It's 5am. Why am I awake?

I'm somewhat notorious for not being a morning person. Getting up before 8 has no appeal to me whatsoever. But I'm wired right now.

I landed in Phnom Penh last night a little after 10pm local time. The blast of heat and humidity hit like a wall as soon as I stepped off the airplane. Thankfully it was a bit of a cool evening in that it was only about 87 or so with 80% humidity.

The part about traveling internationally that I had really forgotten about was also the part that really made me appreciate having someone to travel with: unknown airport layouts and customs/immigration. It was so nice to be able to have a familiar face and someone who has been on this mission trip before on the journey from Seattle. Debbie made it a smooth process.

We made it through immigration and were both very pleased to see that all of our bags had arrived with us. Again, thank you Korean Air! Last stop at the airport was to go through customs. There were some fairly intimidating looking gentlemen there, but they sent me on through with a smile. Sure helps one feel more welcome!

Outside the airport, we met up with Lee Michaels, Pastor Setan Lee, and Cheryl McCandless for the ride to the hotel. They all said traffic was light and everyone on the road seemed to be minding their manners somewhat. Just from that short ride, I'm convinced I'll need to wear a blindfold the next time I'm in the van. Traffic laws appear to be nonexistent. Guys on bicycles coming head-on, in the middle of your lane (keep in mind this is a divided two-way road). A guy riding a moped up and pulled a u'y right in front of us to pick up his hat that flew off. Can't even begin to describe how many people just cut across, in front of, or simply squeezed through ridiculous gaps. As much as I think everyone in the States needs some more drivers ed, this place just needs some traffic rules.

We arrived at the Hotel Cambodiana a little after 11:30. Got checked in and tried to get a little shut-eye before the next day. Blessed air conditioning.

I'll be visiting the Killing Fields museum and a few other places on the schedule. So far, I've been operating without much of a schedule, which is somewhat unusual for me. More spontaneity is a good thing?

- Ernest