The Tonle Sap, the Tonle Bassac, and the Tonle Mekong

Dear Friends, Family and other notable companions on this journey through Life.

Things seem to have settled down quite a bit here in Fun City otherwise known as Phnom Penh. I have written my reports to all of the relevant agencies; VSO (with adequate expense accounting for myself and the other fellow from the SEO), the higher ups in the chain (deputy directors and the like), a report to all of the provincial governors and their subordinates, and now I am waiting for the translations into Khmer.

I have joined a health club, actually two of them. I joined the first, which was connected to the Hotel Cambodiana, which is one of the most posh hotels in Phnom Penh, but I was not entirely happy with the facilities. The parking was far from the hotel entrance, the walk through the lobby was somewhat intimidating, and the shower and locker room facilities left a little bit to be desired. I cancelled my membership and asked that my fee be credited back to the visa card. This will be an interesting test.

The second club I joined is one hotel to the south of the Hotel Cambodiana, the Emerald Gardens. It does not have the quality of equipment, and is more expensive by a few dollars, but I can park my bike (“Kong” in Khmer) closer. It is smaller but more intimate. The pool is right outside of the locker room, which is a nice advantage.

Both hotels have restaurants and bars, but the Hotel Cambodiana is more expensive (relatively speaking). The Emerald Gardens has a gambling room, which has two games, blackjack and roulette, so I am told. I am the world’s worst gambler since I hate to lose and I always lose.

Next week is the famous “Water Festival” in Cambodia. This has ancient roots and is grounded in religious symbolism. In Phnom Penh we have three major rivers that converge; The Tonle Sap, the Tonle Bassac, and the very mighty Tonle Mekong which flows from Lao down through Cambodia and into the Mekong Delta of Vietnam fame. It is truly huge and magnificent and dwarfs the Old Man River, the Mississippi. The key element during this three-day holiday is the great Dragon Boat races, which are held on the Mekong just opposite the riverfront of Phnom Penh. This is the scenic area of the city where the tourists and wealthier ex-pats land hang out. VSO usually enters a Dragon Boat except for last year. That may have been a result of their finishing fifth in a two-boat race. Fifth!? Yes, fifth, evidently boats from two other heats of boat races lapped them. This year we want to at least finish second or no worse than third. There are fifty of us who will be rowing our hearts out, not for the glory of VSO, but to beat the crap out of the Khmei who seem to have grown up with the event and take great joy in pounding the Barang (foreigners) into the mud which borders the river. We will be distinguished by our yellow and orange life jackets, which is another source of great humor to the Khmei who seem to think if you fall in the water, you deserve to drown.

I have purchased some general art works for my apartment. They were a “steal” in the markets of Ho Chi Minh City and after a week I have yet to hang one of them. This will be the major task of the coming weekend. I have the screws and anchors for the concrete walls and just need the correct discerning eye for the proper effect. This may turn into a major project. I should invite some of my colleagues over for gin and tonics and support.

Well, that is it for another short spell from your wandering pilgrim who is settling in and enjoying life more. The time is flying by. Take care and be humble. God knows we all have many opportunities to be so.

Richard

Sihanoukville

It seems as though there is quite a gap in my updates/reports probably because there is. This week I have spent as a player/student in Sihanoukville, which is to the southeast of Phnom Penh. It is a resort town that was created in 1953 to serve as a deep-water port of the then budding Indochina conglomerate of countries that France had cobbled together over the decades. It was literally carved out of the jungle and rather quickly became useful as a spot for the sailors, tourists, upper middle class nationals and other assorted folks who had some excess cash (didn’t need much) to spend on beaches, drinks and good times.So, here I am at midpoint and I have been encouraged by VSO to have a good time. This has taken the form of some of the following. On Sunday when we arrived here on a chartered bus from Phnom Penh, I had the afternoon free. I hooked up with a couple of colleagues and we down to the beach front and had a leisurely late lunch and few beers and basically just enjoyed the Bay of Thailand which was sending its waves up to the shore about 10 meters or 30 or so feet away. By evening we had all arrived and checked in and had received our packets of information, which outlined the coming week.

