Friday, September 23, 2011

Photo Friday: Cambodia...and the reason we travel

Recently, I came across this video about a guy who decided to hitchhike from Venice Beach, California to Portland, Maine, meeting over 1,000 kind and helpful strangers along the way. The reason he decided to do it? He LOVES people! Meeting people is one of the most enriching parts of travel. It takes us out of our normal routine and allows us to open to the experience of others and garner new perspectives. 

One of the most life-changing travel experiences I have ever had was in Cambodia. My husband and I were visiting the amazing Angkor Wat temples by tuk-tuk when we came across a sign that read, "Come and see our kid's paintings!" We had to stop. That's when we met Cheat, a man in his 20s who had grown up at the same orphanage in which he worked. It was little more than a concrete building and a couple of huts, but he was so proud of the school he helped run for the fifteen orphans that lived there. We ended up buying a painting that one of the kids had created and Cheat invited us to come back the next day and hang out. We were honored to spend the next day playing games with the kids and reading to them. Here are some of the highlights...

Their little faces were so priceless!

This little girl's name was Sunshine and she loved books. 

Hwa, one of the orphanage's newest additions, simply refused to wear pants. 
Who could say "no" to a face like that?

A view of the modest orphanage grounds. 
The open hut on the right was their classroom.

Playing bouncy ball with the older kids. 

Bill, age 12, was such a sweet boy. 

After my husband taught the kids to play tic-tac-toe, they were hooked!

What a special day. I will never forget these kids.

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