Uncornered Market » Cambodia

Top 5 Experiences in 2007

Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 16:32:56 +0000

We are often asked “What were your best experiences? What are your favorite places?”

“All-time favorite places” is a difficult one to answer without writing a book, but if we limit the question to 2007 (as we did in our personal growth exercise last night), the answer becomes manageable and something worth sharing with our readers.

1. Battambang, Cambodia – We still light up when we describe our time here. Cambodia and its people proved delightful. Our experiences in and around Battambang – our trip there, a day on a motorbike, a Buddhist wedding blessing and a cooking class – made this place a highlight of highlights.

2. Turkmenistan – Surprisingly curious and engaging people, a lingering quirkiness and a hopefully improving future.

3. Kazakhstan – The moment we were literally out of the woods and realized that we would survive without the assistance of a helicopter lift.

4. Kyrgyzstan – An all-around enjoyable travel experience including a horse trek, a wisdom-filled discussion with a shepherd, a Ramadan feast, and a series of breath-taking landscapes.

5. Zugdidi, Georgia – The food was very good, but the kindness shown to us by a group of Georgian women at the market in Zugdidi is what we’ll truly remember.

ADDENDUM (January 19, 2007): After recently sharing our experiences in Laos with several travelers, we were reminded of how much we love this country and wondered how we managed to exclude it from our Top 5 of 2007. Belatedly giving credit where it is due:

Laos: Luang Prabang and Nong Khiaw – Laid back atmosphere, outrageously cute children, delicious cuisine and peaceful monks.

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Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | No comment

Interview with Adrianne and Rick

Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:30:21 +0000

We introduced Adrianne and Rick earlier on this blog. Having told their story to several people recently and feeling renewed inspiration, we wanted to share more about them and their work.

We feel that Adrianne and Rick can tell their story better than we can. Below are excerpts from an email interview conducted after they returned to Canada from their latest work in Cambodia (December 2006-March 2007).

D&A: How did you get started with this work? Why Cambodia? What keeps you coming back?

A&R: We started doing work in third world countries about 10 months after our 21 year old daughter and only child was killed by a drunk driver in March 2000. After some chance meetings in Europe we ended up in India volunteering on an Ashram where 100 men, 100 women and 70 children lived a very basic and subsistence life. We pitched in and helped with the farming and then we took on the painting of the day care for the children.

The second year we found ourselves in S.E. Asia and Cambodia. We are not sure exactly what draws us so strongly to Cambodia. It probably lies in the fact that as we continue to work with our own emotional struggles and coming to grips with [our daughter] Danielle’s death we have found the resilience of the Cambodian people quite inspiring. In their fight to recover from war, genocide and the Pol Pot regime, the people show incredible courage as they face heart wrenching poverty and enormous losses. We continue to learn about the strength of the human spirit.

D&A: What are your main projects now?

A&R: We now have numerous projects that are directed towards helping children and families. Our focus is on providing housing, water, educational and medical supplies as well as helping individual families sustain a livable income through small grants. We also support the work that other Cambodian organizations offer such as: Street Children’s Shelter, Children’s Hospitals and Orphanages. It is our belief that the people with whom we work know best what their needs and abilities are and we provide funds and support to assist them with these needs.

D&A: What have you been most surprised to learn or discover through the course of your work?

A&R: As we sit on buses and trains and travel through Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Vietnam and India we are absolutely overwhelmed with the poverty we have seen. As we walk through villages and city slums it is devastating to see the lack of water, hygiene, electricity, medicine and food. Watching images on the TV is so detached compared with sitting on the bamboo floor with a dying child or entering a small palm leaf shack where a family of 18 live. The reality that most people on this planet live in such situations has been a devastating and disturbing discovery [for us] and has changed our lives forever. On the other hand we have also learned what the human spirit can endure and how that even the poorest and sickest of people can be so very kind and generous as well as accepting of their situation. We have also learned that there is far too much focus on collecting material wealth and far too little attention paid to easing the plight of others. We have learned that what is really important in our lives is to do something meaningful and this inspires us to look beyond ourselves.

