Happy Hanoi Birthday

After an unacceptably long time, I’m back! Apologies about the radio silence but as my job now requires me to write 20+ blogs per week, I struggle to motivate myself to create for Lemon in Cambodia. However, it appears Lemon in Vietnam had me inspired.

It was my birthday last week and this celebration, combined with the imminent departure of my closest flatmate and friend, Jordan, inspired a week long trip to Vietnam. Although Cambodia’s neighbour, I confess I have only spent two long weekends in this country so far: one in Ho Chi Minh City in 2009 and one on the island of Phu Quoc in 2015. I have just returned from an eight-day trip to the north of this sickle-shaped country with a few tales of our adventures and more than a few photographs.

We flew to Hanoi from Siem Reap because Phnom Penh’s fancy new ‘international’ airport is still struggling with some basic amenities, such as flights to nearby countries. Our first night in a hostel reminding both Jordan and myself how much we hate backpackers. After our noisy roommates left early in the morning, we took a little longer getting ready and it was nearing midday when we finally ventured out onto the streets. This is the point at which we realised Hanoi was hotter than Phnom Penh and instantly regretted our laziness. We walked around the Old Quarters of this beautiful, interesting and busy city in 40+ degrees Celsius and were forced to take refuge in the Vietnamese Women’s Museum and St Joseph’s Cathedral along with several, less culturally significant cafes. Hanoi is a fun city to explore, despite the oppressive heat, and the streets are dotted with little pagodas, cyclo drivers complete with VietCong hats and food sellers.

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The next day we embarked on the main trip of our holiday: Halong Bay. We’d chosen to go with a slightly more expensive tour company to avoid the backpackers and ended up on Rosa Cruise with the tagline “Romance, Roses and Love”. Luckily few people had taken that seriously and we weren’t surrounded by couples for the entire time. Halong Bay is incredible. It’s one of those awe-inspiring places you just look at and ask ‘how?’ These mega limestone rocks jut dramatically out of the blue-green water with a truly prehistoric feel. Our boat was delightful with a cute little cabin, lounge area where we were fed copious amounts of food three times a day and a large sun terrace from which you could watch the scenery glide by.

Rosa Cruise, Halong Bay

Halong Bay isn’t all about lying on top of a boat and getting a tan, however. We also went kayaking, during which Jordan and I discovered we work really well as a team but overestimated our energy levels and got immensely bored and tired on the paddle back to the boat. On that first day we visited a pearl farm which is far less interesting than it sounds and then watched the ‘sunset’. For some reason, our boat docked directly behind one of Halong Bay’s iconic formations. Beautiful, but inconvenient for sunset watching …

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Our second day saw us and a couple from Singapore join a new group of people (most on our boat only did the one-night cruise). This day was led by a completely hilarious Vietnamese guy who was absolutely mental. Lovely, but mental. We first went to a cave where I sliced my food open climbing over rocks, Jordan dropped and broke her sunglasses and I dropped and broke my camera. Good half hour. And I don’t even have any photos of the cave. I was subsequently reliant on my iPhone camera which is good but has nothing on my beloved, currently-being-fixed Lumix FZ150. From the hazardous cave we moved onto more kayaking. This time Jordan and I, along with a few other people, paddled into a little cove, got out and just went swimming for half an hour. Upon returning to the boat we decided to jump off the top deck. Turns out that isn’t allowed and we got thoroughly scolded in Vietnamese. Oops. The day was fun overall, however, and we even got serenaded by our tour guide which was one of the most awkward and hilarious experiences of my life.

We finished our day with a hike up one of the islands. I don’t think I’ve ever sweated so much in my life and I was seriously regretting not taking a bottle of water or a cold beer up with me but the views were totally worth the near-death energy requirement. We finally got back to Rosa to watch the ‘sunset’ from behind yet another rock. The following day we went to the ‘Surprising Cave’, so called because you can’t tell it’s there … much like all caves. To be fair, it was massive had some great stalactites and stalagmites. However, the entire space was filled with other tourists and we were just part of an endless queue snaking our way through and back out into the sweltering heat.

That was the end of Halong Bay and we returned to Hanoi in the midst of a monsoon. It was still drizzling the following morning but we hired a moto to visit some of the further sights including the Hoa Lo Prison Museum and the Temple of Literature.

