Yerng Dtoul!

Throughout our journey, that phrase (meaning "we go" in Khmer) has signaled our moving on to a new destination and new adventures. Last night, however, when we said our final "yerng dtoul," it really hit me our three weeks in Cambodia had come to an end. We've been all over the country, built a house and a community music center, swum in the Gulf of Thailand and the Holy River, saw the sun rise above Angkor Wat and set from Pre Rup, and shared more unbelievable experiences than I could have imagined.

A wise person (my grandmother) once said "three weeks is enough." To that, I would append, "for the first trip." I've been interested in this trip since I first heard about it in sixth grade, and when we first stepped out of the airport into the warm Phnom Penh night, I knew I was in the right place. I was amazed by the stories brought back by previous travelers, but none of those compare to the excitement being there myself, freeing a tractor from a rice paddy, riding a tuk tuk through the city streets, or bargaining in the market. In three weeks, we visited a seemingly impossible number of places, but I know we only scratched the surface of the country. I don't know in what capacity, but I know that some day I'll be back in Cambodia to see and learn about even more.

There are a great number of people who deserve thanks for making this trip happen; I'm sure there are many more than I am even aware of, but I will do my best to include everyone here. I can't even begin to express my gratitude to the following people: firstly, Steve Riege, Karen Bovard, and Joseth DaCosta, for being our fearless leaders on jungle treks, in the city, and everywhere in between, with a word of reassurance (or a pack of Emergen-C) at the perfect moment; Arn Chorn-Pond for welcoming us into his home and sharing with us his love and passion for the arts and Cambodia; Sey Ma, our constant companion and guide (and translator, etiquette advisor, negotiator, entertainer, builder, etc.); Man Men and Sinat, who opened their homes and villages to a bunch of strange foreigners; Visal Neang for accompanying us to Siem Reap as a friend, translator, and local expert; all of our tuk tuk, van, and bus drivers (especially Tony, Pealy, Bo, and our other drivers in Siem Reap for rising to collect before sunrise and sticking around to bring us home well after dark); all the builders who patiently guided us in our unskilled attempts to help; all the people and families that allowed us into their lives and gave us an even better understanding of life in Cambodia; finally, my fellow travelers, who braved illness, language barriers, new wonders, and the unknown along with me and made this trip absolutely unforgettable.
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I'd also like to specifically thank all eight of the children in Poum Chreav for running with my photography project and returning images that were better than I ever could have hoped for, as well as Sinat Nhok, Sambor Om, and Sey Ma for selecting and organizing my photographers and explaining the project to them, and Visal Neang for helping me to identify and credit the images. Some of the photographs taken by the children in Poum Chreav will join photographs taken by children of Khmer descent in Hartford in a show that will be displayed at Watkinson and in Cambodia.


-Will Corban

East Meets West Farewell

We're packed or packing and on our last morning in Phnom Penh, heading for the airport in a couple of hours. Last evening's dinner at Friends was a lovely farewell, with ten of us and fifteen Khmer, saying goodbye to many and meeting others for the first time, including Jum a chapei and troh player from Sren, covering the Thai / Khmer border. He improvised for the crowd, playing and singing to the amazement of an unsuspecting restaurant. A wonderful way to slip away.

Unexpected gifts at Friends

gifts

Michael eating Cocoa Rice Krispies with Chopsticks

See you all soon.

Last Day!

Today is our last day in Cambodia. We started out the day with a tour of the U.S. Embassy. It was interesting to learn about how an Embassy works and how to get a job as a diplomat. After the Q&A, we went to a cooking class! We learned how to make fresh spring rolls and a dish called amok. We got to choose if we wanted bacon, fish, or mushrooms in our meal. Learning about traditional meals and sauces was something the group really enjoyed. Tonight we will be dining with the dance troop from CLA at a restaurant called friends. This restaurant teaches young people how to cook and run a restaurant.  It is sad to think that today is our last day here but I know everyone is looking forward to being reunited with their family and friends.
-Stephanie Sparagna

Last Photos from Siem Reap

Planting Mango Trees in Poum Kna

We're off to Phnom Penh this morning - embassy visit tomorrow morning, cooking class in the afternoon and then a farewell dinner at Friends Restaurant in the evening. Thoughts turn to home.