D&A: We imagine this work offers highs and lows. Can you share and characterize some of them?

A&R: For us there is no greater feeling than sitting with a mother or grandmother in her small palm leaf house and being able to offer to build her a new larger house, where she and her children will have room to move, sleep and eat. It is a wonderful experience to see how quickly life can change for the better and to be a part of that. It is also a great feeling to do something as simple as taking a group of kids to the lake for a picnic and swim, such a simple pleasure. However for many of the children we know, this is a rare if not impossible experience. To see absolute joy on a child’s face is one of our greatest gifts. The most difficult part is being able to help some families and not others. When we build a few houses in a village it is really hard to know that there are many, many, more people who we cannot help and although no one ever complains or asks us to help them, it breaks our hearts to not be able to do more. One year while we were building a house and the neighbors were all over watching, I said to one of the people we were working with how bad I felt and asked if the other families were jealous about this family getting a new house while their house was so poor. I was told that, “the family without feels only happiness for the family you are helping and one day they too may have such good luck.”

D&A: Given your experiences these last few years, what are the best ways to help people and to help countries develop in a sustainable manner?

A&R: Each year that passes brings more insights and ideas as our projects evolve and we observe other projects and NGOs. We are focusing more and more trying to provide a whole package for a family, school, etc. In that we mean for example if we build a house for a family we try to provide the funds for one or more family members to utilize the skills they have by funding what they need so that they can earn an income for the family. As well as building the house, we also outfit it with cooking material, food, school uniforms, books and a well if possible. We hope that when we leave the family can carry on with the business of earning money without the need to struggle for the basics. We have found this to have the highest success rate and is the best way to invest the donors’ dollars.

D&A: Siem Reap is overrun with tourists. What advice can you give to tourists coming to Siem Reap who are interested in responsible tourism and giving back to the community?

A&R: We think that one of the most important things we could say would be to treat the food servers, moto drivers, beggars, etc., with the respect and dignity that each person on this earth deserves. There are many, many ways in which the average traveler could assist. Get to know your driver, waitress, and guesthouse staff, hear their stories, visit their houses and assist them. One person, one family at a time, just think if everyone that traveled took on one family and donated some funds towards helping them what a difference that would make to the world. We do it personally all the time and not only is it appreciated it feels darn good to do something meaningful with your money rather than spend it on a fabulous hotel room or an expensive meal.

Regarding buying post cards from kids, they are most likely helping to support their families. Unfortunately, that is their reality and we know how a lot of these children live; it is not pretty and they could really use the money. Begging can be a very irritating thing in Siem Reap and it is not a good thing to give children money. Although we have done this on occasion, however, we are very selective about it now. We now tend to buy a child food, clothing, books, pens, etc.

D&A: What do you recommend to someone who wants to start a community development project, either in their own hometown or across the world?

A&R: We hear from many people that they would like to do something to help the world to be a better place. If people have the will they can easily raise money and then find like-minded people that are doing good work in third world countries. If you want to do something in another country, there are thousands of people working in these countries trying to help their own people, just ask. Visit the people, visit the families, see what they need and raise some money to do the project. It is not that hard. If you raise $500.00 from friends and family you can go to a village and put in a well, the people will help you and they will be very appreciative. The following quote, from Margaret Mead, sums it up better than we can: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

D&A: If someone is interested in supporting your projects, how can he/she help? How can someone find out more about your work?

A&R: If someone would like to donate to our project they can feel free to contact us (adrianneandrick – at – hotmail.com) or if they have questions and would like to hear more we would be happy to answer them. The most common question that we get is “do we need physical help?” We always try to employ the community that we are working in. In this way we help to create a ripple effect with money, goodwill and community sprit.

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Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | 5 comments

Southeast Asia Round Up

Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 11:26:19 +0000

As we write this, we are in Tbilisi, Georgia and about to head to Armenia. But just after spending almost five months in Southeast Asia and releasing our site, we find that we’re being asked “what was your favorite ______ in Southeast Asia?”

