Conrad and I visited Cambodia in January 2007 and were so touched by what we saw there we felt drawn to return in 2008. Due to the genocide in the 1970s followed by 25 years of civil war, the Cambodian people live in poverty beyond belief. Raised huts with thatched roofs are the dwelling places of people in the country. The kitchen is little more than a fire outside with a few utensils. They live on rice and forage in the jungle for plants to eat and wood to burn. People use the jungle for a bathroom. Women draw polluted water from the river for drinking. Infant mortaility is extremely high due to worms, malaria, dengue fever. When a child gets sick the family has to make their way to Siem Reap, take a number at the children's hospital and then camp out for days on the street outside the hospital until their number is called. The government does not look out for the well-being of the individual. In spite of all this, the Cambodian people we met all had big smiles on their faces and were very friendly. Our 38-year old tour guide, Tin, told us his story; that when he was 6 years old his parents were executed by the Khmer Rouge because his father was a soldier who fought on the side of the U.S. and his mother was a teacher. Tin and his brothers and sister all survived, and at age 12 Tin joined one of the 3 factions fighting for control of Cambodia during the civil wars. When Tin was 17 he was offered the opportunity to be educated in a refugee camp in Thailand where he learned English. After the civil wars ended he walked to Pnom Penn and found employment as a translater for the United Nations. He married and had two daughters. Now he is a free-lance tour guide in Siem Reap, and that is how we met him in 2007. In gratitude and as a way to give back to the Cambodian people, Tin started his own charity to build wells so that families can have clean drinking water. Since no organization sponsored him and he volunteered his time, the expenses to build the well were only $200, now $225 due to the rising cost of labor and supplies. Imagine that, for a $225 donation you can give clean drinking water to one family! We were hooked. We were so touched by the plight of the Cambodian people that when we returned to the U.S. we wired Tin $200, and in June 2007 our first well was a reality, serving the Keo Kahn family. Next we decided to raise money for a well that could serve an entire village, and due to the outpouring of generosity from our family and friends, (and we donated the proceeds of selling our tickets to the MU/KU game for 5X what we paid for them) we exceeded our expectations and had enough for not only the village well but 3 more family wells! So far there are 2 wells in our names, one from Milano Restaurant in Kansas City from Rhonda, Bob and Tom, and one from the Wild Bunch, our dearest and craziest group of friends. The village well will be built in April 2008.
Now we wanted to return to Cambodia and visit the wells and the well families. Thus began our trip in February 2008, first to Thailand and then on to Cambodia. What follows is a day-by-day diary of our adventures in Cambodia.
Monday, Feb. 19
After a breakfast yesterday of sweet & sour fish at the Majestic Grand Hotel in Bangkok, we walked to one of at the ubiquitous Starbucks so I could get a latte. There is a Starbucks on every corner of Bangkok!
We were picked up in a Mercedes Benz for our trip to the Bangkok airport. Our city guide walked us all the way to the security checkpoint. We felt very pampered.
When we arrived in Cambodia we were herded, along with 5 other arriving flights, into one area where we paid our $20 entry fee and handed over our passports which were passed down a line of 6 or 7 officers. Then we had to stand in another group to wait for our name to be called out in a Cambodian accent. By the time we got our passport back an hour had gone by and 16 people had handled our passport! What inefficiency!
But when we finally cleared customs, there was the smiling face of Tin! He got us checked in to the Borei Angkor Hotel and then we departed to visit all of the wells. Oh, my gosh!
Here is our newest well built Jan. 2008.
On the way we passed Pre Rup Crematoriam built entirely of brick and laterite in second half of the tenth century (961) by the King Rajendraman II dedicated to the god Siva (Hindi), replica to Pre Rup style of art. In all we traveled 55 kilometers north of Siem Reap. We drove until the pavement turned to a dirt road and stopped when the dirt road became an oxen path. We walked over and under barbed wire. I had thistles stuck in my clothes. Tin said no tourists have gone here before. We saw the poorest of the poor.
We wanted to take a bag of rice to our families, but Tin said they get rice every day, so instead we took treats for the kids; granola bars, bags of nuts, Pringles, roasted peas, and 2 jugs of fruit juice. Some families were boxed in because the family nearest the road had put up a fence. Below is Conrad giving Hallmark stickers to the children. Tin is standing beside him.
