Battambang- and the Adventures in Ptea Teuk Dong

Hello one and all-
Greetings from Battambang, we arrived here after a lengthy bus excursion and have been staying at the Ptea Teuk Dong Center for rehabilitating those who have been affected by the sex trade. The people we have been living with are simply wonderful. Their hospitality is is only matched by their graciousness. In our time here so far we have had the opportunity to partake in several projects; including building a straw roof on a building overlaying a beautiful pond, as well as digging a rain outlet from the pond for more water access. The mix of work and heat has been hard on everyone but the morale is high with all the positive energy from those staying their. As well as physical work we have been teaching English in the afternoons to most of those at the center, who are learning what we teach amazingly fast. Going nonstop all day has led us to a fairly regular schedule of settling in when it gets dark and waking up when it gets light, although to our surprise on the first night there is a religious anniversary underway which involves loudspeakers started to blast chants and prayers from about 3:30 in the morning to about 5. After a few days of this we decided to ventured out at 4 in the morning to the source to find hundreds of locals lighting incense and conducting ceremonies so early in them morning. All and all it has been an incredible experience staying here, and hope the best for everyone we have been with. Our next adventure is a boat trip to Siem Reap, so until next time...
Goodnight and goodluck
Team Seasia

Final days of Phnom Penh

Hello readers,
We find ourselves on the final eve of our time in Phnom Penh. Yesterday the group visited the Killing fields. It was quite emotionally trying. We saw the Bone Tower which housed thousands of skulls of the victims of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. We then moved on to see the many mass graves that were scattered all around the surrounding field. It was very painful just learning about the atrocities committed in this country. After wandering around the grounds for a little bit, we stopped to sit under a tree,just thinking about everything we'd seen. James pulled out his mandolin and played some tunes, something that the group really needed after the sadness of the day.
Later in the afternoon we went to visit S21, the Khmer Rouge prison. There were thousands of photos of prisoners and Khmer soldgers. Our tour guide was herself a victim of the Khmer Rouge.
The group came back and stayed in for the rest of the day, reflecting on everything we had seen and heard. It had been an emotionally exhausting day and it's something I don't think we'll ever truly understand - how things that horrible can happen to good, innocent people - but we are all glad we saw these places. All our educations had great holes in the times of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. It's nice that they are now filled and that we know more about this wonderful country we are in.
Tomorrow we head out by bus to Battambang where we are going to begin some volunteer work. There might not be internet access there so until next time, over and out from the Seasia team.

Eager to Explore!

Hello from Phnom Pehn!!

Yes, after some rough spots in the journey, we are safe and sound in Phnom Penh. The students are on a scavenger hunt as a means to explore the city and get a bit more comfortable with their environment. We are well rested and energized! Tomorrow we will go to The Killing Fields and S21, both historical sights of the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge. We have already heard a very personal account of one man's experience and losses during this time....so much sadness, yet so much hope as the country moves forward. The country's population is very young, as can be seen in the countless teenagers cruising down the streets on their scooters, sometimes piled 3 and 4 per bike. Don't worry...the group will not be riding scooters or mopeds!!

That is all for now...the students will be blogging from here on out...expect to hear from us in a few days.

We hope everyone is healthy and happy....we are!
James and Dawn

Flight Delays

The group is doing fine and as we speak have all their luggage and some good meal & hotel vouchers from Cathay Pacific as they've had to make an unexpected stop over in Vancouver, Canada. There were some minor mechanical issues that caused the stopover and subsequent cancellation, but there's some good news. Everyone for Southeast Asia that was booked on the Hong Kong leg have been rescheduled to depart at 2:55 AM and will arrive one day later into Phnom Penh.

I've just been on the phone with the Travel Consultant at Global Vision Travel and despite the unexpected hiccup, we both were extremely happy to have the pilot make the call to cancel the flight before being stuck over the Pacific ... this is yet another reason we love working with Cathay!

Yours,
Ethan Knight

Notes from the Airport

It's official, the group is complete! The group leaders just gave me a call and they have their full group - yes, everyone is there! There's been one piece of last-minute changes as Marissa unfortunately decided to postpone her journey this semester. We'll miss her, and trust that she made the right decision for her. It takes a lot of courage to do what's right in the moment despite the momentum in another direction - and she made her decision. So, our inaugural Southeast Asia program begins officially with 6 amazing people who in about three hours will be airborne and embarking on a journey of three-months and a thousand experiences.

Yours in spirit and adventure,
Ethan