November 22nd, 2019
Travel and Day one of wedding bells!
The trip over was uneventful. I flew on China Eastern this year out of Vancouver. We do often fly out of Vancouver but this was the first time on this airline. My flight left at 12:30 am and I had layover through Shanghai. Anyone who knows me know if that a flight after midnight would definitely be pushing the boundaries of my bedtime. So this aligns well with me just closing my eyes and going to sleep and hopefully getting a decent rest on the first flight which was 13 hours. Let’s just say it is definitely what occurred and I rolled into Shanghai at 4 AM.
A four hOur layover had me set up for my next flight to Phnom Phen leaving at 8:20 am. I have to say both flights were very comfortable as they were not sold out and there was some wiggle room to spread out, plus a good Amount of legroom for flights in economy. I did take note that there is no way that a small dog carrier would fit under the seat in front of me so I continue to think about the best way to get Nichol over here. Interesting to note that censorship in China is alive and well as I was able to access neither Facebook or American news sources while in Shanghai.
The air quality was atrocious. I feel like they don’t know what blue sky actually looks like. Tried to get pics of smog, but it’s not easy to show.
I Arrived in Phnom Phen at 12:30pm on Friday. The immigration process was extraordinarily smooth this year as things get easier every time we come and I have more experience. I was able to assist an “impatient” American traveler who didn’t understand the visa process and as a result I believe my passport was pulled to the top of the pile and I was through in less than three minutes start to finish . He’s probably still waiting 🤣🤣.
This is remarkable and I really think it’s because I got that guy off their backs. They were smiling 😊 and I’ve never seen a Cambodian immigration official smile.
Landon and his dad, Jan, and Sam‘s niece picked me up in a car and we headed straight to Sam’s Village. It took a couple hours to get there and then we took a little tour of the home and saw where we were staying which was in Sam‘s parents room which they wholeheartedly gave to us. The hospitality and kindness we experienced immediately was overwhelming. These are amazing people that have very little and they were going above and beyond to make sure that Jan and I were comfortable. After resting and having something to drink, the ceremonies began. Landon and Sam both had their own dressers. Over the course of the next two days Sam and Landon would have at least seven different outfit changes and very beautiful ornate traditional wedding outfits. I thought I came to Cambodia to see Landon get married. It turns out I came to Cambodia and was given the immense privilege of being a pivotal part of his wedding ceremonies. Without a doubt,the opportunity of a lifetime and one I will never forget.
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