The children we saw are not healthy because they have worms from drinking unclean water, but they all seemed happy and playful. They were thrilled to receive the meager treats from us. They didn't have cups, so we poured the juice in a bowl and they shared it.
The mothers wanted the empty juice jugs to carry water. They wanted the empty Pringle cans, too. At least 4 mothers who have not received a well got down on their knees and begged to be next. In the video you can hear them ask for a well and Tin's answer, that he will do what he can but he cannot promise who will be next.
In one place we saw about 20 children of the same age all playing in a downed-tree.
After the treats we handed out Hallmark stickers. We felt like the pied-piper because when we were walking along, a heard of children was following. When we stopped, they stopped!
At the Wild Bunch well in Long Vuth the man gave a demonstration of pouring water from the well over himself! The Wild Bunch well is used by the Sao Proun family with 4 members.
At the Milano well we had the family hold a photo of Rhonda and we took their picture! (Sorry Bob and Tom but we just didn't have a good picture of you guys!) Two families are benefitting from the Milano well: the Kauy Noch family, a widow with 9 children (4 boys and 5 girls) and the Thai Tha and Seng Phally family with 6 members. Before building the well, Tin arranged for one person living there to be responsible for the well, changing the filter, etc.
Here are the members of the 2 families who were home the afternoon of our visit.
Back on the main rode is the Wolfert family well which was built 11/2/2007. The Wolfert family donated money not only for the well but sent enough extra money to build a shelter and purchase start-up merchandise for a little road side store. From the Wolfert family store we bought palm sugar candy to give to the children, and wicker baskets.
In all we visited about 12 wells, going further and further into the jungle each time. We saw an outpouring of generosity from people all over the world who contributed a well: England, Japan, Ireland, Canada as well as America.
We finally arrived at the well that we paid for in January 2008. At our last well, the man is a land-mine victim and wants to start a business repairing bicycles. He needs $200 to buy the tools to start a business and provide an income for his family.
Cambodian people live in extreme poverty. Most people make less than a dollar a day! But the cost of living can be quite expensive. A used bicycle in Cambodia costs $60. Petrol is $1.25 a liter. Below are photos of some of the children in the extremely poor, rural area where some of the wells are built.
We had attracted quite a group of children!
This woman was in the photo she is holding, when the well was built. Her husband was in the jungle getting firewood.
Back in Siem Reap Tin dropped us off at the Borei Angkor Hotel. We took a tuk tuk to lunch at the Dead Fish Tower where the sign says if you like cat, dog, worms, rats do not eat here.
The Dead Fish Tower had about 3 levels, up some rickety steps. The bartender would send the drinks up a crude dumb-waiter. We felt like we were in a Star Wars movie, the first one where Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca go into the bar before they leave his home planet.
We strolled around the market and returned to the Borei Angkor Hotel via tuk tuk for a swim.
Jeanine and Laurie arrived in the afternoon and we all met up with Tin around 3:00 p.m. He took us to Angkor Wat. The 3rd level is now off-limits due to too many fatalities, people falling down the narrow and very steep stone stairs. Conrad feels fortunate that he was able to climb the stairs to the top in Jan. 2007. The temples of the Angkor area number over one thousand, ranging in scale from nondescript piles of brick rubble scattered through rice fields to the magnificent Angkor Wat, said to be the world's largest single religious monument.
Angkor Wat , a World Heritage Site, is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built for King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation—first Hindu, dedicated to Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.
Among the many bas-relief carvings in the stone at Angkor Wat in the early 12th century are heavenly dancing girls called Apsaras.
We then went to Angkor Thom where we saw the Bayan with 54 towers each with four giant faces thought to represent Jayavarman VII. The temple is also famed for the detailed bas-reliefs depicting scenes from everyday life of the 12th century. Angkor Thom means the 'Great City'. Jayavaman VII built the complex on the ruins of an ancient city once controlled by Udayadityavarman II (1056-1066). The exterior wall forms a large square, running 3-km long on each side. Parts of the 100 meter wide moat have gone dry and are overrun with vegetation but the five gates offer an unforgettable entrance with most first time visitors entering through the spectacular Southern Gate, with Nagas 'churning the Milky Ocean'.
