Farewell Cambodia

It's 7:30 p.m. and we're sitting in the modern, brand spanking new airport in Siem Reap awaiting our flight to Hanoi this evening. It's 40 minutes late so I thought I'd hop on the computer.

Mercifully, the Raffles Hotel gracefully blessed us with a very late check out at no-extra charge. We left the hotel at 6 p.m., almost with tears in our eyes as we said good bye to our new friends there. We cannot recommend this hotel more highly. They have been wonderful and I have been spoiled by the ambience of French colonial times in Indochina.

Max said "Don't worry, Momma. We're coming back here after Vietnam with Gopala, right?" Both Tom and I left feeling like we barely scratched the surface of this beautiful country with such a rotten history. Today, we wandered by the Foreign Correspondent's Club and popped into a photography exhibit. Outside were about 10 larger than life metal sculptures - a huge bug, a multi-armed Hindu deity, a Momma elephant with baby etc. Upon closer inspection, these "cute" sculptures were made of broken AK-47s and other arms. Chills ran up and down our spines. Seemed like something Penny McCall would have collected in a heartbeat.

Tom and I agree we would like to return to Cambodia, especially to do volunteer work for an organization called Caring for Cambodia whose mission is to establish schools throughout the country, among other things. Not sure when that will happen but it's nice to have it on the horizon.

After going to the exhibit, we happened by a very busy Buddhist temple (or Wat) near our hotel. Music was booming, sweet incense burning and people were streaming in and out of the open temple. Max asked me what was going on and I told him people were praying. He said he wanted to go in and pray too. So, Max and I fumbled awkwardly through the ritual of prayer and offerings for about ten minutes. We bought stunning bouquets of lotuses (my favorite flower)for about 25 cents each, slipped off our shoes at the temple entrance like those who had gone before us and then we headed straight up to the altar and lit a bunch of incense, just like the Cambodians around us.

Once lit, we kneeled down in front of the Buddha, held the incense above our heads and bowed three times. How I wish I had a camera of Max praying - he was a natural as if he'd done this zillions of times before, patiently waiting for his mom as she earnestly stumbled through the ritual. No photo, digital or otherwise, but the image will forever be etched in my heart. This was all his doing - his insistence and how could I possibly say no?

It was all going too well. He told me he prayed for Gopala and I told him I did too and then when we went to put our incense in the container of ash, he burned his hand and emotionally melted into a puddle. That old shapeshifting trick of going back to a four year old catches me every time.

Just in case anyone is curious, I am so happy. I am on the way to pick up my daughter, I'm traveling with my husband and toddler son in the Far East and it's working! I haven't felt this exhilerated and stimulated in such a long time. It's that Sagittarian spirit, I'm convinced, that was practically falling asleep in Talbot County. Life is good, we are blessed and I am grateful. Now the big adventure begins. I suppose it's entirely possible that we might meet Gopala tomorrow and then we will be united with her on Monday. After talking about it for so long, I can't believe it's about to happen. Can you? I suppose we better really narrow down a name now as time is running out.

It's an auspicious day here in the East. The Asians believe 7-7-07 is a lucky day so I hope all your day is blessed with good fortune. They're about to call our flight to boarding so I must run. Next stop: Vietnam.