Battambang

We just arrived in the city of Battambang after a 5 hour bus ride. It's northwest of Phnom Penh about an hour from the Thai border. The buses are like tour buses...not bad for Cambodia standards. The "rest stops" are a treat. You can get Cambodian food, cold drinks, and fried insects. I only partake of the canned sodas. For all the new steps I am taking lately, eating insects or spiders won't be one of them!!

This morning, we stopped by the Asia's Hope school first thing in Phnom Penh for a dedication. Today was the first day of school and all the kids were in their new uniforms. Quite cute! The school used to be in the city, but now it is out in Prek Eng by all 4 orphanages there. Much better for the kids as they don't have to spend an hour a day traveling. The next step will be to get all the kids bikes so that they can easily get to school. This is also where I will be spending the majority of my time.

We leave the hotel for the orphanages soon. Lots of building going on here for Asia's Hope. There are already 2 orphanages, one will open soon, and 2 more are in the wings. This city is a lot smaller and less crowded. Still hot and dirty, but seems a little more relaxed. The kids are just as sweet. I look forward to seeing them! There will be lots of hugs tonight, which will be good, because tomorrow we start with immunizations again. I get the best job with that though - I get to hand out the candy afterward:)

I will post again soon. The cafe is attached to the hotel. Only three computers, but it seems a little faster. By the way, if you see any typos, it may very well be the antiquated keyboards and not me. (I'll just blame it on that anyway!) I talked to Savorn about getting internet at the house and hope to be able to post pictures soon.