03

Skun to Sa Ang

Sam began his journey early this morning by running through the small village of Phao Chum in An Lon Chey Commune.  Local residents were curious about the blonde man jogging through the center of their kampong, but no one more than the community children.  Sam collected a small entourage of 4, 5 and 6 year-olds who joined him for a mid-race stretching session, followed by a heated foot race.  Arriving at the Mekong River midday, the wide water vista was a prelude for this evening's face-off with river.

We rolled into Phnom Penh at lunch hour and Sam was quickly bobbing and weaving through the web of urban traffic, running past grand French colonial architecture, local markets, Independence Monument and The Royal Palace, all the while encircled by the buzz that is Cambodia's capital.  It seems that every new day usurps the traffic insanity of the previous ones: exhaust, haze, dust and smog abound, causing Sam to exclaim mid-run, “I think I’ve eaten an engine today.  At least a V8.  On second thought, make that a V12”.

Today Sam’s shirt reads “Stop Human Trafficking Before It Starts”.  He chose to wear this shirt while running through Phnom Penh as it is the destination for many

trafficked women.  Organizations like Sala Bai Hotel & Restaurant School aim to help prevent trafficking before it begins by giving young women and men the opportunity for an education and employment.  ECPAT Cambodia (End Child Prostitution, Abuse and Trafficking in Cambodia) reports that as many as one third of the trafficked victims in prostitution are children.  Learn more about the severity of human trafficking in Cambodia here and here.

The latter part of the day was spent battling the rain as Sam cycled out of Phnom Penh and headed for the river crossing where he planned to swim across the Mekong.  The showers were relentless, and soon it was thundering and the crosswinds were howling.  It was 7pm by the time Sam arrived at the river, and the mighty Mekong's currents were strong and the water was inky black.

Sam was determined to swim, but the risks were immense. Local boats refused to cross because of the strong currents, and the crew appealed to Sam to reconsider, expressing our concern for his well-being.  After a long and painful deliberation, Sam decided to postpone the swim.  The team will resume the river crossing tomorrow morning at dawn; this evening we are happy to report

that Sam is safe, and we’ll be counting our blessings as we make camp at a local pagoda in Sa Ang District.

Donate to support Sam, Sala Bai and the fight against human trafficking.

Did you miss our previous posts?  Read the first, second, third and fourth installments of Sam's adventure.

- Meghan Shea