Day 8- Location: Middle of Nowhere

Don't worry about the missed days, we will go back and blog about them, too. But for now...

So, the students have braved a venture this weekend to Chi Phat, which is an eco-tourism village in the South Cardamom Mountains. The village promotes alternative ways to make a living that do not damage the environment. (ie, lots of farming, no logging) It's very primitive compared to Phnom Penh, or anywhere we have been.

Here's the DL:
1. Electricity is only available after 6PM
2. Luxurious Guest Houses are wooden rooms with bed and mosquito nets. Maybe fans...
3. No modern bath amenities. Shower is basically a bucket and this weird hole filled with water. Where is the toilet paper? Where is the flusher?
4. Bugs bugs bugs!
5. Biking and walking has made us so dirty we almost pass as Cambodians. So how about that shower...
6. We went to see the waterfall this afternoon, except oh wait. It's the dry season. It was a rock with a pond at the bottom.
7. We walked our bikes up a hill to see the sunset. Wait, it wasn't really setting, and there was an internet tower in the way. (We are actually thankful for the tower, so we are able to update the blog!)
8. It's hot and we are all sweaty. We got here and passed out on our beds for 2 hours because it was so hot.
9. Amusement here seems to be watching wrestling on community tvs, playing pool, and sweating. (wait, sweating is just us)
10. Everyone is so friendly and loves to say "Hello!"

Despite how bitter this sounds, it's a really interesting experience that none of us has had. We're all enjoying it and are excited about tomorrow's "birdwatching at sunrise boat trip Extravaganza!"
The moto trip over to Chi Phat was the bomb! Wind blowing in your face and hair, beautiful Cambodian countryside and the occasional tiger attack made this a perfect mid-afternoon journey. (Just kidding, there was actually no tiger attack, but wouldn't that have been exciting!)

PS. The food here is really good and the water seems to be safe. We had french fries for lunch. Best ones in Cambodia. (Helen, you missed out, big time.)