Battambong!

HELLO EVERYONE! Soooo sorry that we have neglected the blog for so long; hopefully most of you are following. We just returned from Battambong and are preparing to leave for Thailand tomorrow so life has been hectic (by our relaxed Cambodian standards). 

Everyday at school has been great— we are so happy here!  We are really starting to bond with both the students and scholarship students. Every time one of the children calls out our actual name instead of just “teacher” we get so excited (though no one can actually say Sasha’s name).

So this past weekend we ended up going to Battambong! It was a super last minute decision but boy are we glad we went!

Since there were five of us (us two, other Sasha, Victoria, and Henry) we ended up taking a cab (just a regular car) instead of a bus. It was only $5 each but unfortunately sat only five so we had to squeeze the four girls in the back. It was definitely doable for the three hour journey strictly because there was air conditioning.. we don’t even want to imagine the pool we would have all be sitting in cramped in the backseat together without AC. 

Wicked blurry-- but the sky was gorgeous during the ride!

We left for Battambong on Friday afternoon and arrived at around 6:30 where we tried to check into the hostel Jeff recommended (Here Be Dragons) but when we got there they told us they had NO AVAILABILITY (classic). We booked a room for the next night and they were nice enough to call another cheap hostel around the corner where we ended up staying that night. The room was pretty standard— just four walls and about 7 bunk beds in a row. The one unique aspect was that each bed had a fan on either the ceiling or mattress above it. While this felt nice during the night, it was pretty terrifying knowing that if you sat up without being careful you’d get your face chopped off. *Don’t worry— we all made it out alive!

Right next door from our hostel a small, artist bar was having their “soft opening,” so we headed over there after settling in. The owner was a really young, cool Khmer guy who we chatted with for a while. We also met two “Khmericans” (Cambodian people raised in America) who were recently deported. They are now living in a country where they have no friends, family or savings and don’t speak any of the language. Despite our countries hostility toward them, however, they were both really friendly towards us. After sitting for a while we went to get some dinner and then hit they hay pretty early— we were all pooped!

The next morning we were picked up by a Here Be Dragon’s MAXI tuk tuk driver, Nakime. He took us to our new room where we could leave our stuff for the day and then ended up bringing us all around Battambong. We started with the Bamboo Train— Battambong’s biggest attraction. For a steep price of $5 each, we loaded onto a bamboo cart where we sat cross legged for our hour long ride through the beautiful jungle. It was a beautiful, blue skied day. So worth the money. When we got to the end there was a village and shops that we could explore, though we didn’t buy anything. 

As you can see, a lot of the area has been deforested, which is really sad, but they need the land for rice. 

After the Bamboo Train Nakime took us to a huge, beautiful temple. When we got out of the tuk tuk we say a building with glass windows stacked with skulls and other bones surrounded by stones that told stories of the genocide. Nakime explained that during the Khmer Rouge, the temple had been turned into a camp used for torture and murder. He talked for a while about the genocide and Cambodian history, then gave us time to read the stones. They were horrific. The pictures and words engraved literally made your stomach drop. Many described specifically ways in which innocent people were tortured— including de-finger nailing, making parents watch as their children were murdered, rape, water crimes, and more. After walking around and reading each stone, we went up the stairs to where the bones were showcased. I stayed for about 10 seconds, maybe not even. Just from glancing at most of the remains it was quite obvious how horribly so many of these people died. Stopping there was really hard, but so necessary to understand the country we are calling home for the next four months. 

Next we visited a fish paste “factory.” The smell was the first thing we noticed, partly because we could smell it from the tuk tuk five minutes down the road. When we got there, it was just a large, cement floor with a tent-like ceiling. Fish that had been imported from a Thai fish farm where covering the floor. Sprawled throughout the floor of fish where Cambodian woman squatting by a cutting board, each doing one job, whether it be cutting the heads off, gutting, etc. When we walked around the corner we got to see the actual paste. It was intense. Lets leave it at that. 

Fish paste

By that point it had started to pour, but that didn’t stop us from visiting a home that produced rice paper (the stuff spring rolls are wrapped in). Unfortunately, because of the rain they had to stop producing them for the day, but we learned all about the steps and got to see and try some of their product. It was really interesting.

For lunch we got dumplings (our first ones since arriving in Asia— SO SO good!) and fruit shakes (pineapple, dragon fruit, and passion fruit). Nothing really to say except everything was so delicious (as usual) and really cheap. 

By 3:30 we were on our way to the famous bat cave! As we approached we saw a huge cliff/mountain with a gold temple at the top. There was no way were were climbing that. To our pleasant surprise we didn’t have to! The bat cave was right at the entrance with a perfect view from ground level. However, we ended up still climbing up the steep road that swirled around the outside of the mountain. It was hell, but we made it. When we got to the top red faced and COVERED in sweat, the view was insane. We saw a ton of monkeys, too, which was icing on the cake:) 

View from halfway up!

The beginning of the walk up-- when we ignorantly thought it would be no problem!

Biggest monkey I have ever seen!

The camera doesn't do it half the justice it deserves.

We found the stairs for the walk down-- our legs were shaking hard by the time we reached the bottom!

We ended up having to rush back down to make it on time to see the bats flying out of the cave. They start at 5:10 every night and fly out in a compact, organized swarm for about 15 minutes straight. There were millions of them. It was such an incredible sight. As they flew out they looked like a path of dirt in the sky. It was awesome. 

