December 5, 2011

Hey every one!

On Thursday we went to the killing fields in Phnom Penh and the Genocide Museum. It was one of the saddest experiences of my life, it's so depressing to be there but uplifting at the same time. It's hard to explain. The genocide museum actually used to be a school many years ago, and was later turned into a place where they held the prisoners and tortured them. Hearing some of the survivor stories was hearbreaking. The killing fields was even harder to go to. They give you a headset to listen to as you walk through the fields, explaining everything that happened in great detail. It's amazing how much a horrible place that was once filled with so much horror can be so peaceful and graceful now. It really opens up your eyes and makes you appreciate what you have. I left there feeling so blessed with all that I have at home, the safety and security that some people never get to know. It made me want to be a better person and made me feel like I really don't have a right to complain about anything, because at the end of the day, I really do have an amazing life filled with amazing people.
The next day we left Cambodia at 6am to come back to Bangkok by bus. About 2 hours into our bus ride, a tire blew. It was pretty scary and definitely woke me up from my sleep. They fixed it very fast and we were on our way again. It took us about 17 hours to get to Bangkok, so when we got here we ate dinner and went straight to bed.
We were planning to go to Chang Mai on Monday, but the bus was full so we will be leaving Bangkok and heading up to Chang Mai tomorrow instead. It's a 12 hour bus ride and it's a night bus so hopefully we'll be able to sleep through most of it. We will be arriving there at about 630 in the morning, which usually means add another 2 hours on top of that... haha.
Last night we went out dancing and it was a lot of fun. I didn't get home until about 5am so I decided to sleep until 12, then we went for a late hangover breakfast and did a little shopping. I bought myself a beautiful silky dress yesterday for very cheap, and a couple of tank tops today. Pretty productive I would say...
Yesterday was grandma and papa's 60th wedding anniversary party, so Auntie Brenda took her laptop over there and I was able to skype with everyone. It really felt like I was right there with them! It was awesome!
I love you and m iss you all and will write again as soon as I can in Chang Mai!
xoxoxoxoxoxox
Alicia