After a bit of a lie in this morning the team headed back to Phonm Penh Airport for short flight to Siem Reap. Mark and Liz had some much needed R&R built into the itinerary so that the team could recharge their batteries before the start of another busy week.
What a treat! On Friday night, Liz and Mark had organised dinner at fabulous hotel, traditional dancers performed whilst we ate a fantastic meal and chatted about the events of the past seven days. It was evident that we were all physically & emotionally exhausted. An early night was on the cards for everyone.
Sightseeing was the order of the day, you can’t come to Siem Reap without visiting Angkor Wat. We started out early as there were some dignitaries in town, not to mention an international marathon and a cycle race. So, no need to say that traffic was mayhem. Nevertheless off we went, sun cream, mosquito spray and camera in hand.
There was some disruption to the plan due to the events taking place therefore we missed out on the elephant ride however that did not stop us getting to see the temples and what amazing sites they where.
Some of the team did a little retail therapy at the temples buying trinkets and keepsakes as a reminder of our time here not to mention getting some bartering experience. The heat became unbearable as it drew closer to lunchtime and we decided to call it a day. We headed back to our hotel for a quick shower, lunch and a little rest or a swim before heading back out late afternoon to Bloom.
Well what can I say about Bloom, ‘Yum Yum’ springs to mind. Cakes galore, some too beautiful to eat but as you can imagine we all did our best to force down a couple of cup cakes each, yes not one cupcake, TWO each.
In the evening we met up with Reaska and his wonderful family, he is an amazing man with an even more amazing story behind him, have a read of his book, ‘The Tears of My Soul’. A short walk after dinner through the night market and then back to the hotel to pack for our return journey tomorrow back to Phonm Penh.
08:30 pick up to start the day, we travel to Pouk for the morning service at Reaksa’s church. Colin and Angela gave their testimony today and we sang a worship song for the congregation. I don’t think we will get a recording contract anytime soon but I hope the guys listening enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed singing for them.
After church we walked a short distance to Reaksa’s coffee shop and spent some time listening to worship music and resting by the lake whilst Reaksa and his wife prepared a farewell lunch for us. I should mention that while we were resting Reaksa was out catching our lunch, yes, fresh catfish and it was delicious. There were other traditional Cambodian dishes on the table all of which were fabulous.
This downtime was a blessing and we are all thankful for the opportunity to refresh, refuel and renew our physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing before embarking on another week of God centred activities and kids clubs.
God bless, Ellen…