Our first full day at the beach, that was today. We woke up in the Grand Sihanouk Ville Hotel in southern Cambodia. The Gulf of Thailand is one block to the west of us -- the Gulf of Thailand! We had a western-style breakfast at the hotel before we jumped into our pool for a quick swim. It's a pool that is long enough for lap swimming -- a rarity at any hotel anywhere, so it's a real treat! The hotel is new and all of the rooms face the pool, including the top fourth floor rooms that they still are constructing! The hotel will be finished completely by the time our entire group arrives next winter, and students, you will be very happy to hear that the hotel is in the Serendipity Beach area, an area with a very vibrant night life! The entire beach is lined with outdoor cafes; we hear that it's quite the place to go in the evenings. We instead, though, are opting for Indian food in the Victory Beach area tonight because it is sure to be tamer for us older types :)
Marsha, Deb, and I took a 6km tuk-tuk (rhymes with look-look) ride to another beach area today that is called Otres (love the French-influences that still are present here), and while the Otres Beach was nice, none of us thought it was nicer than the beach that is across the street from our hotel, so consider yourselves spared that you won't have to endure a jarring ride across the bumpiest dirt roads ever and that you won't have paid $5 just to discover that our beach area is as wonderful as Otres! Anyway, the beaches are nice and the water was WARM and WAVY! It was a treat to spend the day here and you're going to love it!
I tried for over an hour to download photos today to the blog, but I had no luck. I will try again when I get back to Phnom Penh for one night, where I can use the hotel computer. I just don't know why it isn't working from the ipad, but it isn't.
One thing that I didn't mention in yesterday's blog was that before we left Phnom Penh yesterday, we spent several hours at another NGO focused on serving children living in extreme poverty -- Pour un Sourire d'Enfant (PSE; For the Smile of a Child). Taddy was in heaven getting to hear and speak French! PSE was started by some French citizens who, during a trip to Cambodia, found many children scavenging for anything they might sell in a huge city garbage dump. When they also saw that these children were eating the garbage, they had to act. And act they did, founding PSE. I cannot do justice to the work they have done and continue to do, so please visit their website at www.pse.asso.fr.
Tomorrow morning we will leave Sihanoukville early and drive to the Killing Fields to pay our respects for those murdered by the Khmer Rouge in the Cambodian genocide that occurred in the latter part of the 1970s. It is certain to be a sobering trip. We will study this historical event in some detail next winter, prior to traveling to Cambodia. I expect it to be one of the more important topics of our studies.
On a lighter note, Taddy told me that I had to include one thing that happened on our trip to Sihanoukville yesterday. The trip from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville is only ~230km, but it took us almost 6 hours because the roads are narrow and, in places, made of dirt and not in the best shape. So about halfway here, we stopped for a bathroom and snack break at a small roadside store. (And students, do be prepared to use an occasional squatting toilet, affectionately known as "a squatty potty," because we will encounter a few!) I picked up a bag of vanilla wafers -- yummy! Well, NOT SO yummy and NOT SO vanilla! On the front of the package was a picture of what I now know to be a durian fruit. The cookies were durian-fruit-flavored, not vanilla. We were in the car tooling alongside of the cows when I opened the package. Oh my gosh, what a stink! The van filled with horribly stinky air immediately. Our guide laughed and told us that the smell was durian fruit and that durian fruit is quite tasty, but very stinky. Then he proceeded to spray Glade air freshener into the air conditioning vents!
Students, you are on your own if you dare to purchase packaged cookies. And don't say I didn't warn you! :)
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Pagodas, Cows, Ho Chi Minh Trail
What a full day we've had! After another wonderful breakfast on the scenic 6th floor of the Ohana Hotel (pad thai for breakfast, who can ask for more?!!), we began our day by visiting the The Royal Palace of Cambodia--the Cambodian King's residency. Just try to picture an amazing Buddha made of jade, a pagoda lined with silver-tiled floors, mythic carvings surrounding the grounds and buildings, and maybe, just maybe, you will have a sense of The Royal Palace. The palace barely can be contained within its one city block of area and consists of many buildings, one more impressive and opulent than the next. And the best part is that it is within walking distance of the hotel, so multiple visits are possible, and multiple sightings are a certainty. One interesting fact that we learned was that the current King's older sister passed away at the age of four years of a childhood illness and now the King has instituted an infant vaccination program to help prevent early deaths from illnesses such as meningitis, smallpox, measles, and the like.
