Day TWENTY-FOUR
Date - Tuesday, 24 April 2012
0820 hrs
Sorry everyone for abandoning this blog for a bit. I am intensely observing the paradox of life in this region and want to collate everything before i write anything at the end of the week. I have just been invited to The Dollhouse Glamazon Fashion Show at The Pontoon, Phnom Penh on thursday. So i want to include that experience in. Watch out for this trail on Saturday. It is going to be shocking, disturbing, hilarious, enlightening and more than anything, eye opening. Stay tuned!!
Day NINETEEN
Date - Thursday, 19 April 2012
0647 hrs
I did zonked out last night but only for slightly under 5 hrs. Woke up to the devil's advocate where Charlize Theron slit here neck with a broken mirror right before her husband, played by Keanu Reeves. Morbid, i know. But it did wake me up.
I realized i had skipped day eighteen and perhaps it was due to all the work which got me so knackered that i totally had forgotten about it. Yesterday was pretty eventful. Got up early and had a message from Diana asking me to visit her at her guest house, Bloom Garden. It was Gorgeous! Quiet, green, rays upon rays of the diamond sun seeped through the canopy of her lovely garden. I could not help but notice the luscious orchard of flora and fauna that envelops her property, how still everything was and how replenishing all that would be to the soul.
After a tour of the rooms, we sat at the front porch for our never less than incredibly fun chats full of laughter and emotions. When you sit down and have a conversation with this girl, she will open up to you and will almost compel you to do the same. I always felt that i knew her a long time. Nonetheless, it was not as peaceful to her the morning was as running a guest house has its woes and the morning was one of those. After dealing with her staff, we set off for what was suppose to be shopping at a second hand boutique but halfway cycling to the shop, she suggested that i helped out at the soup kitchen as it was the first day of resuming operation. I knew she had lots in her mind and also i thought it was a brilliant idea as it was my last day. She dropped me off, introduced me to Robin and Kosal and off she went to sort out her business.
Robin was a little apprehensive and Kosal was very friendly. However in the end when we all got warmed up to each other, like Diana, these 2 had as huge a heart as altruism does. Chopping, cutting and peeling the tonnes of vegetables that were in the kitchen for Kosal to cook later.
Day SEVENTEEN
Date - Tuesday, 17 April 2012
0810 hrs
Did not have a good sleep last night. Throat was itchy and lungs were clogged. The weather is Siem Reap is just unbearable. Teamperature goes up to 40 deg C and add that with all the dust that is clouding the city, the respiratory system can take a toll.
Shortly after breakfast yesterday, i set myself out for another hammock day. It was kewl under the shady canopy of the trees. I did go back to the same spot. It was more quiet as i think it was a bit early. About 30 minutes after i settled down, Diana called me suggesting the pool at Rahim's beautiful guest house, The Palm and Pool Villa. I didnt think twice and immediately packed, headed back to the hotel, got my trunks and zoomed to P&P. It was bliss, diving into the cool water and chilling out in the shade in this kind of weather is a perfect way of having a cheap getaway.
We hung out for about an hour and a half, showered, i browsed about rahim's place and we cycled off to EightRooms, Jason Lim's property just down the dirt road. Interesting to see a mosque majestically stood close by like a sore thumb. Well, not so majestic though. Anyway, Jason, another singaporean, owns this little but lovely guest house called EightRooms. I didnt get to really see it as it was getting uncomfortably hot and we were all hungry. It was my vegetarian day and fortunately everyone agreed. Went to the nice little vegetarian resto called the Vitking. And there wE went, 3 singaporeans belting out about life. It was sweet.
After lunch, everyone split and i went back to the hotel, had a shower and head down to town for a quick message before meeting Phanny. Of course i went back to the USD5 Khmer Message and this time it was a different girl and she was better!! There were times when i startled myself with a grunt falling to sleep. Haha.. It was a good start to the long ride to see Phanny.
