Hey, I'm Walkin' Here!

On Saturday, I participated in a 10K charity walkathon for Nokor Tep to raise funds for a women's health facility that can treat all Cambodian women regardless of their ability to pay.

The day started with a ferry ride across the Mekong to the village where the walk was taking place.  Here is a picture of me with some of my walking buddies on the ferry:

The walk was very well-organized, especially compared to a half-marathon Jeremy did in Nairobi!  All participants received a red baseball hat (see above picture) and a small metal cup (similar to a tin camping cup) on a lanyard.  The cups were for use at the water stations that were spaced about every 1K along the route.  Here is one of the water stations, clearly identifiable by the large pink umbrella and the friendly volunteers in red shirts:  

The route had lots of interesting things to see along the way.  We passed several temples, some run down and abandoned, others beautiful and in use.  We also passed a cemetery, schools, farms...and this fabulous statue:

We walked by many homes, some very elaborate, many very basic.  This picture is representative of much of the housing we saw:

And we also saw many children.  Some quietly stared at us as we went by.  Others cheerfully waved and yelled "hello!"  None of them were at all shy about having their picture taken.

It was a great experience, but I was glad to reach the finish line, where we were welcomed with a package of crackers, a cup of ramen noodles, and well-deserved chairs set in the shade!