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January 1st 2012

Published: January 1st 2012

Friendship with Cambodia Study Tour

Field notes for 19 Nov.- 3 Dec., 2011 by guide Donald Lyon

(Siem Reap-Phnom Penh-Kampot-Phnom Penh)

Nov. 19: Kate Miner (Singapore) arrived last night at 7:30 with her new Lumix GH2 by Panasonic. We examined her camera and made appropriate settings. We are staying at Jasmine Lodge—one of the guesthouses listed in Friendship with Cambodia’s (FWC) Responsible Travel Guide: Cambodia. Your humble correspondent (Don Lyon of Brownsville, Oregon, aka YHC) had arranged with our Tuk Tuk driver, Sam Boehm, to meet us at 6AM. We drove straight to the Bayon, the heart of Angkor Thom to begin our tuition in the fine art of photography, starting with some overviews including reflections in the pools of water. The light was fairly dull, especially for any subjects with sky in the composition. Perfect for the bas- reliefs along the Bayon’s walls. Soon golden light was illuminating the great stone block faces crowning the “mountain peaks” of the Bayon so we climbed to the upper terrace before the crowds that would be coming and looked for areas where there would be some contrast and nice light on the faces which we juxtaposed with one in focus, one out (selective focus—large aperture, manual focus) and hyperfocal settings to have as much as possible in focus. 1.5 hours at the Bayon then we walked along the Elephant Terrace discussing angles of light and their effect. The Bapuon is the structure in the background. More and more people were arriving so back to the South Gate of Angkor Thom, with it’s commanding heads on top of the Seven Headed Elephants drinking up lotus blossoms—so much rich story-telling detail here. The bridge over the moat is decorated with great stone figures (smiling gods on the west side and stern demons on the east). They are pulling, one side one way, the other side the other way on a large snake wrapped around the earth so that the earth turns like a butter churn. With 1000 years of effort they are able to make the Elixir of Immortality (cf “Churning of the Ocean of Milk”). This was the place for studies in storytelling composition—how to get all the right elements into the picture and leave out the others, such as elephants ambling by with buses and tuk tuks. Now it was time for breakfast at café stall #34 where Sam Boehm met us. Brand new flushing toilets here now!! At Preah Khan we walked in the west entrance with another Churning Milk motif but this one had been stripped of its heads. The Garuda in the wall is here. We walked around the south side for some atmospheric junglely scenes with stone temples a la Indiana Jones. Then walked through the ruins to the center of the large temple complex. Ten years ago this area was still heavily mined. Only a dead battery for Kate brought us back to the current century and a return to the Jasmine Lodge from 1:15 to 3pm. At 3 we drove by the Polanka Monastery to see if YHC’s friend, Bunthouen would join us for our visit to Ta Prohm. Sam Bouen’s tuk tuk had a flat tire enroute so we walked and talked for two kilometer’s to the ruins while he went to have it repaired. Lot’s of people here and most wanted to have Bunthouen pose for them—not his favorite activity especially as they did not acknowlege him as a human being—just a colorful object.

Bunthouen knew all the best places though and posed stoically for us until it was time to close. After taking him back to his monastery, Kate and YHC met Susan Igdaloff at her guesthouse. She joined us for dinner at Le Grand Cafe, upstairs at the old Indo-Chine era house. We explored the new night market across the river before going our separate ways.

November 20: Out at 5:30 AM, picked up Bunthouen and drove to the South Gate, then Bayon where Bunthouen turned out to have some great ideas for poses and shots. We walked over to the Elephant Terrace then to Café #34 for some breakfast—museli for the westerners and noodle soup for the two Khmer. On to Preah Khan again where we worked the carved stone windows and a series of doorways. At 10:00 we returned to Siem Reap so Kate could meet her two boys flying in from Singapore. YHC spent the afternoon visiting the hotel and the restaurants that the full Friendship with Cambodia study tour will visit. The reunited Miner family and YHC had dinner at The Khmer Kitchen. Kate treated us all to a massage by Mr. Fish—100’s of small fish nibbling the dead skin from our feet. They did a great job leaving YHC’s feet as soft and pink as a baby. Ice cream at Blue Pumpkin was as good as gelato in Italy—try the Durian flavor.