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That evening we rode over to Lotto Tower which is their equivalent of the Empire State Building or the Sears Tower. 65 storeys up and you find yourself with an incredible view of the city. They also have one of those glass floors which sticks out and after quite some time, I finally venture onto it. We then made our way to the rooftop bar and splashed the cash on a cocktail which we enjoyed overlooking the city at night. I considered it an early birthday present to myself.

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On my actual birthday we took a day trip to Tam Coc. I say day trip; for most westerners, a 3-hour bus ride each way would not be considered a day trip. When we finally arrived we visited the ancient capital city, where a man who couldn’t pronounce the word temples (temple-les) showed us round lots of temples(les). After lunch we went for a short cycle ride through some stunning scenery. At the end of the ride we climbed into some questionable metal boats and set off down a small waterway, being paddled along by a woman … using her feet! It started to rain but we donned our sexy ponchos and continued despite the lightening and the metal-boat-in-water combination. The trip took us through two caves which were fun but smelt like bats and then we turned around and headed back (but not before all of the women pulled from nowhere bags of crappy souveniers for us to buy). We cycled back to the bus and then returned to Hanoi. My birthday dinner at a delicious seafood restaurant was a present from Jordan. Mmmm, thank you!

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And that was it. Aside from walking around looking at art the following morning (and buying myself a beautiful piece for my new house – a subject for another blog), our time in Hanoi came to an end. I’m now back in Cambodia while Jordan continues to travel south, making her way to Ho Chi Minh City before returning to Phnom Penh. Here are a few more snaps of some of the food we ate during our adventures, including Hanoi’s famous egg coffee. Enjoy!

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Motor Up Bokor

I’ve always loved Kampot, as regular readers of my blog will know, so when I was invited to join a motorbike trip down to the province for the Buddhist festival, Pchum Ben, I could hardly say no, much to my parents’ horror (sorry parentals!) The roads in Cambodia aren’t exactly known for their impeccable safety record but I was riding with a Khmer friend who’s been driving motorbikes for half his life so I knew I was in safe hands.

There was a group of ten of us in total, riding down on six bikes: myself, Vanny, Emily, Veasna, Jacinta, Ehud, Jenna, Pov, Serai, and Yuri. The ride took about four hours, including a relaxed breakfast stop and the occasional break to ease our aching butts. We arrived completely unharmed, despite a slightly close call between my kneecap and a white van. But we made it: look!

And because the whole point of this holiday was motorbiking, after we settled into our accommodation we rode up to Ta Da Waterfall (yes, that is actually its name). A new attraction for tourists in Kampot, I’m sure this would have been an incredible site if half of Phnom Penh hadn’t decided to visit at the same time. We still had fun and the scenery was stunning but it was rather overcrowded. And the water was freezing cold!

The next day was the focal point of our trip: a drive up Bokor Mountain. This national park is one of Cambodia’s treasures and significant (Chinese) investment means the road up to the top is in great condition. We visited a second waterfall which was much quieter than the one from the previous day, thank goodness! And then, after literally driving through a cloud and getting rather wet, we arrived at the old casino, one of my favourite places in Cambodia. This old building was built by the French colonists but later used as a Khmer Rouge stronghold and stripped of its former glory. The result is an eery yet beautiful building, succumbing to the elements and perched on a cliff edge overlooking the sea. At least, it would be overlooking the sea if there hadn’t been a cloud there …

After meandering safely down Bokor’s jungle-covered sides, we headed to Kep, the small seaside town/province just half an hour from Kampot. Once again the beach was heaving with holidaying Khmers so our swim in the sea was undertaken semi-clothed (bikinis would have been wildly inappropriate). We then sat on the sand, played frisbee, and ate copious amounts of delicious squid. Kep is well known for its seafood so that evening saw feasts of crab, shrimp, and fish at one of the seafront restaurants. Crab is more hassle than it’s worth, in my opinion.

The following day it was back to Kampot for sunbathing, reading, and drinking coffee. Vanny and I went for a ride through the country and took in a little of the local lifestyle in the area, as well as visiting a pagoda. It was Pchum Ben, after all. The green of the paddy fields during the rainy season is just out of this world: it’s my favourite ever colour.

