Don't worry about the missed days, we will go back and blog about them, too. But for now...
So, the students have braved a venture this weekend to Chi Phat, which is an eco-tourism village in the South Cardamom Mountains. The village promotes alternative ways to make a living that do not damage the environment. (ie, lots of farming, no logging) It's very primitive compared to Phnom Penh, or anywhere we have been.
Here's the DL:
1. Electricity is only available after 6PM
2. Luxurious Guest Houses are wooden rooms with bed and mosquito nets. Maybe fans...
3. No modern bath amenities. Shower is basically a bucket and this weird hole filled with water. Where is the toilet paper? Where is the flusher?
4. Bugs bugs bugs!
5. Biking and walking has made us so dirty we almost pass as Cambodians. So how about that shower...
6. We went to see the waterfall this afternoon, except oh wait. It's the dry season. It was a rock with a pond at the bottom.
7. We walked our bikes up a hill to see the sunset. Wait, it wasn't really setting, and there was an internet tower in the way. (We are actually thankful for the tower, so we are able to update the blog!)
8. It's hot and we are all sweaty. We got here and passed out on our beds for 2 hours because it was so hot.
9. Amusement here seems to be watching wrestling on community tvs, playing pool, and sweating. (wait, sweating is just us)
10. Everyone is so friendly and loves to say "Hello!"
Despite how bitter this sounds, it's a really interesting experience that none of us has had. We're all enjoying it and are excited about tomorrow's "birdwatching at sunrise boat trip Extravaganza!"
The moto trip over to Chi Phat was the bomb! Wind blowing in your face and hair, beautiful Cambodian countryside and the occasional tiger attack made this a perfect mid-afternoon journey. (Just kidding, there was actually no tiger attack, but wouldn't that have been exciting!)
PS. The food here is really good and the water seems to be safe. We had french fries for lunch. Best ones in Cambodia. (Helen, you missed out, big time.)
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Day 4: Bee-aah and How to fit an Ancient Wheelchair in the Kitchen
WE started off today with a Cambodian Cooking Class. We met some great people, see list of friends in earlier post, and learned to make vegetable spring rollls and fish amok on a rooftop. Jenny, our instructor, started the class by taking us on a field trip to the nearby market to buy some ingredients and learn about the local cuisine and native foods. We learned about/tasted different fruits, seeds, fish, etc. Some of the stuff, namely fruits and spices, were imported from different surrounding countries like Vietnam and Laos. We learned that Thai food is actually largely based on Cambodian food, but is more spicy. Apples and grapes were imported from farther away, Europe or the US and were therefore more expensive. We stuck to rambutan and something else we can't remember the name, and even tried spicy lotus seeds.
We eventually made our way back to the kitchen in the sky up two twisty and steep flights of stairs to a view overlooking the city and surrounding tile tops. Sharon was suffering from an infected blister which was a huge problem but we made it work. She was a trooper. She was a super trooper. We made vegetarian spring rolls filled with tarrow and carrots which took literally forever to shred. We made a spicy ginger-chili-fish sauce to go with them that was so good Helen might have just drank it straight. Not really. Well, maybe. Then after enjoying our appetizers we made fish amok. We mixed diced lime skin, garlic, shallots, chilis, lemon grass, more chilis, some Cambodian spices, tumeric that wasn't ginger but looked like it, coconut creme, fish sauce, shrimp paste (yummy), and cane sugar. We had to use a mortar and pestle to turn it into mush in order to make the sauce that we used on the tiger fish. Jenny showed us how to heat banana leaves (and burn ourselves) to make them flexible which we then used to make little banana boats/boxes/containers for the food. Basically, you throw everything in the banana boat and steam it. Eaten with a platefull of rice it was a great lunch. By the end of the cooking class, we all feel semi-confident that we could make passable Khmer food. Even better than yo grannie's cookin.
At this point, Sharon's blister was the size of Cambodia's largest hill, and we had to tuktuk to the National Museum. Walking was not an option, so we eventually figured out the Cambodian word for wheelchair. Just kidding! It was too hard to learn, but we found a wheelchair for Sharon. They staff pulled it out of the basement and it had probably been around since before the Khmer Rouge. (Hey, at least it worked and squeaked loudly!) PS. Caya drives the wheelchair better than Elliot, who hit people with it. The museum offered a great chance for us to learn about pre-Angkor period religion and art. Cambodia was influenced majorly by Hinduism prior to the Angkor period (1100ish). There were many lingas and Shiva statues (Siva). Cambodian art didnt really depict Brahman, but the trio was presented as Vishnu, Siva, and Lakshmi (Goddess). After the Angkor period there was a surge in Buddhist art (Naga, the Buddha, Bodhisattvas, etc). These statues were really fascinating. We also saw some pictures from Siem Reap and are excited to go in a few days. We met Alan (see friend post) and were able to move Sharon (in wheelchair) up and down stairs. WOAH!
That night the students went to the FCC (Foreign Correspondent's Club and ordered pizza. Sharon was sleeping after her long day and didn't attend. The end!