We then headed "next door" to the National Museum of Cambodia. The museum is sectioned into four historical time periods and contains artifacts in bronze, silver, stone, and wood. There was room filled with sculptures of Buddha that gave a sense of true sacredness. Visitors could leave an offering of jasmine-strung flowers for personal prayers. The museum was surrounded by lush gardens that contained many spirit houses. Spirit houses reminded me of personal altars that one might create in his or her own home. The museum was a special place that I am looking forward to returning to, both with a guide and by myself.
We drove south to the beach resort area in Shihanoukville ("SEE nick ville"). It was about a four-hour drive on the Ho Chi Minh trail from the capital city, and the drive was lined with scenes of very small towns and acres of rice paddies, often with workers in the fields. The rice crops are planted in two phases, right now they are harvesting the small sprouts to be replanted soon. When we are here next winter, they should be harvesting rice and we should be able to help in the fields! We spotted our first water buffalo today on the drive, and again, we saw many, many Brahman cows walking along and into the roads...yikes! Bicycle, motorcycle, car, and pedestrian traffic is very chaotic in cities, but in the smaller towns, it is the cow traffic that is most prevalent. If you are squeamish about such things, it's best if you close your eyes when traveling! :)
I've said before that I'll post photos, but I PROMISE that tomorrow will be the day that I actually post some!!
We then headed "next door" to the National Museum of Cambodia. The museum is sectioned into four historical time periods and contains artifacts in bronze, silver, stone, and wood. There was room filled with sculptures of Buddha that gave a sense of true sacredness. Visitors could leave an offering of jasmine-strung flowers for personal prayers. The museum was surrounded by lush gardens that contained many spirit houses. Spirit houses reminded me of personal altars that one might create in his or her own home. The museum was a special place that I am looking forward to returning to, both with a guide and by myself.
We drove south to the beach resort area in Shihanoukville ("SEE nick ville"). It was about a four-hour drive on the Ho Chi Minh trail from the capital city, and the drive was lined with scenes of very small towns and acres of rice paddies, often with workers in the fields. The rice crops are planted in two phases, right now they are harvesting the small sprouts to be replanted soon. When we are here next winter, they should be harvesting rice and we should be able to help in the fields! We spotted our first water buffalo today on the drive, and again, we saw many, many Brahman cows walking along and into the roads...yikes! Bicycle, motorcycle, car, and pedestrian traffic is very chaotic in cities, but in the smaller towns, it is the cow traffic that is most prevalent. If you are squeamish about such things, it's best if you close your eyes when traveling! :)
I've said before that I'll post photos, but I PROMISE that tomorrow will be the day that I actually post some!!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Free the Bears, Tiny Toones, & All Things NGO
It was a very full day today. I woke up to drizzle falling outside of our hotel window, but by the time we ate breakfast, the sun was starting to peek through the clouds and the heat of the day began. This is the rainy season. Breakfast at the Ohana Hotel is served on the sixth floor, where there is a beautiful view of the riverfront. And like all of our meals here, it was delicious. Soon I'll be exercising nightly with everyone else on the riverfront where one person blares music from a boom box while leading folks in a variety of moves. Even while exercising, the people here continue to smile and have fun. There is a generous spirit that is pervasive and to be admired in all of the Cambodian people we've met.
Early this morning we drove 1-1/2 hours to the NGO, Free the Bears. You can find them at www.freethebears.org. They maintain a zoological park for a variety of animals that have been rescued from the pet and poaching markets. Right now they have ~200 bears, including the very small and oh-so-cute Sun Bears and the slightly larger Asian Bears. We got to see three bear cubs that were under six months old. They also rehab elephants, tigers, and lions, in addition to birds and gibbons. Students, we will work for one full day as zookeepers next winter. We'll learn how to care for the bears and then we'll make toys for their enrichment activities. Please check out their website to see the very important work they are doing.
After enjoying lunch at the park, sitting on platforms lined with hammocks, we drove back into Phnom Penh to visit the general manager of the NGO Tiny Toones. This is another group of Cambodians who are dedicated to an important cause. Tiny Toones is an organization that works with children and young adults from 5-24 years of age who are living in poverty to teach them how to read and speak English, produce music and graphic art, use computers, and dance hip hop. It's amazing! We will work with this organization, as well, next winter. As you might have noticed, there is a theme running through our visits: service learning. While we're here, we are trying to ascertain the needs of each group, so that we can be of service to their communities when we arrive in seven months. Seven short months!!
