YAY!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
"We Wait"
Being in Cambodia can be a challenge. Daily frustrations that just don't happen in the Western world are common place. And the different reactions to them (i.e. mine, versus the local staff) really accentuates how much I have to learn. I'm coming off a bout of food poisoning, so this might have a pessimistic edge to it, colored by a lack of food and general miserable exhaustion.
Anyways, the one and only example that I plan on using to back up my whole challenge/daily frustrations generalization is POWER - i.e. electricity. In Khmer: PLUUUUN. The last week or so, attempting to actually get anything DONE at work has proven near impossible. A typical day: arrive at office, somewhere in the vicinity of 9am, struggle to get online, about 9:15am finally get gmail to open, then at roughly 9:35am... DARKNESS. And the casual proclamation "ooh. aht mien plun." ("huh. we have no power"). A typical reaction back home would be to attempt to determine WHY we have no power, and WHEN it will come back on. Here it just isnt even relevant. We have no power because the power went out. And it will come back on when it comes back on. Cut to conversation with Khmer staff in lobby of BAB office, where everyone has gathered to sit on the couch and wait:
Me: So, no power huh. Again.
Sem: Mmm. Yes.
Me: So, what are we going to do. We can't get any work done.
Sem: (Blank stare)
Me: Well, I think I'm going to go to the Living Room. Try to get some work done. What are you guys doing?
Sem: We wait.
Me: Oh. Right.
PERIOD. Its all too simple. We wait. Sit yourself down. We are WAITIN. It isnt a concept that sits well with me. Perhaps it is the unknown. Well - we could wait, but what if it NEVER comes back on, and we WAIT here for 8 hours? Patience is a virtue, and one I apparently need to work on.
Moving on. This last two weeks have been great in many ways, being back in Phnom Penh, going out, brushing up on my (non) Khmer, trekking down to Kep (more about that when I have photos). I also had the opportunity to visit a school here called Sovann Komar (Golden Children). It is actually a village/orphanage/school that takes in kids that were working on the dump here, or were in other desperate circumstances. Each child becomes part of a family of 6 kids and two parents. They parents are couples who commit to being mom and dad to the kids at the village until the kids reach 18. It is an amazing set-up. The kids were great. Smiling and fighting over my blue sunglasses (which have since disappeared - tragic), building blocks and taking gleeful joy in throttling them to the ground. The aim of the school at Sovann Komar is to be a teacher training school. There is a desperate need here for well-trained teachers, and the school is working towards becoming a place where aspiring or actual teachers can go for training. Very cool place.
I also visited a village called New Hope for Cambodian Children (NHCC), which is a village for HIV positive children. It has the same kind of set-up as Sovann Komar, with the children grouped into families with a couple taking on the role of parents. The village also grows fruit and vegetables, raises pigs to sell, and will have a soccer field, dance studio, art studio... Another really inspiring place.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
ELEPHANTS and the FINO
I forgot to mention possibly THE most exciting moment of the last two weeks. I fed an elephant. I have officially interacted with, touched and FED and real live elephant. It was a highlight of my 24th year. There I was, sitting at a local Thai restaurant, when an ELEPHANT comes wandering down the street with an old man perched on its back. A woman traveling with the elephant was selling elephant food to wide-eyed tourists (ME) to feed to the elephant.
Speaking of elephants. In a comment by my one and only commenter (possibly my one and only reader) there was an invitation to discuss the elephant that was featured in post number one, and specifically why it was chained up for no reason, and how unfortunate it was. Anyways, I wanted to elaborate on how strange it really was that this elephant was just chained to a mountain in a little elephant garage. This wat was way out of the way, a decent drive up a mountain from Chiang Mai. There is a little market area/village that had grown around the wat to sell things to tourists etc, and way at the back, at the bottom of the wat stairs, hidden away by the bathroom, is the elephant.
Which raises a few questions.
Such as: is the elephant a tourist attraction, and if so, why is it hiding? Is it holy and thus must remain in the vicinity of the wat? Is it evil and possessed and therefore held captive by the local people?
