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Published: July 13th 2014
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Cambodia is so hot at the moment. The monsoon is threatening with a reprieve. The Khmer people perservere in wearing jeans, long sleeves & hats. I realize they are not as affected by the heat as we sweaty Westerners. But I also know, like most Asians, they are protecting their skin from its darkening rays. Unlike us who grill ourselves brown for the desirable 'I've just been on holidays' tan.
The young girl in the photo was having a skin bleaching treatment. She was prepared to sit for 2 hrs wrapped in solution & cling-wrap and part out with 2 weeks wages, to acquire a paler skin. Im not convinced that it works anymore than l am convinced that anti-wrinkle crèmes work. And lm horrified at what the long term affects might be. Meanwhile Westerners are applying bronzing lotion.
In our culture, a tanned skin is a status symbol, a sign that we have the time & money to loll around. Where in Asian culture, a tanned skin means you are a labourer, someone forced to work out in the sun. So it's a reversed status symbol. In fact, milky white skin was prized in Western culture until the Industrial revolution. But once the masses became pale from labouring in factories, white skin lost its glean. And eventually a suntan,the obvious sign of holidaying by the sea, became the status symbol of the wealthy.
Meanwhile it is wonderful to be back in Cambodia, especially Siem Reap. It's an easy & likeable. Prices are so cheap. Four of us treated ourselves out for dinner to an authentic Khmer restaurant, the Golden Temple. We were greetd with chilled hand towels & attentive service. We all enjoyed a 'more than ample' Khmer style meal, a couple of cold beers each, complimentary nuts & coffee, and the bill between us was about $16.
I have been visiting Cambodia for nearly ten years. Each time l return to Siem Reap it feels like it has doubled in size. The main attraction of course are the Temples of Angkor and more than a million people pass through the temples every year. What an amazing legacy was left to the people of Cambodia. Tourism has provided some welcome employment for a struggling economy after the military regime of Pol Pot. I was surprised to know that there are criminal trials are still in process in Phnom Penh, in an attempt to finally try & convict some of the generals of the regime for crimes against humanity. Some of them still hold positions of power and with all the corruption & lies, the Cambodian people do not believe there will ever be any justice.
I enjoy coming back here to visit Jimmy's Village school. Jimmy is an exceptional young Khmer man who teaches English for free, to possibly about 100 Cambodian kids. It's an after school class, there are 3 clsses every night. The children attend from Mon to Fri, and then Sat is fun day. Jimmy's mum does a big cook up of noodles & the desks are pushed aside and the singing & dancing begins. Not ony traditional Khmer music but also K-pop & American pop. The children have become quite confident in themselves & their conversational English. Jimmy encourages anyone visiting Siem Reap to please come along & help teach the children English. Even for just 1hr. Jimmy's English is excellent but not perfect.
The children love to hear about where tourists are from and what their life is like, what their favourite food is, ect. It's an amazing opportunity to share some time with these enthusiastic children who have already spent the day at school, helped their parents with chores and then walked into town, willingly, for the chance to attend an English class. Jimmy explains to them that English is the torch that will lead them out of poverty. I guarantee anyone would be impressed & enjoy an unforgettable experience. It's a win/win!
MY favourite guesthouse is difficult to remember (only joking) It's The Siem Reap Hostel. Extremely well managed & maintained by Australian/Khmer owners who understand just what a backpaker is looking for. There's a cool pool which is a welcome luxury after a hard day at the temples. The pool is near the bar & Happy Hpur is fro 5-8pm serving 50c beers & $1.50 cocktails!! There is now a comfy cinema showing interesting documentaries about Angkor as well as popular & new relese movies. And of course there is the mandatory 'Tomb Raider.'
Great atmosphere, great people, costs from $7 pn. Female dorm S9. And as always I am meeting the most amazingly interesting women who are volunteering here. Absolutely inspirational & compassionate and as well as a bunch of fun!
There's lots to do in Cambodia as well there's lots to be done.
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