Killing Fields, water park and heading home

August 17, 2010 12:19 pm (EDT)   //   August 17, 2010 11:19 pm (ICT)

Travel hounds

Phnom Penh taxi

The Killing Fields

Words unnecessary

Boys having fun

Happy Last Day!

Big love from Cambodia!

Today was an emotional day.  We started out at The Killing Fields.  No explanation necessary for the horror, pain and sadness that one feels walking those grounds.  It is no wonder that Cambodians are so superstitious about ghosts, the way so many lives were taken in such a brutal manner.

We decided to spend the afternoon with the Palm Tree kids, so we took them to the Phnom Penh Water Park.  It was so fun seeing all those happy faces, and hearing their screams of delight as they flew down the water slides time and time again.

It was hard saying goodbye tonight.  There were lots of tears.  The kids didn’t want to let Lewis leave.  It was kind of like getting a ‘rock star’ in the van in order to leave the orphanage.  I wish I could have taken pictures of the scene, but it was pitch black.  Lewis and I had a traditional dinner with the staff at a Cambodian restaurant.  We are coming home with many beautiful memories of Lewis’ homeland.  This journey was big in terms of Lewis being able to connect with a part of himself that is rooted deep in his soul.

It’s time to wrap this up, finish packing and get a bit of sleep before we head to the airport for the long flight home.  I have so enjoyed all the heartfelt comments that were shared.  It added a layer of richness to our travel experience, that didn’t exist before the internet.  I will be looking forward to hearing Lewis tell his stories over the next weeks.  He is already talking about his next trip back to Cambodia.  Thank you again, for being a part of our journey.      Much love, Cheryl

Filed in Cambodia, Traveling | 21 Comments

From Angkor Wat to Sihanoukville

August 15, 2010 4:57 am (EDT)   //   August 15, 2010 03:57 pm (ICT)

King's Entrance

Early morning at Angkor Wat

Bayon Temples

Bayon Temple

Bayon Faces

Preah Khan Jungle Temples

Preah Khan Ruins

Strangler Fig "Spung" Tetrameles nudiflora

Chillin' upon return of a full day of temple visits

It has been awhile since I have had time to publish a new post.  Travel,  action packed days, and funky internet resources are the factors of my daily experience.  I’m resurfacing from the beach resort town of Sihanoukville.  It is a gorgeous day, and I’m ready to catch you up a bit.

11 August

We woke early to beat the crowds and heat, to see the Angkor temples.  Although it was my first visit, due to the many photographs that I have been enthralled with for so many years, mostly those of Kenro Izo, I felt as though I had spent much time there, and it was exquisite to walk amongst the sand stones of my dreams.  It all felt very familiar to me.  The massive beauty is breathtaking.  Built in the 12 th century, it is hard to imagine that it only took 40 years to build.  Engineers have estimated that it would take 300 years to build today.  hmmmm.  After touring Angkor Wat, we also toured the Bayon Temples, (with faces), and Preah Khan temples (known as the Jungle Temples).  I can say with utmost certainty, that at this point Lewis likens temple visits to museums.  From the perspective of a 12 year old boy….BORING.  I will admit that he has seen many temples, and combined with the heat and the humidity, he held up pretty well.  I know he was glad to see Angkor Wat, but at this point, he is happy to be playing in the waves and kicking a soccer ball down the beach with the Palm Tree kids.  He is more focused on the pool and starting to dream of Five Guys cheeseburgers.  He has passed out food to lots of hungry kids, so maybe he feels he now needs to eat enough for all hungry Cambodian children.  One thing he is thrilled about, is the fact that for a Khmer person, he is HUGE.  Everyone takes him for a 15-17 year old, which he absolutely LOVES!!

12 Aug  Boat trip to Chong Kneas, Floating Village on Tonle Sap Lake

Skipper

Lewis on tour boat with the Palm Tree kids we took to Siem Reap

.

Off to school

Fresh Direct

Cozy

We took the Palm Tree kids for a boat trip to see Chong Kneas, which is a floating village, on Tonle Sap.  Tonle Sap is the largest fresh water lake in Asia. Interestingly, its flow changes direction twice a year.  It is about 2700 square miles in the dry season, and increases to 1600, square miles by the end of the rainy season.  The floating house boats actually drag their homes to two different locations on the river each year, depending on the season and the water level.  The people living here are extremely poor, living in very close quarters.  They are mostly Vietnamese.  We visited a little catfish farm where crocodiles were also being raised for their leather. The fish caught in the lake provide 60 % of Cambodians protein intake, and is one of the most productive inland fisheries in the world.  There are two schools that the kids attend.  The South Koreans seem to have a large NGO presence here, as they do throughout Cambodia.  A good time was had by all.