The National Museum and the ancient wheelchair
We eventually made our way back to the kitchen in the sky up two twisty and steep flights of stairs to a view overlooking the city and surrounding tile tops. Sharon was suffering from an infected blister which was a huge problem but we made it work. She was a trooper. She was a super trooper. We made vegetarian spring rolls filled with tarrow and carrots which took literally forever to shred. We made a spicy ginger-chili-fish sauce to go with them that was so good Helen might have just drank it straight. Not really. Well, maybe. Then after enjoying our appetizers we made fish amok. We mixed diced lime skin, garlic, shallots, chilis, lemon grass, more chilis, some Cambodian spices, tumeric that wasn't ginger but looked like it, coconut creme, fish sauce, shrimp paste (yummy), and cane sugar. We had to use a mortar and pestle to turn it into mush in order to make the sauce that we used on the tiger fish. Jenny showed us how to heat banana leaves (and burn ourselves) to make them flexible which we then used to make little banana boats/boxes/containers for the food. Basically, you throw everything in the banana boat and steam it. Eaten with a platefull of rice it was a great lunch. By the end of the cooking class, we all feel semi-confident that we could make passable Khmer food. Even better than yo grannie's cookin.
At this point, Sharon's blister was the size of Cambodia's largest hill, and we had to tuktuk to the National Museum. Walking was not an option, so we eventually figured out the Cambodian word for wheelchair. Just kidding! It was too hard to learn, but we found a wheelchair for Sharon. They staff pulled it out of the basement and it had probably been around since before the Khmer Rouge. (Hey, at least it worked and squeaked loudly!) PS. Caya drives the wheelchair better than Elliot, who hit people with it. The museum offered a great chance for us to learn about pre-Angkor period religion and art. Cambodia was influenced majorly by Hinduism prior to the Angkor period (1100ish). There were many lingas and Shiva statues (Siva). Cambodian art didnt really depict Brahman, but the trio was presented as Vishnu, Siva, and Lakshmi (Goddess). After the Angkor period there was a surge in Buddhist art (Naga, the Buddha, Bodhisattvas, etc). These statues were really fascinating. We also saw some pictures from Siem Reap and are excited to go in a few days. We met Alan (see friend post) and were able to move Sharon (in wheelchair) up and down stairs. WOAH!
That night the students went to the FCC (Foreign Correspondent's Club and ordered pizza. Sharon was sleeping after her long day and didn't attend. The end!
The National Museum and the ancient wheelchair
Friends in Phnom Penh
This will be a running list of friends we've met and acquaintences we have made here in Phnom Penh.
Makara- Tuktuk driver and translator extraordinaire!
Scott- Helen's travel-channel-ready friend who spent the first few days with us as our trip photographer. He sounds like Steve Martin and wears signature 'Scott-scarves'.
Namenday (Namy)- Makara's brother and another tuktuk driver
Dr. Fish- Actually not a doctor, but you know him by now. (See earlier post)
Anise breakfast waiter- We taught him to twirl pens. This guy is so nice and overly-apologetic. He knows our orders by heart.
Andrew- This Aussie joined us for Cambodian Cooking Class. He has been traveling in the region for a while. Pronounces beer in a pleasant sounding way.
Calvin and Lida- Calvin was born in Vietnam but moved to Boston and has lived there for most of his life. He works in Vietnam now as a doctor but is traveling with his Cambodian girlfriend Lida, who is secretly a master chef on par with Jenny. Both of them were in our Cambodian Cooking Class.
Alan- Our British friend from the National Museum. He's traveling on his own after quitting his job in the area. He suggested we go to Sihanoukville where he had worked and lounged for a week previously. He suggested we meet up with the legend...
Tiger- "The Legend of Sihanoukville". Tiger is a "huge Aussie guy with ginger dreads" "He'll take care of you" We might never get to actually meet him, but we can pretend!
Tida and Caden- Tida grew up on the Thai/Cambodian border but grew up in the US and just graduated from Clark University. Unable to find work she turned to a top level political uncle who found her work editing the Newspaper at the University of Cambodia. She lives here in Phnom Penh with her 2 year old son Caden.
Mr. Kong- Director of Office of Admissions at University of Cambodia. Cares deeply about education here in Cambodia and was a vital part of our research into the topic.
Jamie- Caya says picture a much less hot Brad Pitt in Fight Club wearing the orange tank top. Jamie is a 40 year old Australian with a family who came up to the region to explore alone. He hung out with Caya, Elliot, and Liza at The Pontoon.
Travis- Also from the Pontoon. Travis was a US Marine working at the Embassy.
Jo-jo- Jo-jo helped us find a fun night out and asked a ridiculous price for his tuktuk services. Yeah right Jo-jo, that was not worth $13.
Mr. Happy Tuktuk- A jolly looking rotund tuktuk driver who takes us everywhere. Sometimes he misses the entrances to places, but he always gets us to the right place in the end.