When we got back to the hostile that night I freaked out to see that they were having a vegan barbecue! I haven’t been eating vegan since arriving in Siem Reap, but I was still really excited to try their food. I got veggie and tofu shishcabobs with a potato salad and Sasha got cauliflower steak. We were both really happy with our meals. We hung around in the cushion chairs and hammocks outside and chatted with an Aussie named Tahl who is living in Battambong for two months as well as a German kid who is also on a gap year! It was a really good time. 

Earlier that day I had asked Nakime what his favorite thing to do in Battambong was and he said the nightclubs, then recommended a place called Diamond. So after relaxing for a while, the five of us and Tahl walked across the river to the club. We walked into the freezing building to see what looked like a classic wedding reception. The music was all live— from violins to wrappers and the dance floor had a disko ball hanging above it. Everyone was dancing in a circle when we got there, and then when the music stopped the dance floor cleared as people went back to their tables for a rest. About five minutes later another song played, everyone got up to dance and then cleared again after the song finished. It was a really great night. Lots of laughs plus we learned some Khmer moves!

The next morning Nakime took us around again— we visited a temple, explored the beautiful country side and had more dumplings for lunch. The day was cut short by our 2:00 bus back to Siem Reap. 

Streets flooding from rain.

One of the sites I captured on our bus ride home!

Though our stay in Battambong was really short, we packed a lot of things in and left feeling satisfied with our visit. It was such a beautiful place— hopefully we can return once more before coming home in January!

When we arrived home to Siem Reap we went out for Indian food other Sasha and Victoria. Damn, it was good! I hated Indian food so much when I was younger, which has prevented me from trying it for a while. However, after that delicious experience I think we are going to start making it a more common assurance:) 

Since arriving home I have not been feeling well at all. I stayed home from JWOC today and slept, loaded up on emergenc-ee, and ate soup. Tonight we got all packed up for Thailand! We leave tomorrow morning for our two week holiday!

We’re not sure the internet status of where we will be throughout Thailand, but we will post whenever we can!

xxx,

Us

PS: Sasha has way more pictures on her camera, but it's all packed up and we need to go to bed, so we will upload them later:) 

Comparing and Contrasting

ជំរាបសួរ មិត្តភក្តិនិង គ្រួសារ!

I know Sasha already wrote a bit about our tour of the squatters village behind JWOC, but I thought I could take some time today to reflect a bit more about what I saw on Friday versus what I remember seeing 9 years ago (that sounds so weird to say, being that I’m only 18!). 

The first, and most obvious change was the sheer amount of trash. Not only in the village, but throughout all of Siem Reap, actually. Perhaps I am more keen to noticing all of the plastic because of my intense distaste for it, but I do not exaggerate when I say it is everywhere. Since arriving in SR, we have been walking a lot, but mostly on the busy road/nonresidential areas where there are many large piles of trash as well as litter scattered around. However, the garbage in and around people’s homes was a whole other site. It was layered, much like a rug or outdoor patio, all over the ground.   

Another huge difference in the village was the architecture of the homes. When I visited with my dad, all of the homes were made out of organic material (I believe palm leaves) and on stilts. They were all just one small, single square room that the entire family shared. The houses I saw on Friday were made out of thin metal sheets. They were also a lot closer to each other— each one pretty much touching the one next to it. Though I did not get a good look inside one of these homes, they seemed to also be pretty small, perhaps only one or two rooms. 

The village also seemed a lot smaller. We of course didn’t see all of it, but what we did see were small homes, very close together, which are very different than the spread out, vast community I remember. 

It’s amazing how so much can change in less than ten years. 

On another note… 

On Sunday we went with two scholarship students (each of us riding on the back of one of their mottos—which was an adventure in itself) to survey and check up on JWOC’s micro financing recipients. We visited mostly peoples homes (because their business are street carts and always moving) and one restaurant. It was amazing. Our first stop was a community of homes (apartment styled, they were all in the same “building”) in a U shape. Outside each one, the family (mother, father, grandparents, children of all ages..) were cooking and preparing their specific food and stocking their carts. Corn, fruit, Khmer meat dishes, and bugs of all kinds. The next stop was a more secure home with a woman and small girl (perhaps 3 years old). We were welcomed into the bedroom, which was one of two that made up the space (the other was a kitchen), where we sat on the floor with our shoes off while the scholarship students conducted the interview in Khmer. After visiting a few more places, our last stop was by far the most shocking. We pulled into a longish/steep driveway and were greeted by maybe 40 children. At least 2 classrooms full, perhaps more. There were chickens in cages and not a single adult. Most of the kids were naked and all but a few were barefoot. One of the scholarship students, Sopheap told us that the adults leave early in the morning to go to the market and are out working all day. The kids stay home and play, eat, and sleep. This little neighborhood was by far the worst we have seen in terms of trash. It was everywhere. The horror videos I saw on environmental websites and documentaries are the simple reality for the people living here. Even for someone like me who has been educated and exposed to environmental destruction, seeing its effects in person is still so intense.

After the interviews, we tried some little, palm sized cakes from a street vendor. They were SO delicious. 25 cents for 3. Unreal. 

I know I say this at the end of every blog post, but each and every day Cambodia is becoming more and more my home. I am now officially familiar with the streets, getting better with names and picking up some Khmer. The best part though, is that now many of the students are remembering Sasha (or should I say Sasa) and I’s names. We walk in and they greet us personally, which is touching. We have made insane friends, both Khmer and foreign and are official “aunts” to Sovan’s son, Pou Pou. 

Sorry we don’t have pictures. We obviously aren’t going to take out our camera when touring a village or surveying business owners. We do need to get better, however, at taking some pictures around town, with friends, and (obv) with all the AMAZING food. 

That’s all for now:)

xxx,

Us