October-November news

Hello dear all,

Here isa bit of October news for all.

October for us was the month of our very much awaited for arrival of my father and mother in law, the month of Pchum Ben, the spirit of the dead celebration, and at Osmose, the time for decisions.

Pchum Ben came first and we enjoyed 2 weeks of pre-celebration with monks prayers and offerings every morning at 4:30. Live music and prayers woke us up even in our country side area, our staff and the villagers were tired and concentration was hard. Celebrations were beautiful, with elderly dressed in white shirts and colourful sarongs, food was plentiful and shared with children around; And then everything was closed up for the 3 days of Pchum Ben, and we left for a discovery week-end in the center of the country. We drove hours on end to Kumpung Cham, were rubber plantations can be found and their mysterious blue-green atmosphere is impressive. There, we found a harsher population, got our first road-blocked bridge and bribe requirement, and did not feel particularly welcome at all. Around those plantations, carts with tiny horses or bigger bulls replace our usual Siem Reap cars, with bells ringing as they trot around, and colourful Kramas on each passenger. Kumpung Cham itself was idle along the river, quite a dirty city, and beautiful views of boat sceneries again. From there we headed back to Phnom Penh, passing the Mekong on a ferry. In Phnom Penh we woke up flooded in the room of the bungalows we were staying at, and it broke our film camera and our zoom… which is such a pity on a year like this. So no more films or close ups for us for a while:((

My dad’s arrival was the peak moment, we had counted months, weeks and days with Maëlle and she was just thrilled. We enjoyed their 3 weeks stay and the encounters they made during the day and shared with us gave us a new look again at our environment. As it was school holiday too, we left for the southern coast after a short stay in Phnom Penh again. We discovered Kampot and Kep area.

Both charming, the first by its natural environment, the vegetation impressive, the fields full, the trees entangled with the river a dense tropical forest scenery. Many NGOs are present there, providing work and training and the town has a clear 1960 feel that reminded us of Panama city’s old town center. A lot of good atmosphere where you would think there is a potential to grow again into an attractive tourist destination.

Kep is the abandoned sea resort from the seventies, with huge private modern or art deco type houses falling apart and squatted, with marks of fire and shooting that cannot be missed. It must have been a heaven of the rich amongst the poorest in one of the most beautiful sites. It is still a destination for week-end fishing trips and swimming, and resorts are slowly making it lively again for foreigners when more local restaurants or mat renters provide for the local visitors. It might become one of the few mixed-population destinations in the future – or maybe that is already the case of Sihanoukville which we have not seen.

Anyhow the welcome, the smiles, the way of living on the South seemed such a nice thing after Siem Reap , and the road all along beauty.

Back at home at Osmose, things are getting ready for the wave, the tide of tourists which has arrived and the budget for 2008 is slowly receiving confirmations from donors. But things are also getting tougher for the NGO’s organization as it is already more than 2 years that the founders have left and time for organization changes and decisions… which are always tough when settling a succession. We will leave the NGO hoping it finds its way in the meanders of relationships and useful usage of human energy and funding. One or two files to settle and we are off, getting ready for our next step of 6 months round the world trips.

Oh, I had omitted to tell you that the Korean project of expelling the villagers of Chonk Knies has been stopped due to lack of finances at the corporation that should have built the harbour, but, in the mean time, 500 families from around the river nearby  Phnom Penh have been woken up at 4:30 by bulldozers chasing them away from their homes. They were not told where they were to be relocated, nor if they would receive land to grow crops. That is Cambodia today…

For our own lovely isolated house, it will be taken over by a charming and efficient volunteer manager from Salabai, the cooking school NGO which trains more than a 100 students amongst the poorest each year. The appliances and our vehicles have to be sold, visas and airplane trips to be booked, and the teaching for Maëlle to be prepared, and luggage to be sent back home.

And well, yes, these coming weeks, we do feel like enjoying also the city, getting closer to the people we can now understand a little bit more, going, finally, for a proper visit on the lake’s core bird reserve, walking around the rice fields that are starting to be cut…

So see you soon with more pictures of Cambodia,… just in case you had not had enough and were not yet compelled to come and visit it, and not just for its temples!

Cheerio,

Yseult