Returning From the Kaits

Most Sundays include a schedule of six hours of church and an hour of travel. Today we had one hour of church and six hours of travel. Either way we finish the day tired of sitting and ready for a break.

Our started our day visiting the Siem Reap First branch. It was wonderful to see some of our missionary friends. It is also interesting to visit branches like Siem Reap where it is a tourist area. There were several families visiting as they were touring the Angkor Wat area of Cambodia for a family vacation.

Knowing we had a six hour drive for our return to Phnom Penh, we set out by about 10:30 a.m., caravanning with Elder and Sister Leavitt. We made a stop at rest area with a restaurant for lunch about 12:30. By then we all needed to get out and stretch. We ate lunch looking out over a quiet little lake. The food was better than average rest-stop options, and the rest very welcome.

We were on the road again but needed to make one more stop along the way. This time we visited the elder's apartment in Kampong Thom. After a very short visit with Elders Jensen, Quirante, Thorn, and Beckstead, we were on the road again.

On a road trip it is interesting to take in the scenery and passing vehicles. Each village we drove through had similar features. The houses about 10-15 feet up on stilts, rice drying in front of the home, markets and shops along the road. The vehicles have added variety in the Kaits (provinces). There are the typical motos with trailers, or with random loads, or the ox carts. We even saw a moto pulling a trailer with two oxen. Maybe that is the new ox-carts? We also saw vehicles that looks a roto-tiller, pulling a long trailer which they drive on the road. These pull heavier loads than the motos, but they are also very slow. Before we made it to the city we had to stop while a herd of cattle crossed the road. Maybe we are a little retro here! Sometime we feel like we have stepped back in time, but it is amusing to see these same retro people texting or using smart phones while they drive (and it doesn't matter which vehicle they are driving, including the ox-cart!)