Back from CAMBODIA!













As most of you already know, Calvin and I recently spent a month in Cambodia. Without a set itinerary we embarked on our journey with open minds and a craving for adventure and discovery. Our hopes were to spend 90% of our time in the rural/remote areas of Cambodia and to mingle and possibly stay with locals in their villages. Through past travels we have found that the most interesting experiences occur when you simply arrive, talk to the locals and accept the experience as it unfolds. If you go in with a set schedule you may miss out on what could be the highlight of your trip.

Calvin spent a couple of months learning Khmer (self guided) which is the spoken language. It still amazes me how fast he picked it up. Carrying on a 30 minute conversation seemed fairly effortless and the more practice he had with the locals the better he got. By the end of our trip he had learned more than double of what he knew at the start. We were determined to get off the main tourist route and gain a genuine understanding of the people, culture and way of life. Learning Khmer allowed us to experience a side of Cambodia that without the language would not have been possible. Not only did it free us from having to find tour guides, it opened many doors that would not have appeared otherwise. It would have been extremely difficult to get by on only English. No one spoke it in the areas we were in. The locals were not only surprised to see a foreigner around their villages but their eyes brightened with glee when they found out Calvin could speak Khmer. Wherever the two of us went we were invited into celebrations, offered extended stays within the villages and treated to many hours of interesting conversations into the night. On strolls we usually had a fan club pack following us trying to show us off like we were celebrities. I've never had such positive attention in my life and I felt very flattered and important...hehe.



Not once did we feel unsafe. Cambodians are one of the friendliest groups of people I have ever met. They genuinely just wanted hang with us and expected nothing in return. Overall it was a very rewarding and unforgettable trip and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to travel to such a place and experience Cambodia in it's entirety.

I've posted some of the pictures on my photography site which is www.pbase.com/sharinpix

Stay tuned for stories and video clips :)