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Amazing as it was to be riding around for the entire weekend, Vanny and I decided against slogging back up the inevitably busy road on the final day of Pchum Ben. So we took the train. Yes, Cambodia now has a fully functioning railway. Ok, not fully functioning … it runs from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville via Takeo and Kampot. And it was over an hour later arriving. But strangely it got to Phnom Penh bang on time, passing completely stationary traffic jams, much to the amusement of the train passengers! The journey itself was fine: very Khmer (karaoke videos, loud music, children wandering up and down the aisle talking to strangers, people snacking on baby birds etc) but it was cheap and hassle-free. Oh yeah and for an extra five bucks we got the moto back too …

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All in all I had an awesome Pchum Ben, spending time with a great new group of people and seeing more of Cambodia than ever before from the saddle of a bike.

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2006 – 2016: My Cambodian Decade

Ten years ago today, my feet first touched Cambodian soil. I had no idea that a decade later I would be living and working in that very same country with no plans to leave any time soon. I came to Cambodia as part of a one month expedition, which also included Thailand, with a company called World Challenge. We were doing their ‘Team Challenge’ expedition and I was part of a twelve-strong group of sixteen and seventeen year olds from my secondary school. We’d spent close to two years raising the £3,000+ each to go on the trip and it all boiled down to four weeks in South East Asia. At the time, it wasn’t one of the best experiences of my life, predominantly because of our incredibly unpleasant team leader whom we later got fired from World Challenge. I think our troubles in Thailand left a sour taste at the end of our travels but when I was planning my gap year two years later, there was only one country I wanted to go to: Cambodia. Since then, I’ve never looked back. In between finishing high school, getting my undergraduate degree and then my masters, I have spent a combined total of three years in Cambodia so far. Over the past ten years I’ve worked for numerous NGOs, taught hundreds of children, lived with lots of different people, and made some of the very best friends in the world.

In honour of this milestone, I’ve been re-reading the diary I kept when I was travelling. Some of it could have been written by me yesterday. Some of it was clearly written by a sixteen year old with no understanding of the possessive apostrophe (I’ve had to correct them grammatically to publish here because it’s just embarrassing). Anyway, here are some extracts for your enjoyment.

Saturday 15th July 2006 – Arriving in Cambodia

It’s beautiful and outside the city it reminds me of Spain/Mallorca but the hustle and bustle of the centre is amazingly different to anything I’ve ever experienced. There are thousands and thousands of motorbikes, many of which have two or more people on. The current record is 5! I saw a mother feeding a baby on one and very few riders wear a helmet … We passed the Royal Palace and saw lots of children begging. It was really sad as they were all so beautiful. We also saw a man who had been crippled, probably by a mine set down during the wars in Cambodia.

Sunday 16th July 2006 – Phnom Penh

I didn’t sleep too well as our window was open and Phnom Penh is the new city that never sleeps! … The killing fields, when we finally arrived, was a very sad place … The mass graves and the signs stating the numbers of the dead that were buried there was a horrible thought but I had no personal experience of it so it did not mean as much to me as other massacres … At dinner we all sampled some delicious Khmer food. It’s very similar to Chinese.

Monday 17th July 2006 – Orphanage Day 1

I was crammed into the minibus and it got called over by police but we don’t know why. The tuk-tuks in front had to swerve across a steady stream of traffic to stop and wait for us. The driving here is crazy! [At the orphanage] we were enthusiastically greeted by beautiful kids … It’s lovely to play with them as they’re all so friendly. I wish I could take some home with me.

Wednesday 19th July 2006 – Orphanage Day 3

Some people went to the market today to get sheets, a kettle and underwear as the kids here only have one pair each! Now, thanks to us, they have two … I ate crushed beetles which were actually delicious. In the restaurant we were served an un-gutted fish. It was great fun pulling it apart! 

Thursday 20th July 2006 – Orphanage Day 4

It monsooned again today … When it was time to leave we had to wade up to the tuk-tuks. Sometimes the water was over my knees. It was great fun though despite the fact that the water was sewage water and Jo and I saw a syringe and a drip bag which made us really worried about stepping on a needle or anything else. It made us realise what environment these people live in.

Saturday 22nd July 2006 – Orphanage Day 6 (Now known as SOS Day)

A nurse came in to read my blood pressure and heart rate and to take a blood sample … When the doctor came in an examined my ankle he said it was probably a spider bite … and that the spider had left poison in my ankle. He gave me some pills to take every 6 hours and I was put on an IV drip … It was our last day at the orphanage too and the goodbyes were so upsetting as we’re never going to see those kids again.

Sunday 23rd July 2006 – Travelling to Siem Reap

The bus was going at a good speed but I have no idea what that speed was as all the dials had broken. There were loads of cows that seemed to be tied up but we still almost hit some. There were stray dogs and straggly chickens too … Siem Reap is really beautiful and I prefer it to Phnom Penh.

