Ride back to Phnom Penh...

About a week ago (I know I'm on the ball), Katybeth and I took a 6 hours bus ride from Siem Reap to the capital city of Phnom Penh in Cambodia. It is important to note that it is wet season now and Cambodia is basically a VERY large mud puddle with extensive flooding around the waterways. There is only a few "national highways" which are the best roads in the country but are not much more than a narrow single lane road in each direction riddled with potholes and numerous objects both of the living and nonliving type. We paid a mere $6 for our front row seats on the top level of the bus, but the sights we took in were both breathe-taking and heart aching. I jotted down notes as we drove encapsulated in our metal and glass box unable to really understanding the true heart and need of these people. I hope if gives you a little idea of the beauty and need of Cambodia.

- countless naked babies running around their yards or swimming in their flooded yard
- chickens at nearly every home feeding on the what they could find on dry land
- children from 3-18 years old playing, swimming, fishing, washing in their flooded yards
- numerous young boys or grown man wading through the flooded rice fields around their homes or in their yards fishing with not more than a simple string net certainly hoping to "catch" dinner
- one section of 2-3 miles the majority of house, probably at least 20, each had a roadside shop selling freshly ground flour which was done by the a large tree trunk rammed into a hole in the ground (mortal and pestle style)
- every few houses there would be a home with a cow or two
- every mile or more there would be a water buffalo happily lounging around in the water after likely a hard days work in the fields
- a mile or 2 stretch near a lake or major waterway where each home had dried and salted fish hanging on their small roadside shops
- smiling and laughing children running and playing what we would consider 'too close to the road', having what looked like the time of their lives but likely was another day in paradise
- another 2-3 mile stretch with at least 40-50 people selling skinned chickens ready for dinner hanging lifeless upside-down from their motorcycles
-the vast majority of homes were built on stilts (for obvious reasons) and simple wooden frame, comprising of not more than one large room for sleeping and cooking inside and above ground and then storage under the home when it was not flooded
- motorcycles, motorbikes, motor scooters and an occasional passing car or truck
-countless police 'barricades' where several police would work together focusing suspecting drivers off the road and then fabricating false driving infringements in which the 'victims' were expected to bribe off the police (who make $3/day) by paying a small fine of $2.50 or $5

Once we neared the HUGE (comparatively) city of Phnom Penh the scene changed
- friendly soccer game, possibly a nightly event, held on a very dirty, not very grassy, and uneven field
- truckloads crammed with what looked like 20-60 people tightly packed in the truck beds probably being transported back to their home in the countryside after a 12-14 hour (we've heard) work day which was typical and earning not more than $2
-Finally as we pull into P.P. we are stopped by police at the intersection. I'm thinking, oh dang now its our time to pay off the police and pay some pointless fine. No No.... After waiting 5 or so minutes a very exclusive and important entourage comes rolling through in brand-new sparkling clean black BMW and Mercedes lead by a hefty number of better dressed police and military forces. Dichotomy????? We later heard important political officials from Thailand were visiting.

Sorry about my long windedness if you made it this far :)
God has placed a few questions which I'm still pondering....

How am I the corrupt white man at times, unwilling to help those in poverty?
What is my role and how can I help stop poverty?
How can I help bring to light corruption and help righteousness and justice be restored?
Why are people with so much less often happier and more generous than I am with so much?

Thoughts by Caleb

The pictures were taken on one of our two stops as the driver got of the bus for a two minutes to well you know.... this is national highway 6

Cambodia

Yesterday Caleb and I went to several different temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It was truly remarkable seeing these 1000 year old structures. THe detail on every peace of stone was breathtaking. We had a great day.

Cambodians: Cambodia has a very dark past, and a very challenging present. They have more heartache and pain that I could imagine. The slaughter that took place 35 years ago in the genocide killed over 2 million people and left many more without anything. Families were separated and land destroyed. Even now, those memories burn in th minds and hearts of many of the people we meet. In addition, schools do not have enough funding, people are intensly underpaid and millions of families live on the brim of intense poverty every day... they live with the contant pressure of knowing if one family member gets sick, that would push the family from hardly holding on, to a life of poverty for the family. Families are faced with intense choices every day of finding ways to simply survive... Yesterday I watched as a father walked back from a day of fishing. He had empty baskets and three little boys watching with heavy eyes as they realized dinner would be thin that night. These images give such perspective about a life that has hardly their needs met to a life that has all our wants met. The difference is incredible. I hope to think about this image next time I feel disapointed with eating rice.