Here is our attempt to answer those questions, preempt a few others, and provide an overview of our experience.

Our Path Between December 2006 and April 2007

(please excuse the fact that the map below looks like it was scribbled on by a 2-year old)

December: Bangkok – Koh Pha Ngan – Bangkok – Hanoi

January: Hanoi – Halong Bay – Sapa – Bac Ha – Hanoi – Luang Prabang – Nong Khiaw – Luang Prabang – Vang Vieng – Vientiane

February: Vientiane – Da Nang – Hoi An – Saigon – Phnom Penh – Siem Reap – Battambang – Bangkok

March: Bangkok
– Patong (Phuket) – Ranong – Khao Sok – Phang Nga

April: Krabi – Ao Nang – Ko Lanta – Railey Beach – Krabi – Bangkok – Prague

Most Waves and Smiles

Visually Spectacular

Click on the More Photos link at the bottom of each entry for even more images.

Digging into Humanity

A selection of stories that highlight the less seen.

Food – top eating experiences, in no particular order

Photos

Southeast Asia Overview – landscapes, people, and sites
Southeast Asia People – the faces, the smiles, the color, the diversity
Southeast Asia Food – this part of the world is tough to beat when it comes to the table

Videos

We’ve purposely tried to keep ‘em short. Check for them at the bottom of an article or check for an index of articles that have a video embedded here.

Some of our favorites:

Saigon, Vietnam – possibly the only place (with the exception of Hanoi) where the traffic makes us laugh
Battambang, Cambodia – who knew a day on the back of a motorbike could be so fun?
Boat to Nong Khiaw, Laos - sitting on kindergarten-sized seats for 8 hours can be butt-numbing, but this trip is worth it

If you have a high-speed connection, stick around for the slideshow below.

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Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | 6 comments

Adrianne and Rick – Making a Difference in Cambodia

Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott — Fri, 25 May 2007 09:21:58 +0000

When we began our journey, one of our goals was to meet inspiring people who are making a difference in this world – however small – and to tell their story. Adrianne and Rick, a couple we met while admiring the monitor lizards in Bangkok’s Lumpini Park, were the first people to fit this description. We feel fortunate to have met them. It’s not just the work that they do that is inspiring – it’s who they are and how they go about it.

Adrianne and Rick have spent three months each of the last six years away from their home in Canada working on projects in Cambodia. The work they do falls in the general category of grass-roots development –building houses and schools, sponsoring a music program at an orphanage, giving small amounts of money to families to help them start a small business with a few chickens or pigs, and helping to buy new medical equipment for a children’s hospital. Each project includes a focus on sustainability and aims to help people get the basics they need to build a better life.

When they started this work six years ago, they arrived with $500 and the willingness to do physical work and learn. This past year they came with $30,000 (Canadian) from direct donations. They oversee the distribution of all funds and do not use any of it for their own travel or living expenses (they buy and sell Cambodian crafts back home to cover these). Over the years they have developed strong relations with local NGOs and orphanages and work directly with them, following their advice regarding where the need is greatest.

Almost three months after our first meeting in Bangkok, our paths crossed again in Siem Reap. They had expected to leave earlier for another village in Northeastern Cambodia, but nine houses burned to the ground leaving 13 families (83 people) homeless a few days earlier. They delayed their departure plans from Siem Reap to assemble the materials and a team to help the villagers rebuild and get back on their feet again. We had dinner with them after most of the initial organizational work had been completed. It was a happy day – and one full of relief – for them and the villagers.

Adrianne and Rick undertake projects like this – planned and unplanned – and work directly with the affected people to determine the best use of resources.

They send email updates to their donors to inform them of how their money is being used. Their emails are moving and show repeatedly how a small amount of money spent well can really change lives. This is an excerpt from an email about the fire.

