Advertisement
Published: October 2nd 2007
Edit Blog Post
Well Guys,We left HCMC and a short 40 min flight later we were in Phnom Penh in Cambodia. The difference in the two countries was apparent from the outset. Cambodia appeared a much poorer country, with very dusty roads and off course a lot less maniac traffic. We stayed at Rorys guest house which was fairly central. The dollar certainly counts here. everything seems to be "one dollar sir" We hired a tuk tuk for the day to take us to Tuol Sleng Prison S21 and the killing fields. I wont go into too much detail of either here other than to say it was a sobering experience to witness the barbaric and senseless regime under the khmer rouge and Pol Pot. On a lighter note that evening we fell in with a few Irish guys on their world travels and ended up having a very entertaining night indeed.So the next day we decided on something a little more uplifting. We hired the same tuk tuk for the day and headed off for the orphanage. We stopped of first at a local supermarket to get some supplies. The tuk tuk drivers face when we came out of the shop weighed down
Tuol Sleng
Former Khmer Rouge S21 Prison with all the bags was priceless. But he helped us get it loaded on the the tuk tuk and we were off. Now we werent sure what to expect from the orphanage. The photos we have seen on here and other sites showed your stereotypical orphanage with nice buildings and play area for the kids. So when we drove into the local shanty town an eyebrow was raised. But we were in the right place. Security gates, white washed walls and grass area were replaced with tin huts, mud floors and high rise buildings all around. We turned down a little alleyway and were meet with smiling faces running frantically towards the tuk tuk. Within a whisker all the bags were emptied from the back and and on their way to the living area without as much as a look inside a bag. Some of the best mannered kids to encounter. We were invited inside by the girl who seemed to be in charge with about 10 kids hanging off each arm and leg. "Where you from sir! what your name sir! how many brothers and sisters sir!" We were shown around the very basic conditions in the orphanage. They
had a living area, sleeping quarters, a medical area and a school area. Everybody here from the people who worked here to the kids who lived here seemed very happy and content. We asked about buying some rice and were taken to a nearby market where we bought a large bag for $30. So back to the orphanage and we handed out some of the sweets and crisps to the kids. The look on their little faces was amazing to see. We stayed untill the afternoon and played some games with them. We brought footballs and a few other things that they could play in a group. The learning materials that we brought were all carefully stored away for use in their school. The kids were amazed to see their faces on the digital camera and of course we were only too happy to oblige. They put on a little dance show for our benefit which was hilarious to watch. Some of the older kids were a bit more cautious of us but once you involved them in a game the Mr /Mrs cool exterior soon disappeared.We made a donation to the orphanage from ourselves an Ted which was greatly
appreciated. So with the same entourage that we were greeted with we left again. The girl at the orphanage who showed us around earlier had asked up to email some photos to here so she could give to the kids. We decided we could do one better and set off to find a photo shop to get the pics developed.
We hired a moped to take us to collect the photos and bring us back to the orphanage. It was absolutely bucketing down when we left. The moped drived assured us he knew where the orphanage was. What should have turned out t o be a 5 min drive took 45mins. We had to give him directions in the end up.... now picture the scene ... 2 drowned rats on the back of a moped at night driving around a city they dont know with a driver from the city who seems to know it less.. but we got there in the end about 7pm. The look on the kids faces when we landed back in made it all worth while. They really liked the photos of themselves. We stayed for about an hour with them and it was
time to go.. We would definately recommend this experience to anyone who may be in the area.. One thing we didnt think of bringing was basic medical supplies like bandages, plasters, antiseptic creams, mosquito nets etc....
So goodbye from Phnom Phen ..its off to Siem Reap next and the mighty temples.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.043s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 8; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0232s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
conor porter
non-member comment
Niall, its good to see Brenda hanging out with a Liverpool supporter!