TEMPLES OF ANGKOR

On Sunday I went out of town into Angkor to see some of the famed temples that have been around since about 967 AD. We first went to see Banteay Srei which is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. I loved the intricate details at this temple. It was so neat to walk through a temple that had been around for thousands of years. So surreal. We then went to the Landmine Museum and Relief Centre. I seriously don't think I've ever been more proud than when I found out it was a Canadian NGO. I mean to be on the other side of the world in a place no one really talks about, Canada is making a difference. Very cool. The founder, Aki Ra, is an ex-child soldier and learning about his past was so interesting and heartbreaking at the same time.
We took a break for some food and then went on to see Angkor Thom AKA the Tomb Raider temple. It's where Angelina shot the movie and when she fell in love with Cambodia. I now understand why.
Once we got back I rested for a bit and then I was off to a Photo Exhibition which is an annual thing here and it's quite well known among Khmers and foreigners. The exhibition was at a ritzy hotel and it was an interesting contrast to the village side. It funny how there aren't too many foreigners that live around here so you tend to bump into the same ones around the city.
The night ended with a tasty and very cheap meal at Angkor Famous.

BANTEAY SREI











ANGKOR THOM
















Riding to the temples in a tuk tuk with Julie (volunteer at the same school as me)



Photo exhibition

NIGHT ON THE TOWN

Went to Red Piano for a couple of volunteers farewell. Red Piano is apparently where Anjelina Jolie ate while she was in town for the filming of Tomb Raider. I of course had to try the signature drink. We then went dancing at two bars which was fun but had to cut the night short cause two of us had to be up early to go check out temples the next day.

Drink named after Angelina Jolie



Enjoying the Tomb Raider



The group at the Red Piano



Drag Show!



She's more woman than I am that's for sure!

HIGHTLIGHT OF DAY 2

Okay so my new friend Meas (Globalteer security guard) took me for a moto ride (basic motorcycle) this evening to a place called 60 street which is a night market and carnival. I felt like a local riding on the back of a moto except for the fact that I had both my hands gripping the back bar and was wearing a helmet unlike Cambodians who pack families on one moto and the passengers don't wear head gear. It was so freeing to be travelling around Siem Reap this way. I really felt like I experienced the 'real' city. Where we ventured off to there were no tourists. Meas told me the carnival is his favourite place so I suggested we play one of the games. For one U.S. dollar we got 5 tries to pop ballons with our darts. We hit 4 ballons and that one us 2 cans of beer and a wine cooler. So fun! Off to a restaurant/bar for a farewell party for fellow volunteers, one of whom I have yet to meet. Pics of the moto ride to come.
Here they are:

This is what I road on the back of



Me pretending to ride the moto which I would NEVER do in Cambodia - I'd like to live



Playing darts at the carnival



We won booze! 2 Beers for Meas, a cooler for me. Carnival's in Siem Reap rock!

DAY 2 - STILL VERY CANADIAN

Highlights of the day:

Went to a restaurant called Peace cafe and had me some borbor which is a staple Khmer breakfast food. It's soup with a mixture of a variety of items but mainly rice, lemongrass, ginger, vegetables and usually meat. There was, what I assumed to be some kind of meat in my bowl which I avoided but come to think of it, the place was vegan so I think I was just begin paranoid. This version also had squash in it which complimented the lemongrass flavour quite well. The cafe also teaches free Khmer lessons on the weekends so I'll definitely be going back to hone my Khmer - I only know how to say two things; thank you and how are you. I keep forgetting how to say sorry even though I've been told many times - hmmm I wonder if this implies something...?

Can't eat alone without my journal and Cambodia book - i'm such a tourist


I looked up and this is what I saw: ahhhhhhh:)


Then the wonderful tuk tuk driver, Savvy took me over to the supermarket where I bought milk and instant coffee - my daily need for caffeine has not been met lately so I thought I'd get my own stash.

Shopping: I was in desperate need of light fabric clothing so I purchased two pairs of 3/4 linen pants, a T-shirt that says Cambodia on it and a headband all for 16 dollars! It was hard not to buy more.





Writing my blog on the rooftop of Globalteer's guesthouse - my temporary home

Meas - One of Globalteer's super sweet security guards and helper. He took the pic above

DAY 1 IN SIEM REAP

Jet lag, need I say more? I woke up at 5:45am and could not go back to bed so I organized and unpacked a little more and ate my gluten-free granola bar and then tried to force myself to sleep. It didn't work so I got back up and read through my information pack which gave me detailed information about my work here. I have been placed at a project called Anjali House which is basically an all-emcompassing educational facility where street kids are provided with a a second home. At Anjali they are helped with homework, taught English, provided with meals and showers and are taught the importance of keeping good hygiene. Anjali also focuses on artistic expression and so the children learn everything from photography to dance.
So hours later I hit the sack and this time, eventually I fall asleep. I force myself out of bed at 11am, get ready and make my way down stairs to meet Globalteer's administrator, Sherry, gives me a quick rundown over all the rules, regulations and codes of conduct at the volunteer house and at Anjali. I also get a Globalteer T-shirt and ID card.



We then head out around town where Sherry gives me a quick tour of the main areas in the city. I get to check out Pub Street and Royal Palace I read about in my Cambodia travel book.






