 Our last day in Siem Reap was spent debriefing and drinking frappes before lunch. During debrief we evaluated the ‘so what’ and ‘now what’ aspects of the trip to prepare for the return home. This also included some tips on how to deal with culture shock when back.
After a short chill time we walked to a restaurant close to the hotel for a very nice lunch that we all enjoyed. After that, we came back to the hotel for some free time that consisted of a swim in the pool for some and a massage for others. To finish the day we all got dressed up and went out for dinner at Pub Street which involved a drink but also some ice cream that we had been waiting to try. Great way to end the trip. Jess
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 Today a few of the girls received their ATARs, to take their minds off of this we visited Angkor Wat.
On this visit we went to three temples; Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Jungle Temple, walking through these temples our tour guide, Mr. Bun, explained to us the meaning of some of the carvings and the history of these temples and how they came about. After climbing many stairs through the temples we headed back to the hotel for some time in the pool and contacting home. For dinner we went to the Bug Cafe where some people tried a number of bugs, such as crickets, water bugs, tarantulas, silk worms and a variety of ants however after this we filled up on pizza, pasta and cocktails on Pub Street. Once we finished dinner we took a walk around the night markets and got souvenirs for both ourselves, families and friends. Emily & Maddi  After a fantastic night sleep in our glamping tents, we kicked off our day with devotions. Alanah took us through Mark 14, encouraging us to watch & pray as we wait for Jesus. We then hit up the breakfast buffet to just complete the morning!
We headed out for a massive game drive, roaming the Masai Mara in search of all our favourite animals. We came across sunbaking lions, sleeping cheetahs, active hippos in the river and a herd of elephants complete with babies! And of course, we saw giraffes, turtles, warthogs, and many various types of birds and gazelles. All in all, a super successful day of safari-ing. To top it all off, we had a super cute picnic lunch in the middle of the reserve, including an awkward toilet set-up. After arriving back to the camp, and dealing with some drama caused by baboons in tents, we got into our final debrief session. It was great to chat, discuss and reflect on our thoughts heading home and what will be different because of our experiences in Africa. I’m certainly inspired by the students and the way they have engaged and reflected with the whole trip and excited to see what impact it continues to have on their lives. After another cracking dinner, we’ve all been chilling, enjoying some wifi and getting ready to start heading back tomorrow. Grateful for all we’ve been able to experience here, and the people we have been able to share it with! - Joel  Our day started nice and early with a 3:50am flight, meaning we got to jump on a bus at 10pm the night before for a lovely 3 hour trek.
Once we got to the airport we lined up for our bags to be sniffed for any smugglings and only a few had to open up their baggage but all were successful in the end. The plane ride was a quick 50 minutes with a continental breakfast consisting of one singular croissant that only a few were lucky to get. Customs were nice and quick and we walked all around the airport a few times to get some breakfast before the long 6 hour drive to our accomodation. After two hours of driving we stopped and looked at a beautiful view over a cliff face and got to enjoy toilets that didn’t flush. Around 12:00 we stopped for lunch and had a buffet of a range of foods and then got to walk through a few small souvenir shops. Back on the road again it took another two hours to get to the gates of where the game rides began. We got to see a range of animals and Kaitie mistook quite a few of them for rocks. We got to our accomodation and got to relax before a lovely meal, a short debrief upon what we have experienced during our trip and the ever burdening wait for our ATARs to come out at 11 pm. - Alanna  This was our first full day at Siem Reap. We had a lovely sleep in followed by our first debrief. This allowed us to reflect on each day of the trip so far and for some brought up things we had already forgotten. We discussed what we have enjoyed, things that challenged us, what we would change if we weren’t happy with something we did/didn’t and how God has been with us through out the trip. This was a great time to reflect on these things as we still have a few days to make changes to get the most out of the trip.
We went to lunch at a vegetarian restaurant where there was a fair trade store that many of us brought souvenirs/gifts. After lunch we relaxed at the hotel by the pool sipping on frappes. At 4:30 tuktuks picked us up to take us to our Cambodian cooking class, where we made a 3 course meal consisting of Green Mango Salad, Fish Amok and Banana Flambé. These meals were delicious and we all got a taste of Cambodian cuisine. We headed back to the hotel with full belly’s to have a relaxing night before a big day of touring tomorrow. By Skye [Uganda] Day 15: Monkey Mountain, labour work and taking the VOH Kids to a swimming pool.11/12/2019  This morning started bright and early at 5am for the long awaited ‘monkey mountain’, which was previously postponed by prayers for rain (thanks jo)
The peace observed as we started our journey was beautiful - the bustling streets of wairaka were deserted in morning darkness. After a fair hike with a gradually increasing incline, the most stunning view was revealed before us. The lights of Jinja town sparkled before the rising sun, as vast green padlocks and red roof tops slowly became visible. Josh led worship as we took in the view, and a prayer for Uganda was said before we head back to subi house for a delicious break of Rolex’s and chapattis. After brekky we headed off to YSU, but after getting the raw end of a deal we ended up passing bricks for an hour to fill the back of a truck (in return for a lift to YSU). By the time we finally arrived, we literally worked for maybe a total of 30-45 minutes. Despite this, it’s been amazing to see the walls of the units we are working with the locals to build rise day by day. With dusty red hands and muddy legs, Juliette served us a lunch of her classic fresh roles and slaw! On the bus we busted a jam to some Nicki, Iggy and all the in-betweens as we drove to the pool where we played with the kids from the Village of Hope! After some splashy splash time in the pool, we went to into town where we competed against the finest of the seekers in skirt shopping and bought all the things we could get our hands on. Another bus ride but this time to our final restaurant din dins. Papa Joh, said some words that made us tear up but maybe that was just me, after the feast of a life time. Meat meat meat was on everyone’s mind but again, that might just be me hehe. Goodnight we say from the team and Jennettes. Jennette sightings: 10 Cludo deaths: nil Jo’s babies: 2 Peace out homies - P.Dids (Joanna) Today we woke up and had our last breakfast at Double S hotel, after getting ready we had a mishap with our van where there wasn’t enough space on the 12 seater for all of us with our suitcases. So, a taxi was called to help us get to Siem Reap in one piece.
After a reasonable 4 hours we got to our hotel, Silk D’angkor, where we could sit done and relax for a while before lunch. We enjoyed a yummy lunch at a vegetarian restaurant. After lunch we came back to the hotel to enjoy some time relaxing by the pool, which was freezing as some of us found out when jumping in - or being ‘pooled’ in! Soon after we headed out to town for a delicious feast of pizza with a few of us enjoying a cocktail. We had a great time adventuring through the night market, looking for gifts for friends, family and ourselves. Once back at the hotel we all got ready for our pamper night. Half of us piled onto Ellie’s king size bed to put face or foot masks on, while also enjoying some chocolate! - We even got Brayden to join in with the fun of the night. - Emily A and Chloe |
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