Roots on an Ancient Wat. Siem Reap

These are giant roots that cover one of the ancient Wats. I can't remember the name of this right now. Varci thinks it's Ta Prom so that's what it will be! Amazing. the roots I mean!

Roots Continued: Siem Reap

These trees and the following trees are near the Bayon Temple by the Angkor Wat. I love all these huge roots.

On the Road to Kampong Thom

We decided to take Varci and Kali on a swing around the country for our vacation. In each place we tried to stop and visit with a member or investigator, or less active member. We had some very tender visits. Our first stop was to go to Kampong Thom where we have a branch. On the way there, we pass a stop just before the town of Skun. This community is noted for it's wonderful pineapple and fried crickets and tarantulas which I have posted before. This is one of those rest stops just before Skun. You see all kinds of things on the road including this truck packed to the gills with cardboard boxes. We had just passed through a bad rain storm and the water hasn't evaporated yet, as you can see. If you look off to the right of the picture and bring it bigger, you can see the pineapples stacked so beautifully. The pineapple here is so good. Never had a bad one yet.

One of the women selling crickets, hmmm, can't remember what the front pictures or of, but in the back of the bowl are the crickets. We paid her 1,000 rial (.25) to let us take her picture.

This woman is so sweet. I couldn't believe she would let that spider walk all over her. Several of the younger girls did that also. To the bucket on the right are live tarantulas, and in her tray are the fried ones. We kindly passed on those also!

Just like home, if you have extra produce, put it outside of your home and try to sell it! These
probably are some kind of squash or gourd. I thought they might be papyas, but Varci think they are squash and I think she is right.

We saw many women planting rice. Many wear the pointed rice hats or kromas. I've never seen a male plant rice yet. I've seen them plow and help get the soil ready, but never seem them plant it . They work hard. They all looked up and I think a couple waved at us.

Another truck with Khmer men on top. This truck is also stacked sky high with goods!

Yea! We made it to the Kampong Thom branch building! Only 2 hours behind. Not so bad!!!

Elder Haws and Elder James. Elder James hates tarantulas and calls them demons because they are big and get on their curtains or floor in their home. Kali is entertaining the troops it looks like! Just this past week those Elders get to move in to a safer home! I'm sure they are excited to do that!

Elder Donnelson on the left and Elder Christian on the right. Elder Donnelson is the zone Leader for the Siem Reap/Kampong Thom Zone. And Elder Christian is his loyal companion. We are trying to keep them all healthy.

Jacob's Well and Mission Home

One of our Senior couples discovered this restaurant ran by a Christian/Jewish group from Australia. They train Cambodian youth to cook and how to run a restaurant. Plus the food is very good. I had Shepherd's Pie which was delicious! The bottom right hand corner is the entrance to the Mission Home and the other is obviously Varci, in the Mission Office.

Church at Tacamao Branch.

These next posts are with our trip with Varci and Kali. We attended the first Sunday they were here, August 3, 2010, Church at Tacamao Branch. The group in the left hand corner had just been confirmed members of the Church. This is a whole family. They are wonderful people, so poor, yet so willing to serve. In the middle are some sisters in Relief Society in the branch who took quite a liking to Varci. Varci and Kali were a hit wherever we went! The family on the left hand corner we visited after the meeting. We took the sister home because she was running late and thought her husband would be mad at her, so Scott said, how about if we take you and then we'll go in and visit with him so he won't be mad. He actually was very gracious and kind. He is not a member and neither are her daughters. The other two pictures are of Scott and I after Church. Scott is reading his letters from the missionaries and I am in the kitchen getting the meal ready.

Monkey at the Wat Phnom

At Wat Phnom there are quite a few free roaming monkeys. They like to be fed. There was a woman right across from this monkey who brought the monkeys some food. This particular food has little pods on it which you squeeze out. The food looks like peas and tastes kind of like that, only sweeter.

Varci and Kali: Riding the Elephant at Wat Phnom

Varci and Kali came to visit us on July 2, 2010. We had a terrific reunion at the airport when they came in at 9:00 p.m. that evening. Kali is staying for 17 days and Varci through August 2, 2010. Scott and I were able to take a short vacation with them for about a week. The first day, we took them to Wat Phnom where a 50 year old elephant named Samson (nickname: Sam) is available for a ride. I'll include a couple of videos with this. We just followed them around the Phnom (hill) and took some videos.