Homestay in a farming village

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On Monday we went to a farming village that was one hour and a half on a moto outside from Phnom Penh. On our way there we went to a Pagoda that is really important for all the Cambodian buddhists, everybody has to come here once in their life. For me it looked like all the other temples. When we arrived in the village we had lunch at the family were we were staying. After that there was some time to relax, so I went around the village. The people there were really not used to see westeners, they all shouted Barang at me, which means westener. The kids were staring at me and some of the smaller ones were really afraid of me. Again some people invited me to sit with them. And again the only thing I understood was that they want my skin and my nose! After that we went to a rice field where I could help the locals to plant rice. I was trying hard not to fall down in this muddy water. They were really fast in planting the rice, I just tried to keep a straight line. I think I was more the drunken rice planter. The locals were really nice, always asking if my back hurts because of planting rice. After that we drove round this place, we saw the market and the school and everything. Sython (the project leader) had one of the pregnant eggs, which is a delicacy from Cambodia. He always tried to offer me one, but I don't have to experience this! But he showed me where the wings are, the head and everything else he would find. I am not so sure if I wanted to see it!

In the evening we went to bed when it was dark. So everybody went to the room upstairs, where there was a straw mat and a mosquito net for everybody. In the morning (or in the middle of the night) we woke up by the sound of the cock. But I stayed in "bed" till the sun was out. We had breakfast in a local restaurant, which was noodle soup with a lot of meat inside, that you have to eat with chop sticks. That's not so easy in the morning! Then it was another relaxed day, watching locals work on rice fields.

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