It's a Hard Life

Since the last blog, work on the orphanage has slowed even more due to lack of funding, but every cloud has a silver lining so we have had the opportunity to do other things.


We were fortunate enough to be in Siem Reap for the water festival, we did a Cambodian cookery course and have been able to spend time with the children at the orphanage.









At the water festival, dragon boats from all over the region race down the river through the centre of Siem Reap. It is a big festival with thousands of Cambodian people descending on the town to cheer on the racers. Can you see the kids sitting in the tree? A great vantage point to watch the racing and .........!!! jump in the water!

At the water festival, this guy was putting on a little show, by diving through a ring of rusty knives.

All the rowing teams are being presented to the local Cambodian VIPs, then the real action begins.

We had a good position near the finish line and this was a close race. As you can see the lead boat is a little low in the water.

In fact, it was so low, it sank and didn't quite make it to the finishing line.

This is the girls showing the boys how it should be done. None of them sank.

We went out for breakfast one day and saw bubble and squeak on the menu. Above is "bubble and squeak" - 2 poached eggs, sausages, chips, green beans, sweetcorn and carrots. Strange!! We haven't been back!

These are the results of a cookery course we took with 4 other people - spring rolls, fish amok, chicken and ginger, mango salad and tom yum soup.

Before the course, we went to the market to check out the ingredients. Garry is pointing at a jack fruit. Very dodgy and smelly - don't try this.

Our cookery class - Bud, Bob, Simon and Jack.

This is on the road to the orphanage. These guys come and collect coconuts and sell them back in town. Check out the meat cleaver on the right hand side.

Some of the team have been helping to build a housw, with pretty rudimentary tools. This is a cordless drill operated by Mab the tuk tuk driver. Cordless tools are essential as there is no electricity.

Again, on the house project they cut down a coconut tree for timber. This young kid climbed the tree to attach a rope so the team could pull it in the right direction. There is a video to show the tree coming down, but internet here is so slow we cannot load it.

When the tree hit the ground it is a free for all coconut fest for the locals.

Some of the kids from the orphanage on their way to lunch. How many kids can you get in one tuk tuk?

If you don't recognise this game, it is "what's the time Mr Wolf". Alison and Gerry playing their favourite game. The kids cannot say "r" very well, so Gerry gets called Jelly!

Alison "glowing" after playing musical bricks, see below.

How do you play musical chairs, when you have no music and no chairs?

Easy! You replace the music with clapping and the chairs with bricks. The kids loved it! We were shattered.

Skipping is another game the kids love. We make it hard for them by going very fast but the faster we go the more they love it.

The all time favorite game is volleyball. Again we were shattered and very glad when the ball got punctured. It was an accident, honest guv.

It's harvest time at the moment so our play ground regularly has convoys of ox carts coming through laden with all kinds of stuff.

If you think the traffic is bad where you live, this is what we have to go through on our way to work in the morning. What the picture doesn't show is that vehicles and pedestrians come at you from all angles.

Alison says "you can't have too many pictures of pigs on bikes". We know Sally agrees as well. It was a very hot day so the driver has covered the pigs bellies with leaves so that they don't get sun burnt.

Chickens on their way to market. They are still alive, so you know it's fresh.

Kate and Katie from Beverley have just arrived. Alison is in the mood for beer, so we're signing off now.

Cheers.

Garry and Alison.