Siem Reap (REP) Day 2

Our second day of building was much more productive than the first because our fellow Cambodian workers had passed on some of their skills and trusted us with a bit more responsibility. Some of our duties included tying off the palm leaf thatching with vines to a bamboo frame, all of which was previously soaked in water for a week which ferments the natural materials to prevent ants or other insects from eating them. We also hammer and nailed the box frames with cross supports for the walls of the house. There was never a shortage of dirt to move to create foundation for the houses and neighbouring pig pen. Tons of sawing straight branches/skinny trees used to fence in the mama pigs in the pen, with a small opening for the babies to run around and roam free. Towards the end of the day, a few of us even tried brick laying and masonry. The locals got a good laugh out of that! They are probably re-doing it right now.

After building, someone had the idea that it would be fun to go running around in the hot sun some more to see just how EXHAUSTED a human can become. So we played a game of super fun soccer (so fun because we were all delirious) with some of the Sangkheum boys. Yes, these teenagers whooped our arses! On the drive home we stopped and sipped on fresh cane juice with crushed ice; ahhhhh, hit the spot! At night we went to an awesome restaurant which had everything from Cambodian music and dancing, live crocodiles that you can feed a bowl of fish for 50 cents, mannequins of women's breasts above the urinal in the men's bathroom (wonder what the ladies had??) and an amazing menu selection in the form of a short novel, chalked full of all kinds of cuisine, YUMMINESS! If you are ever in Siem Ream, go to the DEAD FISH!! Good call Rachel!