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For the 70+ kids at the Lighthouse Orphanage in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, it lasts about a day. This is a 100+ lb bag of rice! Today we visited the kids at the orphanage - an idea we credit to our Tuk-Tuk driver/translator/guide whom we call Rambo.

We met Rambo yesterday evening when we got off the bus from Siem Reap. He happened to be holding a sign for the guesthouse at which we wanted to stay, so we let him take us there on his Tuk-Tuk for $1. We told him we’d like him to show us around the next day (today).

First, we visited the Royal Palace, which includes the ornate Silver Pagoda - so called because the floor is tiled in silver! The pagoda also houses the emerald Buddha. All of the architecture and colors were incredible.

Then we visited the Russian market (apparently near where the Russian embassy used to be) to get a few souvenirs and while there we finally replaced our wedding rings (don’t worry - we purposely left them in Colorado).

After that we were hungry so we treated Rambo to lunch at a Khmer/Thai restaurant. Meghan had a traditional Khmer noodle soup that reminded us of Vietnamese Pho that we have had at home but with a more complex flavor.

From there we went to a rice shop where there were stacks of 50 kg bags of rice piled 8 feet high! We picked up a bag for $35.00 and put it in the Tuk-Tuk and went to buy some school supplies. There we got 10 notebooks and 50 pens for another $10 total. Then we went to the orphanage - which required one of the more intense Tuk-Tuk rides (heavy traffic) possible.

The kids were happy to see us, as were the adults. They have an all-volunteer staff. The kids get 2 hours of French per day and 5 hours of English. They also learn some Japanese. We played with some of the kids for an hour or so, then it was time to go. It was good to go there - we didn’t know what to expect but felt like the energy there was all positive.