As most of the giants heads were cut off by looters, the few remaining were removed by the authorities for safe-keeping and replaced by cement replicas. Also inside the walls of Angkor Thom are the twin Terrace of the Leper King and Terrace of the Elephants.
We returned to the old market for dinner at In Touch, across the street from the Red Piano and then went down to the Dead Fish Tower for a drink. We showed both maps of the US to the 2 bartenders at the Dead Fish. They were really interested and promised us some really good drinks tomorrow night! We are already getting the hook-up in Siem Reap!
And guess what?! When we left the Borei Angkor to go down to the Red Piano, there was John in tuk-tuk #9 who took us everywhere in Jan. 2007! It was great to see him, and he loved it that we remembered him! Just like last year, he dropped us off at the Red Piano and waited an hour and a half for us . . . for a total of $4! I had a margarita or two, and Conrad had Angkor beer (or two.) It had been a really long day for us. Then we walked over to the Dead Fish Tower to check it out for tonight. A tall blonde American was eyeing Conrad. She walked over to us and asked if we were from Missouri! Conrad had his MU shirt on, and she is an alumni! Small world!
Tuesday, Feb. 20
At breakfast Conrad thanked our server in Khmer. The server told us how much he appreciated that we try to learn his language and learn something about his culture.
This morning Tin and our driver took Laurie, Jeanine and us 50 km northeast of Siem Reap to Phnom Kulen, the holiest mountain in Cambodia. We visited Kbal Spean, a spectacularly carved riverbed in the mountains, a site that only been opened up to tourism since 1998. Known as the River of a 
Thousand Lingas, the water cascades over abstract stone of male and female organs carved in 960 AD and becomes holy, then moves downstream to a series of tiered waterfalls. There are several umas (the female symbol) on the riverbanks and also some faded carvings in the sandstone along the sides of the stream.
These little boys were just sure Tin did not know the way to the hot springs, so they led us through the jungle.
We followed wooden steps down to a small waterfall tumbling into a pool overhung by the jungle where local families were frolicking in the water and Buddhist monks crouch along the river downstream to wash their orange robes. Even the adults wanted some Hallmark stickers!
A linga is a Hindu phallic symbol, having a square base, an octagonal section above it topped by a rounded column. The female symbol is the uma, a square hole with an opening in the middle of one side from which water flows from the surrounding lip. Sometimes lingas are found in the middle of umas.
Play this video to watch the children playing rock/paper/scissors. They are so cute!
On our way to Preah Ang Tho (a 16th century Buddhist monastery notable for a 17-m-long giant
reclining Buddha carved into the top of a 20-m boulder) we were mobbed by a group of little kids chattering noisily. Turns out they wanted to play rock/paper/scissors and the winner would get to guard our shoes while we visited the reclining Buddha which is carved on the highest point in the mountains. It was too funny! They played the game until only a little girl in pigtails remained, and she accompanied us to the place where we took our shoes off. We climbed the rickety wooden staircase to a landing that surrounds the Buddha. When we finished viewing the Buddha she was still there, and so were our shoes! We gave her a dollar!
The area near the waterfall was filled with beautiful butterflies.
We had lunch at a Khmer restaurant across from Banteay Srei. Laurie, Jeanine, Conrad and I split a bowl of soup. It was really good. I also had Khmer curry in a coconut and Conrad had some Khmer pork dish inside a coconut.
Banteay Srei (or Banteay Srey) is a 10th century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Banteay Srei is built largely of pink sandstone with elaborate decorative wall carvings. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale and are referred to as the Temple of Women.
Consecrated in 967 A.D., Banteay Srei was the only major temple at Angkor not built by a monarch; its construction is credited to a courtier named Yajnyavahara, who served as a counsellor to king Rajendravarman. The foundational stela says that Yajnyavahara was a scholar and philanthropist who helped those who suffered from illness, injustice, or poverty.