While the days were fairly full (with the obligatory two-hour lunch), the nights were also well planned. On Sunday, there was a dinner (buffet and Cambodian Bar-B-Que) at the Sea Dragon, a pavilion on the beach. On Monday, there was another social evening with entertainment at the same venue. This had a cost of $3. Being still new to the country, I went and had dinner at the “Same, Same but Different” beach front bar and restaurant. When I got to the site where the entertainment was going to be held I discovered that a huge buffet was part of the deal. I explained that I had already eaten, but that I was pleasantly surprised. My friends explained that anytime a fee is charged like the $3 I had paid for the evening that always includes dinner. After all what else could they do with all of this cash being collected. Also, drinks, (beer and soft drinks) were also included. I guess I should have figured that out since $3 was such a high price for food and drink. The meal was followed by several exhibitions of dancing. My Filipino counterparts put on three or four dances that I recognized from my time in the Philippines. They were dressed in traditional costumes and were beautiful. I collected several pictures. More dancing followed, Cambodian folk dancing, to cap the evening off, good old-fashioned Texas line dancing, led of course by a Brit. America has exported so much culture it is frightening.

Yesterday was a day dedicated to sector meetings. This meant that the Livelihoods folks met with each other, the health people did the same and the education people did likewise. I had hoped that this would be entrance to the hall of answers to all of my questions. Not so, although it did shed light on some of the problems facing educators in Cambodia, I was left with the same problem of figuring out how to best manage in my assignment on my own. I did meet some other key figures in other ministries how will figure in my plans for the coming weeks or months. Last night was a huge soirée or fancy dress up night. This was to be a fancy dress affair (humorous costumes but everything with a theme of “P”). I was really tired so I went back to the “Same, Same, but Different” had dinner, returned to the hotel, got my laundry together, went to the pool and was in bed by 10 PM. This morning I am up bright and early feeling very good, and preparing for the midpoint of the week.

The schedule today is a mix of serious and fun. In the morning we will be regaled by a lecture on “Volunteer Engagement and Learning”. Essentially I think this will be how the Program Office helps volunteers to continue their language study but also on any of the other opportunities for culture and what not in Cambodia.

This afternoon is tam building on the beach. In this activity I will be a judge for one of the seven “Survivor” type activities on the beach. My responsibility will be “Walking the Plank” whereby I will tell each of the seven teams as they come to my station, how to master the art of using bricks and planks to walk along a predesigned course. For each little pile of sand they pass, they earn a point. Every time a plank or a body part touches the ground, they lose a point. Total scores for each tam decides on a winner.

The final or tie breaking activity is to build a sand castle, but not just any old sand castle. This has to have the shape of a pyramid, with a track running around the edge. When they are done, a ball is placed at the top and timed on its descent. Fastest time gets some more points. It really does sound like great fun and I am looking forward to the day. Tonight continues the fun and frolic for the wild and crazy members of our band of sisters and brothers, with Bingo at the hall of Events. I am not sure exactly where this is but I know there will be several folks to direct me. For the less adventuresome, there are the bars and karaoke spots in town.

Well, the sun is up and my roommate, an Indian named Rushin, has gone for his morning walk. I think I will shave and prepare for this very challenging day.

Appearances are everything

Today is a mélange of topics as usual, the first being that sometimes “Appearance is everything”. I broke through my temerity or simple cowardice (temerity sounds better even if it does reflect the craven sort I have allowed myself to become) and accepted the bicycle that the VSO offers everyone in Phnom Penh. Everyone, even the folks from out of town who have motorcycles back home. I did not take the helmet although it was offered for the simple fact that I want to be able to see as much as I can while I go forth into harm’s way. It turned out ok, inasmuch as I began to recall some sage advice I had received from a fellow in the Philippines who had biked all of the time in Saigon. He said, “All you have to do is avoid the guy in front. ” The guy behind will take care of himself and you. It seems to work somewhat but sometimes I forget to watch out for the guy in front while I am watching out for the car or truck on my left or right. The only guy I am not too concerned about is the guy behind me — I am hoping he is taking care of himself and possibly me.So, after accepting the bike, and getting my housing allowance for equipping my brand new flat, I decided to have lunch in a posh spot, just down the street from my office called the Lotus Restaurant. A gorgeous place, the décor literally French Colonial, and the waitstaff suitably attired in better frocks than at least this patron.

