Resource Visit and A Long Drive Home

This has been a full weekend for Self-Reliance with our visit to Battambang for a Symposium and My Path Devotional on Saturday, driving to Siem Reap for Church and training leaders and a new facilitator on Sunday. Our trip also included an appointment at the new Marriott Hotel that is under construction in Siem Reap, which they are hoping to have completed by the end of this year. Ashley, the general manager and Nicolai, operations manager, allowed us to visit with them, which we hope will open doors for future resources and job opportunities for Church members in Cambodia. This will be a beautiful hotel when it is completed. They also have plans of putting a second Marriott Hotel in Cambodia down in Sihanoukville, which is down on the coast and a popular destination for those wanting to go to the beach.

With our meetings and scheduled Self-Reliance activities complete we turned the car for home. The roads throughout Cambodia are much improved from what we found 18 months ago on our first trip throughout the country, however they are still not quite like the high speed freeways back home. Most of the roads are two lanes wide with no painted center lines. Even though there are speed limits, few drive the posted speed. There are the oxcarts and other vehicles that look like a rototiller pulling a trailer that drive far slower than the posted speeds. Then there are those that whiz past everyone doing 15-20 kph faster than everyone else. We are thankful the roads are paved and pretty good. Just watch out for the bicycles and pedestrians that enter traffic at any time.  Of course we have come to expect to play the leapfrog passing game.

As we approached Phnom Penh the clouds were building for thunderstorms. We were grateful to be inside a car as we watched the unprotected moto riders and cargo passengers become drenched as the skies opened and the much needed rains fell.