The last day of our incredible experience started with the most blissful sleep in we’ve had for the past 17 days. After eating breakfast with a view of the Mekong we began our day with a visit to the royal palace. Here we experienced the vast difference between all three counties’ royal palaces. One room housed over US$35 million with of artefacts and lavish decorations. Some of which included a US$6 million golden Buddha statue and silver tiles lining the floor worth US$6,000 each. After walking around the palace grounds and through the extensive architecture we boarded our bus to the hotel. We then caught the bus to the national museum. The teachers gave us free reign of the amazing bus doing full of artefacts vital to the history of Cambodia. After all of the teachers and students had finished in the museum we boarded the bus towards the Russian market. We had an hour to experience one of the most diverse markets we had visited on the trip. It had everything from car parts to knock off designer brands, watches and even an area where the locals buy their food. As we all stumbled back on the bus now making the realisation the trip was concluding, we stammered slowly through the Phnom Penh traffic to the international airport. Here we had emotional goodbyes with our local guide Rith, and the now famous Billy (or more affectionately, Ricky), who’d shown us around the three countries from the start.
We have just arrived in Bangkok and are prepared for the long haul back to Melbourne.
On this plane ride, we’ve had the time to stop and appreciate the amazing experience we’ve had over the last 17 days. The diverse experiences we’ve had, from building a house for those less fortunate in the remote Plong hill tribe to cruising the Mekong and even seeing the mass graves and the S-21 prison of the Khmer Rouge. This trip has provided us with a plethora of opportunities and experiences that we will take through with us in every aspect of our lives. From eating tarantulas in the streets of Cambodia or taking a tuk-tuk through the built areas of Chiang Mai this really was a BIG experience.
Signing off for the last time – TLC Temples 2017
Liam Synan and Josh Roynic