Moving on from elephants. There is a particular type of motorbike in Thailand (that has also made a huge splash on the moto scene in Cambo) called a Yamaha Fino that I WANT. I want to rent one, and drive it, with a matching helmet. My motorbike driving has kind of plateaued at driving around the driveway of the BAB house in Chiang Mai, but I think what I need is motivation, and access to my very own (pink checkered) FINO! I can't really accurately describe it - you could google it, its awesome -
but if MarioKart had a motobike it would look like the fino. And Toad would drive it.
Anyways, when dreams become reality and I'm cruisin in my fino, I will be sure to post photos.
Speaking of elephants. In a comment by my one and only commenter (possibly my one and only reader) there was an invitation to discuss the elephant that was featured in post number one, and specifically why it was chained up for no reason, and how unfortunate it was. Anyways, I wanted to elaborate on how strange it really was that this elephant was just chained to a mountain in a little elephant garage. This wat was way out of the way, a decent drive up a mountain from Chiang Mai. There is a little market area/village that had grown around the wat to sell things to tourists etc, and way at the back, at the bottom of the wat stairs, hidden away by the bathroom, is the elephant.
Which raises a few questions.
Such as: is the elephant a tourist attraction, and if so, why is it hiding? Is it holy and thus must remain in the vicinity of the wat? Is it evil and possessed and therefore held captive by the local people?
Moving on from elephants. There is a particular type of motorbike in Thailand (that has also made a huge splash on the moto scene in Cambo) called a Yamaha Fino that I WANT. I want to rent one, and drive it, with a matching helmet. My motorbike driving has kind of plateaued at driving around the driveway of the BAB house in Chiang Mai, but I think what I need is motivation, and access to my very own (pink checkered) FINO! I can't really accurately describe it - you could google it, its awesome -
but if MarioKart had a motobike it would look like the fino. And Toad would drive it.
Anyways, when dreams become reality and I'm cruisin in my fino, I will be sure to post photos.
The Edge
I'm back in Phnom Penh. Arrived last night to the glorious chaos of Cambodia's capital city, a thriving metropolis. No traffic rules, children wandering barefoot, sketchy street food, dust, dirt and general... chaos. It's great to be back.
BAB's Cambodia offices are bustling and busy, the new satellite internet is almost as dysfunctional and the previous internet service - although the power stayed on all day which is something. Working here is definitely a test of patience. I've relocated to a cafe that has free wireless internet (possibly the only one in Phnom Penh?) in order to actually get some work done, and to blog, of course.
One can only see the "This Page Cannot be Displayed" message so many times before it just becomes too much. And this place is lovely. Cushy red couch. It's almost too perfect. It is my PLACE. I belong here.
And now for some rudimentary Khmer:
soksabeye: hello/how are you/i'm fine (this one confuses me and is really the key reason why i can't function in this language... that and the fact that i don't know any other words)
awkun: thank you
sumto: excuse me
sahat: pretty
cone: baby
awt pranyahaaaaa: no problem
lie son heeeit: see you later (that might be wrong)
dahhhlannnggg: wandering - as in hanging out/chillin on a sunday afternoon
bot saddom: turn right
bot tschveng: turn left
toul trong: go straight
and that is all I can think of right now. In other news, I've been reunited with the clock/sailboat/aquarium from last summer. That was a beautiful moment.
BAB's Cambodia offices are bustling and busy, the new satellite internet is almost as dysfunctional and the previous internet service - although the power stayed on all day which is something. Working here is definitely a test of patience. I've relocated to a cafe that has free wireless internet (possibly the only one in Phnom Penh?) in order to actually get some work done, and to blog, of course.
One can only see the "This Page Cannot be Displayed" message so many times before it just becomes too much. And this place is lovely. Cushy red couch. It's almost too perfect. It is my PLACE. I belong here.
And now for some rudimentary Khmer:
soksabeye: hello/how are you/i'm fine (this one confuses me and is really the key reason why i can't function in this language... that and the fact that i don't know any other words)
awkun: thank you
sumto: excuse me
sahat: pretty
cone: baby
awt pranyahaaaaa: no problem
lie son heeeit: see you later (that might be wrong)
dahhhlannnggg: wandering - as in hanging out/chillin on a sunday afternoon
bot saddom: turn right
bot tschveng: turn left
toul trong: go straight
and that is all I can think of right now. In other news, I've been reunited with the clock/sailboat/aquarium from last summer. That was a beautiful moment.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Snap Judgments
Voila! ... The BAB Chiang Mai Volunteer House/Office. Current place of work and life.
