regardless, and we had a fantastic time with our new group of Cambodian friends! It's just too bad we didn't have much time left in Phnom Penh to spend with them!

Peace + Love + more posts soon