Note: For you French or at least, other Romance language linguists, you will find more and more of the French vocabulary creeping into my chats. I can’t help it, it is here to stay. Many people decry the continuing abandonment of French while others sing praises to its demise. I am neutral except for the fact that it was always a beautiful sounding language and seemed to be truly the language of love. I took Spanish in school and thought it was also a beautiful sounding language, but for the classicists out there, French was still the language of Charles Boyer, and many other incredibly debonair (there, I did it again) screen lovers.

Back to lunch. After being seated and parking my helmet (motorcycle, with “Paco” and a heart with “mom” inscribed on it) and my briefcase, I studied the menu. Since I am only in the middle of my five-day medication, water was the drink of choice but I did spurge and order a coffee with milk as well. Not all coffee with milk is coffee with – at least condensed, milk. No problem, I dutifully drank it down and had what looked like a gallon of water to wash the lunch down. I then ordered the Chicken with lemon grass and an order of rice. Wonderful sounding stuff. It came and I have to say it was one of the worse meals I ever had. I don’t know enough about Asian cuisine, but I am sure that they do not waste anything. I chewed on several bits of gristle, separated some meat from looked like fat, and conscientiously ate the rest. But I have to say; it was most beautiful looking meal I think I ever had. There was a tomato that had been carved in a curl sitting on a nest of what looked like alfalfa sprouts. Sometimes things look too good to eat. So, like I said, “Sometimes, Appearances are everything”.

I have covered some aspects of the traffic on my bike and briefly touched on the monetary sustenance that VSO allows those of us who have sacrificed out lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor and for the benefit of mankind. Well, at least our honor.

Well wishes

So many thoughts and so many impressions, particularly as I walk down the street or do something a little differently from what I did a few hours ago. I find myself comparing my experiences to arriving in the Philippines five years ago. At that time I was much more intimidated by a new culture and by people whom I knew to be friendly but were so clearly different from me and what I had known that I was not sure how I would survive let alone succeed. One major difference between then and now was that the Peace Corps was nursing me along as slowly as possible and giving me plenty of time to make little mistakes and learn from them. The VSO on the other hand has dropped me into the stew and I think I am supposed to know the culture, the politics, the yin and yang of survival in a foreign land. Hmmm? I don’t. Simple to say, but in reality I bless the two years I had in the Philippines because that introduced me to Asia which is a major part of what I am experiencing at the moment. I am still surprised by the traffic and the incredibly sanguine reactions from everyone concerned. I still feel a little paranoid about people staring at me, but in this response I am probably reality based. People do stare in Asia, at objects and people who are unusual. I am an old white guy who still likes to walk in a world where only poor people walk. I still am a little surprised when I turn abruptly and some little kid is just standing there staring at me with a puzzled look on his face. I check my fly and my nose for any boogers, but no, it is me he or she is looking at. It was the same in the Philippines.I moved into my new apartment today. Once again a major difference from five years ago when the Peace Corps had lined me up with a host family, and I began my training immediately in language and culture. Here I was responsible for finding my own flat, negotiating most of the terms, and then going to the markets to furnish what didn’t come with the flat like dishes, pots and pans, some sheets and other linens, groceries, some lamps to light up the dark areas of the flat. At the time of this writing I have purchased some of those things but not all. Tomorrow and Saturday will be the major excursions into the market place.

