February 18, arrived in Siem Reap Branch
Garden Village, the cheapest guesthouse according to the guide, $ 3, it is in the tourist area, the rooms are separated by walls of bamboo braid. Rent a bike and explore the town, nothing exciting to see, everything is rather a feeling, a few nice streets going up the river through the city with small marches, stands between the street and the river, which takes on stilts is a quiet little town, pleasant, and still people smiling everywhere ^ ^
Friday, February 19, 2010, wake up early routinely for 4 days on the slopes, breakfast at the "old market", fried chicken noddles to breakfast, nikel.
I am going to the Angkor site, without a ticket, to visit the site because it is this small passport photo of $ 40 3 days. I would not be visiting today, but towards a small village in the middle of the temples, I'll visit a school.
In school, person, apart from 200 children, it is 13h and teachers left eating alone while the kids play around in the courtyard and classrooms.
I find a teacher, she lives in a shack behind the school, she is dressed in pajamas at noon, the Khmer traditional dress, and obviously I have not taken a instit. She sells sweets to children who come before his "house" a little extra to supplement incomes. A very quiet day in this small village hidden after a small dirt road, amid the temples of Angkor before whom I am going to come.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
As I have been advised, I go see the sunrise over Angkor Wat at 6am, the sun does not wait.
magnificent Angkor Wat is this image that everyone has already seen at least once.
An entire wall surrounding Angkor Wat, carved reliefs of magnificent telling stories that can really make people dream.
All I visit temples then are truly amazing, beautiful, full of tourists this time, different from my tower scooter tracks lost or temples were abandoned as a nature.
Here you can feast on old buildings, temples, although they have been partly destroyed by the Khmer Rouge, they are still decorated for valuable sculptures or held upright by majestic trees.
15aine This ballad of a temple on the same day, with little sleep, it's really great, beautiful and what a dream, but it's a lot in one day.
Sunday, February 21, 2010, I leave for Roluos, a group of temples to the east of Siem Reap, Angkor least visit. I took off a bike at noon under full dodger for a sweat 12km and still see some amazing temples.
I pass an orphanage or children learn a craft, decorations on leather. They go to public school during the week and on weekends to learn English, and this technique can work to craft. I remain a little skeptical, because what they produce now, while they "learn the art of leather work," was sold, and they receive 20%, they certainly work a lot during the weekend even if it is to learn to do this work. They have only 10 years ...
I return by small roads, meet a group of guys who pay me a glass of palm wine, alcohol, palm sugar even at this hour of the day and not too alcoholic, Cambodians are definitely welcoming smiles, "Helloooooo!" passing each house.
I lost a little, small tracks, crosses a guy getting into the palm trees hanging plastic bottles or containers with the stalks of bamboo palm cut the net or out of the juice that will become the palm wine , alcohol Cambodian cheapest, not far from the beer with a little imagination ^ ^
Monday, February 22, 2010, I visited a temple called Banteay Srey, really beautiful, can even be the best for its bas-reliefs as those I saw at Angkor.
There are only a few walls still standing, but the few sculptures are truly magnificent details. I still find this monster that I found on almost all the temples.
then I go to a museum that explains and tells the demining in Cambodia.
More than 6 million mines buried and hidden sty Cambodian soil, it will take decades to clear the country entirely. The country was truly devastated by the Khmer Rouge (and American bombing?).
In 1953, France pays its independence in Cambodia in 1964, Prince Sihanouk enabled and set up a Marxist government that took full control of the country in 1972. In 1975 began a "revolution" culture, a "cleaning" in good standing of the country by Pol Pot, who tortured and killed everyone a little bit educated, monks, teachers, and many others who have could raise any problem against his "revolution", 3 million dead. After several attempts by the Khmer Rouge's invasion of Vietnam, Vietnam responded by taking control of Phnom Penh, the capital, in 1979, when Khmer Rouge forces remained active in other parts of the country. Vietnamese forces withdrew around 1989, leaving in place a government against the forces resisting Khmer Rouge rebels. Beginning a United Nations peace operations in 1990 who were unsuccessful in 1999 after the last Khmer Rouge rebels were defeated.
