We’re exhausted!! Hot and happy.
We really are flagging- it’s the heat and humidity that saps the energy from us, also the massive amount of stuff we’re doing.
Continually ‘negotiating’ in getting things done tires us too. I opened my camera this morning and the lens was covered in mould – and that was from yesterday! Massive storm broke here this afternoon just as we arrived ‘home’.
Well we had a top day. The itinerary worked really well and what is nice is that we’ve built relationships all over the town of Siem Reap as well as in the village.
We were also pleased that we were actually given a discount on the bus hire – woohoo! First time we’ve ever had a discount (apart from the hotel of course) but the first time from Cambodians. Apparently they want to show their support for the work and acknowledge that we always hire buses from them each year so the rate was the same as two years ago. We were pleased to get better buses this time – looked quite presentable picking us up from the hotel!!
The buses arrived a little late (as usual!) at 8:40 and we drove first north to Angkor Wat then west to Khvein village stopping in the market. (We have decided this time that where possible we will buy what we need in Khvein’s own market rather than in the town of Siem Reap. This has a two-fold benefit, the money we spend benefits Khvein village and also it provides us with more profile in the village, and it’s marvellous that we have made some real friends already.) So we stopped off to buy bananas and bought 9 hands of bananas for distributing to the children at lunchtime. We had already taken a lot of dried fish to the school the previous day which one of the teachers was going to prepare for the lunchtime meal.
When we arrived at the village west of Siem Reap the children, so smartly dressed in their uniforms, were waiting in class lines at the side of the dusty road. So we took 106 students plus R***** and her friend plus 7 teachers plus Mr Hon’s two High School children on the 3 buses we hired.
The National Museum people are really warm to us and their senior people were there to bid us farewell with a very warm invitation to do it again. They charged……..NOTHING!!! Even our bus drivers came through with us and the museum supplied guides who gave wonderful instruction to the children. A very impressive new facility.
Then off to the Silk Farm some kilometres west of Siem Reap where we had lunch in a delightful outdoor eating area with proper tables and chairs and shade from large table umbrellas. The drivers distributed the bananas, getting into the swing of things too. Fish were distributed and the children had brought rice. You may wonder what M & M ate? Well, our hotel packed us up a really scrumptious meal with all the trimmings in boxes inside an esky stacked with ice to keep the food cool. We feel it not prudent to eat locally and so only eat at the hotel.
After lunch it was time to split into two groups and each group had a professional guide to escort them around the silk farm and silk factory.
Following this school director Mr Hon and senior class teacher, Mr Oern each took quiz time with their respective groups. Quiz time is something that we instituted many years ago as a way of reviewing what had been learned during the day and with a bit of fun. To see Mr Hon relate to the children is just magic! The best teacher you could hope to meet.
On that subject, he’s pleased to bits that the government have just announced that Khvein village school is now rated number 2 school in the district! Mr Hon’s now aiming to be number 1!! How pleased we are that this standard of excellence is being attained in the poorest school in the district.
We got back just as the afternoon rains came – how providential!