November 21: Kate and YHC went out at 5:30 AM to Angkor Wat. Perhaps a thousand tourists were there, peering at the eastern sky for first glimpse of the sun rising over the temple “peaks”. The complex is laid out not just as a model of the Cosmos, fit for Celestial habitation, but also as an astrological observatory to detect the solstices and equinoxes. We had the Eastern walls to ourselves to admire and record the beautiful bas-reliefs here of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. This early light was very nice for interior and roof top scenes. In the afternoon Kate and son’s Will (12) and Jon (10) went on a long day trip to Kbal Spean and Phnom Kulen—31 kms away. They also explored by Quadratrak and lived to tell of it. Meanwhile YHC, Susan and the others were arriving and transferring to the simple elegance of Soria Moria Hotel--also listed in FWC’s Responsible Travel Guide. The Soria Moria is a Norwegian NGO that hires and trains disadvantaged Khmers, urges them to get college degrees in Tourism. They also are environmentally green, support a local orphanage and prohibit sex trafficking at the hotel—a model for other hotels. David and Ruth Poole had arrived from Charlottesville, VA . With YHC they dined at Le Grand Café. Into the evening our FWC guests continued to arrive, Sandi Langdon from Traverse City, MI and Betty Minor from Corvallis, Oregon (Kate’s mother). Now we were eight plus YHC.

November 22: We met at 8:30 for our orientation to the FWC study tour. YHC had a large map of Indo China from the Viet Nam War so we could see how Cambodia fell into the Viet Nam (or American) War as it is called here. Cheab Phanith, who would be our guide arrived right on schedule. He introduced himself and we each introduced ourselves and told why we had chosen this trip. We would learn to pronounce Phanith’s name as Pa-Nith and learn to appreciate his great stories growing up as a farm boy as well as his historical knowledge and patience. YHC collected cash from participants for tips for restaurants, hotels, drivers, and guides. We practiced speaking Khmer—Jum Reep Sua? And the ever popular Aw Koon. We met Chun, our Siem Reap driver and our 25 seat Hyundai coach. We made a quick tour of Siem Reap which had grown from 100,000 to one million over the past decade as tourism to the ruins of Angkor had grown. We saw the main wholesale market that began at 2AM and runs ‘til midnight everyday. Everywhere vendors sold snails cooked in their shell by the sun—lot’s of chili pepper. At 10:30 we stopped at Wat Damnak hoping to receive a blessing by the Abbott but all the monks were involved in saying prayers for a man recently deceased. His family and widow, all in white, with shaved heads, welcomed us to the ceremony, which could last for several days. We planned to come back for that most important blessing for travelers so used the rest of the morning to visit Wat Thmei. An ossuary here displayed the skulls and bones of perhaps a 1000 victims of the Khmer Rouge genocide—people who had been killed and buried in mass graves across the street, where new apartment houses now stood. It was a sobering sight, a monument to man’s potential for cruelty. At noon we arrived at Sala Bai (means school of rice) Hotel School where each year 100 disadvantaged youth, epecially women, learn cooking and other restaurant/hotel skills taught by French chefs (French NGO). Our meal was banana blossom chicken salad, fish amok and rice dumplings that were worthy of a picture or two. The Duty Manager explained the program and answered our questions. Free time from 1:45-3PM then to Angkor Children’s Hospital where Oma was our guide to the medical facility begun by Japanese photographer Kenro Izu in 1996 after visiting the temples of Angkor and seeing the people with such a need for medical care. We saw the wards where parents could wait with sick children and where family prepared meals for themselves and their sick children. There was a teaching garden where staff encouraged the parents to grow a healthy variety of foodstuffs. The dental clinic was quite up to date. A dentist from Philadelphia was volunteering a month of her services. Certainly we saw a great need for dental care during our 13 days in Cambodia. Back to Wat Damnak where we met with two monks, one a venerable 90+ year old. They chanted, tied red blessing threads on our right wrists and sprinkled water on us to safeguard our travels (note: 30 days later YHC is still wearing his). The funeral was still in progress. Out to the Angkor Archeological Park to purchase our passes for Wednesday and Thursday. Dinner tonight was at our hotel Soria Moria at 6:30. It was Ladies night on the Roof Top bar with wine coolers and pedicures performed by the manager—all for free. Betty went wild with the eggplant purple polish. The hotel had included free drink coupons for the Rooftop Bar when we checked in—so most found their way up to the roof at some point.

