Blogs from Siem Reap, North, Cambodia, Asia - page 211

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Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap February 2nd 2006

Off alone to my classes. Claudette almost chipper but still couldn't face the dust and fumes of the tuk tuk rides to the schools. It was tearful for me to say goodbye to my students. I enjoyed their entusiasm and motivation to learn. I wish them well. I am not sure that they understood that I will not be returning. I almost wish I could stay longer and help these orphans secure a life for themselves. I have made a donation to dig a well in one of the outlying villages. My afternoon class was also tearful. These older students know that I am not returning and wished me good luck. They are very excited because their computers are being installed today and they were frequently glancing over at the other side of the room to ... read more
Temple Class
Gardener's Retreat
Neighbours

Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap February 2nd 2006

Feb 3, 2006 It's been a while since our last entry at Koh Chang, Thailand 泰国. Our plan is to go from Koh Chang to Trat, stay one night. Then go to Koh Kong, Cambodia, stay another night. Then take the morning ferry to Sihanouville, Cambodia. Then find transportation to Siem Reap. We left Koh Chang on Jan 27, 2006. We boarded a pickup songtaew on the main road (80B) to the ferry dock. The ferry took about 35 minutes and we arrived in Laem Ngop ferry dock. From the dock, we took a tuk-tuk (100B) to the next biggest town of Trat. In Trat, we found a guesthouse (200B, Residang Guesthouse) that has an ensuite bath. In Trat, we did a bit of shopping. Originally, we had planned to go to Koh Kong in Cambodia ... read more
Victory Gate at Angkor Thom

Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap February 1st 2006

Today I took pencils to class. It had grown so I didn't have enough so just gave pencils to those that didn't have one. The same guy as yesterday kept insisting that he get one even though he had a pen hiding under his paper. He is probably the smartest boy in the class and can follow directions and is eager for attention and praise. At the end of the class, I gave him a pencil for his efforts. We did the same games as yesterday. The kids are catching on and look forward to the Hockey-Pockey. I tired them out after an hour and a half. The teacher was not too pleased that class ended early. Already they were a bit upset as Claudette wasn't there to do grammer with the older kids. Yesterday she ... read more
Pool

Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap January 31st 2006

THe driver got the right place today. The kids were happy to see us. I had basically the same group as yesterday and a few more, including 2 litle 3 year old girls all dressed up in their school uniforms. They were a bit overwhelmed by my presence. Today I brought some blank paper and wax crayons for the kids. Some kids quickly folded their paper and put it in their plastic bag or backpack. One older fellow quickly hid his crayon and wanted another one. The oldest girl, about 10, gave some of her paper to a friend standing outside the classroom. I wanted them to draw images of themselves so we could learn body parts. Most of the kids would not take the iniative to complete the picture until I had put the facial ... read more

Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap January 30th 2006

Today was the first day of our volunteer work with our hosts, Journeys-Within. It started out poorly as we were taken to the wrong school. We ended up at a school for deaf/mutes. Neither of us felt comfortable enough to be of much assistance to them. The place we had committed ourselves to was further down the road. It is a Christian run orphanage where we were to teach English to the children. No evidence of crosses or that the kids are being brainwashed so we felt comfortable enough. We divided the kids into 2 groups. I took the under sevens and Claudette took the older ones. The later had a text book to work with. With my lot, I started out simple, with the Hokey-Pokey song to get them to learn parts of the body. ... read more

Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap January 29th 2006

Our host took us on a tour of the morning market. He was able to point out many of the exotic fruits and vegatables to us and took us around to the gold jewelry sellers. Some exquisite work. He also took us to another shopping district, this one more touristy with countless restaurants, bars and shops. Saw a place called the "Happy Herb Pizza". Hmmmm. I wonder what spices they use in their sauce. In the late afternoon we were taken out of town towards the Tonle Sap, one of the largest lakes in Asia. On the outskirts of the city we went through palm-shaded villages that use water wheels to pump water from the Siem Reap river into the rice fields. Further along the road, we started to encounter fishing villages, The road had narrowed ... read more
Cambodian House Boat
Row Housing on the River
River Traffic

Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap January 29th 2006

Hier soir, nous sommes allés à la foire de la soie. Cette foire, qui se tient une fois par an, réunit la plupart des artisans de la région, et il est possible d'y trouver des aubaines. Ce matin, nous allons au marché avec notre hote, Brandon. Il y a deux marchés : le premier est davantage un marché de fermiers, mais on y trouve aussi du poisson et des bijoux, surtout en or et en argent, avec quelques pierres semi-précieuses. Le deuxième renferme surtout de l'artisanat et des vetements. Au retour au gite, nous rencontrons la personne qui dirige l'orphelinat où Jim et moi ferons du bénévolat tous les matins de 8 h à 10 h, au cours des 4 prochains jours. Son anglais est aussi limité que mon kmer... mais heureusement, il y a quelqu'un ... read more

Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap January 28th 2006

Environ 70 kms séparent Siem Reap du temple de Beng Mealea envahi, lui aussi, par la jungle. La route est en très bon état, et elle traverse de beaux villages et paysages de campagne. Dans les régions que nous traversons, les gens montent des pièges pour attraper les grillons la nuit : ils tendent une grande feuille de plastique sur un cadre en bambou, fixent une ampoule électrique sur une des tiges de bambou et installent des contenants d'eau sur le sol; les grillons sont attirés par la lumière, glissent sur le plastique tendu et tombent dans l'eau où ils sont recueillis au matin par le paysan, qui les vend ensuite au marché. On me dit que c'est un mets très recherché en Thailande. Le temple de Beng Mealea a servi de camp aux Kmers Rouges ... read more

Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap January 26th 2006

Le matin, nous visitons Angkor Thom, un autre complexe de temples aux murs ornés. Bayon, avec ses 54 tours, chacune surmontée de 4 énormes tetes faisant face aux 4 points cardinaux qui affichent un sourire énigmatique et sont censées représenter le roi qui a fait construire le temple, comme s'il avait les yeux partout sur son royaume. Ensuite, la Terrasse du roi lépreux, puis la Terrasse des éléphants. Cet après-midi, à l'école, la classe est partagée en 2 groupes. Nous revoyons le texte d'hier sur la Thailande. Je réponds aux questions, corrige la prononciation, explique le sens de certains mots. Puis, c'est mon tour de poser des questions. Nous parlons de choses et d'autres : famille, valeurs, guerre, etc. Je ne sais pas qui bénéficie le plus du bénévolat, les jeunes ou moi... ... read more

Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap January 25th 2006

Nous visitons Angkor Wat. Je ne décris pas ce grand complexe de temples avec galeries ornées de bas-reliefs d'inspiration hindoue, car un tas de livres et de sites le font déjà. C'est très impressionnant et grandiose, en dépit du nombre de touristes. Nous avons un bon guide qui nous éclaire sur les légendes hindoues décrites sur les murs. L'après-midi, nous allons à l'école où nous ferons du bénévolat pendant quelques jours. Nous rencontrons les étudiants qui y viennent pour apprendre l'anglais ou parfaire leurs connaissances dans cette langue. Ces garcons et filles, agés de 13 à 30 ans, sont un peu timides au premier abord, mais avec un peu d'encouragement, ils commencent à parler. Le cours porte sur la Thailande. Jim est devant la classe. Il lit à haute voix, donne des explications, pose des questions. ... read more




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