The week in pictures...

I didn't take too many photographs on this trip but here are a few to accompany the posts below... I'm now back in England with a few Cambodian projects in the pipeline here. Just 10 days in the humidity and I had already forgotten how cold it is back here... brrrrrrrr!

• First stop, Phnom Penh - view from Blue Lime hotel over to the Royal Palace - Its still the rainy season in PP hence the threatening sky and the flooded roads....
  

Next Kep Lodge in Kep - seaside town with 4 of the CCH photo journalists

• Relaxing in the evening in the bar...I must say they were lethal darts players and even started training the owners 2 year old baby. Ahh I love Cambodian health and safety.
  
  
  
• The crab market - one of the best places to eat in Cambodia. Rick Stein(of TV chef fame) recently visited Kep. He went to try lok lak at the poshest place in town. This was a mistake this street has the best food in town. Seafood straight out of the sea and served with Kampot pepper. My favourite is Kimly which can be found at the end of the row.
  
  
  
  
  
• A walk around the town and a trip to the King's old holiday villa....The family "guarding"/squatting in the deserted and crumbling building now demand $2 per person to get a look. I've been inside before they got the idea of charging the Barangs an entrance fee. The child below demanding the charge did appear to be doing some gardening (before he decided to escort us off the premises and down the road with this 2 dogs that is)

• Contemplating the sea view from the crab market

• A long relaxing walk to the beach on the seafront rounded off with a snack of a off coconut/rice/fruit mix wrapped in leaves and then cooked [read: burnt]
  
• Monkey watching....
  

• Rain...

• Jasmine (I think)....
  
  

  

• Next stop Kampot.......
  
  
  

  
  

• A cycle ride around the countryside and cattle.... Cham boys in a village on the outskirts of Kampot...
  

• Kampot river

• Back to the city and shopping - God forbid that you ever enter O'Russei market and dare to go upstairs. Sweating, disorientated, loaded with goods...will you ever find your way out again? I always get lost here. Fantastic market though - Might be my favourite.... The fabric on the east side of the market is amazing and as for the bling Khmer dresses on the first floor....!

• The school at the children's centre has opened (the primary children used to go to public school but now the centre has opened their own). Observing a day of lessons....
  The girls - S and S - who now seem to be good friends in Second grade. On the right is the beautiful girl I sponsor who is progressing very well.
  
• Second grade classroom
  
  
• A fun afternoon for 5 of the children from the centre at the water park (OK, Ok I liked the slide too...).
  
  
  
  
• Waiting for the hot dog party to begin - the water park 5 - some modelling clothes donated by my (UK) work friends - present and past.
  
• Let the dancing at the leaving party commence..........
  
  

Daaaahling...

Its a good job that here "Daaaahling"is not a term of affection otherwise over fifty moto men could have been the subject of my attention today! Daahl-ing in khmer means walking or walking for fun/strolling. Cambodian's tend to do this in parks when they have them - (even then the "park" really resembles more of a central reservation (like you get in the middle of large roads in the UK)). The the Daahl-ing is usually done just before dawn or sunset. Today I Daahl-ing-ed from about 9 to midday and not in a park but right across Phnom Penh visiting many of my favourite shops and cafes. A few new haunts had cropped up too over the last six months. I am exhausted from the heat, dust and lack of pavements!

I also Daah-ling-ed to our old house and bumped into a couple of our old moto taxi men who were still hanging about in that area for fares. One of them speaks quite good English so I had a nice chat with him and it was good to see a few familiar faces. Apparently business is not so good because people (expats) in our old flat have their own cars and business has been tough. Quite a crowd of moto men used to gather at the front of our house probably because I took long trips out to the orphanage and paid a good price - resulting in quite a high income for a moto driver. Its a bit sad that they are not being used now but so many expats use the big 4WDs that are paid for by their charity to go from A to B in the city. I would say this is really not needed and the money could be better used a) for the charitable purposes of the organisation and b) using local means of transport provides an income for local people who might otherwise be struggling... I am a big fan of the moto taxi!

This afternoon I am going to the waterpark - I have written about this on my blog before... A health and safety risk/disaster waiting to happen on the edge of town... with 5 children from the children's centre and later a farewell visit with hot dogs at the centre itself.

The visit has gone all too quickly but we will be back soon for more...

Market, swim, dance

Everything here takes 4 times longer than you would generally allow for normally some simple jobs took a day! .... Such as the printing of photos from the Smile exhibition. My task was easy - get the pictures printed and locate some plastic wallets to put them in for sale in the gallery. Sadly the first batch of printing that was done for me was useless so I had to go back to the print shop (which I loathe) and explain the pictures were "under-exposed" to a woman who didn't speak English!!

I then toured the hot, sweaty, over crowded central market for an hour looking for the little plastic wallets. A woman (selling dried fish) at one point asked me what I was looking for (clearly 45 minutes in I was looking a little distressed!) after me miming [a mime for plastic bag is difficult] she pointed in a general direction told me to: "go -go-round"... My faith that the plastic things I was looking for existed was renewed and some 15 minutes later there they were (!!!) - hidden in amongst the craziness of Chinese New Year decorations and more dried fish.

At the weekend we took Sina (from the children's shelter) and her 2 best mates (Srey Leak and Menea) to the water park. I had been there once before. Its not all that bad - think Western-S- Mare and that sea front park with the big pineapple c.1990 - The children enjoyed it though and it was followed by a trip to the largest mall in Phnom Penh, Sovanna, for a burger and fries.

We also took 4 older children from the Shelter to see a dance performance which was the result of a Senegalese woman tutoring 30 Cambodian dancers over the course of a week. This was a great event - The young dancers had been trained in modern African dance technique and then had incorporated their own styles: hip hop, apsara... They came from a variety of backgrounds circus, theatre, classical dance. It was full of energy and the venue was heaving. Far too many expats for my liking but that is to be expected if the action is taking place in an expat garden/bar. There were a few Cambodians watching though including an old woman who had had quite a lot to drink and was announcing very loudly over and over "I want to dance like that" (translation provided by the children!). At that moment the dancers were performing some fairly sexual dance moves...!

Me and Penny one of the children's carers and one of the newer children at CCH - 5 years old.