And introducing .. Don and Porn. Don is a legal intern with BAB and a student at Chiang Mai University, and Porn is the woman who runs the house here. She handles everything - buying office furniture, interpreting for the apartment hunt, cooking..
generally taking care of business.
ME in Chiang Mai. Wandering the neighbourhood:
And outside the wall of the old city:
The lonely planet section on Chiang Mai lists roughly 20 Wats under the Sights section. This is one of them. The others are similar I think. I'm not really a Wat person.
A street in the old city. Note the BEAUTIFUL FLOWER/TREE.
And finally, last but not least, because it amuses me - The "Tourist" Candy Bar.
Anyways, the title of the post - snap judgments - has been on my mind a lot lately. Chiang Mai is a great place for people watching, especially in the tourist area. From my recent people watching expeditions I've come up with a few classic categories of traveler, such as:
The Beige Pragmatic Traveler: identifiable by their khaki shorts, funcational sandals, fanny pack and easily accessible map.
The Euro Neon Traveler: noted for their bold clashing colors, chain smoking and indignant expression.
The Embracing-the-traveling-a-little-too-much-traveler: easily the most stand-out of the groups. Noted for: adopting native styles of dress within 5 minutes of arrival, dreadlocks or shaved heads, bright flowly gaucho pants, excessive journal writing etc.
Then in Chiang Mai you have the retiree crowd, with a disproportoinate number of older single white men. But that is a whole different crowd that can be subdivided - perhaps I will attempt it some other time.
And introducing .. Don and Porn. Don is a legal intern with BAB and a student at Chiang Mai University, and Porn is the woman who runs the house here. She handles everything - buying office furniture, interpreting for the apartment hunt, cooking..
generally taking care of business.
ME in Chiang Mai. Wandering the neighbourhood:
And outside the wall of the old city:
The lonely planet section on Chiang Mai lists roughly 20 Wats under the Sights section. This is one of them. The others are similar I think. I'm not really a Wat person.
A street in the old city. Note the BEAUTIFUL FLOWER/TREE.
And finally, last but not least, because it amuses me - The "Tourist" Candy Bar.
Anyways, the title of the post - snap judgments - has been on my mind a lot lately. Chiang Mai is a great place for people watching, especially in the tourist area. From my recent people watching expeditions I've come up with a few classic categories of traveler, such as:
The Beige Pragmatic Traveler: identifiable by their khaki shorts, funcational sandals, fanny pack and easily accessible map.
The Euro Neon Traveler: noted for their bold clashing colors, chain smoking and indignant expression.
The Embracing-the-traveling-a-little-too-much-traveler: easily the most stand-out of the groups. Noted for: adopting native styles of dress within 5 minutes of arrival, dreadlocks or shaved heads, bright flowly gaucho pants, excessive journal writing etc.
Then in Chiang Mai you have the retiree crowd, with a disproportoinate number of older single white men. But that is a whole different crowd that can be subdivided - perhaps I will attempt it some other time.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The Journey
After leaving wintertime in Vancouver:
and heading to New York:
to celebrate New Years and my birthday in the big apple:
I left the city to head back to Southeast Asia. This time to Chiang Mai, in the mountains of Northern Thailand. I flew the cheap route - roundabout and time intensive - through Anchorage (Alaska) and Taipei (Taiwan) to Bangkok and then took a night bus (VIP!) to Chiang Mai. I arrived in Chiang Mai at 5am on the 9th, three days after leaving New York.
By the time I arrived in Bangkok airport I was feeling dirty, homeless, and ambivalent about ever really arriving anywhere. I was too tired to be offended at sleeping on benches, plugging my computer in to random outlets in hallways to watch hours of heroes, or living entirely on airplane food, mostly rolls because the meals were getting progressively stranger from one flight to the next.
The bus to Chiang Mai was an overnight bus, complete with a stewardess and the movie Transformers (in Thai). Enough about the traveling though. First impressions of the city: not too hot (YAY), paved roads, cheap and delicious street food, functioning internet, and laid-back friendly people. All the things that made life a little more difficult in Phnom Penh: not being able to go out at night alone, worrying about getting robbed, sketchy internet, overwhelming heat... not a problem here. It is LOVELY.