We went out to see the site of he fire. It was difficult to see the devastation the fire had left. The families were in a dazed and confused state, wandering aimlessly around the debris. Luckily no one was killed. However they were left with only the clothes on their backs…some children without even clothes, many without shoes. As these houses were made of thatch and palm leaf they went up like an inferno, luckily the fire department did arrive to stop it or there may have been hundreds left homeless.

We spent the morning meeting with the commune and village chiefs discussing what we could do…this process was interesting but we finally obtained permission to assist the families. We then called a meeting with a representative from each family, which was held under a palm tree. We told the families that family and friends donate money towards helping people in Cambodia and that we had money to assist them to rebuild their houses. We explained that we do not have a lot of funds but if everyone pulled together and the men built while the women cooked and cleaned up the area we should be able to re-build their houses quickly. We then took a census of each family and decided our priorities would be: to get some cooking materials and food for the families so that they can start eating again, to get the children back in school as their uniforms, bikes and books were destroyed, we also need to get medical attention for a man that is badly burned and a small child that was slightly burned. This afternoon we will also buy hand tools for the men and tomorrow we will buy the building materials and start building the houses quickly. The families were rather stunned at the news and it took a while for it to sink in that they were actually going to be able to get their homes back. As we left them they were already busy pulling apart the ruins of their homes.

We originally wanted to record an informal interview with Adrianne and Rick when we met for dinner. However, we enjoyed their company and forgot to record anything. Luckily, they are good sports and agreed to an email “interview” afterwards. See the next post in this series.

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Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | 2 comments

A Few Words on Entertainment in Phnom Penh

Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott — Wed, 23 May 2007 09:39:00 +0000

Why try to be funny when others can do it for you?

In that vein, we’d like to share some advice from Khmer Guides on entertainment and relaxation in Phnom Penh. This is a direct quote.

Relaxing Places: There are many foreiners night clubs along the riverfront and all the visitors can relax with snooker and romantic song with beautiful girls. Moreover, all the visitors can make special occationally with the girls that earn money by body but don’t forget use the condom because no one know all that girls no HIV. Please happy with your special time by using cambodian services and the last all the visitors should be relax with romantic song with partner.

Enjoy.

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Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | No comment

Going Against the Stats – Lovin’ Cambodia

Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 13:06:41 +0000

If you refer to the statistics on Cambodia – poverty is widespread, as is AIDS, the country is still recovering from the Khmer Rouge (and has yet to put anyone on trial for war crimes), corruption is institutionalized and entrenched, health care is lacking, there are still an estimated 6 million unexploded land mines, indentured sex workers are common (children too), and the list could go on – it seems like a pretty hellish place. Yet, why is it that for many of the travelers we talked to, they (and we) put Cambodia at the top of the list of favorite countries visited?

Perhaps it’s because the people are real. They don’t hide. We found it easy to make connections with them in most places. The smiles, especially in more more remote areas, were warm and genuine. We were just as much of a novelty to them as they were to us. There is a healthy dose of curiosity on both sides. The country feels like it’s trying to turn itself around. There’s a hopeful determination and positive attitude in the midst of poverty and in spite of its recent violent history.

Of course, the rose-colored glasses come off from time to time. In touristy areas like Siem Reap, many locals are caught up in the swirl of tourism dollars and are as happy to connect to you as they’d be to connect to your wallet. We learned that the hotel where we were staying in Battambang had a motorbike mafia – none of the other drivers in town would get close to us once we told them the name of our hotel. They said they’d get beat up. We changed hotels. The stories we heard about corruption in government and police were also depressing.

That said, when we think back to Cambodia, we think of the warmth of the people. As the country develops, we hope it doesn’t lose this infectious spirit.

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Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | 2 comments

Bruised Bottoms to Battambang

Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 09:39:29 +0000

There are two ways to get to Battambang from Siem Reap: 1) bus on reliable roads, 5 to 6 hours or 2) boat on less than reliable waterways, 5 to 10 hours. We chose the boat option, having read that the journey along Tonle Sap Lake is the best water trip in Cambodia, where beautiful scenery and active floating villages accompany you most of the way.