Tuesday 25th July 2006 – Angkor Wat

There is a terrific set of extremely steep steps, very worn and uneven. Adam, Kate and I climbed up them … This sort of climbing would never be allowed in England because of all the healthy and safety procedures! The views were so spectacular that we sat at the top in a window for about an hour … Before leaving Angkor Wat, we all decided to investigate the source of some exotic music. We found a current Buddhist temple. I felt that looking at them was a bit intrusive but I wandered up quickly. I also saw a line of red ants.

Wednesday 26th July 2006 – We say ‘lear-en-haoey’ to Cambodia and ‘sa-wat-dee’ to Thailand

The bus was absolutely tiny! … the road we were on was ridiculously bumpy. At one point I left my seat by 15cm and the sweets on my lap flew down the bus … Kate and Louise were passing the time by counting pigs! … We managed to cross the border without being blown up by a mine which is also very good.

Ok so I wasn’t the most eloquent of writers. But a few of these sentences could have been written in one of my current blogs! Some of them, of course, could not. I mean, was I really that insensitive at the Killing Fields? Possibly, I can’t really remember and I was a self-absorbed teenager at the time. But did I really think the genocide I was learning about didn’t mean much because my grandfather wasn’t involved? And just to clarify, Cambodian cuisine has very little in common with the Chinese take-aways I was referring to. Presumably it was because I’d eaten noodles and rice … And the way I talked about the orphanage kids like we were their saviours! It actually sounds like this orphanage was one of the ones the media now warns against. Clearly there was a regular influx of tourists and white money, each group believing they were helping these poor kids who were really just smiling and playing with them because they knew they’d get things bought for them. As for Angkor Wat, health and safety has encroached sadly and you can no longer climb like monkeys over ancient ruins. Although perhaps in terms of preservation, this is a good thing. I also don’t tend to write about seeing a line of ants … Oh and no one says that Khmer I used as a title of the final entry. I’m not even sure what it’s supposed to sound like.

But what is the same? The crazy roads, ridiculous driving, and lack of helmets. The beggars and cripples near tourist attractions. The noise of the city. Monsoon floods with discarded medical supplies floating in them. Saying goodbye to the kids I work with makes me cry. Buses with speedometers that never work. Cows, dogs and chickens regularly meet their fate on the roads. I still visit that little working temple near Angkor Wat every time I go. The border crossing in Poi Pet is one of the worst in the world.

Ten years has passed and Cambodia has certainly changed. I have too, thank goodness. Some changes have been good, others less so. Some of the Cambodia I wrote about ten years ago is recognisable today, other areas have faded away. But one thing remains the same; my unrelenting, deep, and enduring commitment and love to this country and its people. Here’s to the next ten years.

July 2006 – Me with some of the children from the orphanage in Stung Mean Chey

February 2009 – Me with Loung and Veronique at Sovann Komar

July 2010 – Me with Laura, Marissa, and Orlando at Ta Mao wildlife reserve

December 2012 – Me and Mandy with Cheng and two children at Aziza’s Place

August 2014 – Me with Lucy, Aria, Andrew, and Marcus at Sovann Komar

March 2015 – Me with my Grade 5 class

15th July 2016 – Me with my Grade 4 class

 

Helmet Handout Happiness

This week was all about red helmets for me! The order from Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP) finally arrived on Tuesday and they look great!

Thumbs up for the helmets

This is the culmination of six months’ work for SKOPE which started in one of my first weeks back at school. I had always noticed, and been horrified by, the number of children coming to Sovann Komar School without helmets, especially since a law passed early in 2015 made it compulsory for all passengers to wear one. After I had started SKOPE, I realised I was in a position to instigate change in this area.

Two cousin nipping home for lunch … without helmets!

Most of the children within Sovann Komar Children’s Village don’t ride motos too often because they take the bus to and from school. However, when they do they are traveling along one of the busiest and most dangerous roads in Cambodia. I didn’t understand why the parents allowed this since they are so loving in caring in so many other ways. The students at our school however often come from very poor families. For some of them, a helmet is seen as an unnecessary expense and therefore they risk their child’s life every day. If you’ve not seen it, click here to watch a video I made.

Most of the funding for this project came from a few generous donors in the USA and Outreach International. Outreach is the volunteer agency I used when I first came to Cambodia and we have kept in touch ever since. They also continue to place volunteers at Sovann Komar and one of the mothers at the village acts as their in-country coordinator. Thanks to their contribution, SKOPE was able to finance the rest of the project with money raised in the UK in December.