November 23: Breakfast at 6:30 then 7:30 departure for Angkor Thom. We picked up YHC’s monk friends Bunthouen and Chantha from their monastery and headed out to the site of the 11-13^th C. imperial cities that are the glory of Cambodia. Phanith and YHC talked a bit about early history. We stopped at the South Gate to Angkor Thom to walk through the imposing “big head” gate, sharing space with the caparisoned elephants. Bunthouen and Chantha posed along side the stone heads—we could see the similarity in facial types. From 8:30-9:30 Phanith told the stories of the bas-reliefs. We saw the everyday family scenes of the common people as well as the epic and victorious battles of the Khmers over the Siamese, Chams (So. Viet Nam and Burmese. Cambodia had been a vassal state of Indonesia and adopted much of its culture from Java. At 9:30 all boarded elephants, two by two, for a circumnavigation of the Bayon with YHC recording the scene from solid ground so that his monk friends could ride their first elephant, too. Phanith led us past the Elephant Terrace to the Leper King’s Terrace and the crematorium. We gave a vote of approval to the new toilets here and then drove back to Wat Polanka to deliver Bunthouen and Chanta. Out to Paul deBrule Hotel School for an incredible lunch and tour of the facilities. One hundred students graduate each year. Each dish was delicious but also beautiful. The beef lok lac was flavored with a green pepper corn sauce. From 1:30 to 3 pm at leisure at Soria Moria. Three pm came too soon. We drove to the east or rear entrance to Angkor Wat and walked through the entrance gate to the north side where we had a good view of the symmetry of the structure. Phanith explain the stories of the bas-reliefs on the north side. The group photo with each person behind the pillar was here. Then to the east wall to hear and see the Churning of the Ocean of Milk story. Other groups had the same idea. Then we climbed up to the second level, and almost everyone climbed to the third level. The afternoon was quite overcast-- cooler but maybe more humid. Phanith explain that the two buildings on either side of the causeway that were described in early guidebooks as libraries, have been shown to be temples of the sacred fire. We had a short break at the hotel; time for a shower, then at 6:30 had the best seats in the house for the Krousar Thmey cultural performance. The meal here at La Noria Restaurant was a taste sampler of three appetizers and three entrees with mango ice cream for dessert. Krousar Thmey encourages street kids to leave street life and join a family unit that KT funds. They receive a good education and learn the traditional culture too. The shadow puppets and the cultural dances were all performed by KT orphans. Many of the dancers were deaf so their teacher signed the cues.

November 24 – Thanksgiving. Seven-thirty am departure from the hotel. Picked up Bunthouen and Chanta at their wat and sped on our way to Banteay Srey which means “citadel of the women” because it is small and delicate with exquisite carvings over the lintels. Phanith explained about rice cultivation as we drove – three-month rice was easy to grow but six-month rice tasted better. We had one and a half hours at the temple area-- not enough to see everything plus the new display boards and the shops. Phanith described the history and explained the stories behind the carvings. Then we stopped at Aki Ra’s land mine museum and saw the video and looked around the museum (cf National Geographic for January 2012 article on Cambodian mines). Toddy palm trees grow here. Phanith showed us the palm flower and how it was bruised to release its (14 %!s(MISSING)ugar) sap collected in bamboo tubes and boiled into jaggery. We saw how the palm toddy collector climbed the tree with his knife, flower scissors and tubes. We bought crafts to thank them for their kindness. We arrived at the Peace Café after saying goodbye to Bunthouen and Chantha. Peace Café produced a very tasty lunch. 1.5 hours at leisure at the hotel. At 3 pm we drove to Ta Prohm monastery site where the rainforest had almost crushed the monastery in its tentacles. We talked to a group of musicians who were all victims of land mines –one had stepped on a mine, another was blinded and lost an arm clearing mines. YHC purchased two CDs of traditional music to support them. Phanith explained the history and showed us all the best places where the tree rootes were like giant squid strangling the temple. We had a bit of light left at 5:15 pm , long enough to stop at 10th C. Prasat Kravan, an early Hindu temple (Prasant=temple, and Kravan = cardomon). It was made of brick while most of the area ruins are of stone. The large bas-reliefs inside were of Vishnu, his Avatars and his consort, Lakshimi. Short break at the hotel then 6:30 dinner at La Café, an adjunct of the Paul deBrule tourism school. Pleasant atmosphere but not up to the same standards as the school. Back to the hotel by 8 pm.

