Siem Reap - The Way We Saw It - Pt 4

While in the village, we chanced upon some gaily-coloured tents in the recently-harvested rice fields. We were then told that the villagers are holding a funeral ceremony, but one with a different twist, in the sense that the deceased(s) had already passed away years ago. Most Cambodians are Buddhists who believe in the cycle of life after death and in rebirth and reincarnation.  They believe that the soul of the deceased must be sent off to their next life cycle with proper rituals in the Buddhist tradition. However, in rural areas where the poor faces financial restraints in fulfilling this immediately, it is common that they will bury their loved ones and years later exhume their bodies years and collectively hold this ceremony with other families. In this way, the ceremony costs can then be shared among the families involved.  Relatives and friends may also contribute to the cost.

During this ceremony, which is held over a few days, depending on the number of families participating in the ritual, the bodies of their loved ones will be exhumed and brought to this place to be cremated in an open-structure in the likeness of a stupa.  Banana stalks are used to make the bonfire for the cremation.  Monks play a vital role in this ritual, as in other Buddhist rituals.  Within the tent, an elevated platform adorned with images of Buddha  is specially prepared for them to conduct prayers for the deceased souls.  Other elders of the village, dressed in white, will sit on the floor and pray together with the monks.  The younger family members gather outside to cook and serve the guests. 



The tents where the monks and the elders conduct the prayers for the deceased's souls



The elders preparing the ceremonial offerings of flowers

The stupa-like structure for the cremation



Banana stalks



Women and kids preparing the vegetables



De-boning the fish



Cooking



The menfolk makes themselves useful too...

Ice delivered the old-fashioned way - in lorry and in huge blocks

Siem Reap – The Way We Saw It – Pt 3

Chong Kneas, a floating village at the edge of the great Tonle Sap was initially not a place we planned to visit due to many bad reviews posted online.  However, we changed our minds and decided to drop by for a look ... a decision we did not regret as that trip exposed us to poverty of a greater magnitude.

Tonle Sap is the largest lake in South-East Asia which expands and shrinks considerably  in tune with the seasonal rise and fall of water.  Our visit to Chong Kneas village coincides with the dry season and the lake is less than a fifth of its size when in full glory.  Thus, most of the houseboats in this floating village were anchored at the edge of the lake. 

The moment we entered into the village, both our olfactory and visual system  were simultaneously assaulted by the fish stench and sight of houses in deplorable condition.  The muddy condition of the waters is another sore sight, the thought of the residents using it for brushing their teeth, bathing and washing clothes and dishes is unimaginable.  Houseboats and stilted homes lined up on the edge of the lake due to the dry season.  Looking at the condition of those houses, one can’t help but wonder how they stand against the onslaught of rain and wind during the rainy season? We walked further down the sandy road, taking in more pitiful sights. 

However, beyond the pitiful state, we noticed that the people here actually seem carefree and merrily going about their lives unfazed by the lacking condition.  In the heat of the afternoon, people were seen taking naps, playing cards and chatting on the bamboo balconies.  Some were mending their fishing nets , drying out fish in the hot sun and we even saw a boat hauling in aluminium cans for recycling purpose.

Yes, this is their home

This is not an illegal gambiling den, just friends passing time with a game of card

A different kind of haul for the day

Kids cool themselves off in the muddy water, some playing games on the sandy bank or just running about, posed a warm picture, one that potrays children’s innocence at its best.  We watched a little girl, barely 2 years of age, soaking in the shallow waters of the lake, another older girl proudly carrying her prized soft toy, young boys playing marbles and another kid drawing on the sand.  Lured by their innocence and joy, I tried my hand on the marbles game and earned a few laughs from the kids for my clumsy attempt.  Later, went over to the little boy drawing on the sand and taught him how to write the numbers.  He was very attentive, and it was a fresh change to see a kid wanting to learn instead of being forced to it. Communication with them is not easy as they do not speak English but sometimes words are not necessary. 

It takes high level of immunity to be swimming in these waters

A game of marbles

A girl with her prized gorilla

What lies beyond the lake for me?

