Places visited: Sisophon, Khralen, Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, Kampong Ch'hnang and Phnom Penh.
Costs of things: Beer (50 cents), Meals ($1 to $5), 6 hour bus ride ($6).
And a chance to help Cambodians - please see paragraph on "DDD" or Digital Data Divide. Please forward this blog to others than may be interested.
Welcome to awesome kicking Cambodia! This is the place of the magnificent temples of Angkor Wat, the buzzing quickly rising capital of Phnom Penh, hundreds of kilometres of unspoilt tropical beaches , a vibrant culture and some of the friendliest and charming people we've ever met. As we experienced the beautiful country-side (and dust!) on our bicycles and met the Khmer people of Cambodia - we instantly fell in love with this country and its people.
Our first experience with Cambodia was to the famous road from Poipet (the border) to Siem Reap. This road is known as one of the worst roads in all of Cambodia - and they aren't kidding! It is basically a dirt road, with occasional spots of rough pavement, with huge rocks and boulders and potholes big enough to swallow a truck. We experienced this road on a pick-up truck
and on our bicycles. The dust created by this road is so bad that we have to always wear a mask over our face - and by the end of the day - our skin is deep brown - only the whites around our eyes remain relatively untouched. By bicycle, it took us almost 5 hours to travel 50 kms - something that would normally take us less than 2 hours! But it is worth it because we met the most amazing people. As we rode by small villages, we were constantly greeted by waving happy children yelling out "hello!"or "bye-bye!", their faces covered with wide grins.
Since we are on our bicycle, we get the chance to visit and stay in small villages normally not occupied by tourists. In fact, we are usually the only ones in town. In Sisophon, the first town we stayed in, we were serenaded by a local man signing to us "Hello"by Lionel Ritchie in the local restaurant/karaoke bar during dinner. This man turned out to be a local university teacher named Chakura - and after meeting him and having a few drinks we were invited to talk to his class the next morning. So early the next morning, we went to the university and answered student's questions about us and Canada. It was amazing! We were so honoured. The picture is one we took of us, Chakura and the class.
Continuing on our journey to Siem Reap, we stayed a night in Krahlen - a town with only a few families. That night we had dinner with one of the families and all the children from the village came to greet us. The picture shows one child, Channa, teaching me how to make a bracelet. Adam and I are now wearing bracelets that the local village children made especially for us.We finally got to Siem Reap - very touristy, loud, and so different from the villages. We visited the amazing temples of Angkor Wat - only 3 days - which allowed us only to see a few of the many that are there. Then on to Phnom Penh - with a short stay in Kampong Ch'hnang, which we reached by express boat on the largest lake in Cambodia, the Tonle Sap. From Kampong Ch'hnang we rode almost 100 kms in one day to tha capital - the road was much much better - it was a dream!
We are now in Phnom Penh - it has an air of both of hope and increasing prosperity and much
horror and sadness at the same time. Here, the Khmer Rouge did some of its most horrendous atrocities - and no one is untouched. Everyone we meet has a very sad story of loosing family members and of hard labour and starvation by the hand of the Khmer Rouge. Cambodia's population is made up of 40% of people under the age of 15. This is understandable as the Khmer Rouge killed almost 2 million people in only 4 short years - only a short 30 years ago. We visited the Tuol Sleng museum and the Killing Fields - so much torture and killing! Men, women, children - no one was spared.However, there is a tremendous spirit in these people and they are now trying to rebuild. But with much poverty and a lack of infrastructure and government support - this is very difficult for many except those that have money. There are many NGOs and other organizations in Cambodia that are now trying to help these people prosper - one of which we were lucky to be invited to visit.
A childhood friend of Adam's is part owner and founder of an company called "DDD" or Digital Divide Data. They give young people with computer skills and basic English a chance to use their skills in the workforce. Since there are not enough jobs, many people with excellent skills cannot find work. This organization, supplied with people from NGOs, offer free 5 to 6 months training (computers and English) and $10 a month for transportation costs. If they do well and pass their exams - they are rewarded with employement. Otherwise, they can then enter the workforce boasting excellent training and work experience. This company offeres services of data entry and academic research, and soon, software develpment. They are in dire need of help - for someone to teach english and/or computer skills - or any other help is greatly appreciated. The help comes at your own cost - but the reward for helping these young Cambodians acheive a simple but satisfying life is priceless. For more information please visit http://www.digitaldividedata.com/About_us/Management_team.asp. There is information on how to contact them if you are interested in finding out more about them.
Our adventure in Western Cambodia ends tomorrow and Adam and I start down south to visit the beautiful beaches and an abandoned French hotel resort town that sits on top of a hill enveloped in the clouds. Stay tuned for more adventures.