I’ve written before about the helmets I chose so I’ll just briefly summarise here: they’re made in Vietnam and conform to US safety regulations. They’re bright red and have the SKOPE logo on either side.

I spent the day yesterday carrying around large boxes to every classroom in Sovann Komar School to fit and hand out the helmets for children who travel to school by moto. Here are some lovely smily faces to give you an idea of my job and why I love it so much.

Some happy children from Nursery 2

Grade 3 and their new helmets

Me and one of our Grade 1 classes with their new helmets

My Grade 5 class next to one of two signs we have had made for the project

 

Yesterday evening I stayed behind after work and when the older children returned from school, we had a little ceremony to give the helmets to the Sovann Komar families too. Each family got three or four helmets (the children had all been sized several weekends ago) because if the whole family are going somewhere, they usually drive.

Sovann Komar children and some parents with the helmets

Along with the helmets, Sovann Komar and SKOPE are implementing stricter road safety rules. Everyone who lives within Sovann Komar Village must wear a helmet when they pass through the gate. If they don’t, they must pay 50 cents to the guards there. Although we are not financially penalising the students enrolled in our school their parents will be informed that we are stepping up our game when it comes to road safety and our guards have been asked to keep an eye out for children who repeatedly do not wear helmets.

However, I do not think we will have much of a problem enforcing these rules. The children who received their helmets yesterday were all very pleased with their shiny red present. They understood the importance of them and so did their classmates. Parents too acknowledged these gifts and will be able to tell the helmets are excellent quality. That, coupled with the letter, and I hope we will instil a safety conscious culture into everyone at Sovann Komar.

A father admiring his son’s new helmet yesterday

It doesn’t sound like much but I think SKOPE accomplished a lot with this project. 117 helmets distributed and over 360 students educated about the importance of road safety. Hopefully these are lessons and practices which will continue for the rest of their lives.

Keeping this family safe!

Grade 2 and their new helmets

Grade 1 getting fitted for helmets

Kindergarten and their helmets

Our youngest students, Nursery 1, and their helmets

 

Donations and Decisions

After months of planning and fundraising, on Tuesday 8th March Sovann Komar Outreach Program for Education (SKOPE) returned to Kampong Thom Province with donations for two rural schools there. I first visited Chhouk Sak Primary School and Wat Chroum Primary School last November and this time I brought some children and workers from Sovann Komar.

The children from Sovann Komar: Colin, Anton, Lionel, Sam, Mathew, Jack, Sak, Luccas, Noah, Theo, Veasa, Maya, Lucy, Rachana

SKOPE donated school supplies to over 900 students. Each child got individually packaged (it took hours) gifts of two exercise books, a pen, and a pencil. These might seem like small things to you or I but many of the children attending these schools do so without the basic necessities for learning. We hope with these new supplies, the children will be able to study more effectively and improve their educational abilities. But schools aren’t all about sitting in a classroom and studying text books. Along with 1,820 books, 910 pencils and 910 pens, we also took some sports equipment. Six footballs, six basketballs, ten hula hoops, ten skipping ropes, twelve say (foot shuttlecocks), and four bags of building blocks were also donated, to be split between the two schools. At this point I would like to extend a specific thank you to Sarinda, one of the teachers at Sovann Komar, and her family for donating most of the sports equipment to SKOPE’s project.

So many books! And balls, and hula hoops! And helpers.

We had a truly fantastic day from start to end. We had hired a minivan to take us up to Kampong Thom and I asked thirteen of the older children from Sovann Komar Orphanage to accompany us. One of SKOPE’s key initiatives is that the children who live within the orphanage are involved in our outreach work. We also had three students from Sovann Komar School and various members of staff including Sarinda and her family, Mr Arun (my boss), Morokot (the accountant), and Kunthea (the administrator).

Left to Right: Anton, Morokot, Luccas, Arun, Noah, Lucinda, Sak, Maya, Me, Neath Neath, Kunthea, Sam, Rachana, Lionel, Mathew, Theo, Veasa, Jack, Chumrean, Nathya, Colin, Sarinda, Savy, Sambath.