The night before we took the boat, Dan received an email from a friend who had taken the same journey a year ago with her mother. From the email, we gathered that the highlights of their trip included arriving to an already overloaded boat, numerous breakdowns along the way, including one where the crew took the motor apart on the roof of the boat. Her mother saved the day, pulling out a full-sized monkey wrench out of her daypack, which was apparently just what was needed to repair the motor. They made it, eventually.

Our Experience
We were picked up at 6 AM at our guesthouse. The driver arrived with a pick-up truck already brimming with people and luggage, and managed to squeeze us and three others, and our luggage somewhere on the tail end of the sagging truck. All good, we thought, until another stop where four others waited. The driver insisted they join the back of the truck. He motioned as if to say “no problem” but these folks were sensible and and hailed a taxi to follow the truck to the pier instead.

The pier is located on the outskirts of Siem Reap, past fishing villages and tucked away in an inlet. The smell in the villages leading up to the dock was pungent, like poverty and rotten fish stewed to the point of putrefaction. Anyone familiar with the movie Silence of the Lambs remembers the scene with the body in the morgue. As the body bag gets pulled away, the characters swoon at the stench. This was one of those moments, but we had to endure it without the aid of smelling salts. This was a bit more than most of us could take at 6 AM. We couldn’t imagine living in it full time, filling our lungs with the smell of death.

Boarding the boat was nothing exceptional, for us. We were one of the first trucks to arrive at the pier, so seats inside were plentiful. Others were relegated to the top deck to bake in the sun. And while we appreciated the shelter from the sun, our bums were quickly aching from the hard benches even curiously harder cushions.

The reason everyone takes the boat is to see the many floating villages and communities on the Tonle Sap lake near Siem Reap, complete with electricity, TV, schools and churches. People get around everywhere by boat, with boats carrying kids to school, selling breakfast soups and all manner of goods. We saw floating churches, but the Buddhist temples always always seemed to be securely fixed on land.

A large number of ethnic Vietnamese also live here. Many came to Cambodia after 1979 when the Vietnamese helped overthrow the Khmer Rouge. We were told that since they are not full Cambodians, they can’t own land. As a result, they build their homes and businesses at the margin – in this case, the water.

Bruised Bottoms
Since we were traveling in the dry season (February), the water level in the river wasn’t high enough to allow us to make the entire trip to Battambang by boat. Eventually, the longtail motor, apparently accustomed to turning heavy mud, became bogged down with trees and water weeds. After eight hours on the boat, 20+ of us got in the back of a pick-up truck for the remainder of the journey, some 90 minutes over washed out ruts passing as roads. Our driver managed an impressive, yet bouncy ride through steep craters and pits. Burdened with loosely strapped bags and weary passengers, our truck listed heavily sideways, testing its rollover tolerance with each obstacle. Our asses were sore and we were alien-like, covered in brown dust. But our truck didn’t tip over and we eventually arrived in Battambang…and were thrilled to do so in one piece.

Photo Essay – Boat Trip from Siem Reap to Battambang

Video – Life on Tonle Sap Lake

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Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | 11 comments

Bugs and Blessings

Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 09:28:56 +0000

First the Bugs
Curious, Dan struck up a conversation with a table of people enjoying their late afternoon snack of bugs and sugar cane juice near the river in Battambang. After inviting us to sit with them, he received a proper – and unexpected – lesson in art of bug eating. Step 1: remove the wings and legs. Step 2: pop them into his mouth, Step 3: chew a long, long while, Step 4: chase them with a healthy gulp of sugar cane juice. Step 5: Pray your digestive system approves of this curious new protein.

The large brown palmetto bugs (not shown…but we could) were crunchy, virtually meatless – like eating a bag of anise-soaked shrimp shells. The black bugs (pictured above), called roaches by the Cambodians, were in fact a bit meatier and tastier. These were Dan’s bug of choice.

