fast talk * slow read: cambodIAN

After more than 20 hours of travel all 11 of us were finally together.

All together again we find our last plane and piled on, ready to get down on the ground of longer than six hours.

A short two and a half hour flight brought us quickly down into northern Cambodia.

As we came to a smooth landing my mind was anything but.

Emotionally I am to tired not to cry for the serial reason we are all here.

Finally we are here.

The blanket of heat quickly became the normal as we walked to the terminal, gathered our bags and found three tuktuk's and 'speed' off to the hotel.

The ride quickly reminded me why Dad loved this country.

Back in Cambodia.

Thank you lord.

The next 11 days in cambodia are full, full of a million goings on in every direction and sometimes we all do the same thing at the same time.

It is crazy to think about this being the first time the McIntyre's, apart from Dad, have been on holiday together since I was 12.

It is fabulous 'family' time and made me realise how important it is to savour the flavours of what family time tastes like.

the sweet taste of an embrace or the sour flavour of unexpected drama.

Many times the memories of ten years ago come flooding back.

It really is a perfect lifestyle.

I feel like a day in cambodia, along with my family, made every other day feel to simple and to boring.

Unbelievably hard, healing, calm but sometimes mentally unsettling :

A few days in we travel north from Seim Reap to Stung Treng (S.T).

The road we drive on is 'the road', which Dad spent his last hours on.

I can feel my heart beat harder as we drive further along the road.

My mind can not think about much else.

The van we are all snuggled into slowly became quite,

Even though Katy is the only one who knew where we were on this road.

It is a rural road with not a concrete building in site.
The bridge then the corner then the site of Dads accident.
the reality of where we stand comes flooding out of me.

We stop. Cry. Walk. Cry. Talk. Dig a hole and hammer up the small white cross I had prepared in NZ.

it was just what I needed.

We went on to Stung Treng after being on the side of the road for something close to an hour.

In Stung Treng is the land my Dad worked on for Asian Outreach Cambodia.

'The Land' we all call it. appropriate.

That afternoon we visit the land, meeting some of the people Dad spent his days with.

The entire team at S.T are amazingly motivated, welcoming, passionate men and women.

I am so proud my Dad was apart of their team.

I loved loved loved meeting the Dyer family, Even though they had crazy pets. I know Dad had talked about times with his friends the Dyers to us. They seemed to adopt Dad into not only their vision for the AO land but also adopt him into some of their family life as well. (I am so thankful to them in so many ways).

One day Levi and I would love to join this OA team and help build Dads sheared vision of a training facility etc... now we just have to wait for Gods help and right timing.

I just have to go back!

After a few days we head out of S.T for Kampong Cham (K.C) to catch up with old friends.
I live in K.C 10years ago with Mum, Dad and Bubby, Also Mum and Dad lived here for a year in 2012.
We spend time with people and do some more exploring around small town cambodia.

We all love it. Those of us who were not sick anyway...
I could just go on and on about how amazingly different and refreshing cambodia can be for your soul.

Our time quickly come's to an end in K.C.
we head to the capital and have a few days of tourist and relaxation time in Phnom Penh before we leave.

I know I will always love Cambodia and I will always go back there. It is sort of addictive. Traveling its self is of course addictive, but Cambodia is truly a culture I want to spend more time around.

It makes my heart sing joy to know Dad was living his dream in a country where people are so happy and friendly. Where the culture is relaxed about many things but yet motivated enough to learn from someone like my Dad. He had so much life and was able to shear his experience if only for a few solid years.
What Dad didn't do was waste any of his last years holding back.