Kampong Cham

We went up to Kampong Cham to see the progress of the new building.  Such a hot day!!


We hadn't been on the bamboo bridge since the river washed it away last rainy season, so we thought we would check it out.  It was supposed to be a little wider in this year's rebuild.  (I guess it was a 'little' wider, like one bamboo wider.... still scarey.

We had just crossed the bridge and then we were on an extremely bumpy dirt road, really bouncing around...we just laughed, thinking how crazy.... and what would we have thought when we were dating if we could have seen us now in our 60's here on this adventure.  SO everyone, you have many adventures ahead of you!

This really has been an incredible experience.

The boats just waiting now to float when the rain comes.

We will try to get back up once more, hopefully we will add the pictures of that.

Pretty Table Cloth From Market

We bought this tablecloth at one of the big markets a while ago.

I couldn't have a table cloth without flowers.   There were so many beautiful arrangements.  All kinds of flowers.  I saw one I really liked. Dad said he would only spend 5 dollars, so they made this smaller one up for us. The original was about 4 times bigger. (good thing we didn't spend more because it only lasted a day)  When we got home Dad said he thinks they are funeral flowers.  haha..  Oh well, I liked them

Easter and Khmer New Year Family Party

We are so happy you were all together on Easter.  Wait... Easter, did it really happen?
So, thankfully as I said in the family email, Dad asked the Branch President to let him take a few minutes and read The First Presidency Message and bear his testimony. 
( because it really was Easter!))  Our branch had no idea it was Easter or had ever really celebrated or talked about it.

Dad told me after, he just had to do it.  It is hard not to shout out the joy of Easter and the amazing gift of our Savior.  

Here is our dinner, not to bad right?  I found celery and made this potato salad.  It was delicious. and the frozen berry salad, but the meat left a little to be desired.  It was left over from a home delivery that was too spicy, so I washed it off and froze it a week or so earlier.   It seemed to fit in to make a complete Easter dinner!


Khmer New Year Family Party

Khmer New Year isn't until April 14.  It is a huge holiday here as we told you last year.   Cambodians celebrate it for almost a week.  Everything closes on about the 13th-18th, and 2 million people leave the city to go to their home province to gather as families.  We sent some pictures last year of the empty streets.  Anyway, our Stake didn't want to interfere with the New Year holiday by having a New Year holiday party, so they had it Saturday.  There was  a really good turn out and they played games, ate and had music and danced.  They find such pleasure in simple games, and watching each other be happy.

This game simply has two teams one on each side lined up.  The boy in the white clothes drops the branch in the middle and one person from each side goes to the middle and the first one to grab the leaf gets that person on their team.

This one is kind of like bocci ball.

They use a fruit as their balls.  It has a hard shell.  I don't know what it is called.  They told me, but it is a Khmer fruit with no translation in English.   They are flat on one side and they stand them up in the cracks of the tiles . And throw/roll some to hit them.

It Rained

So rain came...I guess there will be more to come.  Just a few shots as we were driving.

 This was right when the rain started.  I love how the tuk-tuks have complete zip around covers, you don't get wet.

 The motos just pull out their panchos and continue on.  At least until the water is so deep it floods their engines.  We saw that happen a lot.