We were collected by minibus to take us to the boat. To all the passengers amusement and dismay the guide tried to pack in 4 extra people on the bus without a seat amongst a mountain of baggage. The bus was so bumpy and packed one guy had to stop the bus as he got so claustrophobic and sick. We were mobbed on arrival by people selling food and drink at the port and our bags were ferried off the bus onto the boat by locals (without any choice in the matter) who proceeded to ask for a large tip for the job.
We took up what space was left with the other back packers on the open deck to catch the breeze and some photos.
The trip was a real highlight - we saw Khmer riverside life at its best: hordes of smiley Khmer kids sprinting to the banks of the river to wave with a chorus of "hello" at every wooden home we encountered. The boat steered around the little fishing boats we came across and the odd child floating around in a steel tub.
After 8 hours on deck we were sun-drenched to say the least, and were grateful that our guest house were lying in wait for our business as we disembarked!
The evening in Battambang wasn't much to write home about as there isn't much to see or do, but we did come across a rather bizarre Colgate/L'Oreal Convention (appalling Rock music included) in the street!
Ready to cash in on the extravaganza, all corners of the street were peppered with stalls selling deep-fried tarantulas, honey-coated locusts and the like. Now don't forget to floss, kids!
Saturday, 29 November 2008
River Trip down the Tonle Sap, Cambodia.
Friday, 28 November 2008
The Singing Tree Cafe, Angkor Wat
We 'did' Angkor Wat yesterday on just the one-day ticket. It's a stupendous place covering a surprisingly large area - a 'Masonry Marathon', as Hazel aptly puts it.
It was my Birthday the day before, so we didn't really fancy the dawn start - so at a respectable 8.30 we were whisked off on the Grand Tour by our fearless tuk-tuk driver Thierry.
Starting off with the smaller and lesser-known temples in the morning, we were accosted at every opportunity by children selling us there wares: flutes, bracelets, postcards, water, T-shirts, books - you name it! Some of the sales patter was astounding, especially as some of them were at best 6 years old, speaking in a foreign tongue. "I can see you like this one lady, you cannot take your eyes off it" is one encounter that springs to mind. Both of us were knackered with a capital K by the end of it all - what better way to close out the day, than with some Mexican food! ;-)
This morning we set off to the Singing Tree Cafe, a local community centre cafe in a garden, offering lovely food, yoga classes, cultural 'stuff', as well as a focal point for numerous charities and projects for the town and surrounding areas.
We purchased one of the children's paintings from the Sihanoukville-based Cambodia Children's Painting Project, where the local children are encouraged to paint rather than beg on the beaches. We're happy to think that 10-year-old artist Cham Mialy will receive a well-earned third of our $6. Our breakfast finished just in time for us to go on the weekly visit to a local school, arranged through the Schools For Cambodia organisation (www.schools4cambodia.org). Only a few kilometres away, the visit is scheduled to arrive during the midday break between the morning and afternoon sessions (the majority of children go home at this time as they attend half days - meaning we don't go interrupting lesson times and so that the children do not feel observed by tourists). There happened to be a small group of the local children still playing who seemed happy enough to follow us around with our guide Kate.
Here's a shot of Hazel in 'Yes Maam' mode:
We also saw some of the kids playing their favourite playground game - an interesting combination of elastic skipping rope, hop-scotch and heel clicking!
We were happy to donate some dollars towards the organisation - and were told the money would be enough to equip 1 classroom with basic resources! The best money we ever spent! Whoooo!
Namaste!
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