Mr Ulrik

Ulrik and 'his' English class
After only a day at the school, I was asked to teach a small class of four intermediate English students. Later in the week, another teacher (Mr Sal) had to stay home due to pain in the neck (literally ... it wasn't the students being a pain in the neck), and with typical Cambodian organization, the caretaker(!), Mr Ny, asked me five minutes before class if I could possibly step in. Sure ... no problem. Lee came with me for support, but having 30 students -- all very much at the beginner level -- stare at me in eager anticipation, is surely one of the most scary things I have ever done. It’s right up there with dancing for a boatload of Indonesians ...

Considering the circumstance, the lesson went as well as it could. With absolutely no Khmer, it certainly wasn’t easy. I did manage to lead them in practicing some question words (what, where, when, etc.), which they had learned the day before. All credit, however, goes to the students for not giving up on my floundering ‘teaching’, and staying for the duration.

For more photos, see our Alysha Chan School photo album.

Getting to Know Cambodia

Lee and the giggly girls from Mr Sal's evening English class
clockwise from left: Chendu, Piseh, Lee, Maly, Chanthan, Paula, and Ratchna
Okay ... enough seriousness ...

After seeing the temples of Cambodia, and learning more about the sad history of Cambodia, we thought it was time to get to know the Cambodia of today. Well, that is, the Cambodia of today that doesn't include crazy motorcycle/scooter drivers!

Although most visitors to Cambodia just hit the temples and then head for Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam or Bangkok in Thailand (depending on which direction they're travelling), we really wanted to see a bit more of Cambodia.

Part of this was because I really wasn't sure if I liked Cambodia. Certainly the temples were mysterious and beautiful. And yes, I felt incredibly sad for the Cambodian people because of their recent tragic history. But, to be brutally honest, I really wasn't sure if I liked the Cambodian people. The people we had been in contact with were pushy, aggressive, and just not very friendly -- most treated us as though we were walking wallets! To be fair, though, we were firmly on the tourist track so the people we were interacting with were those used to dealing with tourists in big shiny air-con buses that flit in, throw their dollars around and take photos of the poor begging locals, and flit out again. (Yes, I know I am stereotyping horrendously, but you know what I mean.)

I knew if we left without seeing more of Cambodia (i.e. get off the tourist track), we would be leaving with an incomplete picture.

Since we were interested in doing some volunteer work, we thought this might be a great way to not only offer a bit of help, but also meet Cambodians not associated with the tourist trade (i.e. the vast majority!). We saw a couple of postings for volunteers in the area where we were staying in Phnom Penh, and did a bit of research online. We found an organization that runs an English school in a small village just 50km south of Phnom Penh. The village of Tropaeng Sdock consists of only 100 families; it is home to the Alysha Chan School which is run by a German/Cambodian relief organization called Sorya.

The primary role of volunteers is a simple one; speak with the students so they can practice their English. We were also called on to assist the teachers (who are English students as well) and on several occasions we actually lead the class!

Ulrik taught several advanced English classes; I lead one class and then assisted with the teaching of another. The students ranged in age from 10 years to the early twenties, and the majority of students were attending the local primary or high school full-time. The one hour or one-and-one-half hour English classes were held during the lunch 'break' and in the evening. It was a very long day for many of them!

The children and staff were so friendly. Both the students and the staff seemed to enjoy speaking with us and asking us questions. The students would often whisper amongst themselves before someone was finally brave enough (usually with a lot of prodding from their friends) to ask a question out loud. And no matter what the question, the answer always seemed to elicit a round of giggles.

Several girls in the evening class I worked with (see photo above) were determined to teach me some Khmer. When they found out on Friday that I was leaving the next day, they completely ignored my attempts to get them to pay attention to the teacher and tried to jam as much as possible into my 'lesson'. I have to admit that I liked them so much that my attempts were a bit half-hearted.

After only a week at the school, though, it was time to leave. Although we really enjoyed our time there, and I am quite certain the school would have been happy to have us stay, the situation wasn't the best fit for us. There was a lot of downtime between classes and not much to do to fill it, and both Ulrik and I felt we weren't well-equipped for actually teaching English which was something we had both been called on to do. If we do something like this again, and I really think we will, we'd like to get some formal training in order to be able to do it properly.

But we are so happy for having had this experience. We met some really lovely people: Mr Ny and his wife (the caretaker and the cook); Mr Sal, Mr Sras, Miss Nyet, and Miss Kung Kea (teachers); Mr Theon (the school administrator); and Jakob (a volunteer from Germany). And, of course, all the students. They were so open and welcoming; they seemed to be so happy to have us there that even though we didn't feel like we were able to do much, they made us feel like we were doing a lot.