Lessons in the sand

We walked around in the hot sun, Hubby taking photos, most which did not turn out well and doesn’t really do justice to the actual situation there.  I found myself reflecting on these people’s lives and their fate, so much different from ours.  We marvelled at their simple outlook in life, living in hardship but yet able to find a reason to smile.  They live life in the most basic manner, the menfolk bring home the fish and the womenfolk cooks the fish and everyone eat up the fish to satisfy their hunger.  In their free time, they either rested or chat with their neighbours. The kids, devoid of modern toys or electronic gadgets, make up games out of what they can find and play happily. Despite their hard lifestyle, we notice that they smile and laugh often...

Wearing nothing but a smile

The absence of doors and fences in these homes is an indication of the safety and peace in this neighbourhood.  There is no fear of intruders breaking in to steal things. In fact, there is nothing much of value to take.  In a close-knit community like this, where everyone knows each other, kids getting lost or abducted is not a worry to them.  In contrast, modern city folks constantly have to keep a close eye on their kids, as cases of kids being abducted from schools, shopping centres, parks and even from their own doorstep are becoming rampant.  Mulling over this and the low statistics of crimes over there, one wonders ... is the influence of modern day lifestyle and its luxury a contributing factor to crime?  When one sees and craves for something another has, be it a modern gadget, branded clothes, shoes or bags, the need to own it may develop deeper into greed and greed will then become the driving factor to steal or rob. 

Chong Kneas village... the way we saw it that day, is a place full of contradictions.  The beauty of these people’s simple lives stood out from the ugliness of poverty.  The warmth of these people’s smiles shone out from the ugly thatched houses.  Playful kids filled the air with giggles and laughter.  Whatever hardship these people face in their lives, they can still put up a bright face.  It was interesting the way they live their life, taking each day as it comes, there was no hurry in doing anything.  These people, just like the rest of the Cambodian people we met, have a special way of touching hearts with their warm smiles and gentle ways.

 

Siem Reap – The Way We Saw It – Pt 2

Another way to gain a better understanding of the extreme poverty and hunger in Siem Reap is to help out at the Soup Kitchen, which is what we did.  We found out about this place called TAL House (TAL stands for Touch A Life) which is founded and run by a Malaysian lady, Mavis Ching who operate a similar centre in Malacca for some years before moving to Siem Reap.  We got in touch with her and found out that TAL House serves free lunch to the street children and the street sweepers at their Centre three times a week.  On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the hungry goes to the food - they make their way to the Centre for a decent meal but on Saturdays, the food goes to the hungry - about 480 packets of food cooked and pre-packed by Mavis and team will be delivered to the hardcore poor living in the slum areas and villages near Angkor Wat.  Unfortunately, we had to give the latter a miss as we were flying back on Saturday morning.

TAL House provides free nutritious meat-free meals to the city’s street children cum trash collectors and street sweepers three times a week.  The street children ranging from 4 to 16 years of age, comb the streets and scavenge the trash bins for plastic bottles, aluminium cans, cardboard and other recyclable items which they can redeem for money.  What little money they make is barely enough to send them to school which explains why a number of  them do not go to school.  Ironically, some parents even deny their children of education and send them out to the streets to help make ends meet.

The street sweepers, mostly women, earning an average monthly income of less than USD50 also finds it hard to have decent meals daily, therefore meals provided at TAL House three times a week relieve them greatly of their hungry days.

The Street Children

The Street Sweepers

Mavis believes in not only feeding the hungry stomachs with food but also feeding their hunger for love and dignity. At TAL House, everyone is welcomed and greeted warmly with smiles and cheery words. Here, women and kids get a chance to sit down and eat their meals in a comfortable and serene surrounding, served with respect and love ... their soiled appearance, their profession, their status, all disregarded. 

We reached there a little after 8 in the morning and the other volunteers have already started the food preparation.  We were greeted by Kosal, Mavis’s dependable manager-in-charge and introduced to the others; Kosal’s mum, his cousin, a girl from the neighbourhood and Robin from USA, a pioneer volunteer who has been with Mavis for the past two years.  The seven of us, peeled, sliced, chopped vegetables and cracked eggs to cook up a simple meal for about 80 people.  The menu for that day is omelette with chopped long beans, onions and carrots and a vegetable dish of eggplant and gourd served with white rice and a bowl of soup. Omelette is a fixed item on their menu as the kids simply love them and eggs are a good source of protein.