Playing traditional instruments in Friendship Hut

Baseball is never far away

Michael introduces football to the village

Eager new friends

Gathering information for photo project

New building at Poum Chreav

Goodbye at Poum Kna

Pre Rup

Sunset from Pre Rup

More Photos from Siem Reap

Will and Michael at Angkor Wat sunrise

Morgan at Bayon

Work crew nailing down floor

Flower chair at Phnom Kulen, the Holy Mountain

Phnom Kulen waterfall

Photos from Siem Reap

Raising the building frame in Poum Chreuv on June 30

Blessing for the land and building

Gifts for children in Poum Kna

Carrying materials to the building site

Sunrise at Angkor Wat on July 1

Arjun and Steve see the King on July 1

Building in Poum Chreuv at end of work day on July 1

Greetings from Siem Reap

 It has been a long time since we have updated the blog. We have left Kep and stayed another night in Kampot. We were then sent to Arn's house along the Mekong River. At Arn's house we mostly relexed and went swimming. At night we watched a movie with his community. The movie was in Khmer so we had a hard time following it. For two nights we sleep under the stars. We all have bug bits everywhere. Arn left to the U.S. so Visal, a dancer from the Cambodian Living Arts has joined us on our journey.We just arrived at Siem Reap, a smaller city than Phnom Penh, but larger than Kampot. We have started building a communty house in a local village, this house will be used for music events and other gatherings. In a mere two days of building, we have already started forging bonds with the local people and workers. So far the structure is up.  

Michael Eccles

Photos Kep to Siem Reap

12 kilometer hike in Kep

View from mountaintop on pre-breakfast hike

Cooling off in the Gulf of Thailand

Dinner shopping with Seyma near Arn's

Nisa (you may remember her from the Performance at Watkinson in April) and Sinat at Arn's home

Resting at Arn's

Winner of The Most Adventurous Eater Award

Lunch guests on the road to Siem Reap

Welcome gifts on our arrival at Man Men's village

Kep Photos

Two tuk tuks to Kep

                                 Elementary class at the Bridges Across Borders Cambodia site.

Where did they find that?

Tying frond walls on new house

Pushing stone through rice paddy

                                                           

Biking to house site

Moving stone into house for cement floor

Family and friends at house site Thursday 5pm.

Utilization of Space

In Cambodia, every last inch of space is utilized. When we first arrived, it was quite apparent that many people must live in a limited amount of space. This is true of any global city, yet southeast Asian cities really stay true to that fact in a very visible way. Most shops are open-air and sit directly next to each other. There is no room for large and florid architectural structures to be present like one might see in a city such as New York. Food stands and retail booths are packed right alongside each other. In the countryside, the same use of space is true. No field is without agriculture -- whether it's rice paddies or salt farms. Both Phnom Penh and Kampot's markets take this sense of limited but fully used space to an extreme. Cameron and I agreed that walking through the market evoked an intense feeling of being intimidated and uncomfortability. One steps alongside piles of raw suage while rushes of pungent smells lead one to stride faster and faster. With all of this, one realizes that people are basically living there -- even though many must sleep elsewhere. Men are welding various metals while women chop fish that are suffused with swarms of flies. Then there are the children. This is literally where they are growing up. Infants are seen resting in hammocks in the market shops while older ones chase each other through the dirtiest water one could ever imagine. Finally, the exit is found and a calming sensation overcomes the body. It's over. No more exposure to such astounding and shocking living conditions. One's free to wander the city once more and breath fresher air. There's still that feeling that the others are still stuck in there living the same daily routine. It's a confusing and odd mindset to mull over.

--Arjun

We've Made Our Way To Kep Province

We've made it safely to our hotel in Kep Province after taking a journey to see the caves. What an amazing experience this was. As we arrived at the caves, we had several children great us and immediately engaged in conversation. They were so excited to show us the caves and the carvings of various animals including elephants and pigs. In addition, we took a ride to our work site and learned about Bridges Across Borders Cambodia (BABC). Tomorrow will be a full day of work as we begin to  build a home for the poorest family in the village.