I even see large fish tanks for people to dip their feet in and let the little fishy eat away at their dead skin. Sounds gross but looks super cool. I really wanna give this a try.
Once we're back at the house I feel more settled however still a little overwhelmed. I escape the heat and take a break in my room which actually is just as hot - but at least I'm not moving around.
At about 6pm I decide to venture out on my own for dinner so I jump into a tuk tuk and instruct the driver to take me to Blue Pumpkin, a well known ice-cream shop that sells everything from coffees and pastries to fried rice and cocktails. I of course get the latter:) I'm impressed and will be coming back but there are so many restaurants to try out I wanna experience them all.
I get back to my room and Skype with two of my sisters. I am very surprised at the good connection. I'm glad I can keep up with how my nieces and nephews are doing and see them grow up. Technology is a wonderful thing.
So now once again I'm sitting on my bed after a cold shower and I'm just about to call it a night. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, Saturday, where I'll do some more exploring and in the evening I'll join the others at a restaurant to say good-bye to two of the volunteers who are leaving. I haven't met them yet but I figured this will give me a chance to meet some people and get out to the restaurant that Angelina Jolie visited and has a drink named in her honour. I'm totally getting that drink! Yeah I know, I'm a nerd bomb- whatev.

I MADE IT!

I left Toronto on Wednesday November 16th at 6:30am and I have arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia 28 hours later. I’m literally on the other side of the world. I’m tired but the 12 hour time difference has got my internal clock telling me it’s time for lunch.

It still hasn’t hit me that I am in Siem Reap and will be for the next 6 weeks to volunteer with underprivileged Cambodian children. Not sure if I'll ever really comprehend why I chose to do this but here I am...

As soon as I got off the airplane I realized I did not pack the appropriate clothing for this hot summer heat. My comfy travelling clothes I was sporting - Roots jogging pants, a zip-up fleece and my Indian scarf was definitely not going to come of use.

The small airport which looked more like a hotel lobby to me was quick to get through including a 2 minute stop at customs where I was not asked a single thing but a scan of my finger prints - I’d rather that than a strict interrogation by U.S. border security which I've faced many times.

My bags were also quick to arrive and that was a huge relief. With all the flight changes I had my doubts. Nick, the staff with Globalteer (the organization I’m volunteering with) was waiting for my arrival and told me he had a taxi waiting for us to take us to the volunteer house (It's a guest house with 3 floors, about 20 rooms and a roof top lounge). By taxi Nick meant a tuk tuk which is the common mode of transportation here. A tuk tuk is like a large, more stable bicycle rickshaw with a metal roof and seating for 4. However I'm told as many as 20 Cambodian children will pack into one.
As we drove along the bumpy roads, i was trying to put my finger on the sent of Cambodia and I’d say it’s a mixture of basil, lemongrass and coal. Not so bad - It's like Thai food being cooked on a coal stove.
So now I’m sitting in ‘my room' which has two single beds, a bathroom and a television. I'm quite impressed with all the TV channels in Enlgish. I begin to unpack with the ‘music channel’ on in the background which is playing Korean pop music. I’ve only been unpacking for 2 minutes when I’m already beginning to sweat. Nick told me I can get AC in the room for $4 dollars a night which is peanuts but I figure I’m a lover of hot weather so I can probabaly bear it but after 10 minutes of unpacking I'm not so sure if I can handle another such night. Tonight i’ll have to do without the luxury of an AC and hope the fan is enough.

A cold shower ought to cool me down- and it does. However I have a moment of panic when I realize I may have kept my mouth open in the shower. I hope I didn’t swallow any! Guess my stomach will let me know tomorrow;)



Nick has left me with an information pack to keep me busy and tells me there’s no rush to get up early tomorrow and that’s good to know but I’m eager to see the city and learn more about the project I’ll be working on.
I’ve got no expectations and hope I can remain open minded about everything I will encounter in the next couple of weeks.

For now it's off to bed.

MISSING PIECE

Okay so my new life adventure has been put on hold by my own silly irresponsible mistake. I was supposed to fly out this morning at 6:30am however last night as I was reorganizing my suitcase and other bags, I realized a very important piece of identification was missing - my passport! Yup, after weeks of planning and organizing all the important documents I would need, I left the the most important document I need to travel with at home in Ottawa where I was last using it to make photocopies of it (you know, to be on the safe side). In a mode of panic, I called my father and rest assured he confirmed that my passport was safely tucked away in the photocopy machine at home. Wonderful. The first hour was spent in complete panic trying desperately to find an airline or courier service that could get my passport to Toronto in a few hours. Hour two was spent Skyping with my sister and brother-in-law in Ottawa who believed Greyhound would be able to transport my passport on their 1am departure. So my poor sister, who has one and half year old triplets, spent her Saturday evening driving all over Ottawa trying to get my passport on that 1am bus. However after much time and energy wasted Greyhound told her they would not be able to guarantee it would get to Toronto before 6am and that it would be completely safe. She made the smart decision and passed. So there I was at hour 3 and having exhausted all efforts. I had no hope left. The only option left was to change my flight to a few days later. So I made the call and 331 dollars later I changed my flight to Wednesday (3 days later). My passport is now on its way to Toronto via Greyhound courier and I will be picking it up tomorrow. I'm still recovering from the turnout of events and I have now gotten over kicking myself for making such an irresponsible mistake. But I am walking away from this situation with an important lesson learned; Always double check important travelling documents even when you are 99% sure - that 1% can really screw you over.

10 DAYS TO GO

I was chatting with my good friend, Flora, over a drink at Moxie's restaurant earlier this evening and she began by saying 'Okay so Cambodia...' with a look of encouragement and excitement on her face. And it was then that it hit me, I had chosen to stop my life as I know it, do a complete 180 and decide to volunteer in Siem Reap, just...because. I mean WHO does that?! Charity starts at home right? Why do I need to go to the other side of the world to volunteer? Mahhh...Panic! What if I run out of all my money, what if I don't find what I'm looking for? (Wait...I'm looking for something?) What if I can't get a job when I get back? What if, if, if....