That only 12 years since Cambodia is a country at peace with all the remnant of a war in which no other country (except the Vietnam that was attacked) has bothered to engage against a dictator , and genocide. Bombings, millions of dead, wounded, by its inhospitable land mines, a non-existent economy, corruption is impressive, and now full of non-governmental organizations that engage, as are volunteers to help rebuild to build, educate, and give much. There is nothing here, we leave the few main roads, villages are very poor, care not nearby, no electricity ...
It makes me wonder how we can truly help a country if the bases of the system here is also possible that all the information I receive? Apart from putting a few bandages, some educate young people, who will follow?
The country will live there by himself one day? Or is it that it remains a country under international infusion as it used to be? How to change this government forces may be too corrupt? Forces of a few large companies that do not rely certainly on the Social fat? Education is the only way. I wish
stay longer in Cambodia, tomorrow, I'd turn the assos that help children in trouble and looking for a place to volunteer if there is a project that touches me and a useful place, I renew my visa, which is nearing its end and would stay here another month, if I do my visa for Vietnam and resume my route.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010. After the unsuccessful visits to 2 assos this morning, I go visit the floating village of Chong Khneas. Tuk-tuk or a small port until I take a $ 15 ticket for a small boat. 1/2h after a few channels that we are leaving a swamp, we arrived in the expanse of the lake and the floating village. Lots of small huts floating, 20m2, 30 m2, sometimes much less for the house "a piece", people live on these float, a roof, four walls of wood, the house is wide open, rarely another platform next to a group Power generator for electricity, residents are Vietnamese.
I enjoy these images I had already seen a few times in stories ... The pilot of the small boat I deposited a large FPSO for tourists. On the ground floor, the memories of Cambodia found in all markets, a crocodile farming that will make purses, bar, and a small platform so that tourists can admire the sunset, really beautiful indeed.
Children sit in a basin 60cm diameter, which serves as their boat, a wooden stick as a paddle, just at the edge of the platform of tourists, a snake around his neck, ask to be photographed by tourists and then ask them a dollar.
Tourists are often too embarrassed to go and give money (what not to do because Ca encourages begging), but not too surprised to take a picture and move away from shame . Show how these children? I offer some cake has 2 kids in these boats and one of them gives me his snake. It is in poor condition, her skin is torn by dint of being manipulated and laying around on the edges of the basin of cutting metal in places. I think these kids from poor families do not necessarily lack of hunger, they take advantage of tourists just full of dollars trying to glean a few. I hope they have at least a floating school, as this room, volleyball floating or floating this church!?
In return, the driver of the boat made a short detour to see a few houses in this floating village, but the ship is caught in the cable of a fishing net and he is forced to go off the cable around the propeller with a small ax sharpened badly, nothing else on hand. I made him understand he must stop the engine, which turns again, once the propeller does raise then he holds it while he tries to cut the cable! But he explains that the battery only allows them 4 starts per day, he has already done 4 and it will not cut it redemmarrer contact, please ^ ^!
He finally finally get by with a big knife that he brought back a kid from the houseboat next door. This kid will walk on his small boat was sitting at the Indian end of the boat, which are insensitive to waves rocking the boat 50cm high each time, the habit of keeping the balance since he is for baby, and it moves by shaking an oar in the water with precise movements and so commonplace for him. The ballad has been excellent, quiet and really beautiful with the sunset over the lake.
dinner I go around the old market or a kid comes to me selling postcards, then tells me he is hungry and I pay him a plate of noodles fries and a coke. In fact, the boy join his dad 22h and returned home, his father is the tuk-tuk driver. He rises to go to school in the morning at 6am, and after-noon, sale of postcards in the tourist district. Begging for these children is that they say hungry and require a meal is not always a necessity, parents drive them, force them to do. Some of them do not go to school and work all day, no choice, the family is too poor. They sometimes come to have a meal, fried rice paid by a tourist. Too bad this kid of 8 years must sell postcards. But the most needy are those who spend their days picking up aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and bits of cardboard, they boil down to a sorting center in exchange for some Riels, 200 Riels for 3 cans, a misery. The people do not dare to beg and ask for the tourists, apart from the other time when one of them comes timidly ask me to recover the empty can on my desk ...
I resume my search for an association to to Granville Island tomorrow, I received an email from Green Gecko, an association that has released an Australian 60aine these kids from the streets, begging, but for some parents who sold them to tourists ... !
Siem Reap Angkor Temples Temples
Roluos
Bentay Srey Temple and the Museum of demining
The floating village of Chong Khneas
photos
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