November 25 – Tonle Sap and silk weaving. A great day – very busy. Out at 7:30 to drive to Tonle Sap – we were on the lake cruising the floating village before most of the tourists. We arrived at the floating restaurant before any boats so we could see the crocodiles and catfish and other displays in peace. Fewer and fewer beggars so perhaps the “no money” policy is working. Back on dry land we stopped at the Gecko Environmental Center for the display of lake ecology but this center has lost funding and has deteriorated. Our donation will feed the family who are the caretakers here. We visited the floating elementary school and met the first graders who live on the lake. Many of these kids used to be begging or selling soft drinks to the tourists. We stopped too at one of the rest houses where local people come to fish, relax in hammocks and eat their catch. Phanith and Jon tried fishing but no luck. We stopped at a basket shop to see the different types of utilitarian baskets such as for fishing, winnowing rice, keeping rosters, etc. On to Pub Street and Singing Tree Café, upstairs where it was cool and quiet. Springs rolls, green curry soup, chicken with cashews --very good. The group was in favor of skipping the siesta and heading straight to the silk farm. Our guide showed us the whole process from breeding silkworms to weaving the silk. Absolutely beautiful ikat weaving both single and double—the pattern is dyed into the threads before weaving!! Our guide said $150 per month was the minimum and good weavers earned $300 per month. They also had maternity leave and other benefits not enjoyed by most Cambodians. In Siem Reap we next visited the wood and stone carving section of Artisans d’ Angkor (same NGO as the silk weaving. Many of the silk painting artist, carvers, etc, were mute. They received instruction and were paid by the piece – from $50 to $150 per month. By 5:15 we were back at Soria Moria making plans for dinner. Sandy met her daughter-in-law for dinner. Most tuk-tuked over to Pub Street to enjoy the nightlife, get a pedicure from Dr. Fish, a Durian ice cream cone from Blue Pumpkin or do some shopping. Nice to take a break from our slave-driving tour leader.

November 26--Siem Reap to Phnom Penh: Nicolas, the Norwegian intern and Sokin, the Cambodian manager, talked a bit about the Soria Moria story, providing training and a secure living for staff as well as supporting local NGOs and projects. Then at 7:30 we picked up our lunch at Common Grounds and we were off for the seven hour drive to Phnom Penh. We arrived about 5:30 but we made many stops. Three monks were on their morning rounds. We asked for a blessing for our trip and offered alms. One village specialized in sticky rice because they had the bamboo to cook it in. We tasted and bought. Another village made pounded rice, which was a snack like muesli—often cooked with banana and palm sugar. A foot operated pounder was used. We arrived at our lunch stop—KMG, about 11 am and enjoyed our sandwiches on the deck overlooking an arm of the Tonle Sap. Turns out we did not need to bring our lunch – great facilities and clean. After a short break in the hammocks we hit the road stopping at the stone carving village where very mediocre sculptures being produced. YHC did find a nice soapstone apsara or celestial goddess. Next stop was at some lotus ponds to try out the pea like seeds—they taste like soy beans. We also stopped at a roadside café where tarantulas fried or alive were offered – crickets too! The woman with baby and empty milk bottle looking pathetic was one of the scams we try to discourage—she pretended she couldn’t produce milk and her baby was hungry but she had rented the baby who was probably the fattest and biggest baby in Cambodia. Storm blew in and it rained for 20 minutes then a beautiful afternoon before we hit rush hour in Phnom Penh. Finally found Frangipani Fine Arts Hotel, very modern and chic . Sita was there to fill Betty’s extra suitcase with crafts for resale in the US and she relieved YHC of the huge suitcase of FWC’s Responsible Travel books he was delivering. Dinner at Java Cafe was everything but Khmer –-lasagna, fajitas, etc. –- all delicious.