Superfriendly Royal University of Phnom Penh Student- The nicest guy at the University. Showed us around the campus and shared information not only about the school but Cambodia as well. A self described "country boy", he had a lot of big dreams. We hope he's able to make it to America to study. He wants to work in Advertising and Marketing. At the end of the afternoon he bought us Cambodian ice pops. Not potato, but banana, strawberry, and durian. Oh yeah, he has one hell of a sweet moto.
Pets We Have Had:
Mohgli- Mohgli is a lizard that Elliot caught in a bag and carried downstairs to breakfast. He worked with us on NGO work before leaving and finding his own breakfast.
Cephalo- We found this tiny kitten with a huge head outside a temple in the middle of Phnom Penh. It was literally teacup sized.
Makara- Tuktuk driver and translator extraordinaire!
Scott- Helen's travel-channel-ready friend who spent the first few days with us as our trip photographer. He sounds like Steve Martin and wears signature 'Scott-scarves'.
Namenday (Namy)- Makara's brother and another tuktuk driver
Dr. Fish- Actually not a doctor, but you know him by now. (See earlier post)
Anise breakfast waiter- We taught him to twirl pens. This guy is so nice and overly-apologetic. He knows our orders by heart.
Georgina/John Cena- Georgina is from New Zealand but was traveling in SE Asia and ended up working at SOC for a few months. The kids can't pronounce her name and call her John Cena (after the wrestler) (hysterical).
Children at Sunflower Orphan Centre-We've explained them in an earlier post
Jenny- Master chef: she teaches the Cambodian Cooking Class.Andrew- This Aussie joined us for Cambodian Cooking Class. He has been traveling in the region for a while. Pronounces beer in a pleasant sounding way.
Calvin and Lida- Calvin was born in Vietnam but moved to Boston and has lived there for most of his life. He works in Vietnam now as a doctor but is traveling with his Cambodian girlfriend Lida, who is secretly a master chef on par with Jenny. Both of them were in our Cambodian Cooking Class.
Alan- Our British friend from the National Museum. He's traveling on his own after quitting his job in the area. He suggested we go to Sihanoukville where he had worked and lounged for a week previously. He suggested we meet up with the legend...
Tiger- "The Legend of Sihanoukville". Tiger is a "huge Aussie guy with ginger dreads" "He'll take care of you" We might never get to actually meet him, but we can pretend!
Tida and Caden- Tida grew up on the Thai/Cambodian border but grew up in the US and just graduated from Clark University. Unable to find work she turned to a top level political uncle who found her work editing the Newspaper at the University of Cambodia. She lives here in Phnom Penh with her 2 year old son Caden.
Mr. Kong- Director of Office of Admissions at University of Cambodia. Cares deeply about education here in Cambodia and was a vital part of our research into the topic.
Jamie- Caya says picture a much less hot Brad Pitt in Fight Club wearing the orange tank top. Jamie is a 40 year old Australian with a family who came up to the region to explore alone. He hung out with Caya, Elliot, and Liza at The Pontoon.
Travis- Also from the Pontoon. Travis was a US Marine working at the Embassy.
Jo-jo- Jo-jo helped us find a fun night out and asked a ridiculous price for his tuktuk services. Yeah right Jo-jo, that was not worth $13.
Mr. Happy Tuktuk- A jolly looking rotund tuktuk driver who takes us everywhere. Sometimes he misses the entrances to places, but he always gets us to the right place in the end.
Superfriendly Royal University of Phnom Penh Student- The nicest guy at the University. Showed us around the campus and shared information not only about the school but Cambodia as well. A self described "country boy", he had a lot of big dreams. We hope he's able to make it to America to study. He wants to work in Advertising and Marketing. At the end of the afternoon he bought us Cambodian ice pops. Not potato, but banana, strawberry, and durian. Oh yeah, he has one hell of a sweet moto.
Pets We Have Had:
Mohgli- Mohgli is a lizard that Elliot caught in a bag and carried downstairs to breakfast. He worked with us on NGO work before leaving and finding his own breakfast.
Cephalo- We found this tiny kitten with a huge head outside a temple in the middle of Phnom Penh. It was literally teacup sized.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Phnom Penh Adventures Day 3: aka Where is Elliot?
Day 3
Here is Elliot's Day 3: Sick, sleep, sick. He spent the entire day in the hotel room and couldn't even make it downstairs to get a dvd or anything. Poor Elliot. :( Everyone else seemed to have a great day...
Everyone else's Day 3: We were all pretty tired so we decided to keep the day pretty easy, but Helen was getting antsy after not having done anything all morning and decided to make a trip to one of the markets we hadn't visited yet. Caya, Liza, Sean, and Sharon decided to go with her, agreeing that whatever happened we would meet back at the hotel to get lunch and then go tour the Royal Palace at 2.