When I got there, he was not around, so i cycled around the village and observe their kampong life. A man in a hammock bottle feeding his baby, a woman bathing her 5 children, an old bald lady (which was the commonest sight) on a bike coming back from marketing and children everywhere either playing with dirt or singing happily with not so familiar tunes looking joyful. But the one thing that was in common among them were the honest greeting of HELLO matched with the infectious smile that never failed to warm me. Every single one of them. Without fail, smiling and greeting me into the hearts of their livelihoods. After seeing the welcome and the genuine smile, i repeat, GENUINE, i thought, what the heck is Singapore girl?
Half an hour later, Phanny showed up running and limping welcoming me to his village. But before we could do anything, i told him i wanted to take him to a clinic. The wounds on his leg from the accident the day before have all gotten infected. It was so bad you could see the whitish part of the flesh. He refused to go and we ended up settling at the local pharmacy. With USD15, the pharmacist got the wounds cleaned and tidied up with a bandage and the rest of the works. I felt so much better as i just could not imagine leaving him knowing what would happen to the wounds and his leg if it went untreated. You would do the same lah. After the clean up, i bought some groceries for his family and left as it was about to get dark soon. Before i left, he hugged me and said, thank you brother and good luck on your travels.
It always feel good to help someone without the remotest sense of hesitation. Because then the help comes in the highest form of genuinity and the one being helped wont be made to feel apprehensive and indebted. In the end, everyone goes home a winner. A good deed has been given and well received and that little tiny world between the two gets a little better.
So now it is almost 9.00 am after breakfast. Gonna go up to my room for some dumpingtons time before heading to Rahim's pool.
Day SIXTEEN
Date - Monday, 16 April
0810 hrs
Yesterday was a little intense. I had cycled altogether a total of about 40 kilometers towards Angkor Wat and back towards Tonle Sap lake. I did not get to both though but i ended up in a serene county south of Siem Reap where i found bridges linking the east and west part of Siem Reap river. On the map of Siem Reap, you would only find 8 of such bridges but i had counted a total of 15 links between the east and the west. It reminded me of that movie, The Bridges of Madison County. Though not as melancholic and beautiful as Madison, these bridges give a sense of character to each of the municipal it represents. Some are old, one seems to be in gold, others are bold and the rest are simply covered in mold.
The highlight was meeting a cambodia boy named Phanny. He yelled at me cos he wanted to see my tattoo and he showed me his. Speaking in perfect english, he invited me to his home for what he said was to show me a true cambodian welcome. An offered one must not refuse. So here i am after breakfast and looking forward to visiting Phanny and his family.
Date - Sunday, 15 April 2012
0830 hrs
I did not get to write anything on my blog last night as system was down and i WAS tired. 3 main highlights of yesterday were as follows:
1. The Hammock and The Marine.
Slightly after 12.00 hrs, i found a perfect spot by the river and put up my hammock. The day was perfect. An umbrella of a huge angsana tree right above me provided an excellent shade allowing just tiny rays of light through gaps between the leaves, making it looked like a canopy of shimmering diamonds. The wind was blowing gust of cool breeze, leaves were rustling through the trees, birds were chirping the afternoon lullaby, the river joined by the rippling water. Even the occasional zooming of traffic tuned in to the afternoon chorus.
An hour into my book, i was approached by an African American guy who claimed he was a lost soldier (he DID look like a marine) trying to find money to get a bus ticket to Phnom Penh as the story went that he lost his money and passport, of course. He spoke in such American accent, like those from Nashville or sum'in, i almost demanded an apology for such bad english. Anyway, he was begging up the wrong soul. One that is backpacking and ran out of money himself should never be bothered by hustlers. I told him my predicament and he took off.
And another hour into my nap, i woke up to a few passers by whom i caught staring and scrutinizing me. I tried to ignore them and pretended to look around. But i DID look around and decided to pack up and immediately leave. Its the New Year and the Cambodian flags were inevitably visible. I looked at my hammock and it is the exact colors of the flag.
