Jenny's Birthday Party
1 Israeli, 4 English, 1 Belgian, & 2 Americans
We have had a piece of home in Lao. Vang Vieng is divided by a river with most of the town concentrated on one side. On the opposite shore green farmlands stretch from water to steep hills, nearly twice the size of the Texas Hill Country, but too small to be considered mountains. Cows and water buffalo spot the landscape and Bermuda grass fills in the gaps.
Over the past week we have joined up with a rather large travel group who seemed to have arrived just in time for Jenny's birthday. Nearly everyone of them had picked up a little something to give the birthday girl, making it sweetly reminiscent of childhood birthday parties. And to top it all off... a chocolate birthday cake!
The past few days have been spent walking through the countryside, tubing down the guadalupe's asian parallel, swinging on rope swings, and exploring some of the many caves that I am convinced make up an entire underground labrinth. One of the caves was seemingly just as large as Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.
Over the past week we have joined up with a rather large travel group who seemed to have arrived just in time for Jenny's birthday. Nearly everyone of them had picked up a little something to give the birthday girl, making it sweetly reminiscent of childhood birthday parties. And to top it all off... a chocolate birthday cake!
The past few days have been spent walking through the countryside, tubing down the guadalupe's asian parallel, swinging on rope swings, and exploring some of the many caves that I am convinced make up an entire underground labrinth. One of the caves was seemingly just as large as Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.
Volunteer Opportunities in Cambodia
For any travellers who might have stumbled onto this blog sight, Cambodia is a great country to donate time and energy. If you are planning on seeing Angkor Wat or any of the temples around Siem Reap consider stopping in at Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital to donate blood or make a money contribution. Beat Richner, a Swiss doctor, has founded three FREE hospitals (the other two are in Phnom Phen) in Cambodia to help provide health care to the needy. On Saturday nights Richner puts on a cello concert to raise awareness. His music is lovely and the briefings in between are quite informative.
If you are headed to Phnom Phen I highly recommend The Lighthouse Orphanage. Presently I do not have directions but I will try to edit this entry just as soon as I do, in the meantime, ask around. Some of the owners of guesthouses know where it is. Some stuff that would be appreciated: fresh fruit, rice, soap, school supplies.... really anything you can think of. These kids have very little but are all sweet, loving, and really just want a big hug. You can expect to be received by open arms. We spent an afternoon there just playing with kids, but you could easily spend all day if you have the time.
If you are headed to Phnom Phen I highly recommend The Lighthouse Orphanage. Presently I do not have directions but I will try to edit this entry just as soon as I do, in the meantime, ask around. Some of the owners of guesthouses know where it is. Some stuff that would be appreciated: fresh fruit, rice, soap, school supplies.... really anything you can think of. These kids have very little but are all sweet, loving, and really just want a big hug. You can expect to be received by open arms. We spent an afternoon there just playing with kids, but you could easily spend all day if you have the time.
The Ubiquitous Baguette
They're everywhere. Clearly attributable to the French occupation. If you order toast, you're bound to receive a baguette.
"The Road through Cambodia" or "A Brief Introduction to Cambodia"
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The road from the Thai border to Siem Reap is red dirt, and if you're going 180 kilometers, it may take 6 1/2- 7 hours in a bus with a broken AC (it is VERY hot in Cambodia right now). And in a bus full of 21 backpackers you may hear some groans mixed with a bit of laughter and one Englishman in the back may announce, "That's 30 km an hour," after doing the math in his sweaty head. And if you're really lucky you may pass a naked two year old riding "bareback" behind his sister on an oversized bicycle.
Past wooden houses built on stilts with people gathering underneath to escape the sun, children smile and play on the side of the street with their backs turned to the road so the red dust can't interrupt their game. Jenny and I are cautious where we put our feet since we are seated at the front, near the engine, and consequentially the insidiously heating metal floors.
We go bumping across a minefield spotted country, currently in the middle of a dry, red-cracked-earth-drought. Children splash around in puddles left in river beds, where green moss lingers as the only proof of a distant rainy season. In the evening men bathe their sons by spooning bowl full after bowl full from a metal pump. Women lower buckets into wells and at the tourist stops (aside the bumpy dirt roads) children who speak four languages run up to greet guests with smiles, and frowns when newcomers refuse to purchase their postcards or bracelets. A smile or slight tickle tend to dissolve the lugubrious glances from faces that struggle to maintain their stern appeal. One child knows Japanese, English, Thai, and Khmer (the Cambodian language).