Friday, 13 August

BIG RAIN, BIG FUN!

Rural Village

Head Start Program

Soap bubbles and smiles

Lewis hands out treats

Preparing baguettes & condensed milk

A first and a big hit! It's the white woman with the camera and hat on that they are terrified of.

Nutrition Lesson

Skeptical, but interested. What are vitamins??

Cambodia's Hope-Alphabet Soup Program

Friday the 13th, turned out to be a very lucky day for us.  We spent the entire day visiting rural villages, where Cambodia’s Hope is providing English lessons and a daily lunch for the children.  The poverty levels are sobering.  On one hand, Cambodia has made progress, in that they are no longer under the rule of the Khmer Rouge.  But they have a long way to go to come back from the years of oppression and genocide.  The current government is extremely corrupt, so there is a huge contingent of the population that is dependent on the support of NGO’s for education, food and medicine.  There are still 3-5 million undiscovered land mines in Cambodia.  Cambodia has one amputee for every 290 people, one of the highest ratios in the world.  The number of orphans is staggering, at more than 100,000.

The people in the rural villages we visited were thrilled and honored to have us.  Well, actually, the small children were terrified.  They have seen almost no white people, much less with hats on and cameras pointing at them.  Many babies cried and had to be carried away.  But that all changed when we brought out the loaves of baguettes that we poured condensed milk on.  No one in these villages had ever seen or tasted anything like this.  It was a game changer.

Lewis was obviously of HUGE interest.  Everyone couldn’t believe their eyes at seeing the tall, healthy, strong Khmer boy, who lived in America!  He took the attention very well, and enjoyed handing out food and treats to the children.  Terry blew lots of soap bubbles and was clearly honored by everyone from the village chief to the small kids.  Communication was difficult, as we visited villages that CH has no volunteers in, so there was no English spoken.  It was fantastic to witness what a wonderful job the Cambodia’s Hope volunteers have done and what an incredible difference they are making in the lives of so many children.  As some volunteers are leaving to go back to school, we could really use a couple of new volunteers, starting in the fall through the end of spring, 2011.  If you or someone you know, are skilled in teaching, and looking for an adventurous opportunity that will enrich your own life even more than the kids you are working/living with, please feel free to contact us!

I can only imagine Lewis has much to process from all he has seen.  It has been a lot for me to take in.  As we left an orphanage we are working with, I shouted out, “Study hard and BRUSH YOUR TEETH!” The kids would all bow, smile and shout “Aakoon!”, which is Khmer for  Thank You.  Cambodians are gracious and eager to learn.  Lewis is very happy to be here, as he refers to it, “with his people”, and is already planning his next trip back.  While observing the nutrition class being taught at a rural village, Lewis took pride in being used as an example of how a Cambodian child can grow up to be strong and healthy, if given proper nutrition.  He is collecting emails from kids he is meeting, and I can already imagine that the impact his visit will make, will be felt by many for a long time to come.

While I have spent the afternoon working on this blog and resting my overused ankle, Terry, Lewis, the Palm Tree staff, and 60 Palm Tree kids have been playing at the beach, swimming in the pool, and hitting tennis balls.  I just got a call from Terry that we are going to meet for a dinner of fresh barracuda.  We are heading back to Phnom Penh in tomorrow, Monday morning.  It is a 3 1/2 hour drive, if the van doesn’t break down.  (It did twice on the way here.)

Before we head back on Wednesday morning, Lewis wants to visit the original site of the orphanage where we picked him up from in 1998, the Killing Fields, the Russian Market, and hang out some more with the Palm Tree kids.  I also have to squeeze in packing and a big visit with Ben Justus, from EGBOK, who is arriving on Tuesday.  I am very excited to see him and share stories and ideas on all the great things happening for the kids and their hospitality programs.  I’m saving sleep for the long plane ride home.

Thanks again for joining in.  My apologies for the blog delays and thus a long entry today.  Until next time, ck

Filed in Traveling | 13 Comments

Interim–Siem Reap

August 11, 2010 12:14 pm (EDT)   //   August 11, 2010 11:14 pm (ICT)

Woke up at 4:30am.  Left for temples at 5:30am.  Long day of temple hiking.  Big afternoon rain.  Took Palm Tree kids and volunteers  out for dinner tonight.  Wiped out.  Will take a boat ride in the morning to visit a river village.  In much need of sleep.  Traveling back to Phnom Penh tomorrow afternoon.  May get photos loaded tomorrow night (Thursday, Indochina time) or Friday afternoon.  On Friday morning we are going to visit the boys dorm and library that Shelley Wexler funded in lieu of my executrix fee at the APCA orphanage.  I had a plaque made in her honor, that I’m going to take out there to have installed.  On Saturday morning I’m taking all 96 Palm Tree kids to the beach for the weekend!  I better get some rest.  sweet dreams.  The kids favorite dish at dinner was the frog (not just the legs)!