Hubby, who is no stranger to the kitchen took up duty at the omelette station.  In short time, his skill in frying omelettes soon resulted in a pile of mouth-watering omelettes, each evenly cut into 6 pieces and neatly stacked ready to be served.  Yours truly worked at the vegetables section, peeling and chopping eggplants and gourds for the vegetable dish. A big steaming pot of rice bubbling away completed the picture.  The open-air kitchen gave the atmosphere a cool setting while Kosal and Robin's friendly chatter filled the atmosphere with warmth. With hands deftly working away at the vegetables, both of them filled us in on some of the stories.

Preparing the gourd

Brinjals awaiting their turn in the pot

Cooking rice the conventional way

Around noon, the crowd started to trickle in.  The kids were the first to arrive ... a poignant scene, in dirty and worned-out school uniforms, some dragging plastic bags of recyclable items which they scavenged from the trash bins.  Each of them knows the rules well; wash their hands before meals and wash their own plates after meals. Before taking their food, one by one of the kids came up to us with palms pressed together at their chest in a form of greeting, a heart-warming gesture that took us by surprise. They are allowed to help themselves to as much rice as they want but the vegetables, omelettes and soup are served by the volunteers.  They can go for second, third or even fourth helpings until they are full.  We noticed that majority of them went for second helpings and quite a number went for third helpings.  This really surprised us as they are only kids and the amount of rice on their plates are by no means little.  We had to hold back our tears when told that for most of them, this is the only decent meal they have for the day and for some, this could be their only meal to last them till the next feeding. 

After having their fill, the street sweepers left to resume work but most of the kids stayed behind a little longer.  Story books were laid out on the tables for them to choose and take home if they wish to.  In another corner, Susan, a regular volunteer from Australia, brought out colour papers, scissors and glue and taught the kids simple paper craft.


Books for pick

Craft time with Susan

We noticed that there were still some food left, which Kosal explained are kept for a few regular latecomers.  Soon, a young girl walked in, one hand dragging a bag of plastic bottles and aluminium cans, the other holding the hand of an even younger boy.  Both of them in filthy condition, evident result of scavenging the trash earlier. We watched in pain as she and her brother hungrily shared the plate of food.  The girl is 9 and the boy is only 3, both of them abandoned by their parents who are separated and remarried again.  Neither parent wanted these kids in their new lives so they were left with their old grandmother.  It was touching to see the way the little girl takes care of her brother, assuming the role of a parent at such tender age.   After finishing their meal, the little boy even helped to wash the plates. Their sad plight is so hard for us to stomach...

We have only each other ....

A group of teenage boys arrived later, school drop-outs working full-time daily from 5am to 9pm, collecting recyclable items and taking up whatever odd-jobs available at the recycling centre to earn an extra bit of money.  Kosal pointed out to us a 16-year old boy whom they are trying to put back in school.  It seems that this boy is a bright student who does well in school but was forced by his parents to quit school in order to work full-time and bring home more money. Sad to note that cases like his are common and rampant here, especially among the older kids. 

What we experienced there was especially hard on Hubby and he was quiet throughout, unlike his usual bubbly self.  Like me, he may be trying hard to cope with the pain of witnessing poverty of this level.   To a certain extent,  Hubby can relate to these kids’ plight as he too tasted hardship in his early life but even that did not prepare him for this. Growing up in a rubber estate, Hubby had known poverty and hunger but not to this level. Walking to school located miles away, in worn-out uniforms and shoes, are things he shared in common with these kids, memories which are still vivid in his mind.  

Helping out at TAL House is an experience which had enriched our lives. We gave a few hours of our time for these people, in return they gave us something more valuable.  They opened our eyes to the blessings we have in life and taught us to appreciate it.  We believe in sharing of blessings with others and Mavis and team does it in a most fulfilling and loving way.

 

Siem Reap - The Way We Saw It - Pt 1

It was our first holiday together without the kids and instead of heading to the popular tourist destinations or romantic getaways, Hubby and I settled on a trip to Siem Reap.  This time the grand Angkor Wat will have to take a backseat as we planned to visit places out of the tourist belt. Often-heard stories of extreme poverty were brought to life right before our eyes.  Photos of malnourished kids, rundown shacks, surviving landmine victims, all materialised into harsh reality.  Witnessing poverty that is beyond imagination is indeed a humbling experience, one that left a deep ache in our hearts.  However, all is not ugly as the warmth of the simple Cambodian people provides the beautiful memories. Smiles were abundant, be it from the village folks or townfolks, from the shop owners to the tuk-tuk drivers... their lives may be hard but they still find it within them to smile...

