Problem Solving

In our house, the two youngest angels problem solve in veeeerrry different ways.

Luke:

"Mom, I'm feeling a little sad and a little frustrated right now...." We have a rational conversation and we work through it together.


Drew:

He is lying on his bed because he was so exhausted from the fit he threw. It's tough to be 3. For ALL of us. 

Oh wait. There's more!

You know the part where I said the last post was my final one from Cambodia? I may have lied...there are a few others pictures I want to share. 

Our frequent fliers...

Siddharta, the boutique hotel we stayed at, served a yummy, local lemongrass tea upon check in. We were excited to hit the pool! And yes, the jersey went to Cambodia. 

The pool from our room. The rooms had 3 beds (Which meant we didn't have to sleep with the boys!) and a great outdoor living space for eating and reading.  

Such great food at the hotel! The BEST spring rolls I've ever had. Luke getting "local" with his fried rice and french fries. Always gotta have a little Americana! :)  

Tuk Tuk ride to dinner! 

People and motorbikes everywhere, but nothing like the traffic in Vietnam!

Several people told us to try the Mexican restaurant in town. It was delicious and so cheap. Adam and I had drinks, we all had a full dinner, and an order of chips and salsa. Grand total = $27! 

Lovin' life

Out for a little bargain shopping after dinner. As you can see, Drew got himself a NEW backpack. We "convinced" him it was time to let  the one with wheels go.  

And we found their shirts!

Pub Street at night...

Drew decided that since he got a new backpack, another little boy would probably like his old one.  They are off to find a new owner for it. 

Drew found a little boy who was walking down the street with his mom. They both seemed very, very happy and grateful for it. It definitely brought a smile to our faces! 

It wouldn't be a Mitchell family vacation if someone didn't get sick! Drew woke up on day 3 with a fever.  

On our final night, Adam and Luke met some friends from SAIS for dinner. They were just starting their vacation in Siem Reap. Being that Drew was sick, I stayed at the hotel with him and saw it as a great opportunity to order room service one final time. :)

Can't say enough about the food and friendliness of the staff at Siddharta! 

On our way home, feeling a bit better and managing to play. Our flight was short and sweet - just 2 hours.  

A beautiful flight home - was like this the entire way. My kind of  flying! 

And NOW, I am done! We had an unforgettable vacation and will always hold a special place in our hearts for Cambodia. With it's kind people and incredible history, it'd be a hard place to forget.

We can't WAIT for our 3 week Christmas vacation. But first, we welcome the Hevland's for Thanksgiving. Looking forward to seeing their faces again!

Thank you, Mr. Ta

This post will mark the LAST one from Cambodia. You think there's a lot now...wait until our winter break trip! :)

I have a final thing to share about Mr. Ta...

As I said in an earlier post, we talked a lot about his life as a young child, being forced out of his home by the Khmer Rouge. We also talked a lot about Cambodia and about the family he has now. At the third temple we visited, as we walked along an isolated path, I took the opportunity to ask him this -

"Mr. Ta. You saw so much sadness and hate as a young boy. How do you grow up to be a man who is so happy?"

His response-

"It is mostly because of my Buddhist beliefs. We believe that the past is the past. Things happen and we can't base our lives on them. We have to live for now and live for the future, not the past. Buddhism allows me to pray, live for today and be happy with what I have. Ms. Amy, I may not be rich. I am not a rich man. But I have family and a lot of friends. They make me happy."

Well said Mr. Ta, well said.

Thank you for teaching us about your beautiful country.

Countryside, Ox Cart Rides & a Floating Village!

Driving into the deep countryside of Cambodia you can't help but notice two things: the extreme beauty and the extreme poverty. People bathing in dirty canals, homes built from tarps, little children playing in mud piles and enormous amounts of flooding that will only diminish with time. The water was often spraying over the side of our car due to the standing water from the storm. Acres upon acres of rice was destroyed, which means lost income for many of these families.

Yes, that's a cow. 

Some huts, such as this one, were built higher so it was more protected from flooding. The top is a large room where everyone sleeps and the portion underneath is for gathering during the day. It remains open so air can circulate through. There is no electricity - no fans or lights and certainly no air conditioning.

I will admit that upon arriving to the ox carts, I had serious moments of doubt. The rain and wind were starting to pick up, tree branches fell and scared the crap out of the ox, causing them to run a bit crazy, and I was trying to take everything in around me (with very little English being spoken). Mr. Ta continued to smile which was reassuring. If I had noticed any doubt in his face at all, I was going to make a run for the car without turning back. Yep, safe in the Corolla is where you'd find me. BUT...I put my game face on and rode the damn ox. And now we can say we've ridden an ox cart through the country side of Cambodia.  

Look at the flooding!

And we're done! Look at that smile...he loved it! Never minded the wind & rain one bit. 

The purpose of the ox cart ride was to get us to the boat that would take us to the floating village. With the weather the way it was, doubt was again creeping into my mind. Adam's mind too at this point. The boat ride was a 2 hour trip and we were wet and cold (Yes, COLD!). We knew if the boys would be miserable, we'd all be miserable. But Mr. Ta was assertive enough to say that it was something we needed to see and do. So on we went....

Can you see why there was doubt?? 

 I was assured the boat was equipped with lifejackets for the boys. Yep, fits like a glove.

The boat was equipped with dining room chairs. Not bolted down in any way so you had to be careful not to tip them over.

 We rode on the boat about 20 minutes before we normally would due to the flooding. Usually we'd still be on the ox since this should all be rice fields.

I loved the point at which another boat passed and our driver turned off the engine. I asked why and Mr. Ta said, "If he doesn't turn it off, our boat will sink." Ahhh...that's reassuring. Nice and sturdy. 

A floating cemetary. When Mr. Ta visited this village three weeks ago, they were performing a cremation there. Logs, fire and body. Ashes into the water.

This village houses 172 families. They live 100% of their time on the water. It's free to live there, they pay for their housing materials. Cambodians eat what comes from the land/water and most of the people here earn their small income from fishing and produce. There is a floating garden too.

They use the bathroom, bathe and drink from the same water. It doesn't affect their systems (generally) because their bodies are used to it. If you think about it, most of these people have been exposed to this water full of toxins since they were babies. 

Here you have a floating PIG PEN!

Pets still exist in the village. Mr. Ta said the "really poor" people tether their boat up to a house and put a tarp on top. They live, eat, everything from their little boat.

 Made a stop at the floating store/restaurant - where Adam & I ate SNAKE. By ate, I took a half bite. But I tried it! It was a little tiny place with a few tables and drinks for sale. In the above pic the boys are feeding catfish.

 There's even a collection of alligators there

The boys fell in love with this kitty and that sweet little boy fell in love with Luke & Drew :)
His play area was underneath one of the tables.

I love this picture. "School's out!" The morning session ended at 11am and all the kids were paddling home.

Three little sweeties rowing home. They couldn't have been older than 6.

 Here are the two teachers rowing home for lunch break.

The three floating school houses in this village. They obtain their supplies largely from donations and the small, small fee parents pay. 

We are SO thankful we took Mr. Ta's advice and saw the floating village. It was quite eye opening and we learned a lot. This village moves about 5 times each year, depending on the water levels and where fishing is the best. A larger boat hooks up one house at a time and moves it until all 172 families have moved down or upstream. There are 4 floating villages in Siem Reap and in Cambodia, approximately half a million people live this way.