Through all the pain, struggles and hardship these people face, they demonstrate soo much love and care to eachother and outsiders (us). We have felt welcomed, embraced and cared for from the people. I am so awed by the resiliancy of the people. They demonstrate a strength and grace far beyond what I have seen before. I have never been so impressed with a people group in all my life. God Bless Cambodians!

With RICE

So I have totally loved all the great food on our trip... Wonderful curry's with rice, tasty stir fry with rice, breakfast porrage with rice, fried chicken coated in wonderful spices with rice....

The last two days I have been totally riced out... Even a curry chicken has a very small amount of chicken and a whole lot of rice. Last night, Caleb and I broke down and went to KFC.... After our filling meal of CHicken burger and fries, I for the first time in a long time had a bad case of the rumbles/runs. Gotta love western fast food!

Malaysia Pictures...

Here are some pictures from Malaysia. This is Part 1 as we have more coming as well. So think of this as an appetizer just wetting your appetite for more epic adventures from KB and Caleb. I know that was cheesy.




We went snorkling and saw sharks and turtles. This was our crew and friends from the trip. The other couple was from Italy and then there was two friends who were teaching English in Asia from Washington and Russia. We have found many friends and travelers from Europe, but rather a small number from the states.

We actually got to swim with two HUGE green turtles. They are amazing and such curious creatures. So much better in real life. If I were an animal, I would love to be a gaint sea turtle.

Caleb swimming near the gaint green turtle. Incredible experience to see and watch them. I felt like I was on Discovery Channel and loved it. Twice we got to see the turtle ascend for air and we only a few feet away. They are so big as well being a good 3-4 feet in length and several hundred pounds in weight. These were small ones even.

KB swimming with schools for fish. There were times when we would be in the middle of thousands of incrediblely colored tropical fish. Most of the time, KB was laughing the entire time the fish were around her. There were some that would take painless bites on your legs and were so curious with us.

Our hotel on the Perhensian Isands had a pet monkey. Katybeth quickly became one of her BFF. This little girl was only a few months old and was taken away from her family on the other island as the family supposedly had kicked her out. Very sad and she leashed most of the time without freedom. She had plenty of friends though.

This is sunset on Coral Beach of the Perhensian Islands. We ended up staying more than a week here as we fell in love with the people and place. We would swim, read, swim, play cards, snorkle, eat lunch, swim,....you get the idea. It was a great place to rest and relax. We would have taken many more beatuiful pictures, but our camera broke the third day we were on the Island. Big Bummer...

This was the first room we had when we got to the Island. We paid $5 for the room and at that it was not worth it. I think we got 384 mosqitoe and ant bites despite having a mosqitoe net. Also, there was party on this side of the island (Long Beach) with music which didn't quiet until about 4am. It didn't help that is was also built on ant mountain as well. We are getting old and needed our rest so we decided after about 3 hours of sleep to head to the other side (Coral Beach).

On our taxi boat heading to the Perhensian Isands. It took about 45 mintues of continuous bouncing and being thrown around. Good thing we have strong stomachs and don't get motion sickness. It was great fun and clearest water, we've even seen.

Thailand Pictures

Here are some long awaited pictures from the glorious land of Thai


This picture is taken on a boat ferry leaving Koh Toa Tailand. After this 9 hour boat ride we got on a moto taxi, then a bus, then a taxi, then a mini van and finally another bus before we reached our destination in Penang Malaysia. We were def. tired by the time we arrived. The boat ride was great though - major waves as we slept!!

Koh Toa Tailand.

We used these scooters to get around the island...

Above picture is on an overnight train.

Jungle treck in Thailand

Caleb making a new friend

Riding an Elephant!!!

GOTTA LOVE TUK TUKS!!!

Thai Street Food - SOOOO TASTY!

China Pictures....About Time!

Katybeth making friends with everyone













Hiking Tiger Leading Gorge China


















Tiger Leaping Gorge with great friends Mike and Kate






Mountain Biking in Shangri-la China in Tibetan Plateau









Looking Hot in Rice Terrance in Guilin China








Caleb in Skibbies jumping bridge in Yangshuo China

Jungle running....

Went running this morning on the island. I guess it is important to mention that this island is a dot on any map and very small. Small enough and rugged enough that there are no roads or motorized vehicles 1) because it is small (I think I mentioned that) 2) it is remote and primitive and c) the island itself is a jungly mountain. So back to the running on the trail. The trail itself was close to the coast and hilly. What made the trail so interesting was that is was through vines, low trees, and overgrown plants. I thought the entire time that I was going to be snatched by a snake and/or giant lizard which are all over the island. There is nothing like getting squeezed to death by a snake or attacked by a 5 foot lizard to keep you humming along the path. It was fun and a good time to start the morning off.

Caleb