Everyone was very enthusiastic about the day despite the early start on a public holiday (Happy International Women’s Day!). As soon as we arrived at the school where all 900 students were gathering, I met Samreth, the man who had helped me organise the whole event. The students from both schools were asked to meet at one site for logistical reasons and they behaved excellently, all lined up neatly and patiently whilst the adults faffed around and discussed who was going to translate my speech for me. An unplanned speech, may I add. Luckily I’ve always been good at thinking on my feet and I think it went pretty well despite me never having spoken in front of close to 1,000 people before. It probably helped that most of them were under ten years old and didn’t understand English.

Me speaking to over 1,000 people!

I had been concerned about the logistics of handing out donations to over 900 students but with my willing helpers, the whole thing barely took five minutes. The students were sat in lines and we simply walked up and down handing the books out. It went incredibly well and the children were all very sweet and thankful.

Then came the fun part: the sports equipment. I wanted to get the children from Sovann Komar playing and interacting with the children from the Kampong Thom schools. I had already warned them that they would need to be careful when playing with the younger ones as some of my helpers were the older boys in the orphanage and are fourteen and fifteen years old. They were all great and little games of football, basketball and say popped up everywhere. Some of the Kampong Thom teachers arranged skipping games for the girls and I think (I hope) everyone had a good time. Lots of children came up to me trying to give back the balls and equipment but when I explained, in Khmer, that they were for the schools, their faces lit up in the most heartwarming way.

My new hat

Skipping ropes

Teamwork with building bricks

 

After an hour or so of playing, the local children began to leave. It was a day off, after all. We packed up too and went to have lunch at a nearby restaurant which is run by a Malaysian woman who is friends with Samreth. After our delicious lunch the children headed into the fields behind the restaurant to look at some cattle and relax in the countryside. We were given the opportunity of writing and drawing on a board which will be secured to the ceiling of the restaurant to memorialise our day. Mathew and Rachana, two of the Sovann Komar kids, copied the SKOPE logo onto it!

Are you picturing the day in your head? You don’t have to! I’ve made a video about it so just click here and enjoy 3 minutes of One Republic whilst you watch adorable children in Kampong Thom.

Everyone fell asleep on the journey home, unsurprisingly. After I’d finished the book I’d brought to pass the time, I sat there contemplating the day. I’d been planning this trip for months and had organised everything. I got the feeling some of the staff at Sovann Komar were a little pessimistic about how the day would pan out as a result but, even if I do say so myself, it all went perfectly. Everyone knew what they were doing, everyone knew when and where they were going, and everyone was able to relax and enjoy their time knowing the logistics had all been taken care of. Without sounding too big headed, I felt an immense sense of satisfaction at how well my first day trip project for SKOPE turned out.

I felt something else too. A realisation. People always ask me when I’ll be leaving Cambodia and what I’m going to do next. I’ve become very good at avoiding giving a straight answer and that’s because I truly didn’t have one. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, where my life was going, what was coming next. Here I am at 25, with a Masters by Research, and no idea of where life is going to take me after this school year ends. But now I know.

I want to go into the charity sector. I want to work in this field, make a different, feel the way I did on Tuesday. I’ve never been driven by money when it comes to my job, hence I’m working at an NGO rather than an international school where my salary would double. I’ve always said I’d rather be poor and morally content than rich and depressed about my job. There might not be much money in charity work (at least, there shouldn’t be), but that is the arena to which I want to devote my life. I’m sure it will take time and when I return to the UK (yes, I’ll be returning), I will be starting on the lowest rungs of the ladder. But my experience with SKOPE is invaluable and I hope it will enable me to get a position in an organisation which is truly doing good and with a far wider reach and impact than I could ever have on my own in Cambodia.

So all that is left to say is thank you to everyone who has supported me so far, whether that be through donations to SKOPE or support of my wanderings and aimlessness in life. Specifically I would like to thank my parents who will be reading about my new life choice just as you are because I haven’t actually told them about it yet … I hope this is something you’re happy about Mum and Dad!

SKOPE is still working, of course. Our next project will be in Kampot where we will be donating classroom supplies such as posters, flashcards, props for teaching vocabulary words (animals, fruit, vegetables etc.), and dictionaries. If you would like to support this, we have one week left of our Crowdfunder website so please click here to donate today. Thank you.

Waving books!

My bracelet made an appearance, naturally

More handing out photos

A rare candid photo of me where I don’t look awful! Laughing with Arun and Samreth

Children waiting. Photo credit to Sok Chomrean

More waiting. Photo credit to Sok Chomreun

A happy little girl

Packing the hula hoops safely away

Such a beautiful smile

Cycling home

Farmer Sam

Anton, Colin, Jack and Lionel go wandering into the fields

Pensive Sam

Colin

Mathew

Anton relaxing

Lionel watching the other draw

Sak supports all of SKOPE’s projects!

