Travels...

Once again i am so so sorry i think it has been about 2 weeks since i last wrote...
Well since then i can tell you a journey has unfolded...
We hit the South of Cambodia Ortess Beach... two nights and a day laying in the sun on and beach.. our diet was mango shakes and fresh fruit salads..Also have grown addicted to sugar cane juice.. need atleast 2 a day.. love it... it was great to just unwind for a few days..
How ever the regret of laying in the sun hit the next day... while having the worst sunburn all over the body and sitting on a 12 hour bus to Siem Reap jammed packed with people and driving on a unsealed road wasn't so comfortable but it was a expreince that we can laugh about..

Arrived in Siem Reap alive and very much in pain and in need of a shower!!! Staying at such a nice place Jasmine lodge in most lonely planets.. Staff amazing and free breaky..
First day we head out to the Angkor Watt temples...Amazing there are just so a many and all hiden away and each one with a story that unfolds in time...
Our tuk tuk driver Was more then willing to talk and tell us about each one..
One we visit was the begining of the red cross..
A temple was build, the Buddisht and Hindu Religion joined together to build a medical center for the people in the comunity it was build in the shape of a cross each four side is a element Fire, earth, water and wind, and it is surround by water because they believe (i too) that water is one of the most healing elements.
After the second world war everyone went into celabration so happy that it was over and then Cambodia begun to go into war itself with out half of the people knowing it was caled the Poi Pot war.. This One Man was trying to change a country on his own he didn't want the westen world to take over and tryed to make everyone into peasents.. he went on a rage killing everyone who believe in something he didn't over 3 million people had been killed in this time he sent his men through these town and the temples wasone of the many places, destroying and killing everything. Abandon now the temple one man had found the red medical temple and had begun to treat the wounded. He then brough a camel and rode around and treated those in need and brought everyone he could back for treatment.. This is when The red cross was first founded.. One man doing all he could and today it is still going. Everywhere around the world everyone knows what Red cross is.. He is a Hero in my eyes..
The tuk tuk driver telling us all this was so pasionate about it all.. We then asked him how he knows so much, It than unfolded that he himself and his family had lived in this time of war.. He thinks he is the only one of his family alive but he doesn't know.. Lost in time he says.. His story goes on for many hours and Mark and I can not belive that everywhere we go we are being sent these people with such amazing storys of life and so much hardship but they are all the most beautiful souls and we have learnt so much from each one...

After a huge day we head to the markets for some street food and a sugar cane juice for me!!!! love it..
So another regret... Ice in drink and street food.. dare i say the next week and any plans we had have now quite literally gone down the toilet.. 5 days later i make it ourside to finish the temple and visit one of the boys who works at jasmines jodges village .. still not really up for much but need to get out of the room.. The boys village we head to his older brother has started up a school out there.. it is a school for over 1500 students around the village free of charge and he has Cambodian people and some volunteers all working and helping teach the children for free..
The school has great facilities, a music room which a canadan man has donated all the guitars, they also have a fruit and veg farm, chickens, pigs!!, soccer field rooms with white boards and teaching tools.. all of it has been donated by passing volunteers and Sambath the older brother has done all of this on his own...
http://www.shcccambodia.org/ there is a video that explains more about it..
Like i say so many times i feel that everywhere we have been everything is showing me or linking all of this together for me.. i know that this is now what i show be doing volunteering.. everywhere i need..
However earning money is now also needed.. lol
We had to stay a few more day in Siem Reap still wasn't feeling well so now that we have spent most of our time in Siem Reap we have not much time left i fly out on the 29th and have to start earning the money so i can volunteer some more..
So in Chiang Mai now north Thai land.. That bus trip is also one or the books.. lol still wasn't well in a bus seated for 10 but 15 on there and all the backpacks jammed around me.. falling on me most of the time.. while have to ask to stop at a toilet every hour!!! lol crossing the boarder took about 2 hours!! lol but we are here!!! heading out to help in villages and work with the elephants tummy feeling bit better..
However this leaves no time for me to head back to Vietnam before i fly out.. Instead Mark is heading back to work there for a few weeks again and to see how the soccer field is coming along.. Thank-you everyone all the donations where amazing and all the extra help.. Mum has organised tracksuits and care packages to be sent over to the children which is just so amazing everyone has been so supportive through all of this and thank-you so much..
So Flight to Italy then working for a few months i hope to return to the children in october and work for a bit not wanting to leave then at all but knowing that i can give them more and spend more time with them if i have been working for 3 months.. recharge the bank balance and then head back i think was the best option for me.. Knowing Mark is able to come back and see them is also giving me peace of mind that i can leave..