Our newly acquired Cambodian friends (a man in his 30s, his cousin, and their uncle) had a great laugh. And we, having earned some street credibility, we were invited to their house in a nearby village. They wanted us to meet their relatives visiting from California (many Cambodians emigrated to the US in 1979-1980) and their Cambodian cousin from Siem Reap, who had just been married earlier that week.

After we arrived and met the family, the groom quickly and graciously invited us to his wedding blessing ceremony the next morning.

Then the Blessing
Seaq Bo picked us up the next morning and took us for some breakfast soup with his uncle before joining the blessing ceremony back at the village house. The actual wedding had taken place two days before, but the blessing ceremony is required to make the union complete. In this ceremony, local monks lead prayers and chants that were broadcast throughout the village with a hefty sound system. Older folks prayed downstairs in the open air while the younger and more agile made the climb to an upstairs apartment to join the monks on wooden floors.

After about an hour, four other monks arrived on the backs of motorbikes. They handed empty metal containers to the women before going joining their fellow chanters upstairs. The women of the family flitted around the kitchen assembling soup, fish, chicken, noodle salad in a multi-course, multi-layered feast that all miraculously fit in the monks’ food containers.

Feasting
After the monks finished their blessings and rode off back to the temple, bowls and piles of food were quick to the table. The food was fantastic. Our favorite was the grilled fish with bits of green and ripened mango salsa – tangy, spicy and refreshing. Sour soups and curry completed the table. As is custom, we ate until we were stuffed, but made some room for the finishing touch – mango and sticky rice treats.

On the right is Seaq Bo, the one who taught Dan how to properly eat a bug. On the left is his uncle, who absolutely adored Dan. The woman to Audrey’s right translated for him, saying “My grandfather wants me to tell you that he really likes you. He thinks of you as a son.

A Karaoke Finish
Just as we fell into our food comas, the karaoke sound system fired up and emotional duets were belted out by various family members. The groom confirmed for us the obvious, “Asians LOVE karaoke!”

Photo Essay – Battambang, Cambodia and Village Life

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Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | 5 comments

Battambang on a Motorbike

Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 09:14:16 +0000

Spending a day on the back of a motorbike going around the villages and sites near Battambang is one of the best ways to take in Cambodia’s countryside while getting a bit of an adrenaline kick. This trip proved one of our personal travel hightlights in Southeast Asia.

Village Life
We began our day with a dirt track on the way to Phnom Sampeau. Our motorbike drivers pointed out details we might normally miss – long beans growing on the left, pineapples on the right, crop of dry rice, chili bush ahead, wedding ceremony, children returning from school, new Buddhist temple.

A Chatty Monk
We asked to stop at a newly painted Buddhist temple that popped up out of the middle of nowhere. The money to rebuild had come from collections taken at a wedding, funeral and other blessings. We were amused at the Noah’s Ark design in the garden, wondering what ceramic giraffes and rabbits were doing in a Buddhist temple setting. A monk approached us as we were admiring the eclectic landscape design.

After a battery of standard questions including “where are you from?” he inquired about everything from George W. Bush to Iraq to children to religion. He seemed really happy to practice his English and have an opportunity to speak with someone from abroad and promised to pray for us to have children (this was common for us on our journey). Like many others in the region, he had spent 13 years in a refugee camp in Thailand. He became a monk when he returned to Cambodia.

Temples and Killing Caves
We ate lunch just outside of Phnom Sampeau at a roadside stall, an apparent favorite hangout for motorbike drivers. Tummies full, we climbed the steep hill to a temple once used as a prison by the Khmer Rouge Sitting in the shade of the temple, our driver explained the rise and fall of the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979) and told us about his experiences as a child under the Khmer Rouge and then in a refugee camp. He related his stories not for pity, but because we were truly interested in trying to comprehend his country’s history.

The next stop, the “killing caves”, where two large encasements of human skulls and bones are on display as a memorial to those whose remains were found here after the reign of the Khmer Rouge. We were the only foreign tourists, but many local visitors arrived by the truckload for the dedication of new Buddha statues nearby. It was hopeful to see sites once used for terror being reverted to their originally intended peaceful, spiritual means.

