Cambodia meant many things; a new land, a new culture, and a new people. The part I will miss most deeply is the relationships formed with the many people with whom we had the chance to become acquainted and even build meaningful friendships. Sunday was our last real chance to say goodbye to those who helped make the trip a memorable one. At church on Sunday morning the congregation honoured the Belmont group by presenting us with beautiful Cambodian silk scarves not only to commemorate our time in Cambodia but also to commend the work we’d performed. The irony of the situation was that the exchange occurred inversely; those truly deserved of commendation were the ones who accepted us into their lives whole heartedly and showed us an unforgettable time.
After church we had some free time to roam about the city, tie up any loose ends, or just relax. Emily and I decided to sneak a gander at the National Museum. The short tuk-tuk ride was well worth it – I’ll definitely miss those little motorized wagons, the put-put of the engine, the wind (or dust) in your hair, and the many sites captured en route. Once we had made it to the museum Bounchanh, who had hitched a ride to Art Street, hopped out of the tuk-tuk and promptly rolled his ankle leaving a doozy of a bruisy in its wake. The museum was rather unassuming from the outside; an old temple with a well-manicured garden housed the treasures within. Once inside, it was evident that space was at a premium because there were dozens of statues of Buddha, essentially sitting in one another’s laps. Upon further inspection we saw many bas reliefs, statues, and various other priceless artifacts, the majority of which had been salvaged from the temples at Siem Reap. In the courtyard were four placid fish ponds, stocked to the brim with an assortment of colourful fish. The trip was capped with a walk to the souvenir stand where we picked up a couple of iced coffees, our newfound obsession, and then it was back to the hotel to prepare for the pot-luck dinner.

We made it there after a short, language barrier-induced pit stop at a local hospital. Then it was on to the games. First, we had a balloon-pop-chair race and then followed that up with a game that reminded me of a cross between charades and Simon says (you know the one – jelly fish, elephant, bumble bee, fashion show). After working up an appetite we were ready for some grub. We all piled together on the mats in the middle of the room and shared what we had brought. I tried some crickets, fish eggs (although I wouldn’t call it caviar), and some clams – I think they called it eenu, along with some of our favourite fare from Khmer Surin.
Dinner was followed up with some traditional Khmer dancing. To our surprise, this led into some less traditional dancing, the type more suited to the discotheque. No complaints here, though, best work out I’d had all trip, even though I’ve got about as much rhythm as a canned ham. After some final goodbyes, we all boarded the bus back to the hotel for a good nights rest in preparation for Monday’s trip to the village.