Recent flood photos

This morning I went for a ride down our road. The duck farmers house is flooded, so they were doing it all on the road. I also saw people using boat type things to get around. I've been posting photos on our other blog Kronicle Extra, also some of the fishing nets that are set up on campus.



I have a friend whose house is really hard to get to, so she and her 3 year old are staying with her mum. But her husband has to stay and look after their ducks. They were joking about how its like they are divorced for rainy season. She's looking fwd to the water going down so she can be married again. Although for the long weekend she is going home, and taking some friends to visit her house. They are excited because they will be catching and eating fish.. fishing from the comfort of your own home!

That time of year again!

The other week we had our first big rain of the season, as Karen noted on her blog.

The flooding started earlier last year, and the roads were really flooded, as you can see in these photos (click here) I took August 2008. Today Our roads aren't flooded but on campus is!


I don't think we need to water the veggie garden today.

Visit to Preah Vihear Province

We left Phnom Penh at 5am, bright at early on Saturday(11th). No wait- it wasn’t bright yet, it was quite dark.

We spent the next few days with a small group of Christians who Soeun met last month (as mentioned here). Evenings and Sunday morning we spent sitting on the floor of someone’s houses singing and reciting Bible verses. On Sunday morning Soeun preached (although it was a much more informal sermon than he would preach in Phnom Penh).
We also ate most of our meals there as well- my back got pretty tired of sitting on the floor.




For Soeun the trip was a fun time, to see the people again. It was a break for him in between being at places where he has responsibility. We came from Phnom Penh where he works at the Bible school, then afterwards went to visit his family in their province.

For me it was an interesting and exhausting cross cultural experience. Everything was so different.


This type of transport is called a mechanical cow. Can you see why?

On the Monday we went out for the day to visit Koh Ker, I put some photos from that day, which turned out to be quite an adventure over here.
Preah Vihear province

Soeun and the students walked up to the temples, most people hire a moto I think. It took them an hour and a half!

Temple on the cliff- Preah Vihear!

Recently Soeun and some students went to Preah Vihear Province and visited Preah Vihear temple. In July last year UNESCO declared it World Heritage.

Since then this entrance has been blocked. There are troops on both the Thai and Cambodia side of the border here. Both countries claim it as their own. Else where on this blog you can read about the Khmer/thai relations and the tensions that were at their height in October last year.





Cambodians here worship DaDy, a local spirit to ask for protection. He was a General who lived here many years ago.




The photo above is taken from the edge of the cliff that the temple is built on. You can see the roads and the village at the bottom of the hill on the Khmer side.

If you have read about Pol Pot time you may have read about some Khmer refugees being pushed back into Cambodia by Thai people. I think this is the area where these Khmer people who had fled their country to the safety of Thailand were taken back and pushed off a cliff.


Want to know more? See Journey to the top of Cambodia

Phnom Penh streets

Cambodian Pancake

Baptism

On Saturday three churches got together about an hour or so outside Phnom Penh to baptise about 24 people in a river (the Mekong I think). The church we just started going to went, but I wasn't feeling well. Soeun went though and here are some of his photos.

Above is a pile of noodle type things that go in a dish of food I really like. Its kind of like a salad, they often have it at weddings.
And here are some fish being grilled. Below is a photo of some boys using a banana tree as a boat! It had nothing to do with the church day out, Soeun just thought it was interesting.
Here is the table set for lunch.

And here are some of the people getting baptised!

Wedding in Kampot province

On Saturday we went to a wedding far far away. Find out more here.

Crater Lake

On Boxing day we went to "Yeak Laom" lake.

 "Yeak Laom Volcanic Lake is a 700,000 year old volcanic crater lake in a peaceful jungle setting in the Yeak Laom Commune Protected Area. The lake and the area are considered sacred by many of the Khmer Loeu peoples, and are steeped in local myth and legend. There are a couple of docks on the lakeside and swimming and picnicking are encouraged. The lake is 800 meters in diameter and 47 meters deep, and is ringed by a 2.5 km hiking trail. The Yeak Laom Cultural and Environmental Center on the lake trail displays Khmer Loeu handicrafts and fabrics. 4000 riel entrance fee to lake area. 5km from town." (from here)

In the picnic area Soeun bought some dried meat. He often eats dried beef and fish. He told me he was buying some deer meat. The Khmer word for duck is sounds like the English word for deer, and as we were near the lake I thought he meant duck. It wasn't until we got back to PP that I realised it was deer meat. You can see it drying here on the picnic table.
You could hire inner tubes to play with in the water.


See the brown pots to the left, and on the table below? Its some kind of instant alcohol drink made with roots.
There are lots more things for visitors to do such as jungle treks, elephants rides, visit gem mines, learn about different ethnic groups (most people in Cambodia are Khmer, but there are some smaller ethnic groups too and many live in this province.) For example Jungle Adventures

For more on our R'kiri trip see the last few posts- Red Dust, Road to R'kiri and Around Bunlung, also on Kronicle Extra see Christmas trip to the jungle for the full story and here for a few more photos.

Road to Rattankiri

Ten hours of driving across Cambodia we saw lots of different countryside and lots of different trucks/buses etc.

Below is a wedding, sitting in the middle of the road as they do.

We stopped when we saw this truck overturned, but no one was hurt badly.

Snack sellers.

See how dusty it is, even the banana leaves have turned red.

And look at all the dust sitting on the bridge rails. 


Lunch stop.
Nice smooth road, and less trees. In the photo below you might be able to see the overloaded motor bike on the left.