"All of them have learned this in the past five years," explains our college-aged guide (an English literature student at the univeristy in Siem Reap-- his favorite historical American figure is Abraham Lincoln). Before that no tourists came on this road because the road "was dangerous (and plagued by) bandits." The only danger now seems to be the potholes, but we are on a road. Hidden landmines dot the countryside, mostly left over from the Khmer regime, but some from US cluster bombs planted after the Vietnam War (to stop northern vietnamese from escaping). "Now the Vietnamese enter as they please," continues our guide, "Even though WE can't leave the country. And our government doesn't care. They don't do anything." But throughout his serious explanations and discussion of genocide and repressive regimes, he smiles and jokes.
Cows seem to roam unhearded with bamboo bells around their necks and washboard ribs sticking out on either side. Apparently a new tourism has emerged in Cambodia where people (and supposedly this is especially popular with male Texans) can go to a bar-shooting range. Yup, an AK-47 and a cold one. For 100 US dollars you can blow up a cow with a rocket launcher and later, the death is dismissed as a mine explosion.
Past wooden houses built on stilts with people gathering underneath to escape the sun, children smile and play on the side of the street with their backs turned to the road so the red dust can't interrupt their game. Jenny and I are cautious where we put our feet since we are seated at the front, near the engine, and consequentially the insidiously heating metal floors.
We go bumping across a minefield spotted country, currently in the middle of a dry, red-cracked-earth-drought. Children splash around in puddles left in river beds, where green moss lingers as the only proof of a distant rainy season. In the evening men bathe their sons by spooning bowl full after bowl full from a metal pump. Women lower buckets into wells and at the tourist stops (aside the bumpy dirt roads) children who speak four languages run up to greet guests with smiles, and frowns when newcomers refuse to purchase their postcards or bracelets. A smile or slight tickle tend to dissolve the lugubrious glances from faces that struggle to maintain their stern appeal. One child knows Japanese, English, Thai, and Khmer (the Cambodian language).
"All of them have learned this in the past five years," explains our college-aged guide (an English literature student at the univeristy in Siem Reap-- his favorite historical American figure is Abraham Lincoln). Before that no tourists came on this road because the road "was dangerous (and plagued by) bandits." The only danger now seems to be the potholes, but we are on a road. Hidden landmines dot the countryside, mostly left over from the Khmer regime, but some from US cluster bombs planted after the Vietnam War (to stop northern vietnamese from escaping). "Now the Vietnamese enter as they please," continues our guide, "Even though WE can't leave the country. And our government doesn't care. They don't do anything." But throughout his serious explanations and discussion of genocide and repressive regimes, he smiles and jokes.
Cows seem to roam unhearded with bamboo bells around their necks and washboard ribs sticking out on either side. Apparently a new tourism has emerged in Cambodia where people (and supposedly this is especially popular with male Texans) can go to a bar-shooting range. Yup, an AK-47 and a cold one. For 100 US dollars you can blow up a cow with a rocket launcher and later, the death is dismissed as a mine explosion.
On the Road to Cambodia
We finally had to leave Phi Phi in the name of a visa run (it is amazing we have almost been here 30 days!). Two days ago we boarded a ferry and began our trek north, straight into a storm building over the ocean. For the first time temperatures dropped below 80 degrees. The ocean grew choppy and lightning was striking all around, making an incredibly dramatic backdrop for our departure.
After a 14 hour night bus ride from Krabi, we pulled into the soggy capital this morning. The monsoon season has arrived and it has been raining non-stop in Bangkok. It is nice to see the once crowded streets clear and with fewer tourists we managed to bag a cheap room with windows (as opposed to the cubicle we resided in before). This morning we worked out the logistics for our visas and are now planning to head to Cambodia in the next couple of days. While we aren't sure how long we'll be there, we would like to visit Angkor Wat and possibly even check out a national park in the northeast, all of this tentative, of course. After Cambodia we are planning on heading north through Loas (which has an incredible reputation amongst travellers) and then on over to northern Thailand. I'm not sure what to expect from internet resources in these countries, but will do my best to keep in touch.
After a 14 hour night bus ride from Krabi, we pulled into the soggy capital this morning. The monsoon season has arrived and it has been raining non-stop in Bangkok. It is nice to see the once crowded streets clear and with fewer tourists we managed to bag a cheap room with windows (as opposed to the cubicle we resided in before). This morning we worked out the logistics for our visas and are now planning to head to Cambodia in the next couple of days. While we aren't sure how long we'll be there, we would like to visit Angkor Wat and possibly even check out a national park in the northeast, all of this tentative, of course. After Cambodia we are planning on heading north through Loas (which has an incredible reputation amongst travellers) and then on over to northern Thailand. I'm not sure what to expect from internet resources in these countries, but will do my best to keep in touch.
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This is after the cleanup. A lot has been accomplished, but there is still so much more to do. Some areas have yet to even be touched by a cleanup crew.
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This is one of the restaurants we helped paint. It is now open and serves a delightful penang curry... :)
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