Near Banteay Srei is Banteay Samre, the setting for the story of the Gardener King. Norodom Sihamoni, a bachelor born 14 May 1953, has been the king of Cambodia since 2004. He is descended from the Gardener King. There was a gardener named Pou who specialized in the cultivation of sweet cucumbers, having received the seeds in some supernatural manner. He offered his first harvest to the king, who found them so delicious that he quickly secured exclusive rights, ordering Pou to kill anybody, man or beast, who entered his "chamcar" (field.) The king presented Pou with his own lance for protection.
One night the king went to spy on his gardener and hid in the bushes to watch him work. When Pou finished his work he tossed his lance into the bushes inadvertently killing the king. In the morning when Pou went to retrieve his lance, he was horrified to find the king dead with his lance stuck through him. Terrified, Pou buried the king’s body under his mattress. When the king did not return to the palace his guards, along with the king’s elephant, set out for Pou’s gardens. When the elephant approached Pou sitting on his bed, he detected the scent of his beloved king and saluted by lowering its truck between his feet and kneeling. The people took this as a sign that Pou was to be the new king.
From there we went to the Laura Croft-Tomb Raider temple, Ta Prohm, which has been overtaken by the banyan trees. We drove back through Angkor Thom, past the elephant terrace and then to our hotel. It was a really busy day.
Tonight we are headed to the Dead Fish Tower for our special drink and for some curry. Seems like we are eating a lot of curry here! John in tuk tuk #9 should be waiting outside for us.
Wednesday, Feb. 21
Tin's house is a little ways outside Siem Reap. The power line goes down the road but not back to his house, so he has to buy electricity from his neighbor for 50 cents per kilowat. (His neighbor pays 25 cents.) For drinking water, his wife draws water from the well and pours it into a big earthen jar where it sits for 2-3 days to let the sediment sink to the bottom. His daughters fill bottles from this to take to school. When you register to vote your name should be in the district you live in, but if the party thinks too many people are voting against them, they move your name to another polling place. This happened to Tin, and he had to go to all the polling places until he found where his name was registered so he could vote. The school invites the Buddha monk into the school for 2 hours every week for religious teaching.
Jeanine and Laurie took the day off and we went with Tin and our driver on a tour 160 km north of Siem Reap to visit other temples where the jungle has taken over them. We stopped at the quarry where the limestone was mined for all the temples.We went to Prasatkohker Temple where the land mines were cleared only 3 months ago. The cicadas are really something to hear. We almost had to shout at each other! The next temple was Neang Amao, the black lady temple (because the stones have turned black.) All along the way Tin has been picking leaves from the jungle for us to taste. This is what he ate after his parent were killed.
Our third stop was at Koh Ker where a big festival to the memorial to the ancestors of the temple was underway. It was an unexpected surprise. To honor their ancestors, people brought offerings of money and jewelry. People were flocking the road to get there or to leave there. The long, sheltered walkway that once led to the Prasat Thom pyramid has collapsed. The broken head of Nandin, the bull that serves as Shiva’s mount, lies in the rubble.
Conrad and Tin climbed the steep, rickety steps to the top of Prasat Thom, about 140 feet high at a 75 degree angle. While I rested in the shade a small Cambodian man next to me offered to carry me up on his back. At least that is what I could make of the conversation! Tin, Conrad and I ate a nice Khmer lunch of fried rice and pork.
Then we went to the Ling
a temples, lots of little temples around the reservoir with big lingas inside. The monks used to pour milk into the Linga and the milk ran through a trough (always facing north) to the north outside wall where people would let the milk pour over them for good luck, good life, etc. Here is a picture of Tin performing an ancient Cambodian ritural, I think! :-)
Our last stop was Beng Mealea or flower pool. Built of sandstone during the reign of King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century and smaller in size than Angkor Wat, the king's main monument, Beng Mealea nonetheless ranks among the Khmer empire's larger temples. Surrounded by moats, it is oriented toward the east but has entranceways from the other three cardinal directions. There is extensive carving of scenes from Hindu mythology, including the Churning of the Sea of Milk and Vishnu being borne by the bird god Garuda. Causeways have long balustrades formed by bodies of the seven-headed Naga serpent. It is further away from Siem Reap and until recently the road was very poor, so no reconstruction has been done. This photo shows me climbing the ruins with Tin waiting for me at the top. At one point Tin told me to step in the middle of the stone. When I looked down, it was a 2-story drop on each side. I was getting out of my comfort zone! Beng Mealea is 1200 meters by 900 meters, not counting the moat. What a beautiful place. The land mines were only cleared from Beng Mealea 7 months ago.
