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Hi, it is 4 am and I cannot sleep because it is so hot and I am suffering from yet another cold, so bunged up , but with a runny nose - if that can be possible. We have had storms this week, but yesterday was unbelievably hot - not the cooling of temperature which should be starting for the next couple of months. It will be interesting to see if the rains have finished, as Wed, Thurs and Fri are the Water Festival and celebration of Bon Ohm Touk - the cfestival of the full moon at the end of the rainy season, the reversal of the Tonle Sap lake and flow of the Tonle Sap river. The rice should be ready for harvesting and the wedding season begins. The river and its banks are being transformed - stands/tents erected, fancy lighting going up, dragon boats practicing daily on the river, and now food stalls are taking root, and I presume trying to claim a top spot for the festivities. Every dragon boat has a space on the banks with its own Spirit House and group of monks to support it. Two large inflated Nagas are floating, but tethered in the river, but as yet I do not know of their significance. Even traffic signs are popping up, one that applies to me is a red edged, circular one with a thick red line going across a car - I interpreted it as cars not allowed, but yesterday cars were going in both directions along it! As people will need and want money to spend money the police are out boosting their income by stopping moto riders who are not wearing helmets - law says that the driver should, but it is not necessary for his/her 2/3/4/5 passengers! The money is pocketed by the police, but the most dangerous bit is as soon as the moto driver sees the police he/she just does a u turn and heads off back and looks for a different route. So dangerous as the town roads are now busy, but nobody follows any code of behaviour, I have to be wide awake constantly when riding my bike, or even as a pedestrian. Although I am really looking forward to the festival - racing, fireworks, beautiful offerings floating along the river I am dreading the crowds and heat.
I was cycling to school on Wed along the toll road ( no longer a toll road as no one would pay to use it, so that has now been stopped to encourage lorries to use it to avoid the town) - although getting busier it is generally quite quiet and an interesting road to cycle along. A moto was coming on the opposite side of the road carrying two upturned pigs on the back of it - I could see a fountain of water shooting out, and it was only when I was level with them that I realised one of the pigs was urinating - luckily it did not reach me.
Another evening on the same road a group of men were doing something but I couldn't work out what it was. However, all was resolved the next morning - they had been taking an illegal line from the overhead electricity cables, it lay across the road and I could see where they had jbeen joining and taking it from, as the make shift joins and alterations were clear, nervously I cycled over it. By evening it had been suspended above the road by various pieces of wood in a Heath Robinson fashion.
For the first three days of last week it was virtually impossible to teach because next door to our site was 100 day celebration ( the person had died 100 days ago) the music was so loud and played constanly from dawn to dusk and a t times it was impossible to hear or speak over it. No one else seems to object, so we had to get on with it.
Wednesday was our day off, so Jill and I cycled to the temples and spent 8 hrs cycling round and wandering through Angkor Wat, The King's Palace of Angkor Thom and Preah Khan, the one I had never visited before, despite cycling past it so many times on the Angkor 100 km ride. Although in a state of disrepair the carvings and high cantilever ceilings were amazing. How such enormous blocks of stone were lifted and fitted to gether to stand was a phenomenal achievement. Now enormous trees grow through parts of it, but that adds to the splendour. However, there are some amazing carvings showing wonderful examples of life then. I cannot stress how large all the temples are and the area they cover is enormous. How everything fitted into the City of Angkor I cannot begin to understand. Just as we arrived at Preah Khan a storm decided to disgorge its load, but luckily we were able to shelter under the roof of a sign for about 20 mins and then paddle our way though new streams and puddles, making sure we didn't slip on any of the lichen covered rocks. Twice whilst we were in the park my name was called - one tuk driver who knew me as teacher, so he must have been a student at GH at some point and other guy knew I lived here. Frequently, tuk drivers told us they would put our bikes on their tuk and take us back - for a fee, of course! Both of us were shattered when we got back and were desperate eat and shower off all the sweat and grime.
During gams on Friday the kids suddenly stopped what they were doing to watch a snake catching and eating a frog, but by the time I realised I was missing something interesting it had vanished into longer grass.
1:45 pm
I have just returned from another long cycle ride with Jill and Chas, it's great being able to show people around, so far from the proper roads and see the countryside life. Today we have seen 8 weddiing ceremonies, although no sign of the bride or groom and one funeral, the monks were just arriving and the coffin carrier was outside the open sided tent where the mourners were seated. Life on the river was busy with practising boats and state workers were putting up the enormous emblems of ???? hopefully I will find out who or what. As I neared hear the noise level of beating drums and loudspeakers deafened me - another dragon boat was being escourted in from the countryside - one truck carrying the musicians and two more local folk. The boat was suspended somehow between two moto pulled trailors and looked extremely precarious.
On Friday, Saran, the social worker took me to revisit a family I had seen last year. GH have built them a new, basic home, installed a basic outdoor loo away from it and put in electricity to run 3 lights, but living conditions are still horrific. Wherever I looked there was muck from the dogs, ducks and chickens and children running bare footed through it. There are 4 children with Mum and Dad, the eldest being completely deaf and dumb, and two more children who live with their Gran. I think the two older ones looked a little healthier, and had put on a minute amount of weight , but they still looked under nourished and very small for their age. Both the 3 yr old and 1 yr old were feeding, at the same time, from their mother's breasts. Goodness knows if she had milk or not. However, since last year she accrued a large debt because she decided to borrow money to buy piglets at 65$ aeach. Unfortunately, she did not know how to look after them and had nothing to feed them on, so they both became ill and died. Stupidly, she borrowed more money to purchase a further 9 and the same happened to them, so now she owes loan sharks 700$. The pig pen was immediately next to their hut, so the children must have been playing in their waste and been affected by the pigs illness. I did sit down on the brick edging, but was terrified in case I touched something unsavoury. As soon as I was back here it was time for a scrub.
Yesterday, I cycled through the forest tracks of Angkor Park again, through three gates on the walls - West, South and Victory gate and saw one which was an entrance for the royals of the time only. However, we saw the awful living conditions and children who showed many signs of malnutrition.
Unfortunately, I cannot upload of my photographs because the Adobe flash player needs to be updated but it won't accept my password. I've been online for support and it seems a common problem, but as yet I have not been able to resolve it. I will put more on Facebook for those of you who can view them there.
I am really looking forward to next week, two days work and three days of festivities - I hope hope I can cope with it all, but if I can't will have to escape on my bike for a bit.
Take care, hope school goes well for those of you returning to it. Take care and enjoy, love toall, J xx
- comments
Heather Hope your cold is improving- it doesn't seem to have held you up at any rate- still up and doing. Here Roger has your cold but I have recovered from my back problems fortunately- i think they may have been sewing machine related as I have been doing masses of heavy stuff and at the kitchen table. Posture is all! We are due at Cranbrook today but the weather has turned and is looking quite nasty. Fortunately I am not driving so I am looking forward to it. Stan and Belle are thriving- Stan carrying larger and heavier branches proudly while Belle and I dodge the ends. I am right in thinking I do not need to send this to Shropshire aren't I? I can easily do it if needed. Look after yourself anyway and hope to talk to you next week sometime. Take care!
Doreen Fasinating blog as usual, and look forward to the photos. SDD today, child protection, I know it is important but same old, same old. Been another few bag snatches local, one by the alley to the infants, early morning, trying to make sure I have an across body bag. Well take care and stay safe xx Well take care and stay safe