Day 13 Sunday 16th October, 2011
Well today was excellent… Woke up feeling not to bad considering… Ericka on the other hand… Vomiting pretty much all morning till midday… HILARIOUS! Thanks mum for the vomit bags, came in handy today (from Ericka) J. Got up at 7am and had planned to spend the day up the mountain with Vanarith and his little 4 year old son (cutest kid). We started our trip and got 5 minutes up the road and the road was too flooded for the van to make it through. So we decided to check the other side of the road and go to the floating village… I am so glad we did. The road was clear and it was the greatest experience yet I think.
Started our trek to the village (1hour drive), a vomit from Ericka and we made it. Although the roads were still too flooded to make it all the way so, we had to catch a small boat to the big boat which took us through the floating village. The village is exactly what it sounds like. In the rainy season (which it definitely is right now) the water from the river rises an extra 4 meters and floods this village. In there resides 3500 people approximately and life goes on as normal. What they have done to cater for this is simply make a top level to their homes which inturn becomes their only level and they have to use boats to get anywhere. Their grocery store becomes a boat that goes around the village and you buy off it… Your toilet is the water surrounding you, the shower is the water surrounding you and your pool is the water surrounding you. Although gross, this was the most amazing village I have ever seen. I got some amazing photos today and you would be amazed at the way life simply goes on. It isn’t a big deal to these people they just build an extra layer to their house and deal with it…. We stopped at this new floating restaurant run by a local Siem Reap family. It was amazing, they were telling us that when they do weddings in the wet season they simply push two restaurants together and tie them up… Here we also took another small boat into the rain forest which was so beautiful. Here the water is like 10 meters deep and there are fish galore, many that I have previously seen in Australian pet shops and considered buying for my fish tank, mind you. We walked along planks of wood floating on the water to get to the platoon, stopping for a short time while Ericka vomited again – in front of about 25 Cambodian men who were all laughing at her HAHAHA…
After this it was about 3pm and we were starving. Went back to the boat and then to the bus and drove to this amazing restaurant that sits on the side of the river. It reminded me of my Adelaide holiday where we sat at a winey on the side of the Murray River… Bit of a nostalgic moment there actually. Then we were invited to Vanarith’s family home where his wife wanted to cook us a homestyle Khmer BBQ. With no power and minimal lighting, this lady cooked up a feast on a small gas cook top on a plastic table. We had fresh market veges and 3 different kinds of meat. We played with the kids, we went fishing before dinner with Vanarith… an interesting experience with the casting nets… catching a range of small fish with every cast. Living in Vanarith’s small home are 5 people; himself, his wife, his son, his nephew and his mother. Their house is about the size of my living room and they simply have a makeshift wall in the middle dividing it into two bedrooms. All the cooking happens outside and they have no electricity. He told us of the story about why his nephew was now living with them… This 5 year olds parents got a divorce and his mother remarried. Because she remarried, and had more kids, this one was no longer wanted. There were two of them and they were split up and the other one went to the other grandparents and this one with Vanarith’s mother… My heart broke when I heard this and saw this beautiful little boy… how can someone simply move on, abandoning these small children simply because they themselves stuffed up a marriage… Luckily, this little boy is loved and cared for by some amazing people.
While here Vanarith also tried to teach us to climb the coconut tree… he is fantastic at climbing it, went all the way to the top…He then found a nest… and started ripping it down. To our horror mind you… As he was ripping it down he realised that there were babies in this nest… he tried to bring them down but flicked them onto the ground… a good 6 meter drop… all we could hear were these small squeals… my heart was breaking only to find out they were baby mice… We managed to find three, located the mother who was staring us down and put them in a newly made nest in hop the mother would come and get them… L the saddest thing… they were small babies… helpless and now with no home. Their poor mother having to drag them back up the tree to make a new nest for them L I doubt they will survive but I hope so…
Heading home we caught up with Ida (another volunteer who is working in our hotel) for a few drinks and a catch up. She took us to a gay bar and started filling us in on some Cambodian lifestyle… I will now share with you.
In Cambodia it is only okay for men to be gay as man are inferior to women. However, it is only okay for men to be gay if there is a ‘lady boy’ and a ‘man’… translation there has to be a girlie gay boy and a manly gay guy. In Cambodia there is only 1 known lesbian who lives in the capital city however she is openly gay but has said she is well aware that she will be made to marry a man and have his children… because that is what women are for in Cambodia… I thought this was really shit and wanted to share. Ida thinks that this will always be the case because in Cambodia men will always be inferior to women…
Anyway, now I am home… It is getting late and I am falling asleep. Tomorrow is another big day at school (if it isn’t too flooded) and hopefully finishing off the mural…
Until then
Kim xx
No comments:
Post a Comment