We also saw many older women with shaved heads. The driver explained that these women choose to give up worldly beauty in order to focus on their spirituality. Several of them approached Audrey and touched her on the arm or nodded in a sign of respect. It seemed as if they weren’t used to seeing foreigners and were trying to make a connection. After spending months in well-traveled areas, this was different – a uniquely touching experience.

Wat Banan
Our next destination, Wat Banan, is an ancient temple. Angkor-lite, it was smaller, older, and virtually tourist-free. The 359 steps to the temple are steep and tiring, but the height provides worthwhile bird’s-eye views over the flatlands of Northwestern Cambodia. Because of the dry season, the landscape appeared scrubby and desert-like, with the occasional colorfully painted temple contrasted against against the brittle ground an thatched-roof huts.

Bats on Honeymoon
En route to the bamboo train, we stopped at a large tree full of fruit bats in a temple complex and learned random fact #29 on our countryside tour around Battambang:

Fruit bats call this tree at a local temple their home. The monks who live there must work hard to protect them, however, since the local villagers have taken a liking to bat meat. Apparently, it tastes better than chicken (not just *like* chicken, but *better* than chicken). Makes sense, since the bats feast on fruit (papaya’s their favorite) all day long. The sweet-tasting bats take a honeymoon each year to the coast for a couple of months, only to return pregnant. At least, that’s what our drivers told us.

Then, a miracle in the midst of the dry season – it rained! The dry and muted landscape became electric, giant puddles of water formed everywhere and the kids went nuts – giggling, sliding and making madness in the in puddles and hills of maroon and rust. We almost joined them.

Bamboo Train
But alas, we kept dry for a day-ending ride on the infamous bamboo train. The real, full-sized passenger train passes only once a day to Phnom Penh. To take advantage of the virtually empty track, the locals have devised an ingenious way to transport goods and people between villages. When we requested our ride, the “conductor” assembled the bamboo rods on a platform, attached the platform to the wheels, mounted and fired up the belt-driven engine and off we went! The railroad tracks apparently have not been repaired since the French left….in the early 1950s. The ride was a bit rough on the tush.

When we returned to Battambang, the town’s streets were flooded with water from the heavy downpours. As our motorbike drivers negotiated the streets turned rivers, we lifted our legs up to avoid soaking our feet, but to no avail. We returned to our hotel soaked and filthy, but on a high from an all-around satisfying day.

Photo Essay – Battambang, Cambodia and Village Life

Video – A Day of Cambodian Villages on a Motorbike

Practical Details – Organizing a Motorbike Tour in Battambang, Cambodia

Hiring a motorbike driver: You’ll find them hanging outside most hotels or on the street. Find someone with a relatively new motorbike, good English and an honest smile. Chaya hotel is a good place to start (although if you are staying at Royal, they won’t take you). Going rate is $6-$10/day for the standard tour. Our drivers were Mr. Leangodom and Mr. Samol. +855 12561708
Standard tour: Drive through villages on dirt roads to 1) Phnom Sampeau, the site of the “killing caves” and several temples; 2) Wat Banan, a small temple in the style of Angkor; 3) fruit bat tree and 4) bamboo train. If you want something different, just make arrangements with your driver. The standard tour can take, if you wish, up to 6-8 hours. Highly recommended.
How to get there: Boat or bus from Siem Reap. To go to Thailand from Battambang, get a share taxi for $6/person to Poipet and walk across the border. We used Kemara Taxi there is an office on the main street in Battambang. Friendly driver. Recommended.
Where to stay: Chhaya Hotel – not a luxury place – fan rooms are $5, A/C rooms are $10.
Where to eat: Smoking Pot Restaurant for Thai and Cambodian dishes, Sunrise Coffee House for bagels, tuna wraps and good coffee (a rarity in Cambodia). White Rose for endless combinations of fruit shakes.
What to do: Cooking course with Smoking Pot Restaurant, day on the back of a motorbike, eat bugs.

