RuthAnn

The Children of Wat Opot --- The Angels of Wat Opot ----- They have amazing strength, they are much more stronger than any of us. I went to Wat Opot to help out but really.. they helped me. My experience there was life changing, truly humbling and a real eye opener. The pain and suffering that these children have been through and are still going through is nothing compared to what we seem as 'pain & suffering'. Who am i to complain about my so called "hard" life. You never hear any complaints from these children, they have accepted, they are learning, they are laughing, loving and moving forward. To some of us.. this is hard to do. The Children of Wat Opot are happy, full of energy.... its infectious. I love being around them. The ... read more

A typical day at Wat Opot - what I observed during my 10day visit. 0630 - everyone is awake 0630 to 0730 - Kids take their medicine, breakfast then off to school. 0730 to whenever - Volunteers have breakfast After breakfast til about lunchtime - Us volunteers would do some work or play with the kids that dont go to school yet. Me, Carmen & Marijke worked on the craft shop - cleaning up, sorting out beads, making jewellery. Hank would work on Mr Chhang's coffee shop. Mark would work on some mechanics or other repairments needed. Wayne.. well I really dont know what he does. I hardly see him outside meal times. At 0900 we would have Khmer lessons with our neak crue (teacher) Srey Aun. And some playime with the little ones doing some ... read more

Wow I cant believe the 10days is already over... it went sooo fast... too fast!!!... I'm now back at Phnom Penh, staying at Hostel Happy. Man this place is full of foreigners, typical backpackers place. But the place is really nice and the rooms are so cheap. $3 a night with own bathroom and fan. I'm here for the next 2 nights which I will then be heading off to Hong Kong. I'm gonna make this entry very brief.. just want to give you guys a quick update. I will go in more detail in due time. On Sunday 21Mar I arrived at Takeo, Wat Opot orphanage. It was a 1.5hrs Tuk Tuk drive. The drive down was very interesting.. going through the little villages and slums. I was greeted with a warm welcome by Wayne ... read more

The plane trip over to Hong Kong was suprisingly really quick. The flight was smooth except for a few turbulence which is expected. I love Cathay Pacific, best airline I've flown with so far. Much more leg room and I love the entertainment options. You have a personal screen with a remote/game console and there are over 50 movies to choose from. You have the new releases as well as some oldies but goodies. Then you have over 50 TV shows and also over 100 games to play. SICK!!!!....Man I can fly for days and days and just watch movies & shows... LOL.... Thus why I didnt sleep much. The stop over in Hong Kong was 4.5hrs...(LONG!!!!)... I slept for about an hour on the waiting chairs. Then I was on DragonAir on the way to ... read more

Hi everyone, Wow.. this is my first blog entry... how exciting !!! I never really got into blogging but thought i should really start, especially a travel blog. So at least u guys get to 'travel' with me and follow me through my adventures. I really wish i started this ages ago as I've had great travel ventures through New Zealand, New Caledonia & Thailand...oh well... Never too late to start right. I'll try my best to keep my blog updated during my travels. Please feel free to leave comments and share your stories with me too. Bye for now... read more