Chapter 7 Road Trip! Thailand

What's up with my blogging block lately? Where have I been? I used to love blogging...I still do. But it seems to have fallen further and further down my list.

Am I spending too much time on Facebook?

And another thing I just can't believe is that here it is April, it's been three months since I was in Cambodia, and I am only about HALF WAY through sharing my adventures. I guess that means only one thing: Time for me to get back on the wagon.

Seems so strange to continue telling the story since Mike has died. I had a patient last week pretty much imply that it was wreck less of me to travel and work in a country so "unsafe", and what was I thinking doing this when I have two small kids at home and not to mention that I am a "fragile" woman? "I never leave the United States," he said. "I don't even cross the border into Canada because I can't pack my gun." I told him that those were all things that I'd considered. Then I told him about Mike. After loosing my dad without warning almost 5 years ago, I realized that you never know what tomorrow is going to bring, and Mike's death just reinforced that. If you want to do something, think it through, weigh your options, do your homework, then just do it. Sure, there were many times I thought it might be a better idea to wait until my kids are a little older and less dependant, but I am so glad I did it. You can't live your life in a bubble. I loved every second of that trip, it has changed me in so many ways, and I can't wait to do it again.

Oh yeah, road trip.

We got one day off in the middle of the mission, which wasn't exactly a day off considering we were again busy from sun up to sun down, but at least we got to play.

After breakfast our team loaded into the little truck and headed down the highway towards Thailand. It was about a two hour drive from Banteay Meanchay to the city of Poipet, where we crossed the border. Here are a few pics from the road. Here is Darold...insisting I take his picture while hanging out of the back of the truck as we drove. I was like, "GET BACK IN!! GET BACK IN!!"



Franklin, me, San, and Bot


Brittany, Jim, Ratha, and Darold


Bot, Mike, Mary Kay, Dave, and Pat


Jim, Ratha, me




Ratha, Rith, Jork, San, Tola, and Bot


Darold and Jim


Ratha and me. Don't I look fragile?


Darold bought these cigarettes there. I thought the anti smoking message was genius! You know, you hardly EVER see people smoking in Cambodia. Maybe this is why (aside from being poor). I bet there is a big exchange of money going with the tobacco industry in the US to keep the labels from looking just like this.


Our road trip held a very special meaning for Franklin, our team leader. It's been a while since I have blogged, so you may be a little foggy on my teammates. Franklin is a practicing dentist in Portland, but immigrated from Cambodia when he was 20 after escaping from the Khmer Rouge in 1979. During the reign of the Khmer Rouge, it is estimated that up to HALF of the entire Cambodian population were killed by execution, torture, starvation, or forced labor. The cities were evacuated to the farmlands where the citizens were forced to work as slaves and survive anyway they could. Think of it as Cambodia's Holocaust.

Franklin had a best friend that he made while working in the labor camps, but they were separated and after all these years after Franklin's escape, he never knew what happened to his friend. He didn't even know, after over three decades, if his friend had even survived the Khmer Rouge.

A short time before our trip, Franklin became in touch with a friend, and that friend knew another friend, who knew another friend...and he found out that yes, his long-lost friend was alive and living in Thailand. They got in touch and decided to meet up at the border in Poipet when Franklin came to Cambodia for the mission.

While the rest of us goofed off and played and had coffee at the knockoff Starbucks at the Casino in Thailand, Franklin went and reunited with his friend. When we met back up with him a couple hours later, he was so happy. I captured this picture of the two of them. That's Franklin on the left.



Franklin was so happy to see his friend again. No, not happy...beaming. He couldn't stop smiling. "I not see him for 31 years," he excitedly told our group. "But I recognize him right away!" This, of course, got me misty-eyed. Of course Franklin wouldn't have even had a picture of his friend, considering the time and circumstances of their friendship. And after 31 years, you'd probably struggle to remember the details of one's face.

We hit the road again and headed back to Sisophon where we had lunch at a local restaurant, then loaded back into the little truck and headed of towards our next adventure at Prasat Banteay Chhmar. Stay tuned...