SOUTHEAST ASIA

Phnom Penh

Rife with history, Phnom Penh was all but demolished in the Khmer Rouge rule of the 1970s. In the aftermath of genocide and then a civil war, Phnom Penh became Cambodia’s new capital and still leads the way in re-establishing Cambodia as a modern contender in the world market. Once the “Pearl of Asia,” Phnom Penh holds memories of both ancient and recent histories and lofty plans for the future in balance. Here on the Mekong, we’ll learn about these histories at the beautiful Royal Palace and the appalling killing fields, meanwhile falling in love with the resilience and graciousness of Cambodia’s lovely people.

Siem Reap

From the 9th through the 12th centuries, the Khmer kingdom erected over 1000 intricate stone temples spanning 400 square kilometers just outside of modern-day Siem Reap. This complex housed the most populated ancient city and is now the most visited UNESCO World Heritage Site in Southeast Asia. See Angkor Wat at sunrise, then explore myriad other temples while enjoying the international city of Siem Reap.

Village Service: Clean Water Project

In Cambodia’s countryside, we discover a whole new side of this wonderful country. In the rural villages of Siem Reap province, families come together in outdoor livingrooms after their evening baths, and children, who make up the majority of this post-war nation, send glorious sounds of laughter through the plains of rice paddies. Life here is simple but also threatened by the symptoms of poverty. Clean water is hard to come by, so for several days here we aide construction on the grassroots clean water project taking place. We use cement to mold bio-sand water filters, then install the filters in homes. Rewarded with smiles and delicious home-cooked meals, our time here always feels too short.

Hanoi and Ha Long Bay

Maintaining it’s Vietnamese essence throughout the occupation of France, Japan, China, and America, it’s the perfect place to eat delicious phở soup from the balcony of a colonial building. We get our fill of banh mi and spring rolls, then head out of the city full of buzzing motorbikes to the quieter side of Vietnam on its northern coast. Ha Long bay, another UNESCO world heritage site, is home to floating villages, towering karst peaks, hidden lagoons, and emerald waters. We stay a night on a boat, with nothing between us and the billions of stars that fill the sky. This is the perfect place to relax and enjoy the friendships we make on the program.

Friendship Village

Built by Vietnamese, French, and American veterans, The Friendship Village was established on the notion that past enemies can unite for healing and reconciliation in the future. In cooperation, they provide rehabilitation services for veterans and a residential facility for children who are affected by agent orange three generations after the herbicide was used during the war. In this facility, these children are treated for a range of birth defects unintentionally passed down from war times. We get a chance to make friends here, sharing stories and conversation with veterans, and lending a hand in classrooms and physical education classes for the children. We learn more about war here through friendship than we do in volumes of history books.

Chiang Mai

Not just another ancient city, Chiang Mai is surrounded by a moat and filled with hundreds of unique, golden-clad, Buddhist temples, traditional and modern markets, and Thai curries found only in the north. Here, you’ll speak directly with monks to understand Thailand’s main religion, Buddhism. We prepare our own versions of these curries, along with spring rolls and mango with sticky rice in a cooking class, then let monks in saffron robes lead us in afternoon meditation. Getting out of the bustling city, we also head to a remote village in the hills of Doi Suthep to meet with a Karen tribe we’ve called family for the past 7 years. We continue ARCC’s work renovated a Kindergarten classroom once destroyed by a landslide, and provide a day-camp for the children in the community.

Elephant Jungles

The Elephant is the national symbol of Thailand, and it’s no wonder why. Standing in their presence, craning our necks to look them in the eye, we can’t help but feel a connection to these gentle giants. Unfortunately, these big animals need big spaces, and as population and agriculture increase in Thailand, Elephant habitat and elephants decrease. Tourism hasn’t helped either, as thousands of elephants have been mistreated in trekking camps where they perform for and are ridden by paying customers. In the past 100 years, elephant numbers are down by over 250,000, leaving just 4000 in all of Thailand. Thais are taking note of this atrocity, though, and we join a grassroots organization working hard to mitigate the dwindling numbers. We plant trees and build salt licks to provide safe places for wild elephants and spend a day up-close and personal with elephants in a sanctuary. Retired and rescued from trekking camps, the elephants in the sanctuary are unchained and unridden, living out their lives in their natural habitat.

Truly immersed in the Thai jungle, we spend our time here in the outdoors. We visit Erawan falls, a national park of cascading waterfalls and emerald pools, we explore caves hidden in thick greenery, and we tell stories around a campfire, or atop treehouses at our home in the eco-reserve.

Bangkok

Thailand boasts that it is the only Southeast Asian country that has never been colonized by another country. The result is a deeply rooted country that gives visitors an unincumbered window into the long history of all of Southeast Asia. In Bangkok, longboats with local passengers and barges with worldly goods move up and down the Chao Phraya River just as they have for hundreds of years, and modern buildings tower above traditional neighborhoods, keeping Bangkok an ever-modern city. We see it all from the river on a dinner cruise complete with views of the Grand Palace lit up at night, and Thai “ladyboys” singing Karaoke for entertainment. We complete our exploration with a tour of Wat Pho’s huge reclining Buddha, and some final souvenir shopping.

Below you will find several Group Journal excerpts, written by ARCC students during their summer program with ARCC: