One long trip later...

After getting a later start than I had expected, I found a bus that would take me to the border between Thailand and Cambodia. The bus ride wasn't so bad. It was about 4.5 hours, but it was half empty (or half-full:) and I was lucky enough to have an empty seat beside me. I spent the hours reading, listening to music and anxiously awaiting my arrival to the border. Maybe it was the cup of iced coffee (on an empty stomach) that kept me from sleeping or maybe just the excitement of getting to Cambodia. Either way, I was extatic when I saw the signs for the border. When I got to the border this sketchy guy kept offering to help me. I was a little weary of his "help"... cautious of the cost of the "help" once it was all said and done. But, I had four bags, two full of books for the kids at the orphanage and I needed help lugging it from place to place. So I kept a close eye on him and gave him my two heaviest bags. If he was gonna ask for money at the end of it, I wanted him to work for it. :) He ended up helping me all the way through the Thai border and on past the Cambodian border. It was nice to have the help. He took me to his taxi driver and gave me an okay deal on a ride to Siem Reap. He ended up being quite helpful and not trying to rip me off or take any of my stuff. It was a nice surprise considering all the horrible scam stories I've heard about the Cambodian border. He passed me off to the taxi driver and we embarked on our 1.5 hour ride from the border to Siem Reap. The driver didn't speak a word of English and he ended up taking his sweet time getting to the city. What should have been a 1.5 hour trip at the most took us 2+ hours. Matt (my friend in Siem Reap) was worried and trying to figure out where I was. Thank God I got here safely and with very few hiccups along the way.

Matt got me all set up in my new room for the next few weeks. It's a comfy little room above the cafe that PCL runs. The cafe is great! Lots of good food and coffee and free internet!!! Whoohoo! After announcing my safe arrival to the Facebook world and sending out a few short emails, I called it a night. I slept very well in my new humble abode.

Today, for my first day in Siem Reap, Matt took me out to the orphanage to hang out with the kids for awhile. It was great. I was able to help a couple of the girls with their math and talked to Matt about spending more time with these two specific girls, Hannah and Sarah. They are little behind in their math skills and just need a little special attention. I figure I'm just the person for the job. The girls are sweet and so cute. They are about 11 years old... perfect age, if you ask me!! I'm excited about spending more time with them through the next couple months.

I'll be finding out more during the next day or so about what my scedule will look like for the next two months. I'll definitely keep everyone updated about what I'll be doing. Hopefully I'll remember my camera and post some pics too. Fingers crossed. :)