Jan’s tours - Planes and boats and trains and ……..elephants!

November 2009.
After being very big and brave receiving my dental treatment in Phnom Penh we awaited the visit of Sophie, Jan’s youngest.

Still dubious that all arrangements were going to work, as nothing is ever written down, we waited outside VSO central at the allotted time for our taxi. Eventually it turned up only a few minutes late to being our next adventure!

We duly arrived at the airport expecting a lengthy wait for Sophie to clear baggage, medical screening, due to swine flu, visa purchase and baggage retrieval but there she was waiting for us with a great big smile!

We board the taxi and begin our five hour transfer to Siem Reap, which is home to the temple capital of the world including the famous world heritage site of Angkor Wat. The journey seemed to pass fairly quickly with Sophie asleep, snoring and drooling in the back of the car (fair enough after a 14 hour flight from the U.K.) She occasionally lapsed into consciousness to comment on the road conditions, animal life on and off the road, the lush rice paddies, the Wats, in all general scenes of bucolic bliss! So, we arrive at Siem Reap and headed towards the hotel. At first it filled us with dread. The road (I use the word loosely) was terrible, a dusty unkempt strip of dried mud, reminding me of holidays in Greece! All does not bode well thought I, but once again proved wrong – we entered a gateway to be greeted by very friendly and helpful staff who took luggage to our very smart air conditioned rooms overlooking a great pool surrounded by tropical palms and other flora, just the job for a bit / lot of R&R!

As part of Jan’s all inclusive tours she had arranged a Tuk-Tuk (a motor bike drawn four seater) to ferry us about to all manner of temples (whether we like it or not!). In true form, with guide book, we ventured off next morning to begin our designated visits. I fancied cycling, as it is flat and it would be a good way of getting a healthy dose of exercise, fresh air, and scenery whilst taking in the history. To my relief I was once again overruled as it soon became clear that the temple complex covered a huge area, with our first one some 30km away. Not a fun pootle on a bike in 35+ Celsius!

During our stay we did get to many of the temples and were pleasantly surprised to find that they were different in design, architecture and grandeur. This should not have been a surprise as they were built over many centuries. We did get up at 0400hrs one morning to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat, but have to say it was awesome and a huge bonus was that we even managed to get a few shots which didn’t have hordes of tour groups in. Our tuk-tuk driver was a bit grumpy when we insisted on returning to the hotel for breakfast but he has no idea of how even more miserable he would have been if Jan had not been fed!


Next stop - Battam Bang (or BTB), a former capital of Cambodia. This journey we undertook by ‘express boat’ which turned out to be a Khmer misnomer with a seven hour journey in constant driving rain. Initially we crossed the north western corner of the Tonle Sap lake, a vast expanse of water which supports an incredible amount of fishing activity and floating villages. The lake is so large that it fills to maximum during the rainy season from the mighty Mekong and then backflows into the Mekong thus maintaining the main river all year round – both impressive and awesome! We then left the lake to follow the river via cloth, plastic bag or polystyrene markers, as the flooding obliterated the banks, down to BTB. This is supposed to be the most picturesque river journey in Cambodia but just goes to show that the Lonely Planet is not to be trusted all the time. While in BTB we took Sophie on the unusual Bamboo Train (see earlier blog entry for more details) and Jan and Sophie had a day’s Khmer cookery course at the Smoking Pot restaurant – be warned as she is desperate to try out the traditional fish Amok and has become a dab hand at bashing spices with a stone pestle and mortar. They had to choose a total of three dishes to prepare, go to the market and buy ingredients and then cook (but not gut the fish) and eat them all! I was the recording photographer for the day (and food sampler!)

We decided that we had done all the visits necessary and to go to back to Phnom Penh for further exploration. Once again we were duped by the term ‘express coach’. The highlight, reported by Sophie, was when one of the two adjacent Khmer lads blew his nose on the bus curtains! Otherwise the trip seemed to pass reasonably quickly and we eventually checked in at the Pavilion Hotel, a well known VSO venue for some R&R. Sophie and Jan really went for the R and R big-time with having shoes made, nails done, pool lounging, silk shopping and the requisite Khmer massage which involves being stood on – Jan reports that her masseuse has a bit of a job keeping upright on her wobbly bits!

Of course, you cannot really visit Cambodia and Phnom Penh without taking in some of the recent harrowing history. This mainly involves visiting the Genocide museum of Tuol Sleng which was the prison where any one (including children, academics, people with ‘foreign’ names) could be tortured and then taken to the ‘Killing Fields’ just outside PNH to be murdered. Both places are somber and give a grim reminder of what the population went through; they were starved, cruelly treated with little or no family contact, no culture, no fun – no wonder they go mad at weddings and any social activities.
Veasna one of our VAs arranged a taxi for our return to Sen Monorom. He is currently studying part time in PNH for his masters in development. The taxi arrived promptly and we arrived back at our Cambodian home a mere seven hours later. The road crews are already busy after the rainy season with changes evident compared to only ten days previously. If last year is anything to go on we expect a lot of work to be finished this season with major bridges completed and much more hard surfacing laid.
Sophie managed a couple of days rest while we were back at work but Jan insisted on the compulsory Mondulkiri elephant trek (probably one of the most uncomfortable modes of transport ever). The stay also included waterfalls and some extreme motor biking. One last reminder of the ‘Khmer Way’ was that the taxi we had booked days in advance for 0700hrs, called to say at 0730hrs that he was not going because he did not have enough passengers! After some wrangling (by Veasna and the taxi driver) Sophie did get away by mini bus – texting at 0900hrs that she had finally left Sen Menorom and was sharing the ‘madness’ with some other travelers.
As for work, we have been ensconced in various activities. Jan has been busy visiting schools and has experienced extremes of emotion ranging from depression to elation. Depression as some schools seem to have gone backwards in terms of progress whilst at the other end of the rainbow the odd success where teachers have taken on board suggestions and are trying out new ideas with their pupils. One of our new volunteers, Jeljie (from Holland) actually saw one of our workshop attendees using a bottle ‘pooter’ with her pupils collecting all manner of beasties for identification and discussion – WOW (perhaps we should quit whilst we are ahead?)

Throughout the month we have held a workshop per week covering science practical activities. We even surprise ourselves with the versatility of the ubiquitous plastic bottle. We can always be advisors for the Blue Peter team on our return to the UK without the ‘sticky-back plastic’.
The ‘new lab’ project continues but not at the pace I would like but nevertheless we are now starting to install the electrics and then we have only a few desks to make. We need to re-varnish the ‘new’ desks, paint the walls and lay the floor covering and we will be nearly there! Then we might be in a position to import the equipment from the UK and actually use the lab for training teachers and get it in use before we return home!
The adventures of Clouseau, the local cat who seems to have adopted us, continue. The other night he left after his evening meal, as usual, only to be spotted by one of the many marauding muts. As one mut approached I wondered what cat would do? Within a felixsecond cat had attacked with teeth and claw producing an instant withdrawal by said mut (I noticed that cat lead with his right, thus making him a southpaw!) All other dogs parted like the red sea as he sauntered away on for his evening dalliance. In general, he seems to have settled down a bit more. However, last night he was using my feet as hunting target practice which I wasn’t too happy about. After the third time we had a serious ‘chat’ – manno-a-cato. Since then things have improved and I now do exactly what he wants!

I wonder what next month will bring?