Along the road there were signs to mark the fields where active land mines are. We went past the de-mining camp. It looked like tents from a Civil War reenactment covered in dust. Tin's youngest brother is a de-miner because turned down the opportunity for an education at a younger age.
On the way back to Siem Reap we picked up 4 women who had been stranded by their driver. They had been to the memorial and needed to get to Phnom Penh. We dropped them off at the next town to wait for the bus. The bus schedule is erratic so if it didn’t come by today they were going to sleep in the park.
Thursday, Feb. 22 & Friday Feb. 23
This morning we left early to visit Tonle Sap Lake the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia. For most of the year the lake is fairly small, around one meter deep and with an area of 2,700 square km. During the monsoon season, however, the Tonle Sap river which connects the lake with the Mekong river reverses its flow. Water is pushed up from the Mekong into the lake, increasing its area to 16,000 square km and its depth to up to nine meters, flooding nearby fields and forests. The floodplain provides a perfect breeding ground for fish. At the end of the rainy season, the flow reverses and the fish are carried downriver. 
This houseboat is one of the more colorful ones on the lake. Notice the TV antenna. The TV is powered by a car battery!
There are 3 schools on Tonle Sap Lake as well as floating pig pens, a basketball court and houseboats everywhere. Since this is the dry season the lake water looked muddy. I was glad no one fell in because I'm not sure I could have jumped in to save them!
The Mekong starts its journey in the Himalayas, flowing through China, Laos and Cambodia before discharging into the sea at its delta in South Vietnam. The Mekong Delta cannot absorb all the river water; so in May, the river reverses its normal seaward flow and begins for flow back up the Tonle Sap River. 
The 160km long lake fills with water and, expands to 250kms long by up to 100kms wide over a period of 3 months. The lake rises and progressively floods the surrounding forests and rice fields.
The people who live in simple shacks along the Causeways and rivers; move up towards the shore. As the water retreats, and the rainy season approaches; the floating villages move inland to take shelter along the river banks.
We stopped at the handicraft center where we bought a stone carving of a Bayan face, carved by local artists. Here is a photo of Lauri, Jeanine, Tin, Nancy and Conrad in front of the lotus fountain at the Borei Ankor. We all wished we could take Tin home with us! He told us that back in the 1980s the authorities came around asking if anyone wanted to go to the "third" county. No one knew what that was, but some people had gone before and had never been heard from again. So Tin hid so that he wouldn't be forced to go. Then later letters started arriving from the people who had gone before, sending money and saying, "We are in America and doing quite well! You should come here!"
When we packed our bags to go home, we packed a bag to leave with Tin. We left shoes, clothing, ibuprofen, cortisone cream, antibiotic ointment, etc. with Tin to either use himself or give to someone in need.
It was an hour plane-ride from Siem Reap to Bangkok. After a 3-hour layover we flew a little over 3 hours to Taipai and had to hurry to catch our LA connection. After a 13-hour flight we arrived in LA around 7:00 p.m. and spent the night at the Howard Johnson by the airport.
Saturday, Feb. 24
We were wide awake by 3:30 a.m. and being unable to fall back asleep we stumbled down to Denny’s for a good, greasy American breakfast around 5:30. Two hookers and their pimp arrived for breakfast while we were there. The women were handing their money to the pimp and he was dividing it up!
After an uneventful 3-hour flight, we arrived in Kansas City 30 minutes early, around 4:15 p.m. and went out for some good old Kansas City barbecue! Yum!
The 100-foot-tall Mayor’s Christmas Tree that sits in Crown Center Square is one of the nation’s tallest and sports 7,200 white lights. This special tree stands as a symbol of the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Fund, which helps more than 33,000 people in the Kansas City area have a Merry Christmas each year. The main fundraiser is the sale of ornaments made from last year's tree and offered exclusively at Crown Center Customer Service.
Acro Girl and Acro Flyer accepting their gold medal