The market we went to was for people who actually live in the city rather than tourists. No one tried to get our attention or attempted to get us to buy anything, it was very relaxed in the sense that it was an every-day sort of thing, but at the same time crazy busy as it was a three-story indoor market. There were rows and rows of shoes in little mannequin feet (very creepy), ailes of fabric, stalls of western-ish clothes by the hundreds, sections for school supplies, hair accessories, technology, hardware, and even a whole area filled with hairdressers. The smell, however, of the food sections with all of the fish was overwhelming and we decided to leave Helen to go back to the Russian Market. It was a bit difficult communicating to the tuktuk driver where we wanted to go but actually being at the market once we got there was great.
We met back up with Helen at the hotel and went to Friends (Mith samalanh, in Khmer) with Scott for lunch. The restaurant is part of a program working to help kids on the streets of Phnom Penh, taking care of them and helping train them for the work force. It's a sort of training project for them, working the restaurant, and is a great way for toursits to help out a little bit. The food was great and we had a sort-of class discussion on politics and the like while we ate.
From there Scott left us and we moved on to visit the Royal Palace. We'd walked past it plenty of times but had never actually gone inside. It was absolutely beautiful, with separate gates for the public, the king (called the victory gate), the dead (called the ghost gate, for the royalty when they die, leaving the palace), religious purposes, and another, now kept locked, called the killing gate that in the past was used to remove servants who did something wrong to be killed. Not all of it is available for the public to see, obviously, but we got a tour of some of the buildings, including the Silver Pagoda (called the Temple of the Emerald Buddha to Cambodians) which featured an entirely silver-tiled floor and a huge green buddha statue made out of jade and I think covered in emerald, the elephant houses (where the king's elephants were kept. Now he has a BMW. Yeah, we asked. We pretended to be filming an episode of cribs, Cambodian-style.), and the building that functions as the king'd dressing room. There were exhibits of the coronation clothes for the king and queen (absolutely gorgeous, gold-threaded robes), the outfits of the palace staff (different colors for every day of the week), and different artifacts like jewlery, buddha statues, etc. There was even a building, unfortunately under construction, that was sent over in pieces to be built by Napoleon the Third. Crazy, right? Out tour guide was telling us about the statues around some of the buildings at the spot where the walls met the roof "These statues are there to protect the building, oh and there's a monkey." Literally, there was a monkey on the scaffolding on the building right next to it. We found out later they're everywhere and they love mango.
For dinner we went to the jungle. Not really, but it felt like it. It was actually a Khmer/Thai place with the front covered in beautiful plants of all different kinds. The inside was great as well, we ended up on the balcony of the second floor, shoes left at the door, sitting on cushions on the floor overlooking the busy street below. The food was some of the best yet, including some great pad see-ew, ginger stir-fry, mint-smoothie, fish cakes, complete with Elliot attempting to join us but lying on the floor being spooned ice with a plate of rice on his chest. Oh dear.
From there we went to a DVD store next to our hotel and bought The Killing Fields (for $1,50. We plan on getting many more.) and watched it up in our room. It was sobering and intense, despite the slighty ridiculous soundtrack.
Here is Elliot's Day 3: Sick, sleep, sick. He spent the entire day in the hotel room and couldn't even make it downstairs to get a dvd or anything. Poor Elliot. :( Everyone else seemed to have a great day...
Everyone else's Day 3: We were all pretty tired so we decided to keep the day pretty easy, but Helen was getting antsy after not having done anything all morning and decided to make a trip to one of the markets we hadn't visited yet. Caya, Liza, Sean, and Sharon decided to go with her, agreeing that whatever happened we would meet back at the hotel to get lunch and then go tour the Royal Palace at 2.
The market we went to was for people who actually live in the city rather than tourists. No one tried to get our attention or attempted to get us to buy anything, it was very relaxed in the sense that it was an every-day sort of thing, but at the same time crazy busy as it was a three-story indoor market. There were rows and rows of shoes in little mannequin feet (very creepy), ailes of fabric, stalls of western-ish clothes by the hundreds, sections for school supplies, hair accessories, technology, hardware, and even a whole area filled with hairdressers. The smell, however, of the food sections with all of the fish was overwhelming and we decided to leave Helen to go back to the Russian Market. It was a bit difficult communicating to the tuktuk driver where we wanted to go but actually being at the market once we got there was great.
We met back up with Helen at the hotel and went to Friends (Mith samalanh, in Khmer) with Scott for lunch. The restaurant is part of a program working to help kids on the streets of Phnom Penh, taking care of them and helping train them for the work force. It's a sort of training project for them, working the restaurant, and is a great way for toursits to help out a little bit. The food was great and we had a sort-of class discussion on politics and the like while we ate.
