Day two was full of flights and new food. Our EVA Airlines flight from Chicago to Taiwan was the longest flight time for most of us at 15.5 hours. Even though the flight was long, the seats were comfortable, and the flight attendants kept things running like a Swiss watch.
Our layover in Taipei provided some time to stretch our legs and enjoy Asian fast food. Prices for food and refreshments in this airport were a fraction of what we are used to at MSP – just ask Jay. Concerns over the Covid19 virus were in view with 99% of people in the airport wearing masks. The airport was extremely modern and clean, and each gate had its own them theme, with Hello Kitty being one of the more interesting ones.
Our flight to Cambodia was 3.5 hours and with the flight not even half full we were able to spread out and have a row to ourselves.
Our hosts Noy & Reaksmey Shoung met us at the airport and made navigating immigration and customs a two minute process. All of our luggage arrived in perfect condition! We were given traditional Cambodian scarves before boarding the bus and had a quick lesson on different ways to wear this functional item.
Our hotel, Sokha Phnom Penh Hotel is amazing. Featuring an Olympic sized pool and 549 rooms it is one of the largest in the city.
After a much needed shower break, we had a leadership session to calibrate our intentions for this trip. We had an exercise with pictures of the same scene zoomed in to different levels to show the importance of perspective and life experiences.
Following the session we watched traditional Khmer dancers in the lobby of the hotel and were amazed at how they moved their hands. It was quite an inspiring performance.
Next we traveled through rush hour again to get to a boat for a river cruise. The boat was beautiful and it was fun to go along the river and see all the different building and architecture. Dinner was delicious and featured over 10 traditional Cambodian dishes and fruits that were too numerous to count. The Phnom Penh skyline is beautiful at night and we could see the various levels of economic development across the city from skyscrapers to primitive housing. We ended the cruise with a celebration of Shane’s birthday!
Chris Horob & Michelle Medina
Comments