An Idea for an Adventure, Backfiring

Ever had an idea you thought was great but then quickly realised it was a huge mistake that is now jeopardising five friendships? Yeah, me too. I first visited South East Asia nine years ago and life here is becoming increasingly easy for travellers in many ways. Principally, the transport. As the tourist industry booms, more locals work within this economy, learning to speak English and offering convenient and fast modes of transport. For example, on our way to Koh Chang (read about my adventures in Thailand here), we booked a minibus for the entire through a travel agent. Simple!

Too simple.

Here comes my genius idea. For the way back to Phnom Penh from Thailand, why not just set off without any pre-booking? Why not wing it? Take a chance? Travel like people did in the past, using initiative, finding their own way, seeing what happens. It would certainly be much more fun than waiting at the Cambodian-Thai border for five hours until the main bus departs back to the city. I proposed this adventure to my fellow travellers – Anna, Rachel, Hallie, Jo, and Alisa. Hallie’s response was simply “Why?”. Rachel pointed out that it was Khmer New Year and therefore we were taking a gamble on there being transportation services running without any pre-booking. The others didn’t quite understand what the point of the idea was but seemed to be vaguely on board.

In fact everyone was vaguely on board when we met up at 7:00am on the main road on Koh Chang to wait for a taxi. And wait. And wait. Hmmmm. Maybe we should start walking to the busier part of the island, about one kilometre away. With all our luggage. We arrived at the taxi rank at about 7:30am where a man asked us “you want taxi?”. Yes, shockingly we do, what an astute observation. “Taxi start at 8am”. Huh. Ok, well I guess we’ll wait then. Good job the ferries to the mainland depart hourly. We were joined by two Scandinavian girls who had booked transportation which had failed to show up. Immediately I tried to justify to my already slightly pissed off travel companions that there was no advantage to booking something if the companies are unreliable. They were unconvinced. At this point, I think everyone needed a coffee … and food. The taxi arrived! The first leg of the journey was underway. We reached the ferry port! First leg complete. Ferry tickets bought. Ferry boarded. Ferry launched! Second leg underway and look how happy we all were:

Happy ferry passengers: Rachel, Anna, Hallie, Alisa, and Jo

Ferry landed! Second leg complete! As we disembarked, we were asked by several Thai men where we wanted to go – the Cambodian border. “OK 50 baht each”. That’s about £1/$1.60. Wow! Cheap for a 90 minute bus journey. Awesome! Taxi boarded and set off. Third leg underway. The drive was not as long as anticipated but long enough for Hallie to fall asleep …

Napping Hallie – I even got permission before posting this because I am that nice!

We arrived at a bus station in the nearest town, not the Cambodian border. Ah, now the cost makes more sense. Still, third leg complete. As soon as we climbed off the back of our jeep taxi, we were approached by yet more helpful Thai transport men. “Cambodian border? 120 baht each” That’s £2.40/$4. Ideal. Actually it turned out the driver of this mini van was the same, grumpy guy who had picked us up from the border six days prior. There wasn’t a flicker of recognition. We were joined at this point by a young Khmer man, Lee Heng, and a Thai mother and daughter. About 45 minutes into this forth leg, the daughter got car sick. When the van was stationary, they clambered down and headed for the roadside. The driver drove off! Note to self, if you’re suffering from motion sickness, do not leave the vehicle unless you want to be abandoned!

We finally arrived at the Cambodian-Thai border crossing at Koh Kong. 11:30am. Fourth leg complete! Ah we were back on home soil where I could speak the language and explain what we wanted and barter and generally understand what was happening … in theory. We ate lunch and our new best friend Lee Heng went to buy some cheap clothes. Then we crossed back into Cambodia. Anna and Jo had to buy new visas but the rest of us moved through very quickly. We were home. Now for the easy bit, or so I had assumed. We were approached by various men offering us transport to Phnom Penh. 1000 baht each for a minivan. I’m sorry what? £20/$32 each, in a currency we are no longer carrying? I don’t think so. Armed with Khmer speaking Lee Heng, who happened to be an English teacher so acted as our go between when my Khmer couldn’t stretch, we headed off to barter with the inevitable endless stream of van drivers a little way away. Walking confidently off, we faltered a little as we noticed that there were far fewer vans waiting on the roadside as there had been the previous weekend. Well there were vans like this one, full of Durian – a fruit so smelly it’s banned from many public places in South East Asia.