From there Scott left us and we moved on to visit the Royal Palace. We'd walked past it plenty of times but had never actually gone inside. It was absolutely beautiful, with separate gates for the public, the king (called the victory gate), the dead (called the ghost gate, for the royalty when they die, leaving the palace), religious purposes, and another, now kept locked, called the killing gate that in the past was used to remove servants who did something wrong to be killed. Not all of it is available for the public to see, obviously, but we got a tour of some of the buildings, including the Silver Pagoda (called the Temple of the Emerald Buddha to Cambodians) which featured an entirely silver-tiled floor and a huge green buddha statue made out of jade and I think covered in emerald, the elephant houses (where the king's elephants were kept. Now he has a BMW. Yeah, we asked. We pretended to be filming an episode of cribs, Cambodian-style.), and the building that functions as the king'd dressing room. There were exhibits of the coronation clothes for the king and queen (absolutely gorgeous, gold-threaded robes), the outfits of the palace staff (different colors for every day of the week), and different artifacts like jewlery, buddha statues, etc. There was even a building, unfortunately under construction, that was sent over in pieces to be built by Napoleon the Third. Crazy, right? Out tour guide was telling us about the statues around some of the buildings at the spot where the walls met the roof "These statues are there to protect the building, oh and there's a monkey." Literally, there was a monkey on the scaffolding on the building right next to it. We found out later they're everywhere and they love mango.
For dinner we went to the jungle. Not really, but it felt like it. It was actually a Khmer/Thai place with the front covered in beautiful plants of all different kinds. The inside was great as well, we ended up on the balcony of the second floor, shoes left at the door, sitting on cushions on the floor overlooking the busy street below. The food was some of the best yet, including some great pad see-ew, ginger stir-fry, mint-smoothie, fish cakes, complete with Elliot attempting to join us but lying on the floor being spooned ice with a plate of rice on his chest. Oh dear.
From there we went to a DVD store next to our hotel and bought The Killing Fields (for $1,50. We plan on getting many more.) and watched it up in our room. It was sobering and intense, despite the slighty ridiculous soundtrack.
Day 2- Sunflower Orphan Centre
Today we took a ridiculously long tuktuk ride to the Sunflower Orphan Centre (SOC) for children living with HIV/AIDs. It was a productive ride, seeing as we created a student contract to govern our NGO work. We also risked Helen's iPad's life when we did a handoff to Helen in the other tuktuk while driving down the road. It was safe. We also had a Mac photoshoot to demonstrate the usefulness of Mac products in developing countries like Cambodia (see picture).
At the Orphanage: It was a little wierd at first because we didn't know how to act around the kids. Most of them were coloring or drawing pictures. The boys loved volleyball. It seemed at first that the kids were 4-12, but actually the youngest was 10 and the oldest was 16. After hanging out the with the kids for an hour or so, we ate lunch and then went to the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Reserve.
Entertainment at the orphanage was limited. The kids were happy but after learning their real ages the activities seemed juvenile. They loved coloring books and hidden picture books. They went to school for 4 hours a day (normal in Cambodia). The last trip the kids took was to Sihanoukville to the beach months ago, and they all dressed up in their nicest clothes to go to the Wildlife Reserve. The girls even did their hair using the reflection in the windows because there were no big mirrors at the center.
At lunch the children immediately started to help sweep the floor set out plates and clean up. They eat in pods of 3 or 4 children and share a bowl of stew (a few vegetables and occasionally meat) to go along with a personal plate of rice. They eat rice for every meal. Although the orphanage used to be funded, they haven't been funded since 2007. All the staff volunteer their time and energy to help these kids.
So after an hour long van ride we arrived at the zoo. (15 kilometers was actually 50, and did we mention how hot it was). We fit 22 people in a 15 passenger van, ditching Helen and Scott. The wildlife preserve had lions, and tigers, and sunbears, OH MY! Also Elephants, and Howler Monkeys which attempted to steal Caya's camera. Also, the monkeys made awesome noises. (see video). Sean was the first to venture up the tallest level of the rocky outcrop at the zoo. It was kind of a mountain for cambodia (hill sized). Elliot followed him and then came Caya with Scott's camera. The three of them were amazed by the view and took lots of pictures. We could see for miles! After the zoo, we had drinks, Mirinda and pink/purple fanta. Maybe dragonfruit fanta. Mixed, they created a disgustinly sugary concoction. Elliot loved them, Caya did not but we all appreciated a cold drink.
We really developed a connection with these kids. Vibol is a 13 year old boy who had the coolest trucker hat and was a top notch class clown. He loved to smile and poke fun in a good way. He led the rest of the children and Liza up some rocks and up a mountain in the zoo. He also tried to poke Elliot's eyebrow piercing all the time. Pisat is the smallest kid. He's only 10. He craved physical contact and attention as did most of the others. He especially like sleeping in Caya's lap, climbing up and over us, and trying on our sunglasses. He loved taking pictures with our camera. Srey Leak (pronounced Sraylia). Srey Leak is 16, painted Helen, Liza, and Caya's nails and taught Caya how to make lotus blossom origami flowers. Caya found a special friend with the oldest girl, who was 16, and the biggest of the kids. They were always walking around with their arms around each other. (see picture). They all loved to hold our hands and just hang out. Sharon got a boyfriend (who loved to eat cotton candy and wore a Yao Ming shirt). Even though we were only with them for a day, by the end of our trip, it was hard to say goodbye. We learned so much from these kids, and on the final bus ride it was hard to imagine they couldn't speak English. We will really have a special place in our hearts for all these kids.
www.sunflowerorphanage.org
At the Orphanage: It was a little wierd at first because we didn't know how to act around the kids. Most of them were coloring or drawing pictures. The boys loved volleyball. It seemed at first that the kids were 4-12, but actually the youngest was 10 and the oldest was 16. After hanging out the with the kids for an hour or so, we ate lunch and then went to the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Reserve.
