Our last day in cambodia - also the highlight of the trip - was a visit to some remote villages via the remarkable Shinta Mani community outreach programme! We finally got to see the water well & the pair of piglets that we've donated!

Top left: our donee family :)

Top right: This cute little thing is Mr. P, whose female counterpart we call Miss K =)  They are the piglets that we've donated to the family, and you can do the same for only US$80!  The pigs can give birth to 8-10 piglets every year.  The families can sell these piglets back to Shinta Mani and earn up to US$700 per year.  A live piggy bank it is! For more cuteness, click here.

For as little as US$100, you can donate a water well and help change lives.  We did not realize the impact until like half the kids from the village came...

Well worth it indeed!!! =D

People here do not speak English unlike those in the city, but thanks to Ms. Theany, our guide from Shinta Mani, we were able understand a bit more about their livelihood and how continuous support to these communities is crucial to their well-being.

More happy faces...

"We teach the young our differences, yet look how we're the same: we love to laugh, to dream our dreams, we know the sting of pain!" ~ Love in Any Language

Apart from hosting the outreach programme, Shinta Mani is also an "institute of hospitality", a training school of some sort, which provides learning and earning opportunities to the less fortunate cambodians living in the area.  Every day, you get served by young students here who may not be professionals, but are always eager to help with warm smiles on their faces :)  It is also comfortable to know that by staying here, I'm helping a bit by giving back to those who really need support.

As if that's not enough, Shinta Mani is also known for being a very comfy hotel, 4-starred, located conveniently in the center of Siem Reap on a quiet street, with only 18 rooms which gives you a homey feel,  a nice pool and one of the best SPA service in Asia.  I tried the foot massage, and it was great XDDD

See more:

• Shinta Mani website
• photos/videos on flickr

我經過這個世界，僅此一趟，我所能作的美事，我對任何人能表達的善意，
且讓我現在就去做，切勿拖延。

Through this toilsome world, alas!
Once and only once I pass;
If a kindness I may show,
If a good deed I may do
To a suffering fellow man,
Let me do it while I can.
No delay for it is plain
I shall not pass this way again.