It's Free and Easy Day !!!

15th September, 2008 - We really took our own sweet time today and went out only at noon ... after all 5 sleeping beauties have finished our beauty sleep !!! For a change ... ha ha ...

For lunch, we went into the only fast food outlet called Plaza Seven, the other girls had fried chicken and burgers while I took a fancy to taste another flavour of ice-cream on cone. Nice :-) Then, I went out in search of local food and bumped into the driver who was enjoying his afternoon meal. So, I sat down with him and had a taste of the local meehoon soup and longan smoothies. Very nice and cheap !! No specific plans after that but we got the driver to fetch us to a book shop to buy some stationeries to give away to orphans. Bought some blank exercise books, pencils, cartoon erasers, glue and colour pencils.

Next, 3 of us went for whole body massage using the local traditional hand massage. Quite an enjoyable experience ^_^ For USD9, it was really good ... could feel my muscles relaxed and hear my joints making noise ... ha ha ha ...

At the orphanage called Sunrise Children's Villages, we were given a tour round the premises after signing a letter of undertaking not to use any photos we take of the children for commercial use. In 1993, Geraldine Cox, an Australian, spoke to friends about a group of 24 orphans displaced from a refugee camp near the Thai border. These children's deceased families were amongst the millions of victims of Pol Pot's genocidal regime in Cambodia.

Geraldine's words : "When I first met the original 24 orphans in 1993, I couldn't begin to imagine the mental scars they carried - torture, death, starvation, disease and running for their lives. Some time after that first visit, I realised that I would have to do something more than just bring them clothes, food and toys. I wanted to give them a home life full of love, family and laughter. And so "Sunrise" was born and, in doing that, the children have become the wind in the sails of my dreams and they somehow 'will' into being everything I wish for them. They deserve all that we can give them, and a whole lot more besides." WOW !!!

After that, we bought some local fruits ... then, off we went into the market for some frenzy shopping bargains ! We bought mostly souvenirs for friends and family members back home. Nice little hanging elephants, some cute little handphone pouches with elephant motives, scarves, handbags, fridge magnets ... and I managed to grab hold of a nice hand-made wall hanging ! Yippee ! Another collection for the house ...

Next, we took an early dinner ... BBQ buffet !!! Really ate and ate like nobody's business ... ha ha ... must have put back on the kilos we shed the last 3 days ! Until the girls had to unbuckle ... ha ha ... luckily I wore a wraparound skirt, no need to unbuckle ... just loosen up a little did the trick ! All sorts of sauce ... tried nearly 9 types ... Yummy ... yummy ! Had a few good laughs and just sitting down there observing the jokes cracked by these bunch of fun-loving ladies made my day a most memorable one !!!