Kampot to Kep

 






  Cyclo Tour in Phnom Penh

                                     

                                      Lunch at Wat on Chrey Ho

                                              Damian teaching ASL at Epic Arts in Kampot
Bicycling out from Epic Arts

                      A little bicycle ride around Kampot through the rice paddys and salt flats

               Dinner at Sey Ma's home with her family

Day Muay

Today was our first full day in Cambodia, and already we've shared a bevy of new experiences. We were able to speak a little (really, really little) bit of Khmer, and were fortunate that most of the tuk tuk drivers speak English.
We started our day with a cyclo tour of Phnom Penh, including Independence Monument and the Bodding--the home of many of the Cambodia Living Arts dancers. The cyclos are similar to rickshaws--one passenger seated in the front, powered by a bicycle. The seats were open, and we traveled on the main roads already filled with motos (motor scooters, which seem to be the most popular form of transportation here), cars, and trucks, which made for a harrowing ride, but gave us an amazing perspective on the city. I respect the cyclo drivers, who carried us--seemingly effortlessly-- around the city in the full heat of the day.
We walked through Wat Phnom, a temple that lent its name to the city, but our tour was abbreviated due to renovations. Despite being somewhat of a tourist attraction now, with a ticket booth for foreigners, it is still a fully operational temple.
Our next stop was Tuol Sleng (also known as S-21), the detention facility where 20,000 supposedly anti-regime Cambodians and others were held, tortured, and killed during the Khmer Rouge time in power. I am not easily disturbed, but seeing the actual facilities that housed such terrible atrocities was far too much for me. I've heard about what went on there, even done research on the regime, but walking through the cells, it really hit me what happened here. Some of the most graphic descriptions of the prisoners' suffering came in the form of paintings, created by a man who escaped death by painting for the officers. I find it intriguing that he is able to revisit those experiences in such detail. Notwithstanding the emotional toll, the results are striking and create a sense of the despair felt by the detainees. Also included was a photographic exhibit featuring mugshots of prisoners and an educational feature (most likely for school groups), indicating that Cambodia is eager to educate the next generation about what has happened in their nation's past.
Above the barbed wire-topped walls, one can see the vibrant colors and hear the sounds of city life going on. Tuol Sleng is located in the center of the city, though it was nearly uninhabited while the Khmer Rouge was in power. I find it difficult to believe that 30 years ago, everything was wiped out, and the vibrant culture and arts all had to be rebuilt from the ground up. Abstractly, I thought of Cambodia as a victim of genocide and cultural destruction, but here in the country, few signs of it are present. Everyone is very friendly, and even though many people are living hungry and in extreme poverty, there is a general positive feeling among the people we've encountered.
Our next stop, at the Bodhi Tree restaurant provided a much-needed lightening of the mood. On the breezy deck of a French Cambodian style home, we ate lunch and convinced Arn to join our water glass orchestra. We walked to the Cambodian Living Arts recording studio (furnished with equipment fitting of the masters who play there by Peter Gabriel) and heard some samples from the six CDs that CLA has produced featuring traditional, modern, and fusion music.
A spur of the moment plan then took us to a dance performance outside the city. The performance space was beautiful, drawing inspiration from the Bayom temple, and demostrated just how much interest there is in the arts and culture. There was a very small audience, allowing us an intimate view of the dancers. Even with no prior explantation, the story was easy to grasp.
We finished our day on the balcony of the Foreign Correspondents Club, overlooking the Mekong River and the nighttime cityscape. With the exception of some minor dehydration, we are all healthy as can be, and are eagerly awaiting the events of the next twenty days. Tomorrow, we leave for Kampot and another day of new experiences.

Written by Will Corban.

Safe Arrival

We arrived in good shape, if a little haggard - I had some trouble getting into the blog last evening so my apologies for the delay in this.

Smooth travel all the way to Hong Kong, where an hour delay got us to Phnom Penh just as the sun set around 6:30. Beautiful views of the Mekong / Tonle Sap rivers as we flew low over the rice paddies on the outskirts of the city.

No problems getting Visas and our baggage (I remembered all mine this year) and Arn and SeyMa were at the airport to meet us. Checked in to Town View II and out to dinner at a fairly new restaurant open by Phlouen Prim, the new director of CLA.

We're off on a cyclo tour of parts of the city this morning in a few minute (8am here - we are 11 hours ahead of you).

All is well. More later.