Durian van anyone?

So our ability to barter and haggle had been severely lessened by the distinct lack of available vans. The guys from the border followed us, insisting they had the only van available. Lee Heng made some calls to companies and after a while announced that he could get us back to Phnom Penh for $120 for everyone … in a Toyota Camry. Erm, sorry Lee Heng but how exactly are seven people, plus seven bags, and three water pistols going to fit in a Camry? Nope, not going to happen. Eventually we got the original van down to $150. Overpriced but we were effectively stranded so we conceeded. The van would be with us in 15 minutes. At this point it was about 1pm, six hours into our “adventure”. We waited. And waited. 2pm.

Rachel napping at the border

2:30pm. Our group was joined by lone British traveller, Mark. It was hot.

Entertaining each other at the border with gangsta poses

Ok this is getting ridiculous. Anna, Rachel and I went to find the guys from earlier. “Yes yes, the van is coming, wait a bit more, wait a bit more”.

At this point I snapped. In Khmer I told these men: “No, we have all got to work in Phnom Penh tomorrow. We need to leave now. We have already waited for one year. Shit, one hour, we have waited for one hour.” What a time to get two units of time mixed up. They laughed, which didn’t help the growing annoyance. So we walked off, unwilling to give so much money to men who were inherently unhelpful.

Then, one of the men said, gesturing at a van to his left – “This is the van, it is here”.

“So why are we waiting then” I asked, exasperated, sweaty, and thirsty (I’d stopped drinking due to the lack of toilets at the border).

“We wait for two people from Thailand”.

“No, we booked this as a private minivan, we’re not waiting for anyone else”.

“Yes, we wait a little longer”.

“OK thanks, bye. You just lost $150 worth of business there mate, well done!”

We walked away from the border crossing and towards a fantastically tacky and out of place casino up the road hoping to get a ride into the city where vans would be more numerous. At the casino some tuk tuk drivers waved us over. They could get us a van … Hmmmm, could they? At this point I’d lost all faith in the ability of Cambodians to organise everything. My companions had lost all faith in my plan for a fun adventure. There was nothing fun about being stranded, dusty, sweaty, and tired on the side of the road. The men from earlier tried to follow us and get us to wait a bit longer. We were disinterested. Then Lee Heng flagged down a battered minivan. Two thirds of the van was filled with coconuts, but the other third? Of course eight people could fit in, for $7.50 each! Honestly, I was game. As was Jo. The others did not see the appeal in being wedged into a rusted van with stacks of coconuts balanced in behind us. Fair enough. Lee Heng had had enough of travelling with white people. He departed with the year’s supply of coconuts. I still kind of regret not seeing what would have happened had I gone too …

Suddenly, another Khmer man appeared – “I can get you a van, $150”. Really? This again? Yeah ok fine, just get it here!!! Less than 5 minutes later, the van arrived. OK so it wasn’t that luxurious – no AC, the floor was missing in places, one seat had no back. But it was here, it was leaving right now, and it was going to Phnom Penh! We climbed in and settled down, too tired and exasperated to do much else. I spoke to our saviour, asking him for a lower price since the van was, well, shit. He agreed and knocked off a whole $10. I couldn’t be bothered to argue. Fifth and final leg underway. 3:15pm. The journey back was smooth enough. The open windows kept us cool and the countryside we were driving through was stunning. Tensions lessened as we sped back towards our homes, relieved not to be spending a night in Koh Kong or on the side of a road somewhere. Chatting, napping, and a record three hour stint of the name game with Rachel and Anna “Brad Pitt – Patrick Swayzee – Stana Katic –  Kate Winslet …” and we were back in our beloved Phnom Penh. I have never been so happy to be back in the stifling April heat of the city.

8:30pm. Home. We made it! My idea hadn’t gone as smoothly as anticipated by any means, but at least we were alive. And we got back in time to run to Angkor Mart to stock up on food since all the restaurants were shut for Khmer New Year. Have I leant my lesson? To be honest, I’d do it again. Only I’d make sure that it was not during a major festival, and I would probably do it alone, or with one friend. It’s not worth risking annoying that many people with a frivolous adventure. Their friendships are worth more than a good blog entry. Luckily for me, I have both.