November 27 – Breakfast at our hotel starts at 6:30 am – cooked to order eggs. Departure at 7:30 for city orientation. Then arrived at Royal Palace at 9 am. Panna was our guide. Pictures were allowed outside but not inside. It was interesting to see the reverence that local people had for the old kings though most Cambodian’s we talked to had little respect for Sihanouk or his son the present monarch and much less for the one who was expected to succeed. Tuol Sleng was a nearby high school turned torture chamber under the Khmer Rouge—called S-21 (21 provinces) where KR cadre suspected of some disloyalty were forced to confess, then killed during the genocide of 1975-79. It is impossible not to be profoundly affected by a visit here. Phanith, especially, struggled with the question of “why (this madness could happened). Across the street from the locked main gate is the Bodhi Tree Restaurant where we had lunch. Group wanted 30 minutes for shopping at Cha and Village Works, two fair trade craft shops. Back to the hotel for 75 minute break. At 3 pm we picked up Sok Heng waiting in front of the Chinese Embassy to direct us to the office and study center for SADP—Southeast Asian Development Program. Our driver Lek took Kate and kids to the airport to return to Singapore—their one-week vacation from school and work was over, we’ll miss them. At SADP the sponsored students, many with FWC scholarships, receive help adjusting to big city student life as most are from the remote countryside. Here their funds are distributed, tutoring and special classes, as well as a place to study, are provided. We met with about 30 students all with FWC sponsors and also Kosal, the director (cf Soul Survivor by Bhavia Wagner). Kosal introduced herself and the program (operations.sadp@online.com.kh). We introduced ourselves and the students all introduced themselves—good opportunities to speak English for them and for us to learn about the difficulties facing poor rural students. Most were children of farmers and were the first in their families to finish high school. When they had finished high school and wanted to attend college FWC took on the task of finding sponsors--$1500 per year for a college student—room, board and tuition. Many wanted to be teachers, work for an NGO or otherwise give back to their communities. All undertook community support programs at home, too, like tutoring younger students. We broke up into groups of 5-6 students per member of the FWC team. Kolsal made sure at least one in each group had very good English skills and then everybody had a good time asking questions and answering about life, work, hopes and dreams. Susan asked each student what changes they wanted to see in Cambodia and got very candid responses—more jobs, less corruption and freedom of speech. Ruth asked each student what one thing they would show her, a stranger, in Phnom Penh—S-21 (Tuol Sleng) was the answer. It was very gratifying to see how engaged all were but after 30 minutes YHC had to break up the fun—but then it was time for pictures and we/they took a lot. (Please email medium size files to any student’s you have emails for and/or to Kosal, mentioning the FWC visit). We stayed an extra half hour—hard to leave. FWC raised $96,000 for SADP last year. Back at the Frangipani Fine Arts for 40 minutes to freshen up. Betty showered in YHC’s room in preparation her departure after dinner. At 6:30 we drove the short distance to Friend’s Restaurant. This old house is very busy with young men and women, former street kids, all learning and teaching food preparation, food service and the other skills such as languages to prosper in the booming tourist economy. The food all had Asian themes if not Cambodian and was delicious—but seeing the friendly excited students mastering their craft was certainly the highlight. From 8:30pm at Friend’s Stuff—the shop next door selling unique items like Tote bags made from water hyacinth fiber to necklaces made from colorful bits of recycled packaging material. Now it was time to say “good by” to Betty who was flying home tonight with an extra suitcase full of crafts for FWC to sell at our events. FWC buys $11,000 worth of crafts from sheltered workshops, thereby providing full time employment for over 20 people per year. The craft sales profits are then returned to Cambodia to fund projects and provide scholarships—“Aw koon, Betty”.

November 28: Panha from Cambodian Women’s Crisis Center joined us at 8AM to show us the way to the home and workshop for abused and trafficked women and their young children. She explained on the bus and then gave a PowerPoint presentation at the Center. Sister Helen from Maryknoll Catholic order joined us. She has been working here for seven years while Panha had been here about a year. Together they were founts of information. We were encouraged to photograph but images are not to be placed on the internet. FWC raised $15,000 for them last year. We stayed until 10:15—they were so gracious. Residents learn commercial sewing and related crafts. Seeing the women looking after the children in the nursery was particularly satisfying. Rehab Crafts was our next stop. The wood carver who had lost his legs to a land mine was carving turtles to fulfill a FWC order. Some craftspeople here had lost the use of their legs through polio, which is still quite common here. Our guide, the director Sophan , had been shot in the leg at age 3 resulting in a withered and stiff leg. The bookkeeper had lost both arms at the elbows but held his pencil in his two stumps. Several of the seamstresses had polio. Great variety of crafts of good quality here. At noon we drove to Le Rits—the restaurant part of NYEMO—also serving battered and trafficked women—here trained as cooks and staff. The calamari and shrimp coconut soup was delicious. Desert was Ladyfinger bananas, hairy rambutan and longans—new flavors for most of us. Back at the hotel for 20 minutes then we had three tuk tuks at our disposal for the five of us to explore. Everyone started out at the Russian Market where all manner of manufactured goods from tools to refrigerators and handicrafts were sold by individual vendors within the block-sized structure. Coffee houses and antique stores are nearby. Other stops planned according to taste were the hilltop Wat Phnom where the city originated—a pleasant park popular with Cambodians and tourists alike. The Foreign Correspondents Club, or FCC, is where war correspondents lived and hammered out their news reports before the collapse of Lon Nol regime in 1975 and the beginning of the Khmer Rouge rule (cf film The Killing Fields). An exhibit of B&W prints showing the effects of landmines and the work of the de-miners was hanging on the walls. It is a pleasant place to sip an Angkor, watch the sun setting over the Tonle Sap River where it joins the Mekong and reflect upon the incredible transitions that the Cambodian people have gone through in the past 40 years. There were a few stubble-bearded young men with cigarette ash drifting onto their laptops to give the place character. David and Ruth went to the Choeung Ek Killing Field site outside of Phnom Penh where victims of S-21 torture killings were buried. A new visitor center there is now open with detailed historical information provided—quite an improvement in just two years. They highly recommend it for future FWC groups.

