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Hi all from a very, very hot Siem Reap. When I looked on this at lunchtime today it said 36 degrees feels like 48! I spend most of the time with sweat dripping off my face and damp clothing. Today, even Phearom, my Khymer teacher thought it was hot and I spotted damp patches on the back of her shirt! After the rains of last week the heat of this week has quickly
lowered the level of the river and the lying water. However, at the moment there is a major lightning storm happening, a distant rumble of thunder, but as yet no rain.
This week I have been fascinated by the building of the Khymer style house at Grace House, the process began yesterday with the plotting for foundations and the placing of reinforced concrete supports. The ground is waterlogged, the guys working bare footed and sinking into the orange clay. As yet I have not seen a conventional piece of equipment used, the measuring was with a long length of a liana (rambling parasitic plant), rubble for bases trampled in and the concrete supports moved and pushed on a pair of wheels and a piece of wood. Nothing to damage the environment or atmosphere. I am taking many photos to show the process and will post them on Facebook later. Progress happens in front of your very eyes!
Now the US Open has finished I will have nothing to watch when I cannot sleep, but it was brilliant watching Murray win it, he was very considerate and hit the winning ball at the time I needed to leave for school - such the time difference. The bit of thecOlympic Parade I saw on BBC World looked amazing, would have been good to be there.
The photos on Facebook showing food are cooks at Grace House making lunch for about 60, although they have a work surface they still seem to prefer working on the floor. Now food is delivered daily to three elderly who cannot look after themselves as well as for the children on the poverty list and all the adults working, plus the newly qualified electricians and the trainee ones. So they are busy ladies in a morning and not a cook book or piece of measuring or fancy equipment used. A healthy mix of fresh veg and meat mixed with oil, sugar and MS G, I suppose we cannot have everything! The food they produce is very quickly cleared.
The photos on Facebook showing electrical wiring is nothing to with G H, I think that is the main supplier! Unless it was a local taking another illegal spur!
I'm pleased to be back on my favourite cycling route to school again, and it's good to see rice ripening that I saw being planted last year after they had had to pull up the crop which had been ruined by the flooding.
Thursday
A very humid day and rain since last time, however, I did manage to get back here without being too wet. We all have found today oppressive and not conducive to working. My art lessons went reasonably well, portraits in the style of Modigliani - even I was able to follow the idiots guide that I found on the web. Unfortunately, the children hate showing their work to teachers or each other, so I am trying to get them to show and the others to say one good thing about it. However, they are really pleased to see it displayed the next morning.
Last night when I was cycling home my bike started making a tremendous clanking noise, even though it was working ok, the response of everyone who passed me or I passed wanted to help, one tuk driver offered to put me and the bike in his tuk and he would take us to the Old Market for free, then Rith stopped, identified the problem and luckily a guy across the road had a hammer and fixed it!
Tonight we are going to a quiz to raise money for A B C's and Rice.
When I start to write all the little interesting bits I was going to include seem to desert me, so from a soggy and muddy Siem Reap good bye.
Take care and love to all, J x
- comments
Meryl Great to read your diary and hear about life in Cam. Coolish, even autumnal here but still wore cutoffs today for my walk. More decorating due next week. xx