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Elephants, Lewis & Angkor Hospital

August 10, 2010 10:13 am (EDT)   //   August 10, 2010 09:13 pm (ICT)

Bathing monks

Lewis at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) Phnom Penh

Thank you for all your concerns about my ankle.  It is a boring subject, but to clear up the inquiries, I fell in a hole on 2 ave in NYC, five days before leaving on this trip.  I got a bone contusion and tendonitis in two tendons.  Needless to say, it was very painful.  I left from JFK in a wheelchair, moved to two crutches upon arrival in Thailand, moved to one crutch in Laos, and then to just an air cast on the first day in Cambodia.  I’m managing with the air cast, icing, anti inflammatory drugs and some great massage.  I still travel with a crutch, as sometimes I need it.  It has been sobering, humbling and a challenge making photographs.  Maybe it was time to slow down from my normal high speed pace…..

Phnom Penh is a very different city than when we were there in 1998 to adopt Lewis.  Not only is it much larger, but the infrastructure (although still very much a third world city) is markedly better than it was then.  Many main roads are paved, there is at least one wonderful hotel, many more necessities of life are available, and to go along with that, millions of more people!  The traffic is horrendous!  The good thing about it being the rainy season, is that it is not so hot and dusty, just hot and rainy, which I much prefer!

The Palm Tree kids are crazy about Lewis and he is loving being surrounded by kids that look just like him.

Thailand Elephant riding

Since I can’t stop thinking about elephants, and everyone seems to enjoy hearing about them, I wanted to share a bit more about our Thailand experience.

It is a fantastic experience to ride an elephant directly on their back (really, in front of their shoulders, behind their head), rather than the  more common way of being inside a basket.  They move slowly with so much control of their “being”.  Initially, being up so high, takes some getting used to, but the elephant actually makes you feel safe.  We trekked up and down some steep terrain, and never felt like we were going to fall off.  My elephant, Phet, even spun around once, when she felt nervous about another elephant that was free in the jungle/forest, that we had to pass, and the whole thing felt like slow motion.  They could walk up on you in a group, and they are so quiet, you might never even hear them, until they nuzzled you with their soft trunks, that they so inquisitively like to do.  The preserves have been set up to rescue elephants that were captured and taken to Bangkok, and elsewhere, to be used for begging.  Unfortunately, people seem more likely to give money to someone begging with an elephant, than without one.  The elephants were often starving and being beaten.  Heartbreaking to think about.  The other problem for these big, majestic creatures, is they can destroy a field of crops in a heartbeat, so farmers tend to hate them, and will often shoot them, to protect their crops.  Like so many creatures and people in the world, elephants need our help to protect them, so they can live the life they deserve to.

This might seem like a random subject, but we visited an Opium Museum in the Golden Triangle, which did not allow photography, but was a fascinating and educational experience, that we all enjoyed.  It is a big step that the Thai people have made the growing of opium illegal.  There is a huge effort to educate about the dangers of drug addictions.  The King’s Mother was very involved in helping villages create alternative ways of supporting themselves, and was also very responsible for the creation of the Opium Museum.  It was interesting to learn about how opium growing/trading/use shaped so much of history for centuries!  This is a fascinating part of history, including two opium wars that took place between England and China.  It was the reason that England took over Hong Kong!  I don’t think this is part of World History in the USA, although it was a huge influence on this part of the world.

down pour

Teaching nurses at the hospital

Paruth's baby girl

After being involved with the support of Friends without a Border, since its beginnings in 1998, I was thrilled to finally get to visit/tour the Angkor Hospital for Children today.  No one is turned away, regardless of whether or not they can pay for treatment.  So much progress has been made in terms of the facility, the staff, and the care provided.  There is even a large garden where parents are educated in nutritional needs for their kids.  Malnutrition is one of the main reasons kids are brought to the hospital.   Poor families who have traveled a great distance to bring their sick kids, are given a place to stay over, as well as  food that they can cook in the communal kitchen.  I could write volumes about this wonderful facility and the amazing people/doctors/nurses who work there, but I fear I am verging on the saturation level.  I would like to invite those who are interested,  to check out the FWB web site, and if you are interested in their work, let me know, so I can put you on our guest list, for the table Curt and I  always get for their annual NYC fund raising gala–which is always a fun and inspiring evening.