November 29 Phnom Penh to Kampot: Sok Heng (SADP) and Phalla (Paula) (DKA) joined us at 8AM at the hotel for the trip south to Kampot. Heng is Kosal’s assistant, working with the rural students in universities in the capital while Phalla is part of the team locating deserving students in the countryside around Kampot. The first task is to purchase a soccer ball and a volleyball to present to the kids at Krousar Thmey (New Family) school and drop in center for street kids on the edge of town. We meet the Area director and director of the shelter (Mr. Sok Phanna) who talked about how the project was organized and the techniques for helping street kids (usually children whose parents were abusive or had died. Social workers scoured the streets looking especially for new arrivals not yet addicted to sniffing glue or other drugs. Some kids here were drop-ins looking for food, clean clothes and a bath while others were living here before being placed in a home setting with 7-8 other kids and two “parents” who looked after them. KT had houses scattered around Cambodia so that the kids were growing up in as normal a setting as was possible. We met a classroom full of bright, engaged and spirited kids. Just a few new arrivals showed signs of trauma and abuse through their wary eyes but most were eager to get the most from this new opportunity that Krousar Thmey offered. Now, a bit behind schedule we and thousands of others headed out of town. New “flyovers” were being constructed all around us to alleviate the traffic congestion of the last few years. We stopped at a new filling station for restrooms and snacks and chatted with the attendant. Then at 12:45 we stopped at an open-air restaurant where Heng and Phalla could order lunch while we ate our packed lunches from Java Cafe. Two farmers came in with wild honeycombs for sale. Phanith bought one for us to taste along with a few small Asian bees and the larvae for extra protein. We bought our drinks from the café to “pay” for the table and restroom use. Continuing south on Route 3 (now a fast and paved road) we stopped for rice paddies with mountain backdrops and typical houses—on stilts. Rice harvesting was going on. Two ox carts loaded with pottery house wares like baking pans, water jugs and cups were parked beside the road while four oxen grazed and the two drivers bathed and washed their clothes. They came from a pottery village south of Tonle Sap and made month long loops around the country several times a year to sell their goods—this route took 20 days and covered 300 kms. It was one of the traditional life styles YHC had hoped to share with the group—they won’t be around much longer as Cambodia’s infrastructure and economy improve at a rapid rate. We stopped for the 10’ Durian (and other fruits) made of pottery decorating a new roundabout on the edge of Kampot. In a few minutes we were at Little Garden Guest House, arriving at 3PM. We met at 4PM in the shade of the café to discuss rural poverty, it’s causes and the solutions advocated by SADP and DKA. Phalla (DKA) explained and answered our questions while Heng translated. We talked until 5:45 with lots of questions and answers which can be summed up with “empower women”. When women have more decision making power then family nutrition, health and education become priorities. “Educate a woman and she is more likely to use her skills to help her community while men are more likely to migrate to a better paying job leaving their community unimproved.” Our dinner tonight was here at Little Garden—a tasty fish amok and a shrimp salad fresh from the river in front of us. We settle into our large comfortable rooms with air conditioning. Good idea to keep flashlight handy as the electrical grid has their occasional brownout.

