Where In The World Is Cailie Kafura?: Until We Meet Again, Cambodia....

The day I arrived on this island, I knew that 2 months wouldn't be long enough.

My 2 months came to an end on March 4th...thus, allow me to whisk you back through my final days.

I shall keep it short and sweet to hold the attention of those who are unable to hold it themselves :)

*Seahorse Scandal: One of the volunteers discovered a jar of 38 dried seahorses in one of the village shops on our island. This was shattering to all of us, not only because we perform seahorse surveys each day, but because the village respected the fact that seahorses are rare and that the project was established around this breeding ground. There is always one that ruins it for the many. However, one cannot judge either, for desperate times call for desperate measures; this jar would reap 100 dollars--an extraordinary amount for Cambodian standards when considering you can buy a full meal for 50 cents.

*Game Day: All of the volunteers and the village children gathered on the beach for a dandy dash of water fights, tug of war, and some flour extravaganza.
The kids pelted the volunteers with unbreakable water balloons, wet shirts, and rags....followed by an impossible round of tug of war. A game involving flour and shoving your face in it quickly backfired into a flour fight. Such a simple life these kids lead, but a happy one indeed.

*Goodbye Koh Rong Samloem: A surreal departure... saying goodbye to the people that I felt as though I knew for a lifetime. I took my final dive in stride-- a seahorse survey. It was the best dive yet.
Awaiting my arrival was the most wonderful seahorse that my eyes ever laid on :)
He was a beautiful, "tall," mystical creature that moved with the greatest of ease through the world he called home.
I was so grateful to have borrowed my friends underwater camera for this dive. I captured its every delicate stroke from its one dorsal fin. Fearless of my presence, I was able to cup it in the envelope of my hand. Embracing me, it wrapped itself around my hand. I could not have been happier. (See pictures below!)

*Hello Siem Reap: Here in this small town lies the impressive temples of Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm(Tomb Raider temple!), and Bayon.
After a 12 hour bus ride through the night, Siem Reap came alive. On our first day we went to a floating village and flooded forest. Makeshift shacks were held above the water on stilts: an exceptional gravity-defying work of art. Small boats paddled by elderly and toothless Cambodian women took us through the flooded forest...felt straight out of a movie!
Day Two consisted of all 4 temples, beginning at 5am to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Angkor's size impressed me, especially when I thought of the work that must have gone into the carvings, architecture, and height of the edifice. Adorned with orange-robed monks, the temple's massive expanse went hand in hand with the monks' peaceful presence.
Ta Prohm was second on the list. This was an ancient monastery where Tomb Raider was filmed. Over time, the jungle trees grew their way into the walls and crannies of Ta Prohm. I found this temple to be my favorite...see the pictures, and you'll agree.
Bayon followed, which is the temple of many faces. Faces surround you as you climb your way through the layers of this temple. Incredible to think of the limited tools used to create this masterpiece.
Angkor Thom was full of mini temples less visited, which gave it a feel of discovery.
Day Three we indulged in a Khmer cooking class. Although I am a female, the kitchen is still foreign territory to me. We were handed a menu and were told to pick a starter and main dish, which we were then taught how to make! Spring rolls and chicken with amok was my meal-to-be. It was such an interesting process, making everything from scratch. In the end, we made so much food that we needed doggie bags for our creations.

*Hello Phnom Penh, again: Back to the city where it all began... we visited the Royal Palace and the Museum of the Killing Fields. The museum was moving to tears, as the pictures of every victim adorned the wall and the torture rooms still had blood stains, making this horrific event all too real.

On one of my last nights, we stayed up all night dancing in the local club and having a grand old time, which led us to 6am in the morning where we found a Chinese aerobics group exercising in front of the Royal Palace. This was an opportunity we couldn't resist! Fist-pumping into the air to "Hotel California" and we are the only white people around. We took a breather to watch the sun rise over the Mekong and then went back to bed, seeing as we never went in the first place. :)

Leaving Cambodia seemed so strange as I felt as though I just arrived and I left all of my friends on the island...yet, my next adventure was scrubbing and cuddling elephants!

Ta Ta For Now, Cambodia..Herro Thailand!