Entertainment at the orphanage was limited. The kids were happy but after learning their real ages the activities seemed juvenile. They loved coloring books and hidden picture books. They went to school for 4 hours a day (normal in Cambodia). The last trip the kids took was to Sihanoukville to the beach months ago, and they all dressed up in their nicest clothes to go to the Wildlife Reserve. The girls even did their hair using the reflection in the windows because there were no big mirrors at the center.
At lunch the children immediately started to help sweep the floor set out plates and clean up. They eat in pods of 3 or 4 children and share a bowl of stew (a few vegetables and occasionally meat) to go along with a personal plate of rice. They eat rice for every meal. Although the orphanage used to be funded, they haven't been funded since 2007. All the staff volunteer their time and energy to help these kids.
So after an hour long van ride we arrived at the zoo. (15 kilometers was actually 50, and did we mention how hot it was). We fit 22 people in a 15 passenger van, ditching Helen and Scott. The wildlife preserve had lions, and tigers, and sunbears, OH MY! Also Elephants, and Howler Monkeys which attempted to steal Caya's camera. Also, the monkeys made awesome noises. (see video). Sean was the first to venture up the tallest level of the rocky outcrop at the zoo. It was kind of a mountain for cambodia (hill sized). Elliot followed him and then came Caya with Scott's camera. The three of them were amazed by the view and took lots of pictures. We could see for miles! After the zoo, we had drinks, Mirinda and pink/purple fanta. Maybe dragonfruit fanta. Mixed, they created a disgustinly sugary concoction. Elliot loved them, Caya did not but we all appreciated a cold drink.
We really developed a connection with these kids. Vibol is a 13 year old boy who had the coolest trucker hat and was a top notch class clown. He loved to smile and poke fun in a good way. He led the rest of the children and Liza up some rocks and up a mountain in the zoo. He also tried to poke Elliot's eyebrow piercing all the time. Pisat is the smallest kid. He's only 10. He craved physical contact and attention as did most of the others. He especially like sleeping in Caya's lap, climbing up and over us, and trying on our sunglasses. He loved taking pictures with our camera. Srey Leak (pronounced Sraylia). Srey Leak is 16, painted Helen, Liza, and Caya's nails and taught Caya how to make lotus blossom origami flowers. Caya found a special friend with the oldest girl, who was 16, and the biggest of the kids. They were always walking around with their arms around each other. (see picture). They all loved to hold our hands and just hang out. Sharon got a boyfriend (who loved to eat cotton candy and wore a Yao Ming shirt). Even though we were only with them for a day, by the end of our trip, it was hard to say goodbye. We learned so much from these kids, and on the final bus ride it was hard to imagine they couldn't speak English. We will really have a special place in our hearts for all these kids.
www.sunflowerorphanage.org
Phnom Penh- Adventures Day 1
On our first day here we explored some of the many markets in Phnom Penh. Our first venture was to the Russian Market (Which is called something else, but you can eventually communicate the Russian market to the tuktuk drivers).
Russian Market: The market had an excellent food section, picture a food court but street vendor stalls, and very crowded, and add sweat and 50 degrees. We were at the food section and were suddenly accosted by a nun, who was selling blessings. And by selling we mean she gave them to us, and then demanded $3. Which wouldn't have been hard to understand except she didn't speak English and we couldn't understand her. After several moments of utter confusion, we finally paid her off and are now blessed. (Except Sean and Liza). There were a lot of scarves, fabrics, souvenirs, incense burners and pipes, purses, meat meat meat, dried fish, cooked fish living fish, fish on sticks. How many fish, can you wish? One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish, disgustingly smelly fish. Fish heads, fish guts, shrimp paste, dried shrimp, little shrimp, big shrimp. Too much shrimp.
After the Russian Market Elliot and Sharon visited the Doctor. Doctor Who? Doctor Fish! (Oh no, more fish...) No, Dr. Fish was great! Sharon and Elliot put their feet in a tank of water and all these little fish ate their dead skin. It tickled unbearably, but was so relaxing. We will do it again! Everyone else drank and ate coconuts.
Tuktuk ride... Across the Japanese Friendship Bridge to see the 'real' Phnom Penh. Real World Phnom Penh was dominated by KTV bars. The best (hint: only) form of entertainment for locals. KTV is Video kareoke, or Videoke. It may be too confusing for non-Khmer speakers, but... WE WILL TRY! There was a cool wat that we passed and doubled back for. It was a newer one, and covered in gold paint. The inside was painted with stories of the Buddha and featured many different statues of the Buddha. There was a live (Liza thinks it was fake, but it was really real)tree incorporated into the temple. She's protesting but it was in a hole cut out of the floor and was set in dirt soooo, whatever. Granted it was painted gold and had rhinestones on/in it. Elliot and Sean were lucky enough to get a picture with a super friendly monk. BFFs!
