Walking in the hallowed footsteps of Brangelina
Sowsadee (hello in Cambodian)!
Seeing as we were in SEA we thought we'd walk in the footsteps of celebrities and do what seems to be fashionable at the moment: visit a local orphanage.
Well, seeing as the stars seem to be following us around, why not follow them for a change? ;) So we clubbed together and bought a 50kg sack of rice for $25 (yes $25!!!) and told our trusty driver Jade to take us to an orphanage. We didn't want to take any kids home with us you understand, like Angelina, we just wanted to help them out and maybe brighten the children's day (although I'm sure Shari would have left with an armload if she could have). ;)
We were taken to the Light House Orphanage on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. It's home to 50-odd children, only a handful of which were there when we were (I presume the rest were in school). They were a happy bunch, considering they didn't seem to have much. There were various age ranges from 4 or 5 up to 12 or 13 (although Shaz and Andy went back later in the week and said there was a 23-year-old living there!). As soon as we got there the kids crowded round us and were eager to hold our hands and play (pics 2 & 3).
One 11-year-old girl called Muay Kear was such a poser! She always wanted her photo taken and whenever she looked at the images on screen she always said 'beautiful!'. Bless. Six-year-old Tola (pic 5) was the star of the show: she was an excellent dancer and loved to show off her skills. A very talented little girl with a heart of gold.
A couple of the girls took my and Shari's hands and showed us their living quarters (separated into boys and girls dormitories with two double bed bunks in each. Apparently there are 5 kids to a bed! Poor things. They do have a classroom though for school and medical supplies etc. There were even pigs and chickens out the back: admittedly close to a cesspool, but I guess it was better than nothing!
Most visitors seem to donate rice or toys. They are always grateful for anything. Although, if they get so many tourists visiting, why did they only seem to have one ball to play with?
Srey Chan seemed to latch onto me and I bought a bracelet and necklace that she had made. She had a winning smile, as did most of the kids there. Many of them are orphans but some are street kids too. It's very sad but they seem happy for the company when tourists visit. The only slightly disturbing thing is that they were all too eager to hug you and hold your hand: surely there should be some boundaries taught to the kids as not everyone is as nice as us guys!
So what else have I done during my week in Phnom Penh? Well, we collected our Russian visas this morning with nowhere near as much hassle as we thought it would be. We are off to Siem Reap tonight and the Angkor temples. I'm looking forward to that.
I did a half day travel photography course with Nathan Horton, which was very useful and informative. Refreshed my memory and taught me some tips about digital cameras which should come in very handy. Photos 1 and 6 were the product of some shooting we did around the local market afterwards. It was not for the faint-hearted: animals being butchered left, right and centre. Lovely. It's amazing how far a smile goes when you want to take a photo of someone. They are very obliging if you just show a little interest in them. I learned some useful techniques. Visit www.nathanhortonphotography.com to see his work.
Jade took Shaz and I to Mekong Island for an afternoon. We got a motorbike escort for the ride from the ferry to the beach! We then realised it was people wishing to sell us things: namely silk scarves. So in order to get some peace we had to buy one. Then we spent a lazy afternoon in hammocks by the water, which was supposedly clean enough to bathe in but by the looks of the greeny sludge around the edges the last thing I wanted to do was dip any part of my body in it! ;)
Seeing as we were in SEA we thought we'd walk in the footsteps of celebrities and do what seems to be fashionable at the moment: visit a local orphanage.
Well, seeing as the stars seem to be following us around, why not follow them for a change? ;) So we clubbed together and bought a 50kg sack of rice for $25 (yes $25!!!) and told our trusty driver Jade to take us to an orphanage. We didn't want to take any kids home with us you understand, like Angelina, we just wanted to help them out and maybe brighten the children's day (although I'm sure Shari would have left with an armload if she could have). ;)
We were taken to the Light House Orphanage on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. It's home to 50-odd children, only a handful of which were there when we were (I presume the rest were in school). They were a happy bunch, considering they didn't seem to have much. There were various age ranges from 4 or 5 up to 12 or 13 (although Shaz and Andy went back later in the week and said there was a 23-year-old living there!). As soon as we got there the kids crowded round us and were eager to hold our hands and play (pics 2 & 3).
One 11-year-old girl called Muay Kear was such a poser! She always wanted her photo taken and whenever she looked at the images on screen she always said 'beautiful!'. Bless. Six-year-old Tola (pic 5) was the star of the show: she was an excellent dancer and loved to show off her skills. A very talented little girl with a heart of gold.
A couple of the girls took my and Shari's hands and showed us their living quarters (separated into boys and girls dormitories with two double bed bunks in each. Apparently there are 5 kids to a bed! Poor things. They do have a classroom though for school and medical supplies etc. There were even pigs and chickens out the back: admittedly close to a cesspool, but I guess it was better than nothing!
Most visitors seem to donate rice or toys. They are always grateful for anything. Although, if they get so many tourists visiting, why did they only seem to have one ball to play with?
Srey Chan seemed to latch onto me and I bought a bracelet and necklace that she had made. She had a winning smile, as did most of the kids there. Many of them are orphans but some are street kids too. It's very sad but they seem happy for the company when tourists visit. The only slightly disturbing thing is that they were all too eager to hug you and hold your hand: surely there should be some boundaries taught to the kids as not everyone is as nice as us guys!
So what else have I done during my week in Phnom Penh? Well, we collected our Russian visas this morning with nowhere near as much hassle as we thought it would be. We are off to Siem Reap tonight and the Angkor temples. I'm looking forward to that.
I did a half day travel photography course with Nathan Horton, which was very useful and informative. Refreshed my memory and taught me some tips about digital cameras which should come in very handy. Photos 1 and 6 were the product of some shooting we did around the local market afterwards. It was not for the faint-hearted: animals being butchered left, right and centre. Lovely. It's amazing how far a smile goes when you want to take a photo of someone. They are very obliging if you just show a little interest in them. I learned some useful techniques. Visit www.nathanhortonphotography.com to see his work.
Jade took Shaz and I to Mekong Island for an afternoon. We got a motorbike escort for the ride from the ferry to the beach! We then realised it was people wishing to sell us things: namely silk scarves. So in order to get some peace we had to buy one. Then we spent a lazy afternoon in hammocks by the water, which was supposedly clean enough to bathe in but by the looks of the greeny sludge around the edges the last thing I wanted to do was dip any part of my body in it! ;)
Oh and I got attacked by a monkey. Little shit! I'm no longer a fan of the little critters. I was walking around the gardens of a wat and saw some monkeys. One of them came towards me but I stayed well back and decided to take a quick snap. Next thing I knew it launched at me and clamped itself around my ankle!! I don't think it bit me - although I have no idea cos I was too busy trying to get away. Needless to say I have a few nasty gashes on my leg now. It hurt. It felt like it was just squeezing the life out of my leg!?! I visited a local pharmacist to get it checked and see if I needed to go to a doctor but she said it looked like it was healing ok and gave me some iodine solution to clean it with. That's the last time I take a photo of a monkey: obviously camera shy! ;)
I also managed to get that elusive shot of a monk on a moped before we left (see photo 4). Now all I need is one with MP3 earphones in.... Monk Watch is officially on again.. ;)
See ya. x
posted by CJ at 10:22 PM
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