Starting week two at Trailblazers Foundation. Here are some cool things about this foundation: They are one of the few NGOs invited to a government meeting each year to determine who will be responsible for helping meet the request needs of each village in the country. Individuals sit in the room and each village lists of requests are put on the wall and each group signs up to fulfill these needs. The organization was started by two Americans, but now is run by 12 Khmer natives. The founders and board are in charge of raising funds while the 12 employees are in charge of being the boots on the ground. Trailblazers builds and installs water filters, digs wells (most are 25 to 40 meters deep), funds the construction of school (including toilets, classrooms, fences), and developing ... read more

This week I had the privilege of seeing the Phare show. They call it a circus (which I could not attend due to animal love and standards), but what it is is the most incredible acrobatically, musically entertaining displays EVER! The show they did was called Same Same But Differentwhich "explores the different habits and ways of living between Cambodians and foreign visitors." I laughed so hard and had my jaw drop at the strength, athleticism and poise of these individuals. This company is actually pretty amazing outside of their stunts and music compositions. They tell Cambodian stories and all artists (musicians, circus artists, and dancers) all graduated from Phare Ponleu Selpak which is an NGO school and professional arts training center located in Cambodia. The school was founded in 1994 by nine Cambodian men returning ... read more

The best analogy I have is Siem Reap is like Disneyland. Millions flock into Disneyland every year and leave California without seeing much beyond their hotel, the streets to the park and Disneyland. If they said, "I know California because I went to Disneyland," I would laugh. Siem Reap is a tourist bubble within Cambodia. Every year about 2 million people visit Siem Reap because it is the closest city to Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is the world's largest religious monument and since it was built over 800 years ago, it is kind of a big deal. The large flux of people, has resulted in the creation of hundreds of resorts, hotels and guesthouses which are largely owned by foreign investors. There is also not a lot to do in the surrounding area outside of the ... read more

Our bags were left behind in Bangkok, but do to a tremendous speed walking effort we managed to catch our plane. The lack of clothes and hygiene items made getting ready this morning even easier. When we arrived at Trailblazers, they were loading up the truck to make filter deliveries and told us that we should get in. Childhood memories of driving back from the lake in the back of my dad’s truck hit periodically throughout the day as my spot was on a filter in the truck bed. As we left the edge of Siem Reap, we stopped for coffee. $1 for 20 ounces of iced coffee served in a plastic bag was a solid investment. Today was a different type of city tour as we entered the villages. When we entered the delivery village, ... read more

We explored the northwest side of the island today. This included stops at Two Lover’s Point and Mushroom Beach. Two Lover’s Point is the site of Chamorros’ myth: a young man and woman fell in love, but their families did not approve of the relationship. The two met at the cliff and tied their beautiful black hair together so they could be united forever. With one last look of lasting love and young beauty, they jumped from the cliff. Now you can forever see the woman in the cliff face and the man in the shoreline united forever. Next on the adventure was Mushroom Beach (actual name is Hilaan Beach, Mushroom is it’s white person name). Here the rock structures have small bases and large tops with greenery growing on top (giving the appearance of mushrooms). ... read more