For more photos, see our Alysha Chan School photo album.

Tuol Sleng & Choeung Ek

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
The temples of Angkor are, some might say, a less important part of Cambodia's history. Certainly they are beautiful and awe-inspiring. They are, of course, very photogenic ... their images grace the postcards that are sold (12 for only US$1) at their feet and tourists clamour on, over, and in front of them for their own photos. But I think if you are going to see only one thing, or perhaps two things, while in Cambodia, they should be the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum/Security Prison 21 (S-21) and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek.

Memorial Stupa at Choeung Ek
Both sites are difficult to visit. The obvious reason is, of course, because of what took place there. But another reason is the atmosphere of both settings. Tuol Sleng has such a banality to it. The building was a high school and, other than the barbed wire, it still looks like a high school from the outside. Choeung Ek was an orchard on the outskirts of Phnom Penh; it retains that natural peacefulness, which was only reinforced by the beautiful sunny day on which we visited.

But then you get closer; you look closer. You see the open pits at Choeung Ek; you see the bars on the windows at Tuol Sleng. And you know that as disturbing as these images are, they are only that. Images. They cannot even begin to convey what it must have really been like ... to be imprisoned at Tuol Sleng, to arrive on a truck at Choeung Ek.

If you come to Cambodia, don't see just the temples. See Cambodia.

For more photos, see our Tuol Sleng & Choeung Ek photo album (please note, some of these photos are quite disturbing).

Temples of Angkor

A bas-relief at Angkor Wat
Another hot, sweaty, dusty, and bone-grinding ride -- but this time on a bus -- and we were in Siam Reap (which in Khmer means 'Thailand's Defeat' ... who said these guys didn't have a sense of humour?). We arrived after dark (of course!) around 9:30pm in front of a guesthouse 'recommended' by the guys from the bus company (of course!). Not wanting to give them any more of our money after they'd overcharged us for a rundown bus (the only AC was of the natural sort), we grabbed our bags (we literally had to grab them because they weren't going to give them to us) and headed to a guest house of our own choosing, Jasmine Lodge. Jasmine's turned out to be quite nice so we dropped our bags, had a bite to eat, showered, and turned in for the night.

While Siam Reap's, and to some extent Cambodia's, claim to fame are the nearby temples of Angkor (namely Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon, etc., etc., etc.), we decided to take a rest day after all the fun we'd had on the road from Bangkok. (I've never had to bribe a border guard before, so I consider it 100B/C$3 well-spent.)

Our first order of business was to check out the Cambodian medical scene. I had a small infection under one of my nails and I ended up spending a good part of the morning at a doctor's office getting a serious manicure. It set us back US$90 which Lee wasn't too pleased about, though it did cheer her up a bit when I told her how painful it had been to be under the knife (or in this case, the nail clippers). It's much better now, and seems to be healing well.

After getting my boo-boo fixed, we went to a 'small' exhibition by a local master sculptor. It featured miniature scale models of the main temples in the area, specifically Angkor Wat, Beng Mealea, and Bayon. The level of detail was truly amazing.

Ulrik towering over Angkor Wat
The following day we met up with Angela and Kelly, two Canadian girls we met while crossing the border, and biked around the temples (about 38km in total). The temples were built by a number of Khmer rulers in the period between 875AD and 1230AD, and although are no longer actively used for organized worship, many of them are in remarkable shape. The most famous is Angkor Wat, and from its size and splendor one can see why. It's possible to walk through most of it, taking in the stately towers, steep staircases, narrow corridors, and now-dry pools. Although it is truly spectacular in person, Lee and I agreed that it's much easier to get a sense of the granduer while looking at the miniature replica. The real thing is just too big to take in.

With four rental bikes, all at least a hundred years old, something was bound to give. And sure enough, the rear axle on Lee's bicycle broke down. And, of course, it happened during the hottest part of the day (around 12:30pm) and on the far side of the ruin complex, leaving us with the prospect of having to walk the remaining 19km under the intense midday sun. After walking for more than an hour (the girls were nice enough not to ditch us) with periodic breaks to look at temples, the sky started to darken; the afternoon rains were coming. Luckily, two young boys, Bor and Sat, came to our aid and took us to their uncle's bicycle repair 'store' (it was essentially a box of tools and parts by the side of the road) in a nearby village. As the uncle didn't give us an estimate of the cost before starting, and us being the cynical foreigners we are, we were a bit concerned that we might be in for a nasty surprise when the time came to pay up. But we needn't have worried. The bill for time, labour, and materials came to one measly dollar! After our experiences at the border and around the temples, it was good to be reminded that not all Cambodians are just out to get our money. For their help we gave the boys a ride back to the main road -- they sat on our bike racks (sure would have loved a picture of that!) -- and bought some postcards from them. With two sets of working wheels (the girls had moved ahead by this point), we hit one more temple before heading back for a hearty dinner.

