There are 2 big cities in Cambodia, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. We flew to Siem Reap to see the ancient Buddhist and Hindu temples in the Angkor Wat complex. It was cool from a historical point of view but major league touristy. Honestly after a few days in Siem Reap we'd had enough (although they do have a really cool night market). Everybody has the same sales pitch which gets annoying after a while.
Interesting fact about Cambodia, in the big cities U.S. dollars are used more than the local Cambodian riel. Even the cash machines dispense dollars! I don't know how they managed to pull that one off - I mean they can't print dollars so how do they fill cash machines with them? It's a sly technique as it allows them to charge way above the odds to tourists without raising too many eyebrows - I mean 2 dollars for a drink doesn't sound bad - but when you consider that in nearby Malaysia which has a much stronger economy you can pick up a nice drink for 20-40p, it makes me think somethings fishy....
The hostel guys in Siem Reap were shocked when we asked them how to get to Baray (a village between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh) - 'why do you want to go there, no one speaks English there?' But alas, we had a craving for a more authentic experience and knew of a nice sounding homestay project that we thought was worth checking out. We didn't have any real expectations - didn't know how long we were staying, what we would do there. Phalem gave us a really warm reception with her GINORMOUS smile! She is the asisstant manager of the project here - the only NGO in this region. Www.khmerhomestaybaray.com. They work to provide basic facilities for the poor local villagers - education, water (building wells), medical care. Anyone who comes can join in and you get to see real Khmer culture while you're at it. Score!
The day after we arrived there was a free clinic running for local villagers to attend. We went to see what was going on, the head doctor speedily set up a couple of tables for us, handed us notepads, arranged translators and had us examining patients with him in no time! Luckily Mandeep asked me to pack my pocket ophthalmoscope on the off chance and she had packed her blood pressure stuff for the jungle clinic. I ended up busting out about 8 eye exams and Mandeep dropped about 15 consultations. Makes me think, Vision Aid Overseas takes a year and a load of cash to organise, I just rock up at an NGO with a pocket ophthalmoscope and off I go... with a little more effort I could get a few pre-glazed specs together and do a better job. The villagers were very greatful, despite how unprepared we were!
That same afternoon Phalem arranged for us to go to a local village school. We merrily arrived in our tuktuk (like a rikshaw). Teera - the teacher started his lesson with a really catchy song (ask Mandeep to sing it to you), then he called us to the front of his class of 60 kids, all ages and abilities. The kids gave a hearty chorus of a hello, after which Teera asked us to teach them some spelling..... yep, just like that... Fortunately quick thinking Mandeep was on form. She came up with a few spelling games, we split the kids into groups and off we went. It's gotta be said, those little legends value education. They know it can break the cycle of poverty so even a class of 60 is well behaved and manageable. We had a lot of fun with the kids and it was really inspirational meeting Teera. They are blessed to have such a caring and charismatic teacher. He teaches from his home, which has become an open house for all children from surrounding villages. Few can afford the nominal fee he charges but he never turns a student away. Their education comes before his wage - what a rare and beautiful quality that is. Some of his children are victims of rape, some 12 year old boys are addicted to drugs, but everyone has a place in his school and you can see just how nourishing an environment it is.
Tomorrow we're going to help build a toilet..! It is a serious problem here that there is nowhere hygenic for the villagers to relieve themselves during rainy season as the whole village becomes a swamp - that's why the houses are built on stilts. This leads to serious women's health issues which they are often too embarrassed to share. Something as simple as a toilet in a clean environment can prevent this. Watch this space....
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