"See-um Ree-up"AKA Siem Reap

Me at the White Lady statue whatsis in Kep

 

View from "The Beach House" in Kep

Well, I certainly cannot win so far in terms of weather for little jaunts out of Phnom Penh. Went to Kep 2 weekends ago and it rained for the entire weekend. I loved it though - Kep is a little fishing village that used to be for the rich bearches of Cambodia to loll around at many years ago - it is somewhat decrepit now apparently = but I really enjoyed my little stay especially the incredible crab meal I had at the crab market restaurant called "Kimly". It cost me the royal sum of $7 US to have a full plate of cracked crab in satay sauce - 'finger-lickin'good' as the expression goes... and the young friendly wait staff will hover around and if you are having the slightest difficulty in cracking any uncracked crab open (if you know what I mean) they will come over and do the job and lay it at the edge of your plate for your lordship (me in this case) to scoff. I drank a 'black panther'(Cambodian guinness) with it and was off my face for the tuk tuk drive home as that shit is at least 8% alcohol!  See pics above...

Okay have been at the Montessori school now for 3 weeks and it is festival week for Pchum Ben and another volunteer and I have come to Siem Reap to do the Angkor Wat experience etc... Well, it has flooded in Siem Reap so on arrival 2 days ago ('deluxe limousine bus' [NOT!] for $11 from PP - can get one for $5 but decided to go for the plush job - which was not plush at all and took 2 hours longer to get there due to wet roads) our lovely TT driver "Mr Heng"who is actually Mr Heng's son - so he is "small Heng" - a terrifically funny young man who not only brought me to the hotel gratis, but said he'd take the other vol to hers as well. So the next day (we decided to go to Angkor while it was vaguely decent weather) he took us 'downtown' for some shopping first >>>> so much fun (I hope the shopkeepers are okay though in all seriousness).

errr...is actually me and small Heng in the floods in Siem Reap

Anyhoo, Angkor Wat was amazing, especially Bayon (with the faces) and Ta Prohm (left in its natural state), although the tourists touching the ruins and hopping on and off them for photo opps pissed me off no end (complete irresponsiblity in terms of stewardship of these 'wonders of the world' if you ask me and an english couple and I stood there and bitched about it while dingbat tourists were doing it - very satisfying really! - also their tour guide joined in with the rant and said dumb ass tourists weren't supposed to do it but they lack respect - hear hear Mr Tour Guide!).

Other vol and I at Angkor

Me in Ta Prohm

Next subject - so last night we also added in an  Apsara show with a huge buffet dinner included for US$12!!! We threw down 3 largies of Angkor beer and it was a top night. They are so elegant - the apsara girls were stunningly beautiful - you must see it before you die. The folk dances with the boys were also so cute - the culture here is so refreshingly non-sexualized as the other volunteer and I keep remarking - our culture is based around sex and theirs just is so not - I agree with them that westerners are often quite vulgar and lacking a certain savoir faire (means something nice in french).

buffet at Apsara dinner and theatre show last night then my camera died!

So today, got up for a leisurely (included) breakie - pancakes with maple syrup! Then blogging, trying to upload photos, will loll around in the room for a while before I walk through the flooded streets (the receptionist reckons US$3 for a Tuk Tuk downtown (WHATTTTT!!! - I thought $2 was bad in PP - this joint is not cheap like Thailand!)  for lunch and exploring markets (that is if they are open - most shut up shop as streets under water currently).

Cambodia!

So what's been happening in 15 days? BTW got the news just now - not transferred for next year Stace!
Well was sad to leave MHS and miss it already - I want to go back there for sure.  My flights etc out of Thailand went smoothly beginning with the lovely "Ä" picking me up on his motorbike then going back for my bag in MHS (and Bhut saying ýou come back to MHS and stay at Johnnies" which I politely said I would do while really having all intentions of doing the first and NEVER the latter!). A and I chatted at MHS airport and he said I could come back anytime and teach the monks again - that they''d been asking about me (that was definitely a highlight of this trip if not my entire life!). Flights good, macadamias and cashews provided on the 1/2 hour flight to Chiang Mai and more food going from CNX to BKK. (met a lovely Canadian girl "Tracey" at CNX airport who I buddied up with as our flight had not been called 5 mins before supposed take-off - anyway all went okay - BKK provides free internet and recliners - it was a pretty good several hours layover!

Got to Phnom Penh and eventually got visa sorted (already had one organised but still needed the ruddy photo etc - so that cost an extra $2 as I'd packed them in luggage)... and lo and behold there was lovely Adrien (french dude from the school I'm teaching at) waiting with my name almost correctly spelled on a sign (Muoy - director of school sent him as she thought I was a male!) and we went out to Kim the tuk-tuk driver attached to our guesthouse/school, and took the noisy, dirty and exciting 30 min or so ride to the school. Bit disappointed that I was put in the guesthouse as the email said I'd get a ''room at the school' - anyway aside from the dirty bathroom/toilet (UGH!) my little room is cute (if hot).

Morning Circle time at Seametrey Montessori School where I am teaching

So there is a lovely young french couple who babysat me taking me out for meals and showing me the supermarket for the first few days, until I could go it alone and give them some space. There is also a long term British vol who's been to the school 2 times before. A day or two ago another Aussie vol arrived -she's young and óut there'' and lervs a bit of a grog up!

Me reading to enthralled children

Anyways so I was brought here to fix up the library - it was really in a hideous state and in approx 3 days my assistant (who will be the ''librarian'' when I go) and I had catalogued and shelved all the Fiction books!!!!!!

The messy library as I found it

Revamped and organised!

The facilities are pretty basic and often frustrating - you can't print or p/c much and certainly not in colour - but hey this is Cambodia after all!  Got my new SIM finally yesterday (people had told me I could not text Australia so don't bother - but the new chick got one at the airport!).   Anyway so school has been okay, some days better than others. It's a great little cause and I'm glad I've done it - but also won't be that sorry to leave.  I've seen and done some great stuff - glad I didn't cancel this part of my trip.  Will post more and some great pics in the next few days, when I remember to bring my camera cord!  Okay, adios for now amigos!!
Some piccies:

Central Market Phnom Penh