Cambodia Trip! #1

If I were to explain Cambodia to you in four words these are what I would use. :)

Hot, loud, dirty, and tuk tuks (rickshaws).

Cambodia is much different from Thailand... Yes, they have similarities but they are also very different from one another. They are both hot and have crazy drivers; but Cambodia is very dirty and loud. Where Thailand is not as dirty and not that loud or not Cambodia loud. "Cambodia loud" is doing karaoke every night till past midnight! Enough about the two country's... Time for the exciting adventure in Cambodia. :)

My trip started with quite a bumpy airplane ride and delayed an hour. But Thankfully it all worked out and the family picking me up got there 15 mins before I got in. Praise the Lord that they didn’t have to wait there for an hour! I got in at 5pm and we got back to the house at 6. We celebrated their oldest sons birthday and then we all went to bed.

The next morning I got up and their neighbor, who is a Tuk tuk driver, took me to the Thai embassy. Funny story… when I went out the gate to find the neighbor I stood around waiting for 15 min and then went and asked the kids if they could find him for me. (I didn’t know what he looked like or his name.) They found him and he told me to have a seat in this little restaurant thing… we’re sitting talking and after about 15 min he asks if the mom is bring the kids with her… I tell him that I’m the only one and that the mom isn’t coming and he said, ”why didn’t you tell me before!” The thing is… I had, but he didn’t understand. He thought the mom was coming because she was the one who asked for me.

After that was all cleared up we were on our way and made it to the embassy. At the embassy I only had to wait about 5 min before I was called up… but then the lady said she needed to talk to the people in charge before she would ok it… so I had to wait an hour before she called me up and told me that they wouldn’t give me the one I had asked for, but that they would give me another tourist visa. Praise God that they gave me the tourist visa! I had to wait and pick it up Friday afternoon. 

That meant I had a couple open days to do whatever I wanted. :) I spent most of it just relaxing and enjoying playing games with the two oldest kids. I got to take them to the Kings Palace... that was an adventure. :) Then on Friday I picked up my visa and was ready to go back to Thailand. Although my flight wasn't till Mon night. 

                                               We played games on the roof one afternoon!

So, I took a tuk tuk to the airport, (because some kids were sick) and got there earlier then expected and got through to my gate no problem. As I'm sitting there waiting for my flight... I realize that were supposed to be boarding any min... but the screen had changed to red... for a second I thought it had been canceled... but the two Filipino girls sitting next to me said it was delayed. (Not a big surprise!) :) So an hour late again... we get into Bangkok around 7ish. 

                                                            (Cambodia airport) 

 Now time for immigration. So I get up to the desk and he says I can't stay the 90 days I wanted too... and He has to call one of the head ladies over. She looks at my flight out of Bangkok and my passport and tells me to follow her. So we go down to the end of the walkway and I'm told to sit by this desk. When the officer at the desk is done talking to a couple, who also got pulled out. He asked me a couple of questions and then after telling him that I'm visiting friends who just had a baby and that I'm leaving for Germany a couple days after the original 60 days on the visa, he told me, "ok, but this is the last time you can come in with a tourist visa." After that, I made my way to the taxi line...I got a nice taxi driver who played old american music. :) I finally made it back to the house at 9pm... Oh, what a trip! :)

                                           This is Joey... He lived in mine and Oliviya's room. :)

 So, when I got there they were having a bad smell.. like something dead coming in by the kitchen. They thought it might be a rat.. but it wasn't. Their dad found a dead cat on the roof of their outside bathroom. They couldn't get it down... but things here get eaten pretty fast by bugs and other things. (sorry, if that was to much info for you.)

                                            A wedding going on... Apparently they go on for days!

                  These pictures were taken by the kids. ;) So, here is what they see of Cambodia. ;)