Time for a good night’s sleep, as we are rising at 4:30am for Dawn Patrol at Angkor Wat.  I hope it won’t be raining…..

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Cham Rang

August 9, 2010 11:05 am (EDT)   //   August 9, 2010 10:05 pm (ICT)

rice farmer

Working girls

Back breaking rice planting

working hands

Rice farmer

cow bells

Cham Rung child

Cham Rung orphan

Lindsey's hospitality/english class

Hands game

Kitchen

Bathtub & Clothes washing vessel

Terry (Grandpa) + friend

This afternoon we traveled to Cham Rung, which is about 20 minutes drive outside of Phnom Penh.  There is an orphanage there that Cambodia’s Hope has gotten involved in supporting.  As you can see, on the way there, I got involved taking photographs of the rice farming.  Like elephants and monks, rice farming is easy to get carried away with photographing.  Everything about it is sumptious.  The soft green of the rice, the faces, the colors of the clothing, the wagons, the cows…….It is a visual treat.

The real fun started when we arrived at the children’s farm.  This is such an impressive orphange.  In some ways it is self-sustaining, in that they grow an amazing amount of food and have lots of cows, geese and chickens.  The farming is all organic and the crops are amazing!  Elizabeth is the Cambodia’s Hope volunteer who has been teaching English there, and she has fallen in love with the children and vice versa.  I sat in the the hospitality class that Lindsey and Elizabeth both taught today, and it was very exciting to see how devoted the kids are towards their studies.  It takes a lot of determination.  They only have electricity three hours in the evening.  I am looking forward to doing some more fund raising to help support them in their educational needs.  We took a group of Palm Tree kids to visit today.  They all had a big time playing together after the class.  We bought baguettes and condensed milk for them as a treat.  Thank you kids for the wonderful tour and for making Lewis and I feel so welcomed!

Tomorrow we are traveling up to Siem Reap with about twenty Palm Tree kids and a couple of the volunteers to tour the temples.  Stay tuned…..

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Touring Phnom Penh and Palm Tree Welcome

August 9, 2010 2:16 am (EDT)   //   August 9, 2010 01:16 pm (ICT)

Khmer art

Welcome dance

Mike & Ken working with Palm Tree kids

Lewis & Mr. Yi Sarun, tennis pro

Tuol Sleng Genocide Prison, S-21

Lewis takes in a painful history

Lewis and I were very sad to say goodbye to Curtis yesterday morning, as he had to fly back to NYC.  Lewis and I toured the Tuol Sleng Genocide prison, which is a heart wrenching and sickening experience.  I decided after that, hitting tennis balls was in order.  We found Mr. Sarun, a 67 year old pro, who competed in hundreds of SE Asian competitions in the sixties.

In the evening, the Palm Tree dance class put on a wonderful welcome performance for us and we held an awards ceremony to recognize the kids with outstanding academic acheivement this past school year.  Lewis is having a great time with all the kids.

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Laos

August 7, 2010 11:31 am (EDT)   //   August 7, 2010 10:31 pm (ICT)

Devilish

Laotian children

same same....but different

alms basket

monks collecting their breakfast

Collecting breakfast/alms

Housekeeping

Theraveda Buddism is practiced in Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia.  It is a more liberal type of Buddism than Mayhayana, which is more commonly practiced in Northern Asia.  The nice thing about Theraveda Buddism is that you can become a monk for short periods of time and then go back to what I heard the monks refer to as “being normal”.  Many kids during their summer breaks will go live in a temple and become a monk and be taught Buddhism, as well as many other subjects by the monks.  One of the conditions is that you start with nothing but an alms pot to collect food with.  As a monk, you do not ask for food, or anything else, but food and all your other essentials are given to you by your neighbors in the village.  People prepare sticky rice and other foods, and stand out on the side of the road, and about 5:30am the monks all walk down the road in a line to collect their breakfast.  We bought little packages of cookies to give each one.  On the two mornings we went out, there were about 200 monks that walked by us.  It was a very humbling, quiet and beautiful experience.  The monks are brought lunch to the temple by locals, and they do not eat anything after noon, until the following day.  Their time is made up mostly in meditation and studying.  One of the monks that I made friends with, was learning to speak English, which I already thought was quite good, Spanish and mathematics.  There seems to be some study of nature, as well, as he told me he spent 14 days in the jungle/forest in meditation.  One would have to be in pretty deep meditation to be able to ignore the mosquitos that would be eating you alive!

