Siem Reap Continued...

Yesterday, we left the hotel at four in the morning, and traveled to the Bayon temple to watch the sun rise. Waking up at 3:30 was a bit rough for the group, but it was definitely worth it. After sunrise, we were able to explore the temple and learn about its history from Lauren's presentation. We then left for the Elephant Terrace and the Leper King statue at Angkor Thom. The elephant engravings were impressive, as well as the Leper King statue, which is a national icon. We then returned to the hotel for an optional breakfast, followed by a mandatory (and much needed) rest period. At around 10:30, we left to go see a shadow puppet workshop, however the students were on their lunch break, but we still saw their work and learned about how it was created. After that, some of us decided to go back to the hotel and rest, while others went out to lunch. In mid afternoon, the group left for the village to play with the children. Some of us played volleyball, while others played games with the younger children. The adults of the village decided that the community could benefit from a second latrine. This latrine would be more acessable for everyone in the community, and would promote better health. The group decided that this would be a good investment for the village, so the chaperons went out and bought supplies. Within the first hour, a truck arrived with sand in the pouring rain, which the boys helped shovel out. We hope we can see the completed latrine by the end of the week! After dinner, we were finally able to get some rest.
-Rebecca