You'll love this next adventure -- we ate Mexican food for dinner! And even more surprising, it was delish! We met an Augie alumna, Leah Mortenson, who currently is in the Peace Corp teaching English to children in Cambodia. She was a student of Drs. Kalas and Smith's and she made the trek from her town to Phnom Penh to visit with us. She will be speaking to all of us next winter about her experiences in Cambodia. You will love to hear Leah's story and her impressions. And now, before I fall asleep on my wireless keyboard, I'm signing off. More tomorrow after we've visited the Cambodian Palace and the Cambodian Museum... and after we've driven to Sihanoukville -- the beach! We hope everyone at home is enjoying their summer as much as we are enjoying the start to ours. I can't tell you how much you are going to love it here, but you're going to love it and I can't wait to accompany you!
Early this morning we drove 1-1/2 hours to the NGO, Free the Bears. You can find them at www.freethebears.org. They maintain a zoological park for a variety of animals that have been rescued from the pet and poaching markets. Right now they have ~200 bears, including the very small and oh-so-cute Sun Bears and the slightly larger Asian Bears. We got to see three bear cubs that were under six months old. They also rehab elephants, tigers, and lions, in addition to birds and gibbons. Students, we will work for one full day as zookeepers next winter. We'll learn how to care for the bears and then we'll make toys for their enrichment activities. Please check out their website to see the very important work they are doing.
After enjoying lunch at the park, sitting on platforms lined with hammocks, we drove back into Phnom Penh to visit the general manager of the NGO Tiny Toones. This is another group of Cambodians who are dedicated to an important cause. Tiny Toones is an organization that works with children and young adults from 5-24 years of age who are living in poverty to teach them how to read and speak English, produce music and graphic art, use computers, and dance hip hop. It's amazing! We will work with this organization, as well, next winter. As you might have noticed, there is a theme running through our visits: service learning. While we're here, we are trying to ascertain the needs of each group, so that we can be of service to their communities when we arrive in seven months. Seven short months!!
You'll love this next adventure -- we ate Mexican food for dinner! And even more surprising, it was delish! We met an Augie alumna, Leah Mortenson, who currently is in the Peace Corp teaching English to children in Cambodia. She was a student of Drs. Kalas and Smith's and she made the trek from her town to Phnom Penh to visit with us. She will be speaking to all of us next winter about her experiences in Cambodia. You will love to hear Leah's story and her impressions. And now, before I fall asleep on my wireless keyboard, I'm signing off. More tomorrow after we've visited the Cambodian Palace and the Cambodian Museum... and after we've driven to Sihanoukville -- the beach! We hope everyone at home is enjoying their summer as much as we are enjoying the start to ours. I can't tell you how much you are going to love it here, but you're going to love it and I can't wait to accompany you!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Phnom Penh
We spent our first full day in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. We flew into the Phnom Penh airport after a 2-1/2-hour flight; it was beautiful leaving Hong Kong, with the very cospomolitan airport situated with water surrounding it. There were SO MANY cargo ships, undoubtedly mostly full of goods "Made in China" to be shipped to the U.S.
We were met in Phnom Penh by Mr. Eak and Mr. Xin, our tour guide and driver. We had a quick tour of some of the city before we were deposited at the Ohana Hotel to freshen up before lunch. And what a lunch it was -- we ate at Friends, a not-for-profit organization that prepares Cambodian youth who are living in poverty for positions in the food and spa industries. The lunch was absolutely delicious, made in part with foods grown by local farmers who are teaching the local youth-in-training. As a vegetarian, I only can dream of a Quad Cities restaurant with as many aromatic and tasty meal options as I found there!
We then were treated to cyclo rides through the capital, an experience two of us found to be harrowing and two of us found to be, well, almost peaceful, and that all four of us found to be thought provoking. The cyclo rides consisted of a cyclo driver/cyclist pedaling one person around in a small "cart." I'll post a photo tomorrow; unfortunately, our historian has crashed for the night :)
The hotel we're staying in is across the street from what might be considered the Phnom Penh Riverwalk. There is a multi-mile path that parallels the Tonle Sap River. We're staying right at the junction of the Tonle ("TON-lay") Sap and Mekong Rivers. The Mekong River continues to flow into Vietnam, and the Tonle Sap River is one that you'll be hearing more about in our trip. The river path near our hotel is a very hip and fun area -- there are futbol games, badmitton, and the like going on along the path. Students, be certain that at least one of you packs a badmitton set and another packs a soccer ball! It's a vibrant area complete with a wide variety of restaurants and a fun night life. You have your choice of Khmer, Thai, Indian, Italian, and American style food -- if you crave it, you can find it here! Mixed into the restaurants and hotels, there are some absolutely beautiful Buddhist temples that have spires that reach into the sky. In their saffron-colored robes, the Buddhist monks provide quite a presence.