2. The Doctor and his Cello
In 1971, a Swiss pediatrician travelled to Phnom Penh to work in a small hospital to help sick children. The plight of these children moved him so much, he decided to dedicate his life to help them. Unfortunately, the war came and ravaged the whole country. 2 million people perished. Many were children. In 1979, the Swiss pediatrician came back. Drove with passion and dedication, he began his mission in saving children in Phnom Penh. Made the children's plight visible to the world and almost begged for financial support. In 1999, he gained the attention of the Swiss president who got her government to provide that required support. And so it started. People from around the world, mainly the Swiss donated millions of dollars and today, the donation has stabilized at USD36 million a year resulting in 2 Kantha Bhopa hospital in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh and 2 Maternity hospitals.
The best thing about these medical centers is that they are absolutely free as the doctor said, an ease of mind to the mothers is such an important key for the survival of the children, and how true was that! No bills to pay, long travels to the hospital will be paid for and no debts needed for the family. All smiles. So far Katha Bopha has hospitalized 11.5 million children. All free.
90% of Cambodians are poor. An average salary of these poor villagers is only USD0.50 per day. 50 cents??? The American government who contributed the 10 million landmines in the 70s has stopped funding the hospital cos they said the patients do not pay. I said, how? Geez, you figure it out. Kantha Bopha has managed, with the money to have 2400 cambodians working for them with PROPER wages to avoid corruption, has state of the art equipments, which they must, in order to ensure low mortality rate and continued follow-up of the children of up to a year. Then a group of tourist said the Kantha Bopha was too expensive to sustain. And after watching the concert by the cellist for FREE, they f**ked off to their USD340 a night 5 star hotel. Screw that.
Nonetheless, the doctor has learned how to forgive the paradox, the irony by letting it go cos otherwise, his mission cannot be met by his frustration. To this day, he armed himself with his cello as his weapon to, in his own term, beg for money from the rich and blood donation from the young, every week, for the past 12 years. He has dreams. He said that if he could save 11.5 million children without the evil of corruption in Cambodia where corruption reigns, he will want to see if he could try this in Africa. He is a pediatrician, an advocate for children's rights, a hater of corruption and a saint. His name is Dr Beat Richner.
3. The Yogi and the Drag Queens
After an intense episode of sitting through the video on the plight of the Cambodian children, Melor and I decided to drop by Linga, a gay club to watch a drag show to lighten our emotions. This was after dinner. Linga was full house. However, the waiter found us a seat that was located strategically, it was near the stage. As we sat down, all eyes were on us. Melor said that the guys next to me was staring at me like i was a piece of succulent meat. Great!
We started to notice how young the patrons were and hearing closely, many of them were Thais, with their stylish dressing, cladded with iPhones. They were many girls, caucasian girls, cabin crew and other travellers, i believe and i was glad cos i that would make Melor at ease, i thought, among all those uninvited scrutinizations. Once i took out my iPad for the kodak moment, i almost hear the boys go, hmm... Wondering where i was from cos the iPad is like an extravagant indulgence here. They started to look at my tattoos, notice my tongue stud and talk among themselves. I tried to chill, turned around and chatted with Melor without helping to notice the glances of eyes around me. In the end it was a white guy who daringly gave his smile and attention to me. As he got up and what looked like an imminent self introduction, i looked at Melor and said loudly, err.... Bill? Paid our bill and scrammed. Haha...
So there, yesterday's story morning glory. Today was a bit of a frustration. It is the 3rd and most important day of the new year and the pagodas are jammed up with people but the worst is the authority blocking of road access of up to half a kilometer from the Royal residence. It was so annoying as i could not get through to anywhere for shade and a hammock day. But then i looked up the sky, dark shades from the clouds ground me a reason to cycle back and have a snooze.. Zzz...
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