November 30—Kampot Provence: YHC had mentioned that Kampot peppercorns were the best in the world so most are keen to scout out a good price at Psar Leu the main produce market. Prices had doubled to $10 a kilo in the last two years. Still a bargain—as were the mandarin oranges. Market was hopping by 6:30 AM—nice to explore in the relative cool. At 8:30 we left to drive the road towards Silhanoukville, west of Kampot. Beautiful drive crossing estuaries and mangrove forests and fishing villages. It was a 40 minute drive to the fishing village of Chams (Muslim). The women’s self help group here was the first started by the young American Peter Swift fresh out of Dartmouth. Now there are two savings groups in this village and the women travel to other villages to advise how others can create their own banks, loan money for fishing nets, to build boats, buy pigs to raise, etc with out incurring the usual 100%!i(MISSING)nterest rates moneylenders charge. All enjoyed this visit—the women of two very different cultures looked each other in the eye and decided they liked each other. Sandi was a particular favorite as she was the same height and her white hair showed that she was the matriarch of her community. They admired her healthy vitality, too. We could have stayed and asked more questions about the savings groups, birth control, government corruption, etc but they also wanted to show us their oyster mushroom growing business. Quite a number of 20’ fishing boats were under construction by the men since the harbor was being dredged destroying the local scoop net fishing by men wading in the shallow bay. It was a very interesting morning getting closer to people we would otherwise never meet. Lunch was at Ta Ouv —build over the river. Seafood was the specialty. We each ordered a plate and shared. YHC chose octopus served in a green peppercorn sauce. Crab in tamarind sauce was another local specialty. Susan and Sandi had engaged a tuk tuk to take them to Kep, an emerging beach resort west of Kampot, and also to a pepper plantation for an informative tour. Two breakdowns added to the excitement of travel off the beaten track. By 5:30 we all were reunited for our “sunset cruise.” Lek drove us to the bay where fishing boats were moored. These were the same 20’ craft being constructed in the village we had visited. They were powered by small Chinese diesel engines. One boat accommodated the five of us plus Heng, Phalla and Pranith. The night was clear and full of stars. We motored out to see how the other boats were laying out net or crab traps. Closer to shore, men with headlamps and big butterfly like nets pushed in front of them as they walked through chest deep water to catch crustaceans and small fish (which were usually dried for fish paste. At one point we cut the engine and just drifted for 15 minutes talking about the stars and the constellations that the Cambodians have named. A very relaxing evening. By 8pm we were at Rickitikitavi Restaurant—named after Kipling’s Mongoose. An elaborate menu had been planned but we were all relieved to just choose one dish from the menu. Relaxing at this beautiful tree house like aerie near the river was all we wanted to do at this point. The young waitresses were fascinated by Sandi who is the same size as they are and has snow-white hair. The rest of us apparently look like giant big-nosed ogres to the 5’ Cambodians but they have been too polite to say so.

December 1—Around Kampot: Out at 8:30 to visit four students from the area who were sponsored by FWC donors. We visited first the home of Yet Hel—17 year old girl in pink sweatshirt (grade 12). Her father’s fishing livelihood had been destroyed by the illegal dredging of the bay so he worked as a day laborer. Her younger brother sprung up a palm tree to cut down some cocoanuts for us to drink the fresh cool juice. With her mother and grandmother, too, the five lived in a tiny two room shack. The Grandmother told us that her other children had died of over work and lack of food during the Khmer Rouge period. Susan had put together a slide show of life in the US. Family and neighbors lined up to see scenes of New York and New England fishing villages. Another young man here, Pum Channa, was a sponsored University student home from school in Phnom Penh. He was well spoken but we all wanted to take up a collection so he could have a broken front tooth fixed—such a small expense for us that would give him more confidence to address the world. He had lost a foot to a land mine as a child, too. A ride on the neighbor’s oxcart had been in the offing but the oxen seemed to think we were giant ogres, too. A short distance down the road we went to Naion Siev Mey’s family compound—four houses together with a bit of land devoted to vegetables including wild celery which would be their lunch. She lived with her grandmother so she could attend school (grade 11). They grew rice, had fish ponds and some fruit trees. More fresh coconuts—go easy on these guys. Mey demonstrated how they hauled water from their well. Another young man met us here—Phem Kop (grade 12). He too was a sponsored student. We had a 30-40 minute drive back to town, then 30 minutes at Little Garden before lunch at the popular Epic Arts Café where a series of Moroccan dishes had been prepared—cous cous tabouleh, tatzikhi, and eggplant spring rolls—innovative and delicious. All the staff were hearing impaired including the manager, a young woman deaf from birth but who could speak. Ronise Barreras was from Los Angeles and was so pleased to be able to work with deaf people in Cambodia and show them that they too could make a good living and not be dismissed as disabled. She had been here several years with no plans to return to the states—it was clear that she had found her life’s work. After lunch Susan and Phanith visited the Healthy Baby clinic across the street of our hotel in hopes of meeting with the director but in the end Susan (a pediatrician) had an informative conversation with an English speaking midwife. At 4pm we gathered for a short city tour to see some of the old Indochine-era architecture and to try to reach the salt-works on the Westside of the river. We drove west to a fishing village where the evening light was golden and the kid’s curious. Playing marbles, rolling their bicycle rim loops and hanging out on the bridge. As the sun set we captured the fiery ball. Thirty minutes at the hotel then to an Aussie-owned Italian inspired restaurant with wood fired pizza oven. Mea Culpa was pleasant but we are all feeling the effects of too much very good food. We found some crackers for Sandi and Ruth took her a pot of tea as she had skipped lunch and dinner today. The Mea Culpa was a quiet place, though, where we had a chance to share our memorable experiences of the trip. For Susan it was meeting the rural students in their own environment. Ruth mentioned S-21 while David talked about how he and millions of other Americans had avoided learning about the Khmer Rouge period—it was just too horrific coming on the coattails of the Viet Nam war which had been hard enough to think about at a time when protesters were vilified and “my country, right or wrong” was the thinking until the very end of the war when the tide abruptly turned. We talked about how the Viet Nam war, aka “The American War” in SE Asia was “sold” to the American public with fake intelligence about the Gulf of Tonkin attacks and the wishes of the Viet-Namese people. It was a good wrap-up to our experiences. All received “Evaluation” forms to complete—then to bed. Sandi later said that meeting the Women’s Self-help group and the rural students who were so kind was most significant.