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Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | 2 comments

Motorbike Driver Chronicles

Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 18:20:17 +0000

While visiting Battambang, we hired motorbike drivers for a day to take us through the surrounding countryside. Our day with them yielded an authentic look at Cambodian country life. Our drivers also shared glimpses of their own personal stories with us. Their stories were typical of many Cambodians and serve as a collective memory of a country that lost half its population during the rule of the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s. While the scores of smiling children we encountered throughout the day still bring smiles to our faces, the day underscored how thankful we are for the fortunate lives we’ve had until now.

Our first major stop of the day was Phnom Sampeau, a hill with Buddhist temples once used by the Khmer Rouge as a prison complex. Excavation of the surrounding caves yielded mountains of bones and human remains, reminders of Khmer Rouge brutality. The temples have since reverted to their original purpose, and groups of monks and older women can be seen praying, lightening incense and making offerings.

We took cover in the shade of a temple as one of our drivers explained the rise of the Khmer Rouge and the techniques it used to gain and keep power. We asked many questions, trying to understand how the Khmer Rouge could win enough support to take over and be responsible for the death of almost half the population (2-3 million people depending upon whom you ask), through direct executions or starvation. After learning what the history books had to say about the Khmer Rouge, we asked our driver about his experiences. He told his story, and in turn, related the story of so many Cambodians.

Childhood
Our driver, Mr. Leangodom, was separated from his parents and siblings at the age of eight and forced to work in the fields. The Khmer Rouge relied on separation to instill paranoia and fear, keep people on edge and to fan the flames of mistrust in a community. Family members disappeared and mistrust was rife.

While working in the fields, he would see prisoners walk by in a line. He would hear gunshots in the forests and only guards would return. Everyone kept their head down and pretended not to notice. Being too curious resulted in the dreaded knock on the door at night and imminent “relocation”. Those who remained, worked themselves into starvation; the little food that could be grown was used to fuel the Khmer Rouge army.

End of the Khmer Rouge – Refugee Camps
When the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia and overthrew the Khmer Rouge in 1979, he was thirteen and returned home in hopes of finding his family. He waited there for two months. When no one arrived, he went to the refugee camps in Thailand and continued his search. There, names of family members were repeatedly announced on loud speakers. One day, he overhead his mother’s name and was reunited with both her and his sister. The whereabouts of his father and two other siblings were unknown. He spent the next 13 years of his life in the refugee camp, receiving training as a medic in the local hospital.

Returning Home
When the United Nations negotiated a fragile peace and elections were held in 1993, the refugee camps were emptied and Cambodians returned “home.” Leangodom returned to his village with his mother and sister, only to see that their land and house already occupied by others who’d opted to stay. Possession is 99% of the law, so he moved with his family to Battambang to make a new life in the city. Despite his training as a medic and the need for medical staff, he couldn’t get a job in the hospitals because he didn’t have money for the bribes required to secure a position. He started working as a motorbike driver instead.

He continued his search for his father and two other siblings until 2000, at which point he decided to stop. Assuming them dead, he allowed himself to begin the grieving process. He explained that he cannot think about the past too much – “it’s paralyzing.” He lives in the present and future and said that most Cambodians do the same in order to cope and survive.

Looking to the Future
His story is unfortunately very common in Cambodia – separated from his family as a child, surviving the death of multiple family members, enduring slave labor, living in a refugee camp, losing a home, and having to start all over again in hopes that such terrible times will never return. You’ll hear iterations of it repeated by people in different locations and walks of life. But Cambodians show an amazing resilience in the face of their horrific recent history. Instead of dwelling on the past, they are determined to create a better future for their children. Their smiles gave us hope that they are succeeding, slowly and in their own way.

Photo Essay – Battambang, Cambodia

Video – Village Life in Battambang, Cambodia

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Originally posted on the Uncornered Market travel blog. Find beautiful travel photos from around the world. | No comment