CHIANG MAI!!!! This is the view of the city from Doi Suthep, a mountain to the North(?) of the city.
And Wat Suon Dok, the Wat near the BAB office:
My first day in Chiang Mai I was exhausted and jet lagged, but got up early to go sightseeing and try to get situated. My first major Thailand purchase was a helmet - safety first!
After purchasing my stylish and functional helmet I headed up Doi Suthep to a big Wat up there. Arriving at the Wat, by this point exhausted and a little grouchy, I was more than slightly irritated to find that there was a "Foreigner Fundation" extra charge to ride the tram up to the Wat. Having decided to take a stand against the extra dollar charged to foreigners for the service, I was left with two choices - either walk up 300 stairs to the Wat, or call it a day. Guess which option I chose. The entrance to the Wat was beautiful though, and there was an elephant chained up there for no apparent reason. I love elephants so that was something. Throw in some monkeys and it would have been pretty much perfect.
The journey up to the mountain was something else. Mountainous, lush, tropical. All good things. In a week full of journeys, I decided that this was what was important - the process of getting there - and not just arrival at the destination.
As for my irritation at the Foreigner Fundation, having taken the time to think it through a little, I was a bit of a jerk for not forking over the one dollar. Tourists from everywhere come to Thailand, some for good reasons and some solely to behave badly, but regardless of the purpose of the visit, putting some money back into the country and hopefully to people who need it should always be a priority. I will have to go back and ride that tram.
and heading to New York:
to celebrate New Years and my birthday in the big apple:
I left the city to head back to Southeast Asia. This time to Chiang Mai, in the mountains of Northern Thailand. I flew the cheap route - roundabout and time intensive - through Anchorage (Alaska) and Taipei (Taiwan) to Bangkok and then took a night bus (VIP!) to Chiang Mai. I arrived in Chiang Mai at 5am on the 9th, three days after leaving New York.
By the time I arrived in Bangkok airport I was feeling dirty, homeless, and ambivalent about ever really arriving anywhere. I was too tired to be offended at sleeping on benches, plugging my computer in to random outlets in hallways to watch hours of heroes, or living entirely on airplane food, mostly rolls because the meals were getting progressively stranger from one flight to the next.
The bus to Chiang Mai was an overnight bus, complete with a stewardess and the movie Transformers (in Thai). Enough about the traveling though. First impressions of the city: not too hot (YAY), paved roads, cheap and delicious street food, functioning internet, and laid-back friendly people. All the things that made life a little more difficult in Phnom Penh: not being able to go out at night alone, worrying about getting robbed, sketchy internet, overwhelming heat... not a problem here. It is LOVELY.
CHIANG MAI!!!! This is the view of the city from Doi Suthep, a mountain to the North(?) of the city.
And Wat Suon Dok, the Wat near the BAB office:
My first day in Chiang Mai I was exhausted and jet lagged, but got up early to go sightseeing and try to get situated. My first major Thailand purchase was a helmet - safety first!
After purchasing my stylish and functional helmet I headed up Doi Suthep to a big Wat up there. Arriving at the Wat, by this point exhausted and a little grouchy, I was more than slightly irritated to find that there was a "Foreigner Fundation" extra charge to ride the tram up to the Wat. Having decided to take a stand against the extra dollar charged to foreigners for the service, I was left with two choices - either walk up 300 stairs to the Wat, or call it a day. Guess which option I chose. The entrance to the Wat was beautiful though, and there was an elephant chained up there for no apparent reason. I love elephants so that was something. Throw in some monkeys and it would have been pretty much perfect.
The journey up to the mountain was something else. Mountainous, lush, tropical. All good things. In a week full of journeys, I decided that this was what was important - the process of getting there - and not just arrival at the destination.
As for my irritation at the Foreigner Fundation, having taken the time to think it through a little, I was a bit of a jerk for not forking over the one dollar. Tourists from everywhere come to Thailand, some for good reasons and some solely to behave badly, but regardless of the purpose of the visit, putting some money back into the country and hopefully to people who need it should always be a priority. I will have to go back and ride that tram.
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