Month #3: Reflections of Life on the Road, Cambodia & Philippines

It's hard to believe that we are already halfway through our trip. It has gone way too fast and we are constantly wishing time would slow down.

Month #3 was very humbling for us. We pushed ourselves out of our comfort zone even further and had the opportunity to give a little back in all the countries we visited. We were very moved by the number of people we met from all over the world who were also taking time out of their travels and lives to give back to these communities.

SOS message from Earthquake-ravaged Bohol, Philippines

Cambodia melted our hearts and then tugged at it. Of all the countries we've visited, this has been the one we've gotten the most intimate with. The warmth and hospitality we received from the people was very inspiring, especially given their recent turbulent history and the abject poverty.  While in Cambodia we had the opportunity to teach English and help bring clean drinking water to remote villages.

Grazing cattle in Cambodia

We spent most of our time in the Philippines volunteering with All Hands sledging concrete and deconstructing wrecked homes and schools impacted by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit last year. We met the most amazing people here.  The other volunteers, most of whom are in their late twenties and early thirties, are spending an average of three weeks doing hard manual labor by day and having great times at night.

All Hands volunteers' morning commute - photo taken from the top of our jeepney

We are so thankful to have to ability to travel like this. We did work hard for two years to make it happen, but we also know how fortunate we are. We are constantly surrounded by poverty and know we are lucky to be traveling, to have have a great support system from our families and to simply be coming from a developed nation like the US. The lyrics to the song "Just Another Day in Paradise" hit home when it played during our trip as we were surrounded by those less fortunate than ourselves.

A child working the streets of Agra, India

We've adjusted to life on the road.  We can repack our bags in mere minutes and often don't worry about booking hotels (and occasionally even flights) until 24 hours before check in.  Jan is getting tired of squat toilets and had one occasion where she splurged on Pizza Hut to satisfy her Western food craving.  Yemi doesn't miss much except for our Tempur-Pedic mattress.  And of course, we both miss our friends, families and four-legged boys.