Quiet time

The last few weeks have been so hectic, and still are to some extent at work, but it's nice to have the opportunity to have a very quiet weekend.

Most of my friends are away at the moment, back in Europe, enjoying the terrible weather! Mirka and i spent most of this weekend at the pool, frying in the sun! The weather was beautiful on Sunday, it really felt as though we were on holiday. We pottered around and really didn't do much.

I'm back at work today, trying to motivate myself, but i think maybe i slept too much and relaxed too much at the weekend to get going again now!

Heidi is off Dubai today with her husband, a big new adventure, and one that i know will be perfect for them. It's also her birthday today! The big 25 - woo hoo.

So, not too much going on in my world this week but in a vain attempt to keep this up to date i thought i'd make an entry. No interesting photos i'm afraid - i'll try and take some soon.

Phnom Tamao Zoo

Silke and i had planned a trip to the zoo for the kids whilst she was still in Cambodia but unfortunately the dates ended up clashing and we weren't able to go. So, i said that i would still do the trip when they had the time but sadly she wouldn't be a part of it.

Phalla a friend from work came to help for the day, and Namee (the English teacher from the orphanage) also helped out. We left NACA at about 8am in a big bus, it was a proper school trip and the kids was super excited. I think in total we were nearly 40 people! We stopped at the market on our way out of town and bought a lot of fruit and water to keep the kids going until lunch time.

The drive south to Tamao is about an hour or so and the kids sang the whole way. They get taken on a number of trips by visitors but mostly around Phnom Penh and they don't often get the chance to get out of town. I think the last time they had been to the zoo was about a year ago.

It was a hot day but it didn't seem to put anyone off. We walked around every enclosure and imitated every animal! The zoo is pretty well kept, there are a number of wildlife NGOs that support the upkeep and make sure that the enclosures are nice enough for the animals. The have a lot of monkeys and bears but also have tigers, lions, elephants, snakes and heaps of birds.

We had a massive lunch of rice and chicken and then did some more walking. The boys kept doing the monkey dance in front of the monkeys and copying the sounds that they make - it was pretty funny to watch.

Mid-afternoon we went to a nearby Wat that has 100's of steps to reach it. The kids ran all the way and then each one of them was blessed by the monks at the top.

It was a really fun day, the kids were exhausted but really happy. My biggest regret is really not being able to speak Khmer, it makes it so much harder to work out what's going one. Having Phalla there makes a huge difference of course and she really enjoys being involved.

Time flies

What happened to June? We're now heading full speed into July and i'm not sure where time has gone. It's crazy, they say when you get older time passes more quickly, i think maybe they're right! I'm still happy in Wig and Annette's house, work is busy and i think coming together at last, and i've had plenty going on these past few weeks to keep me entertained.

I've spent the last week or so with Silke and her brother, they arrived on Wednesday and stayed with me until this morning when they left to start the journey back to Europe. We've had a really good few days, showing Martijn Phnom Penh, making a trip south of Phnom Penh to a few temples and visiting the markets and restaurants.

One of the main reasons that Silke came back to Cambodia was to take the children from the orphanage to the Phnom Tamao zoo. We were due to go there on Sunday but unfortunately there was a bit of confusion at the orphanage and it was no longer possible. Both of us were really disappointed and slightly annoyed but we have done a lot of talking to the mama at the orphanage and we've worked it all out.

I think it really highlights the cultural differences that sometimes you can easily forget about when you're living somewhere long term. A few days ago the orphanage received a large donation from some foreigners and at the same time this group suggested taking the kids to the water park on the same day as the zoo trip had been planned. Understandably the orphanage wanted to show their gratitude and they didn't want to mention anything about the zoo trip. If they had i'm sure these people would have understood but they didn't feel they could. So after a long discussion on Sunday morning we've worked it all out and i will take the kids on the trip another weekend. Silke had also raised some funds from friends and family, we spent a while working out with the mama what the most important thing was that she needed it for. It came down to covering the basic running costs of the orphanage - electricity bills, water bills and food.

When we got to the end of this conversation Pan (mama) told Silke and i that she would be honoured if she could "adopt" us - she has four sons and said she'd love to have two strong daughters. She said she was very happy and thanked us for our support. It was actually all pretty emotional and a nice way to leave things for Silke.

Phnom Chisor, Takeo Province

We left Tonle Bati and continued south away from Phnom Penh for another 15 kms or so. Phnom Chisor isn't really very well sign posted, which is a shame as it was an amazing find. We drove to the bottom of a big hill, having passed through a high school and a few houses. We were dropped off at the bottom of the 348 steps, which we were accompanied up with about 10 local kids. They like to speak English and generally tell you a little about the surrounds, all for a bit of cash of course.

It was a hot afternoon and although 348 steps doesn't sound like much, it really did feel like a lot by the time we reached the top. We first came across a small Wat with a Buddha statue, and then some new statues that were being built, but the view wasn't that great and it seemed a little disappointing.

But as we carried on we came upon a monastery and an old Angkorian temple ruins. It had been bombed during the Khmer Rouge and wasn't in great shape but it had the most amazing feel about it. The monks weren't pushy and generally just wanted to have their photos taken and receive a small contribution for looking after the shrines.

As we came out the otherside of the temple we were hit with the most incredible view, it had been raining a fair bit but as we were sitting there the sun came out and it was truly beautiful. We looked out over the flood plains of Takeo province, with rice paddies and fields strewn as far as the eye could see. We just sat there and took it all in for a good hour or so. It's a very isolated place, and a number of monks live there. It was all very peaceful, if you shut your eyes you could imagine how things were a few thousand years ago.

The drive home was only about an hour and a half, it really strikes you how close you are to Phnom Penh but how different the way of life is for so many people. Rural life in Cambodia is really very basic, people grow rice to feed their families, and anything else is pretty hard to come by. The houses are all different depending on how wealthy the family is. The photo on the right is fairly typical. The cattle, if people are lucky enough to own some, will live under the house at night. The houses appear to be well kept and people look after what they do have. It's very easy to drive by and not take it in, i think maybe because if you do take it in, you realise just how privilidged you are, and quite how little these people survive on.

For more photos have a look at this site: http://picasaweb.google.com/JStancombe/PhnomChisor45kmSouthOfPhnomPenh

Ta Phrom, Tonle Bati

We headed south out of Phnom Penh, around 35km to Tonle Bati. There are two 12th century temples there - Ta Phrom and Yeay Peau. We were about 20 mins out of town and we hit a fantastic traffic jam, it didn't really resemble anything that you'd see in the west, and no one really got particularly frustrated by being stuck in one place for 30 odd mins. There were no horns, or angry shouts, everyone just waited patiently for the blockage to shift. The problem turned out to be a big lorry that had decided to stop on the road, and block one lane, he didn't even realise that he'd created a massive jam.

We sat there amazed to be honest, there was so much to look at, so many faces and things going on around us. Traffic changed direction and we were driving on the lefthand side - all very funny. I have tried to capture the moment with photos but i don't think you ever really can.

It wasn't really too long until we were on our way again and we got to Ta Phrom. It's a beautifully kept temple, with lovely gardens, and few tourists. It's the same age as Angkor and has the same charm but fewer people. There are still a fair few children that try their best to get a few dollars for flowers or drinks but nothing like the main temples. We wandered around and took it all in. It had a great atmosphere and was really worth the drive.
Tonle Bati lake is adjacent to the temple and adds to the setting and the feel of the place.

I took quite a few photos of this place that came out really well, if you have the time it's worth a look but i couldn't fit too many on the site.

http://picasaweb.google.com/JStancombe/TonleBati35KmSouthOfPhnomPenh