Sam and Suezan hosted the university students and some alumna on an all-day boat trip down the Mekong. Other guests included Vutheary, who served as an interim director in the past; Catherine Cousins of Open Book; Christine, an illustrator from Singapore working with Catherine; and one of the educational coordinators (EC) from Kandal with three of our high school students.
We set out from the Phnom Penh waterfront at about 9 am and traveled to a village where we walked through the rice fields, visited a temple in the midst of a village celebration and stopped by a silk growing and weaving business. Back on board we had a delicious lunch the students had prepared, complete with hotdogs and grilled squid cooked on the back of the boat. Next stop was a beach at the tip of an island (Koh Dach) where a number of the people went swimming. On the way back, Catherine served Galette des rois (King’s Cake) to all, a French tradition described in one of her books. There were five of us who found a small toy in our piece of cake, and according to tradition we were crowned Queen. (We reigned benevolently for the rest of the cruise!) We returned to the quay at about 4:30 pm. It was a great day for enjoying the weather, the scenery and, of course, all the students.
Kari Sides Suva
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