Tuktuk ride... back to the main section of town. We ate vietnamese for lunch. The food came out one dish at a time because it was a family owned one cook restaurant. Helen finished and ordered seconds before Elliot got his food. Anyways, food was amazing. We tried salted kumquat soda and a bunch of good dishes. Beef bohn?
WALKING :( to the Central Market. We almost lost Elliot and Sharon after they were duped into buying very expensive ($8US/2 scarves) scarves. We are still adjusting to not having cell phones. It's difficult to keep track of everyone, but we have created a system of keeping track of everyone. Do you want to buy expensive American clothes for cheap? Come here! They make so many brand name clothes and purses and shoes in fake feet here in Cambodia and surrounding S.E Asian countries. Cambodian people have easy access to these at little expense and sell them everywhere!
Things we are used to after day 1:
1. Pajamas are for everyday, every occasion wear. No exceptions
2. Little gender differences in clothing. Guys in tight jeans, DG belts, Gucci shoes are normal.
3. Lizards in your room/restaurants/tuktuks, etc
4. Constant sweat and unbearable heat
5. Monks with umbrellas riding motos
6. Non-american tourists (Australian, German, French, British)
7. Being a giant
8. Traffic and crossing the street (The Deadly Game) We feel like Frogger
9. Drinking lots and lots of water
10. Temples are as common as churches in Charleston
We love it here!
ps. It's hot.
Russian Market: The market had an excellent food section, picture a food court but street vendor stalls, and very crowded, and add sweat and 50 degrees. We were at the food section and were suddenly accosted by a nun, who was selling blessings. And by selling we mean she gave them to us, and then demanded $3. Which wouldn't have been hard to understand except she didn't speak English and we couldn't understand her. After several moments of utter confusion, we finally paid her off and are now blessed. (Except Sean and Liza). There were a lot of scarves, fabrics, souvenirs, incense burners and pipes, purses, meat meat meat, dried fish, cooked fish living fish, fish on sticks. How many fish, can you wish? One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish, disgustingly smelly fish. Fish heads, fish guts, shrimp paste, dried shrimp, little shrimp, big shrimp. Too much shrimp.
After the Russian Market Elliot and Sharon visited the Doctor. Doctor Who? Doctor Fish! (Oh no, more fish...) No, Dr. Fish was great! Sharon and Elliot put their feet in a tank of water and all these little fish ate their dead skin. It tickled unbearably, but was so relaxing. We will do it again! Everyone else drank and ate coconuts.
Tuktuk ride... Across the Japanese Friendship Bridge to see the 'real' Phnom Penh. Real World Phnom Penh was dominated by KTV bars. The best (hint: only) form of entertainment for locals. KTV is Video kareoke, or Videoke. It may be too confusing for non-Khmer speakers, but... WE WILL TRY! There was a cool wat that we passed and doubled back for. It was a newer one, and covered in gold paint. The inside was painted with stories of the Buddha and featured many different statues of the Buddha. There was a live (Liza thinks it was fake, but it was really real)tree incorporated into the temple. She's protesting but it was in a hole cut out of the floor and was set in dirt soooo, whatever. Granted it was painted gold and had rhinestones on/in it. Elliot and Sean were lucky enough to get a picture with a super friendly monk. BFFs!
Tuktuk ride... back to the main section of town. We ate vietnamese for lunch. The food came out one dish at a time because it was a family owned one cook restaurant. Helen finished and ordered seconds before Elliot got his food. Anyways, food was amazing. We tried salted kumquat soda and a bunch of good dishes. Beef bohn?
WALKING :( to the Central Market. We almost lost Elliot and Sharon after they were duped into buying very expensive ($8US/2 scarves) scarves. We are still adjusting to not having cell phones. It's difficult to keep track of everyone, but we have created a system of keeping track of everyone. Do you want to buy expensive American clothes for cheap? Come here! They make so many brand name clothes and purses and shoes in fake feet here in Cambodia and surrounding S.E Asian countries. Cambodian people have easy access to these at little expense and sell them everywhere!
Things we are used to after day 1:
1. Pajamas are for everyday, every occasion wear. No exceptions
2. Little gender differences in clothing. Guys in tight jeans, DG belts, Gucci shoes are normal.
3. Lizards in your room/restaurants/tuktuks, etc
4. Constant sweat and unbearable heat
5. Monks with umbrellas riding motos
6. Non-american tourists (Australian, German, French, British)
7. Being a giant
8. Traffic and crossing the street (The Deadly Game) We feel like Frogger
9. Drinking lots and lots of water
10. Temples are as common as churches in Charleston
We love it here!
ps. It's hot.
Phnom Penh- First Impressions
Welcome to King Norodom Sihamoni's Birthday Extravaganza Weekend!
