Day 6 - Siem Reap

Editor's Note: The day six  blog was late being published due to Internet connectivity problems and other issues beyond our control.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

Bloggers: Kelsey, Jade and Lobna

After a good night’s sleep, it was time to leave Kampong Thom to reach our final destination, Siem Reap. Our bus ride was three hours in which most of us slept in, sore and tired from yesterday’s house building. Along the road, farming villages and the locals’ homes passed by. The happy and simple life that they lead made most of us appreciative of many of the privileges that we often take for granted, like indoor plumbing, for example.

After three hours of driving, we finally arrived at the City River hotel – Siem Reap. There, we were very disappointed not to see our friends the geckos and bugs of all shapes and sizes, which we had left at our previous hotel in the countryside. Upon arrival, we quickly unpacked, then rushed to lunch as we were all starving.  

In order to learn more about the great ancient Khmer civilization of Cambodia, we went to the Angkor National Museum. We had the chance to understand more about the origin of Khmer culture and their homages to the divinities of that culture and the construction of the different iconic temples that we will be visiting tomorrow.

When we came back, we were given a briefing by Grasshopper Adventures about the days to come. 

The tour organizers gave us a small present that included a water bottle and a scarf. We were then lead out to try our bikes, which were customized to our size. Once everyone was satisfied, we were given a break to get ready for dinner.

The Grasshopper Adventures team organized a Khmer dinner for us. The dinner was next to the circus tent, which would host tonight’s show. The performance troop is part of a greater organization called Phare, an association providing arts education to street kids and orphans so that they can express and heal themselves through the arts.. Prior to the show, we enjoyed an outdoor dinner with a peaceful and quiet view. 

The last highlight of the day was the circus performance called “Panic”. The artists put on a great show, were very funny and entertaining and kept us on the edge of our seats!