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May 2008 Siem Reap, Cambodia Dear Friends, My apologies if you have written and I have not yet replied. Through hardware upgrades, software changes, and with the upheavals of continual travel, I may have overlooked your email, and trust you will write again. I am in Siem Reap, Cambodia now, near the Angkor Wat complex again, after cycling from Phnom Penh to Chiang Mai, Thailand. The first segment of my journey began April 1st, and ended April 16th, when I arrived in Chiang Mai. There I rested and received medical tests which revealed many small gallstones, and not much more. On April 26th, I began my journey back to Phnom Penh, and have yet to arrive. The hot, blazing sun, along with the rain and humidity of the tropical summer, are beyond what most would hope to experience. My entry visa for Thailand expired May 5th, and I was unable to cycle the complete distance through Thailand in that time, so I boarded a bus in Singburi to the Thai-Cambodian border town of Poipet, Cambodia.

My road experiences in these very different Asian nations as a solitary recumbent cyclist were nothing less than legendary. There were the usual encounters with snakes and scorpions, drunks and drug addicts, and I there were man opportunities to visit with the children, elderly, disabled, monks, ministers, and ranking officials. In spite of their differences, in both nations, I am enthusiastically received by all, welcomed into homes, and presented with offers of food, lodging, work, and marriage.

Cambodia is a difficult nation in which to live, one few would tolerate even a short time. Pollution, poor sanitation, crumbling infrastructure, government corruption, and with the recent double digit inflation, you can watch the economic desperation of the people grow daily. National elections will be conducted soon, and with the many factions and their differences, sometimes matters will explode into violence.

In Thailand, daily life, the government, and economy are all relatively stable, although from the news stories we often see distorted or incomplete images. These neighboring countries are very different, one marked by years of civil war and strife, and the other by growth, development, and stability of leadership. Now the average Thai citizen is developing an increased awareness for a "green revolution", and moving toward a healthier environment.

Thailand offers a much more comfortable and affordable situation, yet my mission is in Cambodia. With the help of my young Cambodian students themselves, and with small contributions from a few close friends, we are forming a classroom for older children, where the fine arts are encouraged, and where basic life skills for economic survival are taught.

A long, slow, solitary cross country bicycle tour through across borders reveals the very heart and soul of a people. To that end, I have developed a greater understanding of differences, and why poverty persists for some, and not others.

You are encouraged to learn more about real life situations in the poor, war torn nations of our world, and to do something personal and significant toward nourishing and educating the children.