Enough said with words. I'll try to post some photos tomorrow so you can see what we are experiencing. It's wonderful here...
Tomorrow morning at 8:00, we head to Free the Bears to be zookeepers for a day for Asian bears!! I can't wait to tell you about it! Thanks for following our adventures...
We were met in Phnom Penh by Mr. Eak and Mr. Xin, our tour guide and driver. We had a quick tour of some of the city before we were deposited at the Ohana Hotel to freshen up before lunch. And what a lunch it was -- we ate at Friends, a not-for-profit organization that prepares Cambodian youth who are living in poverty for positions in the food and spa industries. The lunch was absolutely delicious, made in part with foods grown by local farmers who are teaching the local youth-in-training. As a vegetarian, I only can dream of a Quad Cities restaurant with as many aromatic and tasty meal options as I found there!
We then were treated to cyclo rides through the capital, an experience two of us found to be harrowing and two of us found to be, well, almost peaceful, and that all four of us found to be thought provoking. The cyclo rides consisted of a cyclo driver/cyclist pedaling one person around in a small "cart." I'll post a photo tomorrow; unfortunately, our historian has crashed for the night :)
The hotel we're staying in is across the street from what might be considered the Phnom Penh Riverwalk. There is a multi-mile path that parallels the Tonle Sap River. We're staying right at the junction of the Tonle ("TON-lay") Sap and Mekong Rivers. The Mekong River continues to flow into Vietnam, and the Tonle Sap River is one that you'll be hearing more about in our trip. The river path near our hotel is a very hip and fun area -- there are futbol games, badmitton, and the like going on along the path. Students, be certain that at least one of you packs a badmitton set and another packs a soccer ball! It's a vibrant area complete with a wide variety of restaurants and a fun night life. You have your choice of Khmer, Thai, Indian, Italian, and American style food -- if you crave it, you can find it here! Mixed into the restaurants and hotels, there are some absolutely beautiful Buddhist temples that have spires that reach into the sky. In their saffron-colored robes, the Buddhist monks provide quite a presence.
Enough said with words. I'll try to post some photos tomorrow so you can see what we are experiencing. It's wonderful here...
Tomorrow morning at 8:00, we head to Free the Bears to be zookeepers for a day for Asian bears!! I can't wait to tell you about it! Thanks for following our adventures...
Sunday, May 27, 2012
We are sitting in the Hong Kong airport waiting for our flight to Phnom Penh! We had a wonderful stay in Hong Kong, complete with a brief side trip to Stanley Market on the South China Sea. We got to eat seaside after taking a very twisting-turning bus ride up, down, and around Hong Kong Island. I'll post again after we arrive in Cambodia. I'm posting this update to see if I can make this work, because my screen is in Chinese and I'm not certain what I'm doing right now :) Can't wait to share Cambodia with everyone!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Just a few sites we're looking forward to seeing!
A tuk tuk, an awaiting means of transportation for us
The resort of Sihanoukville
Ta Prohm Temple in Angkor Wat
Four days and counting...
In four days, four of us will be traveling to Hong Kong, and then on to Cambodia to check out all of the sites and adventures that we have planned for our Cambodia Study Abroad term scheduled for Augustana College's 2012-13 Winter Term. Joining me on this planning trip will be Dr. Marsha Smith, Dr. Taddy Kalas, and my sister the travel bug, Mrs. Deb Safar. We have had our vaccinations and we have our anti-malaria medication in hand, now all we have to do is pack that 45+ SPF suntan lotion and some clothes and we'll be ready to board our 15-1/2-hour direct flight from Chicago to Hong Kong, and then catch a 2-1/2-hour flight on Dragon Air into Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The four of us will spend time at every site we have planned to take our 28 students. We will verify that each hotel, site, and experience is safe and what we expected it to be -- from visiting the beach community of Sihanoukville, to paying our respects at the Killing Fields, to helping to care for Asian bears and elephants, to meeting the Buddhist monks and the children in their care at Life and Hope Association. I hope that my posts will get every student even more excited about the places we'll go, the people we'll meet, and the adventures we'll share. Here's to SE Asia!
For right now, though, my focus is on figuring out how I'm going to get all of my things into a single carry-on bag! I see lots of clothes washing in my hotel room sink in my traveling future! More from me once we arrive in the capital city of Phnom Penh, a city situated on the banks of the Mekong River. Adventure awaits...
For right now, though, my focus is on figuring out how I'm going to get all of my things into a single carry-on bag! I see lots of clothes washing in my hotel room sink in my traveling future! More from me once we arrive in the capital city of Phnom Penh, a city situated on the banks of the Mekong River. Adventure awaits...
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