World Challenge

Team 3 World Challenge – Cambodia & Thailand

On 18 November we departed for Cambodia, arriving in Phnom Penh after many hours of travelling. It was here we learned the tragic history of Cambodia through visits to S-21 and the Killing Fields where we all came to greatly appreciate the safety of Australia. 

We bypassed the city of Siem Reap to reach an orphanage in a rural area, where we did our project phase. We all enjoyed helping with the general maintenance around the orphanage and interacting with the children.

Our next stop was Siem Reap where we explored the ancient temples of Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm. This was a good chance for our team to bond and to get to know each other better as well as learnt more about Cambodian history. 

On 29 November we said goodbye to Cambodia and we made our way to Thailand. After 13 hours in transit we arrived in Bangkok and the following day we explored the markets and temples and experienced the hustle and bustle of the city. Following this was our acclimatisation trek at Khao Yao National Park. This included walks through the thick jungle, looking at the wildlife, which included monkeys (who stole our food from our tents!), deer and even an elephant strolling by. Overall it was an enjoyable and unique experience. 

After a night’s rest in Ayutthaya, we were up for a long bus journey to Mae Sot where we moved onto our main trek in Um Phang. This trek was packed full of interesting activities like camping, sleeping in hammocks, river rafting, exploring a cave, swimming in spectacular waterfalls and elephant riding. The steep terrain provided a challenge for many in our team.  

The last part of our trip was spent at the island of Koh Chang, where we stayed at Chok Dee Resort and soaked up the sun on the white sandy beaches. It was a perfect way to end the trip. At the end of our 32-day journey we had made some new friends, experienced different cultures and made a lifetime of memories that we will never forget.

Abbey Goode, Saskia Dekker and Zoe Francis