anyways i have now been on the internet far too long.. lol more at later date
Smiles and thoughts
bubble xxxxx

And so the story continues...

So so so sorry that it has been far to long since i have written...
however i feel that it has taken me this long to really get my head around everything and relax... As Norway (good friend and volunteer) told me that this will be like a rehab week!!! It is just that you go through so many emotions in the time you are there and much happens it is hard to process it all when you are there...

We didn't really get much of any down time lat week we tried to fit as much as we could in...
The last weekend we were in Da Nang was full on packing and organizing as well as we wanted to see the kids and take them out.. On the Sunday we picked up Viet, T, On, Little miss, Thru and took them to the park it had a little adventure park with rides.. They were really loving it we got ice-cream and sat on the grass.. Our little dude Viet didn't want anything and sat away from us.. when i asked what was wrong he told me that Miss T and mark you leave tomorrow you leave Viet... I said yes but we come see you very soon..
I didnt get much of a reply to this..
After this we took them to KFC for lunch (1st time i had to order family meal) oh and you should of seen them they loved it they were all feeding each other and little miss pour her chips into the potato and gravy and ate the whole thing ( a large chips and large gravy) laughing and the boys trying to wipe their greasy hands on Mark's face...after Many wipes and face washing we were in the taxi on the way home.. and sitting next to our little dude Viet he asked me
"Miss T when you and Mark some back?"
I told him "soon very soon"
"you promise Miss T?
I then said "if i promise to come back you have to make me a promise, you have to promise me that you will stay safe and go to charity (private sponsorship) and if you stay safe for me, Mark and I will come back to see you"
He really is not the fond of going there because it mens he is away from his friends and "family" (the other children)
 however this place is alto safer and will offer him so much more out of life it did break my and Marks hear making this decision however over all he is safer and at social i feel he is in harms way.. (as i feel most of the children are but one step at a time)
He then Promised me he will do that for me..
Saying goodbye was not easy but i do know that i will return so so so soon so this makes it easier....

So since this day... We struggled to get on a plane train or bus out of Da Nang and so we took it as a sign and stayed another night finally on a 16 hour hard seat  train ride we made it to Saigon...
Our days were jammed packed first we saw the war museum and things all started to click together.. i know that i high school we were taught a small amount of it but until you are there following the path it all started to come together... The place we were working was the largest first spot that was hit with the aging orange bomb..
The children that we were working with were still suffering and the families that we met and grew to love have lived through so much pain and to still be welcoming us and have the hearts they do really is so outstanding..
I had alot of trouble trying to understand how someone can do so much pain.. However if the Vietnamese people can grown and forgive after they have lived this then i could try and get my head around it..
most of our time in Saigon was spent learning so much about the history and the war in Vietnam..
We then got on a tour up the Mekong River and Met and old kiwi war viet.. more stories and so much more to learn..
The Mekong was amazing sleeping under mossie nets and seeing floating markets, coconut farmer, snake wrapping themselves around us and loving every experience.. Reach Cambodia first days we went out to the killing fields and the sk1 prison this was also much more eye opening and  teaching us more about the war history we were so naive and unaware about...
So the last week has been like i sad full on and learning a lot... This whole time there hasn't been a moment that i haven't been thinking about my kids.. So much over this last 2 months has happened and like i sadi it all is alot to process when it is all still happening around you..
So me and mark are now on a beach in south Cambodia and taking our rehab day.. sleeping in a bungalow on the sand under and mossie net i thin k is about the right way... lol
Will send more update soon but for now a day to not do anything..
smiles and thoughts
xxxx






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