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Who Will… We Will!
Paul and Carolyn have entered a whole new an exciting chapter in their travels since we last caught up with you all. They left the crazy city of Bangkok and arrived one hour (by plane) later at a far more sedate city, Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh (PP). They were greeted at the airport by Carolyn's cousin Dom and his gorgeous little puppy Felix. It was so nice to have a familiar face to be there to meet them - the 1st one in months! Dom, his wife Benita and their kids have lived in PP for 2 years now looking after their charity Camkids (www.camkids.org) and doing a million other jobs to make ends meet. Many of you would have heard Paul and Carolyn mention this charity as they have fund raised for them in the past.
Paul and Carolyn spent a fantastic first weekend in the city, meeting Dom & Ben's friends, going out to local bars and restaurants & getting to know the city. Monday came and it was time for them to leave PP and head for the Province of Kampong Chhnang for their first of 4 weeks volunteering at a Children's Village called Who Will (www.who-will.org). First they were dropped at the Volunteer house; basic digs above a Cambodian family's home. First impressions were... WOW No aircon, what a load of bugs and spiders there are, how do you flush the toilet and where's the fridge?! They soon learned that there are only a few hours of power for electricity in the village a day (as it is too expensive) so a fridge is pointless!
They were issued a volunteer bicycle each (standard Cambo style with a half broken basket, no lights and no brakes!) and they made their way through the beautiful village dust roads to Who Will.
The children were polite in their initial greeting, bowing their heads with praying hands but soon after were cuddling and crawling over their new Western friends.
The first few days were spent getting to know the kids; playing Guess Who, Connect 4, teaching them 'I-spy', singing nursery rhymes using the inflatable microphones and guitars they had brought with them and drawing pictures. Then they got stuck in to some hard work. It was Paul's job to help with the renovation project of all 4 of the houses the children live in and Carolyn would help until her teaching role started. The job consists of sanding, washing and painting the houses in the scorching heat. It's a mammoth job. Having ruined her only good pair of shorts with paint, Carolyn bought herself some colourful pajama bottoms to work in. Cambodian women and children all walk around in full pajama outfits. They refer to them as 'day suits' and stroll about in crazy and often mismatching sleepwear!
The commute to work is the polar opposite of that back home. Riding tree lined dust road where every villager wants to say hello and children run out and high five the barrangs (Cambo term for Westerners). Traffic is an interesting mix of Ox carts, scooters carrying anything from livestock to families of 8!
Lunchtimes are spent at the market eating questionable local food for 50p a meal. Unbelievably (touch wood) neither has suffered too much yet!
Afternoons are ridiculously hot. As it is nearing to monsoon season, there are daily thunderstorms and mammoth rain, so they all pray for storms so as to cool down. The sky can be as black as night in one direction with almighty fork lightening and the other direction sunny and blue. The sky is SO BIG. This part of Cambodia is flat and rural so you can see for miles.
If it doesn't rain, the kids beg to go swimming in the muddy fish pond next to their school house. A few kids cannot swim so Carolyn has tried to help teach them while all the little kids clamber on top of Paul half drowning him!
In the evening they mainly have dinner back at the market, choosing cheap noodle or rice dishes. As it gets dark by 7pm, riding home on the pushbikes is interesting; the dirt paths are covered in potholes and stray dogs, so they have to negotiate around them by torch light. It's like riding blind.
Power cuts occur virtually every night due to the storms. As there is absolutely nothing to do at night in the pitch black and the rain is so noisy on the tin roof you can't hear yourself think, Paul and Carolyn are often in bed by 9pm, which is a good job as getting a good nights sleep is difficult due to the heat.
Bugs are huge and plentiful. Large beetles hurtle themselves at people at night and get stuck in their hair and clothes. Paul is particularly alarmed by this and has spent many an hour with a can of bug spray in hand running round the room. Initially this alarmed them both but it's now such a common occurrence they are not fazed! No wonder the locals fry and eat so many insects; they're trying to keep numbers down!
The weekends are the other extreme back in Phnom Penh. Late night sessions in the notorious Howey's bar with their new found friends, shopping and chores leaves little time for sightseeing. They have been to visit S21 (a harrowing detention centre formed in the times of the Khmer Rouge and the notorious Killing Fields which is a grave site for 1000's of people and houses a memorial containing 100's of skulls. The paths around the mass graves were strewn with the clothes of the victims, which in the monsoon rains each year brings up more and more clothing and bones. It's a horrific place but educates the masses to the horrors of Pol Pot's 4 year bloody reign in the 70's.
More sightseeing to come after they finish their final weeks at Who Will, but for now Paul and Carolyn are enjoying their new found routine in Cambodia.
Love to all
Alan the Duck (P&C) xx
- comments
Mrs Llewellyn Guys - what a lovely read, it's so great what you are doing out there with the kiddies that I feel bad moaning about my frizzy rain hair (it's currently bucketing it down) lol! Take care! Chloe p.s: I am enjoying your blog way more than Shantaram ;-)
Sam What a different way of life compared to your previous travels and home! (so grateful for my fridge and electricity now).... I bet the kids love you both - especially with those inflatable mics and guitars!! love to you both xx
Rosemary What an admirable pair you are! Hat's off to you! After all the glamour and excitement of your previous months' travel to settle to the heat, humidity, BUGs, and all that hard work in Cambodia is indeed really admirable. Good on ya! I am sure it will be oh so rewarding and very difficult to tear yourselves away from the children when the time comes. Congratulations and the best of luck in your endeavours
Louise H Wow you guys, well done for taking part in such a commendable charity during your travels. Now I understand the Facebook comments about 9pm week nights and 5am weekends - a good balanced lifestyle is what you need. Can't wait to read the next update. Look after yourselves and continue taking pride in all you are doing. Lots of love Louise, Danny and Bump :-) xxx
Twinny Well done to you both, you are doing an amazing thing helping with this charity and the children look adorable! Hope you enjoy your final weeks with them xx
Kate amazing stuff - so proud of you guys doing such great things out there. sounds such hard work but I bet its the most rewarding thing you've ever done too. Keep up the brilliant work and enjoying your weekend blow-outs!! Big hugs & kisses to both of you, lol Kate & Rich xxx
Smelly AMAZING!! You guys must be busting with pride at what a fab job you're doing. Such a fab thing you're both doing. Lots of love and take care xx
Marcus Sounds like a wonderful & insightful experience you are having and must put life into perspective, it does for me and I'm only reading about it! Keep up the great work, make sure Paul doesnt slack off! Take care. M & C x