Lee feeling even littler than normal
The following day, having not quite reached our temple limit, the four of us hired a driver and remorque-moto, a kind of four-person carriage pulled by a scooter, to take us 70km to the temple of Beng Mealea. Beng Mealea has been almost completely overtaken by the jungle and is in a serious state of disrepair. There are piles of sandstone blocks everywhere, and many of the walls that haven't fallen down yet look like they will soon. It's enough to make any Indiana Jones/Lara Croft wannabe go crazy. After several hours of exploring and climbing around, we started the ride home. In true Southeast Asian style, the moto of course broke down at the half-way mark -- are they built to do this? -- and we spent about 45 minutes at the side of the road watching the traffic go by (including a bike covered with chickens!).

Notice their heads ... those chickens are alive!
Just when we thought we would be walking home, the engine roared to life and we were back on the road.

For more photos, see our Cambodia photo album.

Bribes at the Border

Welcome to Cambodia, welcome to chaos!
After a long, sweaty, and sooty six-hour train ride (third class ticket only 48B/C$1.60 each), we arrived at the Thai border town of Aranya Prathet. A short tuk-tuk drive away and we were at the border. Welcome to chaos! To say the Thai/Cambodia border crossing at Aranya Prathet/Poipet is overwhelming is an understatement. There are people everywhere! And most of them are clamouring for a piece of you. First, there are the bus touts who want to make sure they get you on their overpriced rundown bus. Then there are the 'visa application specialists' who want to assist you in completing your visa application ... for a small fee, of course. (Fortunately, I printed these off and completed them in advance in Bangkok -- not because I knew about the visa application specialists, but because I am anal. Yay for being anal!)

And, finally, there are the passport control guys themselves. We were forewarned about these guys. Despite there being a sign -- in English -- directly over his window stating that the cost of a Cambodian visa is US$20, the passport control guy insisted the fee was 1000B (about US$30). The Book's advice about what to do in a situation like this is to remain calm but be firm. So we played the stupid tourist.

Passport Officer: "Visa 1000B"
Us: "Oh." (pretending to look confused) "But the sign says US$20."
Passport Officer: "Visa 1000B"
Us: (still pretending to look confused) "But the sign, it says US$20."
Passport Officer: (completely deadpan) "Old sign."

We went back and forth like this for a bit. Then we tried, "But we don't have any Baht left." To which he helpfully replied that there was an exchange counter around the corner. We had also been warned that the exchange rates would be horrendous, so we definitely weren't going there. We replied that this (two US$20 bills) was all we had. They paused a bit at that. Then changed tactics. Now he wanted our US$40 and 100B (about C$3) each. We could live with that but when we opened our wallet we realized that we had only a 500B note. I really didn't think he would give us change, but there must be some sort of 'honour among thieves' because he didn't even pause when he saw our 500B note and gave us the proper change without any problem.

So we had our visa. Next we had to get it validated. So we went to another window, filled in another form, and got our stamp. This part of the process was relatively painless, and by this point we were only being dogged by the bus touts.

Despite our best efforts, however, we still got caught in their trap. We had, all along the way, been ignoring all the bus touts. But just before we got our visa, a young Cambodian man came up to us. He explained that he worked with the Cambodian Tourist Authority (sounds good but we later found out that it's actually the name of a tour company) and he advised us to ignore all the bus touts. Instead, there was a free shuttle that would take us to the bus station where the prices would all be listed and we could make our own choice. Then he pointed us in the direction of the visa counter and left us. He left us! This is how he caught us; touts never leave you alone. What a brilliant tactic! After we got our visa, he came back and showed us the way to the 'free' shuttle (we should have known ... nothing is ever free). He showed up again after we got our visas validated and pointed out the 'free' shuttle to the bus station. Of course, when we got to the bus station all the buses were the overpriced rundown buses that we had been trying to avoid. Who even knows if this was actually the right bus station? We were well-caught. But we didn't go down without a fight. All the bus tickets were US$10 (compared to the US$4 the Book listed), but we managed to get ours down to 300B (about US$7.50). A small victory certainly, but still a victory.

For more photos, see our Cambodia photo album.