Saturday, May 25 to Phnom Penh

 We started our day with our final breakfast and final iron cow ride in Chambok. We had a special breakfast with donuts and other Cambodian pastries. Before leaving, we had another Khmer lesson learning phrases like “how much?” and Khmer numbers 1-29 (which we learned in just 2 minutes!) which proved to be very useful in the market later on! We said goodbye to our favorite Chambok guide, Mr. Cham before setting off on a 2 hr bus ride to Phnom Penh. We were glad to be back with our modern amenities and air conditioning but sad to leave the Chambok community. We checked into the hotel quickly upon arrival then immediately went to lunch, our first meal in Phnom Penh, at a local cafe. 

We ate staples such as morning glory curry and ginger chicken. Then we traveled by tuk tuk and paired up in random teams of four to complete a market challenge. Each team had two hours to answer questions like “how much is 1 kilo of rice?” (2500 reils) and “What is the color of a Cambodian orange?” (Green!). To answer these questions, teams had to use their Khmer skills to ask locals for help. Our team was victorious! 😁 We found that, like most places, some people were very nice and willing to help, while others only wanted our money. After the market hunt, many people tried bartering for souvenirs such as “goyard” bags and “rolex” watches. Some were successful, while others paid an unfair price. Now we are at dinner watching a documentary about Cambodian rock and roll of the 1960s. Signing off, Lauren and Zoe 😉



















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