Tomorrow I will catch you up on the children at Palm Tree.  I will preview by saying that the girls have nicknamed Lewis, “Mr. Handsome”, and they are not at all shy about vying for his attention.  The fact of the matter is, he is loving it!  We are going to have a big party with them tomorrow night.  The older kids who are in the hospitality program are going to cook for us.  There will be dancing and singing, and a birthday to celebrate, as well.  Lewis told me that he acknowledged to the kids that this (referring to the orphanage) is their home.  That sounds like a pretty heavy conversation for kids to be having, but interesting nonetheless.  As they often say here, same same but different.

Filed in Cambodia, Laos | 4 Comments

Mighty Mekong…transition to Cambodia

August 6, 2010 11:22 am (EDT)   //   August 6, 2010 10:22 pm (ICT)

Rabutan Fruit

If you have never eaten rabutan before, I highly recommend it.  It is delicious fun food!  There is a pit in the middle.  You take a knife and cut a circle all around, splitting it in half.  The white is the eating part, which you can pop out by squeezing the outside.  Rabutan may be a good reason to visit Dean & Deluca or SE Asia.

Mekong contemplation

serenity

View from Buddha Cave

Honoring Buddha

These photographs were made in Laos, on a Mekong river trip to the Buddha cave.

We have arrived in Phnom Penh tonight and I am being kicked off the internet, so I’m going to quickly upload this entry before I lose it.  I will say that about 50 kids from Palm Tree Orphanage met us at the airport, and every girl there now has a big crush on Lewis.  He is already asking about bringing home a brother or a sister……

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Loving Laos

August 5, 2010 10:28 am (EDT)   //   August 5, 2010 09:28 pm (ICT)

saffron robed torso

Rice Farming

Standing Buddha calling for rain, built 1815 Luang Pubang, Laos

Water Buffalo

Kuang Si Waterfall, Laos

In Buddhism, you are never wrong, only misunderstood.

We are getting up before dawn again to pass out rice and cookies to the monks, and as my eyelids are very heavy, I must let the pictures tell the stories.  Tomorrow afternoon we will be flying to Cambodia, and it will almost be as hard to say goodbye to Laos, as it was to the elephants.  We have fallen in love with this land and its people.  It is calming energy to be surrounded by so many monks.

Soon~ck

Filed in Laos | 6 Comments

Spiritual encounters

August 4, 2010 9:59 am (EDT)   //   August 4, 2010 08:59 pm (ICT)

Traveling up Mekong River from Elephant Camp

Ma'houts hanging out

Thailand's King's Mom's villa

Birth day offering

Rice fields

Tuk tuk traveling

Mighty Mekong

I find it interesting that Lewis is traveling with his Churchill yearbook, and that he keeps it next to his bed wherever we travel.  I guess it helps him feel connected to his adopted homeland friends.  He also keeps his ipod close at hand.  You can take the kid out of NYC, but you can’t take NYC out of the kid.

The Mekong River is a major part of life in this part of the world.  It is 4500 km long, and originates in Tibet and continues through China, Mynamar (Burma), Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam, where it flows into the South China Sea.  While in Thailand, we traveled by boat each day on the Mekong to the elephant camp from our tent.  When we visited the villages, the river was always within view from the road.  And when we entered Mynamar, the Mekong is the border between the two countries.  Now here in Laos, we spent our first day, traveling by boat up the Mekong to visit a Buddha cave, as well as a small village.  This time of year is the rainy season, and the river is high and fast, but it always has a big presence.

The photograph I captioned “offering” was made in Mynamar at a temple where you honor Buddha and your animal connected to the day of the week you were born on.  Lewis and Curt were both born on a Monday, so that is their special day. Their lucky animal is the tiger and their special color is yellow.  I was born on Saturday, my special animal is a serpent and my special color is purple.  After washing Buddha and our animal with water, offering flowers, candles and incense, we opened those little baskets in the photo and released a little bird!!  I felt so bad for the bird inside, that I wanted to release it right away, before I did my ritual!  Can you imagine how much bad karma I would have from such a brazen act!!

Mekong River, Laos

I’m getting some error issues, so I’m going to sign off and continue tomorrow.  We are getting up at 5am to offer alms to the monks, so some extra sleep wouldn’t hurt.  I’m still on crutches, but thanks to my whip cracking trainer (It’s all love), I’m getting around quite handily.  There is a lot to be said for being in good shape, when you are on crutches and climbing masses amounts of stairs and climbing in and out of boats all day long.  Signing off from Luang Prabang, Laos, ck

Hands

Filed in Burma, Laos, Thailand | 10 Comments