Bits and pieces

We've observed and expeirenced so many interesting (and banal) things since we arrived two weeks ago , we thought we'd share some with you.

Julia's Little Bunker

We bought bicycles and it has turned out to be a great mode of transportation in this city. It's pretty flat and easy to navigate. And, YES! we bought helmets as well, although they only had Large sizes, so Julia looks like she has a nuclear war shelter on her head (picture forthcoming). Seriously, the helmet is about twice the size of her head.

Koan Kla and Oom Barang

Two new Khmer phrases that we've learned recently. Koan Kla, the name of the orange office kitten at Chab Dai, is Khmer for Baby Tiger. I pronounce the word Kla as Claw, giving it a Double Entendre, if you will. Oom Barang is my new nickname I received from the EFC CC office staff. Literally, it translates as Uncle Foreigner. 

Expecting?

In Cambodia, when you've been married for as long as we have (yes, just over a year), it is normal to already have a child, or at the very least be preggers. And, if you're not, it's usually assumed that it's the husband's fault. You know what I'm talking about. So when my coworker asked how long I'd been married, and found out we aren't expecting, he proceeded to laugh heartily at my inability to... well, gitter done. 

Driving

If you are worried about us being in foreign parts, don't read this next bit! Driving here is nuts! People pretty much just do what they want, depending on their size. Cars drive forward and honk, motos swerve around each other, especially at intersections because there are no stop signs and about 3 sets of traffic lights in the whole city. Bicycles are pretty much at the bottom of the food chain, and you really don't want to be a pedestrian! If you want to cross the street, you don't wait for someone to stop for you, you just walk across the street and people will swerve around you. If you are on the wrong side of the road, you just drive against traffic until you get the chance to merge into the correct traffic lane. Nutso!

We promise to take more pictures soon! Thanks for keeping up with us!

Angkor Temples

We were fortunate to arrive in Cambodia just in time for the Chab Dai staff retreat in Siem Reap, where the ancient Angkor Temples are. We had a great time getting to know the people we’ll be working with in the next six months. They were very warm, although not all of them speak English, so we’ll have to “brush up” our Khmer as fast as possible. The temples are huge and the detail on them is amazingly intricate. A wonder of the world they are indeed! The size of the temples (and they are massive) highlights the fact that every inch of every wall is covered with details and carvings. Cambodia was once the most powerful kingdom in the region, and these temples testify to the grandeur and magnificence of that empire. If nothing else, this experience has inspired us to learn new adjectives for “big” and “beautiful”!

Here are some of our favourite pictures from our time in Siem Reap.

Banteay Srei: A temple believed to have been built by women, partly because of its intricate detail, even in comparison to the detail on other temples. It was the first temple we visited and it took our breath away.




Ta Phrom: Nature was purposefully left free-reign over this temple, and this ancient relationship is overwhelming and beautiful. This was our favourite.




Bayon: Also a very famous temple, each “steeple” has four sides, with a face carved into each side. Astounding to walk through, although a little intimidating, with a huge stone face around every corner!



Angkor Wat: The main temple, and most known throughout the world. “Just gigantic”, is all Charlie can say. We were there near dusk, and it was so quiet and peaceful inside the temple, a good end to the day.

The Killing Fields

We arrived in Cambodia last Sunday, and one of our first initiations was to visit the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields on Monday afternoon. It's difficult for me to put this experience into words. It was very emotional and disturbing, but a needed and important thing to do.
For one thing, the museum is actually set up in the school-turned-prison where over 10,000 people (not counting at least 2,000 children) were detained, tortured, and killed. Blood stains cover the floors of rooms that boast only a metal bed frame and various instruments of torture.
The Cambodian genocide is one of the most documented acts of violence ever recorded. The Khmer Rouge kept detailed records and pictures of every prisoner to come to Toul Sleng, as well as the types of torture they used, even photographing their dead prisoners before putting them in mass graves.
Although I might return to the museum, I'm pretty sure I won't be going back to the Killing Fields memorial. There was something disturbing about being there; mass graves recently excavated, a memorial filled many stories high with skulls, watching another visitor unearth a bone on t he pathway. To be in such a place was very humbling and I felt I had no right to be there.

The first few days

Hello! We're here in Cambodia!
We arrived safely in Phnom Penh on Sunday morning after 38 hours of travelling. It's been a very interesting couple of days. It feels like its been a whirlwind of sights, sounds and tastes. We're still recovering from jet lag, but I'll give my first impressions of Phnom Penh before I go catch up on some much needed sleep.

The City.
After travelling through Shanghai and Bangkok, the city of Phnom Penh, population around 1 million, seems decidedly smaller. Although there is the hustle and bustle that one would expect of any large city, there is much less traffiic and people than I had expected. The city seems fairly clean, but there is still the occasional smell of garbage, and piles of trash can be seen on the roadside every now and then. Compared to a Canadian city, it's pretty dirty, but compared to Donetsk or Cap Haitien, I think that it holds its own pretty well. The city is fairly easy to navigate, being built on the french grid system, and we are already finding our way to and from some key destinations. There is lots to look at in the city, in between the small shops set up all along the roadside, and the gorgeous temples that we seem to pass by every now and then. Phnom Penh feels like a city that is on the move, there is always something happening. So far I am quite enjoying it.

No pictures to show yet, but we are heading for the Angkor Temples on Wednesday, so there should be some nice eye candy for you after that.

Good night all, enjoy your day!
Charlie.