Elise Lindborg & Kelli Henderson vow to work harder, cull their unused possessions , and fundraise for new wells in Cambodia, all as a response to their recent three-week trip to Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Many know these business, and domestic, partners through their promotional products company, ZippyDogs.com

They sent off a mass email to friends with bullet points about some of what stuck with them on their journey. First and second on their list:

"We have it so good in the US. Never ever take our freedom and ability to vote and voice our opinions. Use this freedom!"

"We have running water, electricity, clean toilets, taxes for good roads, police, street signs, regulations, napkins and the many other everyday things we take for granted."

They spoke to the West Seattle Herald about this and other thoughts and impressions gathered from their trip.

"Just being there for the first week you are like, 'Holy crap, we've got it good,'" said Lindborg. "Look at all the things we have and that this country has been built on and what people have worked so hard for. We have so many resources. Here you can voice your opinion, left and right. In Cambodia people are afraid to talk about the government and must be very careful not to say certain things. We have everything at our fingertips."

And in their case, they have too many things, they believe.

"Do a '360' in your living room and look at all the stuff you haven't even touched in a year," said Henderson. She and Lindborg will be clearing out some of their unused things.

They pointed out that, compared to other countries, there is one item Americans posses fewer of, a passport. Only 30 percent of Americans have valid passports, about half the number of Canadian citizens.

"That speaks volumes," said Lindborg. "When you get out of the U.S. and drive on dirt roads, and you don't see the telephone poles, street signs, no water and electricity to homes you get a perspective."

They noticed wells recently installed in the rural area abound the famed, 12th Century temple complex, Angkor Wat, in Cambodia. The wells display a name of a donor who gave about $350, a well's cost. The name of their tour guide there appeared on many wells he helped facilitate.

"The well locations are community spots to cook, bath, wash your clothes, everything," said Henderson. "We want to organize a charity to help, through our business."

Prior to entering Cambodia, they traveled to Thailand, then crossed the Mekong River to enter Laos.

"When we crossed from Thailand into Laos it was night and day," recalled Lindborg. "You see (more) poverty right away. We crossed the Mekong River on a little, rickety boat and they basically ran us on to the shore with no pier, and we had to carry our luggage from there. We got on another boat and went for two days down the Mekong River. They have nothing, and many wear torn, tattered clothes, but they seem really happy. They don't know anything else, and they do have food."

"In Laos meals are shared," said Henderson. "They'd put their food on a blanket on the floor or sidewalk and all took from it. It was pretty cool. Things seemed communal and shared. I thought that was really sweet.

"They seem just soft, quiet, even in the big city," Henderson observed. "There are tourists everywhere, but it was almost like they were not used to outsiders."

They said that they rarely ran into other Americans, and met more European travelers in Laos, and they often got mistaken for being British.

In tribal villages they noticed older people with tattooed arms, black, to ward off evil spirits, they were told. They didn't see younger folks with tattoos.

"You'd be walking along (in remote areas) and you'd see no gas station anywhere," said Henderson. "Then you'd see someone with a little stand in front of their house with Johnny Walker Black Label bottles. They were filled with gasoline. There are so many there who ride on scooters, and one bottle is enough to fill the tank."

Lindborg said they didn't look like bottles of whiskey as they were plugged with rags. "They looked like molotov cocktails."