The city was definately alive. People were everywhere, dancing in the street and children were rampant. We were stared at a lot. Sidewalks were huge and dominated by street vendors, parked cars, houses, spirit houses, and stray animals. Traffic rules are virtually non-existent, the most aggressive vehicle is king of the road.
We discovered some tasty new treats including cafe au lait, rambutan, mangostein, locus seeds, and coconut drinks.
Hotel Anise: This is our guest house (hotel), which is centrally located in the city. It's hot. Unbelievably hot. Really, really hot. The rooms are comfortable if you put the airconditioner on powerful supersonic and keep water bottles in the freezer. Mattresses are just like sleeping on the floor, but we are unbelievably lucky to sleep here, because many people sleep in the back of their tuktuk.
What's a tuktuk? Oh, glad you asked. It's a motorcycle with a carriage in the back. It's super fun because you can squish up to 7 people (We haven't tried any more... yet) and it has no walls- great air conditioning. The other option of travel is a moto, which can carry whole families, or just a monk. Some people own cars with brand names on the side. LEXUS, LANDROVER, etc.
BTW, it's HOT.
The city was definately alive. People were everywhere, dancing in the street and children were rampant. We were stared at a lot. Sidewalks were huge and dominated by street vendors, parked cars, houses, spirit houses, and stray animals. Traffic rules are virtually non-existent, the most aggressive vehicle is king of the road.
We discovered some tasty new treats including cafe au lait, rambutan, mangostein, locus seeds, and coconut drinks.
Hotel Anise: This is our guest house (hotel), which is centrally located in the city. It's hot. Unbelievably hot. Really, really hot. The rooms are comfortable if you put the airconditioner on powerful supersonic and keep water bottles in the freezer. Mattresses are just like sleeping on the floor, but we are unbelievably lucky to sleep here, because many people sleep in the back of their tuktuk.
What's a tuktuk? Oh, glad you asked. It's a motorcycle with a carriage in the back. It's super fun because you can squish up to 7 people (We haven't tried any more... yet) and it has no walls- great air conditioning. The other option of travel is a moto, which can carry whole families, or just a monk. Some people own cars with brand names on the side. LEXUS, LANDROVER, etc.
BTW, it's HOT.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Singapore Airlines
A little out of order... but so much better than DELTA and American Airlines
We have spent over 20 hours on this airline.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1) "Does this breakfast cost anything?" "No, everything's free."
2) Matching ethnic stewardess outfits
3) Landing breakfast, and taking off breakfast
4) Any free entertainment, ie. GLEE Season 1, Princess and the Frog, Skins Season 3, Invictus, The Last Station, It's Complicated, Chinese Pop Music,
5) FREE YELLOW SOCKS, headphones, blankets, toothbrush, toothpaste
6) Warm face towels every three hours
7) Drinks whenever you want
8) Aftershave, mouthwash, lotion in the bathrooms
9) Business Class was like living in a palace
10) Most friendly service in the world
We have spent over 20 hours on this airline.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1) "Does this breakfast cost anything?" "No, everything's free."
2) Matching ethnic stewardess outfits
3) Landing breakfast, and taking off breakfast
4) Any free entertainment, ie. GLEE Season 1, Princess and the Frog, Skins Season 3, Invictus, The Last Station, It's Complicated, Chinese Pop Music,
5) FREE YELLOW SOCKS, headphones, blankets, toothbrush, toothpaste
6) Warm face towels every three hours
7) Drinks whenever you want
8) Aftershave, mouthwash, lotion in the bathrooms
9) Business Class was like living in a palace
10) Most friendly service in the world
CHANGi Singapore Airport
Liza: The GREATEST place I've ever been!
Elliot: I wish I lived here!
Caya: We have arrived at Paradise!
Sean: Hang on, let me get a picture!
Sharon: I have had the hiccups for the last 20 minutes.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. SkyTrain + Outside Scenery
2. 3 Koi Ponds, Butterfly, Sunflower, and Orchid garden at CHANGi Singapore Airport
3. Free Internet, Free charging, etc. free movie theaters
4. The Ambassadors' Suite Delux
5. Showers
6. Rubbing Coloring
7. Automatic waterfountains
8. Slow-motion atmosphere
9. Game Room, Jam room
10. Basically anything you have ever wanted, it resides at CHANGi Singapore Airport
Elliot: I wish I lived here!
Caya: We have arrived at Paradise!
Sean: Hang on, let me get a picture!
Sharon: I have had the hiccups for the last 20 minutes.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. SkyTrain + Outside Scenery
2. 3 Koi Ponds, Butterfly, Sunflower, and Orchid garden at CHANGi Singapore Airport
3. Free Internet, Free charging, etc. free movie theaters
4. The Ambassadors' Suite Delux
5. Showers
6. Rubbing Coloring
7. Automatic waterfountains
8. Slow-motion atmosphere
9. Game Room, Jam room
10. Basically anything you have ever wanted, it resides at CHANGi Singapore Airport
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