December 2 Kampot to Phnom Penh: Departure at 8AM. We cruised back on Highway #3 with just a bathroom stop. Cutting through back roads near the old landfill we came to the Lotus Blanc Training Center and restaurant. They sent a motorbike team to guide us. Ms. Sok Horn, a university student and graduate of the Lotus Blanc Institute was our very excellent guide. The program was begun by a French couple who had seen the great numbers of children who were rag pickers at the dump a decade earlier and began to offer meals and other services at the dump, eventually building the large school, dormitory and training facility we were now in. Mothers of the students here were learning skills such as sewing, too. We visited the Physical Therapy rooms and the Infirmary. The kids were very friendly and full of big smiles. At the bakery wonderful breads and pastries were being prepared by students and their instructor who turned out to be a graduate student from San Francisco State University Culinary School—and we had been asking her questions in French! Our lunch was a once weekly buffet (Fridays) prepared by the students—oo la la! The Frangipani 90’s was our hotel for this last night. Large comfortable rooms. We had about an hour to check in and freshen up before visiting the National Museum at 3PM. Our guide was full of information--some of which we understood-- about the earliest civilizations of Cambodia—not just Angkor. The maps and descriptions were very helpful. We had some time to explore the art galleries and shops near the museum. Phanith’s bus back to Siem Reap was earlier than expected so with our blessings and good wishes he left us here at 5PM. Our ever smiling driver Lek returned us to the hotel and at 6:30 we all drove to Romdeg—the Friends Training Restaurant specializing in Cambodian food—sure enough crispy spiced fried tarantulas were on the menu though most ordered other dishes—such as braised seafood in lemongrass broth. We ordered one ginger-passion fruit-coconut ice cream and five spoons—just right. Lek picked up the tab and we were back at the Frangipani 90’s before 9pm. Earlier, Sandi and the Pooles had offered to bring a suitcase of crafts home for FWC and those cases were brought by Sita of SADP to the hotel. Thanks all for your support—it keeps overhead down and the money flowing back to worthwhile projects in Cambodia.

December 3—Onward: Breakfast served to order—a guy could get used to this. We’ll miss the companionship of our fellow travelers but the great experiences that we’ve had with the Cambodian people will only continue to grow in our minds and hearts. Susan left at 10AM. After checking out of our rooms we had the day for additional explorations. YHC walked, others rested and read. Four of us tuk tuked down to the art gallery area, enjoyed a light lunch then saw Sandi off at 3pm. David Ruth and YHC visited the Foreign Correspondent’s Club to get a better look at the exhibit of B&W photos of the de-mining effort. At 9PM Lek took us to the airport for the Korean Air flight to Seoul and home for the Pooles but the beginning of a new adventure in Korea for YHC.

See National Geographic for January 2012 for article on Cambodia’s efforts to deal with mines. Tour member Susan Igdaloff’s blog contains additional details--a search for “Susan Igdaloff’s Travels” should connect you. Our guide in Cambodia--Cheab Phanith Phanith is listed on Trip Advisor. Search for Cambodia Tour Services, Private Tours and make a comment. For guide services around the world, contact Donald Lyon, Close-Up Expeditions at 352 Kirk AV, Brownsville, OR 97327. Tel: 541 466 5969, email don@cuephoto.com or visit www.cuephoto.com

Cambodia for a good cause

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