We were fortunate to befriend a Local Tour Guide who took us down the less-travelled road and showed us sights that most tourists do not have the chance to see.   Mara Long was born during the chaotic period in Cambodia’s history, his own father a victim of the infamous genocide.  His hardwork and perserverance earned him a university degree in Tourism Management, and with that he was able to break away from the poverty cycle.  Nevertheless,  he never forgot his roots and returned to his hometown, Siem Reap, where he joined a number of NGOs to assist them in bringing about improvement and change to his people’s lives. 

Acknowledging our wish to contribute something to his people, Mara arranged a visit to Kok Dong Village, which is situated about 10km away from the city.  Inhabited by more than 200 families, mostly farmers and plantation workers, this village fare slightly better than others due to its close proximity to Siem Reap city. The poverty level here, even though not as extreme as in the slum areas, are still disheartening to witness.  The scenic beauty of recently harvested rice fields are occasionally marred by huts with makeshift walls made of dried leaves.  Most do not even have a proper door, just a simple covering to keep away bugs and shield them from the wind and rain will suffice.

The day before, Mara had brought us to the Local Market to purchase the grocery items for 10 of the neediest families in that village. We spent hours going from one stall to another haggling prices for the best bargain.  We truly respect Mara for not taking advantage of our generosity but went through the trouble to ensure that our money is well-spent. Each grocery pack consist of cooking oil, salt, sugar, fish sauce, chilly sauce, noodles and other essential foodstuff.  Non-edible items such as soap powder, soap bars and mosquito coils were also included.  Even though it didn’t look like a lot to us but we were told that each pack could last for a month or two, depending on the size of the family.  This truly makes us reflect deeply on our lives and appreciate the blessings we have now.



The Grocery Pack



Ten boxes of noodles firmly strapped



All the Grocery Packs boxed up ready to go

The recipient families had earlier on gathered at their Village Community Hall awaiting our arrival. As they are strangers to such feeding program, we did not want to create unnecessary attention or feelings of uneasiness, thus we asked the Village Chief to hand-over the grocery package to them on our behalf.  Anyway, we always believe in giving without recognition or expectation.  In fact, we prefer to term it as sharing our blessings with another.  When one bow to us in thanks, we acknowledged by bowing even lower, as we thank them for giving us the chance to serve them in this way.



Ready for distribution



The Village Chief handing out the Grocery pack

After the families had returned to their own homes, we were led to an open space at the back of the Community Hall, where the Village Chief planned to construct a two-room school building to provide free English language education to the village children.  Application had been submitted to the Authority and is pending approval.  Mara, being a staunch believer in education as the stepping stone out of the poverty cycle assisted in raising the funds for this. Through this school, both Mara and the Village Chief hope to improve the literacy rates among the village children through spending time here and establishing better reading habits. In this part of Cambodia, being located not far from the famed Angkor Wat temples, tourism is another major employer and knowledge of English is a necessary skill which can provide a passport for future development.

Mara and the Village Chief with the school's application papers and plans

The Village Chief also expressed his intention to set up a small pharmacy, which is actually a two-door cabinet equipped with the necessary medical supplies placed inside the Community Hall to address the villagers’ minor ailments and cuts.  Families there do not have the luxury of owning a first-aid kit or a medicine cabinet at home like we do here.  For minor fever, they will just sweat it out and wait for it to go away. Minor wounds or cuts are left to heal on its own. For serious illness or infected wounds, they will have to find their way to the local Government or Charity-based Hospital which is kilometres away and wait for ages to be treated.  One such hospital located a short distance from our Guesthous had long queues along the sidewalk from early sunrise to sundown.  Hubby on hearing this, parted with his First-Aid kit which he carries around all the time and handed it over to the Village Chief.  A seemingly small gesture but one which we hope can provide some relief for time being.

It was late afternoon by the time we left the village, but the village never left us … they remain in our thoughts and etched deeply in our hearts.  We know we will return again, not only to this village but to others too.  We are aware that what we have witnessed in that village is just the tip of the iceberg. Much more pitiable conditions and crushing poverty lies out there, especially in the more remote villages.  A beautiful country on its recovery path from the ravages of war and internal conflict. It will take years before it can resemble a shadow of its former glory but slowly yet surely, it will happen.