The Butterfly Garden is a restaurant that buys butterflies from local kids as a way for them to make a bit of money for their families and to encourage them to stay in school. We got to watch the kids come and release their butterflies into the restaurant while we were eating. The restaurant also trains older teenagers in the kitchen giving them some vocational skills. Many graduates of this program go on to have a successful career, which is an opportunity they otherwise wouldn't have had.
This is the local "gas station!" Most motor bike drivers will stop and fill up their tanks at places like this. I thought it was odd to see a little girl just hanging out on the barrel of fuel eating a snack.
A monkey at Angkor Wat. I spent 4 days exploring the temples and they were truly amazing!!
This little girl was so adorable! She was at the Butterfly Restaurant releasing her butterflies.
Cambodia has a pretty recent and intense history of civil war and genocide. These are just 2 of the 8 levels of skulls excavated at the Killing Fields outside of Phnom Penh.
I got the chance to experience some alternative medicine. I got a procedure called cupping done on my back. It is done by creating a vacuum on the back using a flame and a glass jar. The jars are placed on specific points on the body, depending on your ailment. Other people do it just to invigorate themselves and increase blood flow. I'm not sure mine was done correctly, however, because I found out later I was at a "happy ending" massage place that happened to do cupping as well! But don't worry, no happy endings here!
I spent a week volunteering at a center for street children in Siem Reap. It was one of my best weeks spent traveling! The kids are so beautiful. There is so much need in Cambodia and it was nice to be able to give a little, even though I wish it could have been more. Volunteering gave me a little bit more of an inside peek at local Khmer people and their lives.
I love this picture!! I think the big balloons and her skinny long legs are a funny combination!
Ta Prohm, one of the many temples of Angkor Wat. This one is where Tomb Raider was shot at. It is really overgrown with huge trees. Although there are always a ton of tourists, it feels like you are discovering something new because of all the overgrowth. The temples aren't blocked off at all, which is cool too.
Taking a break in the rain...