In these little notes from the front I am not sure if I should tell you more about public life or history or just some more of my daily screw ups. I have plenty of the latter but one of the beauties of being in my age group is that I am often forgiven most anything. The fact that I am still sitting up and drawing breath is a marvel unto itself. But to be fair, I am constantly aware of those of you out there who do truly have longevity at bay and are enjoying life so well. Henrietta and Aunt Ann jump to my mind. Or, I will continue to just throw in whatever I happen to be thinking about at the moment and like the Chinese meals that are in such abundance here because of their low cost, you will get a lot of flavors and tastes. Use your chopsticks to stir it around and pull out what looks or feels good. Throw the rest on the floor like the Cambodian airborne guys I see in the restaurants here. I am sure that the one main necessary in a life full of poverty and hardship is having a military that one can be proud of. Or even having one you’re not very proud of.

Well, that is it for the time being. I am going to make my bed and read a little before I retire in my brand new flat. Life is very good for your little wandering pilgrim as I hope very earnestly it is for you.

Touchdown!

I think I scored a touchdown. As of this moment I have reserved a two-bedroom apartment on the first floor (our second), which is very nice. VSO still has to finalize (I’ll explain in few moments) the final contract, but I surreptitiously brokered a deal by giving a down payment of $50. I could possibly lose this deposit but I think it is unlikely. The rent is a backbreaking $350 a month. The landlady is going to install a large size refrigerator, which will be a nice match to the washing machine in the bathroom. I mentioned two bedrooms; each has its own bathroom (sound good, Kathy?) and there is a third bathroom off the kitchen. Both bedrooms will have air-conditioning. This seems to be standard for apartments in Phnom Penh. There is a front balcony with a decent view; nothing like South Shore but then again, I am in Asia. I will also have to pay for electricity, and sanitation/water ($15/month). This is garbage pickup, which I think is probably the bill for the building but that is ok. I can get a cleaning lady who will also do laundry and maybe cook on two days a week for $40 to $50 month. I am figuring a total budget of approximately $425 to $450 a month. It is in the far south of Phnom Penh near the Japanese and Thai Embassies. One never gets too far from the south side. I will send pictures later. If all goes well, I will move in a week from today which would be Wednesday, the 25th. I will be so glad to have my own place, luxurious though it is.

That is it for now but when you come to visit I will have some very nice digs for you to crash in. My predecessor also had a nice place, which I never saw but is currently being rented by a German named Ulrich. I met Ulrich and he works for a very prosperous NGO so I suspect it is an upscale place as well. I am wondering why I need to keep apologizing for this grand living accommodation, maybe because it is such a far cry from what the average or typical Peace Corps vol goes through.

Paco Parachutists League

The alliteration of the club title just appealed to me. Who knows – maybe another fad could be starting?After the first couple of days here in Phnom Penh, I can report that I am thrilled to be here. It is a vibrant and exciting big city with amenities galore. I have not checked out the bar scene, nor do I expect to for quite some time. I am trying to get acclimated to my jet lag condition and dehydration does not help. However, I expect this condition to pass in a relatively short time; the length of which I cannot predict.

It is Sunday night and as a result of my condition, I am composing this note in the wee hours of the morning, about 1 AM. I took a nap this afternoon and thought that I had slept through the night because when I awoke it I could see daylight. I decided to just lie about for a while since my first meeting wasn’t until 9:30. When I woke again, it was dark and my watch read 7:00 pm. Very confusing but not necessarily a problem. I find that I can do very well on a few hours of sleep at different times of the day. When I begin to put in more time I know that sleep rhythms will sort themselves out. Great work of engineering, the human body.

I am constantly comparing this experience with that of Puerto in Palawan. It isn’t really fair since I didn’t get to Palawan until almost two months after my arrival in the Philippines. But so far Phnom Penh compares very favorably. I am not drained from the heat since it is the cool time of the year. The transportation is very easy and accommodating. Motos (little carriages that are drawn by small motorcycles) and traditional pedicabs are everywhere. I have not taken any motorcycle (similar to cabs, but really a motorcycle) conveyances yet because I am not anxious to drag my helmet along. I am still impressed with my helmet and I expect that when I do begin carrying it, my transition to “Paco” will be more forthcoming. So far it is still “Richard”. I suspect it is because I show somehow that this is my name and is preferable. I am not sure when, if ever, I will start bicycling. I am not ordinarily a fearful person, but the traffic is clearly intimidating. It flows at different speeds, is generally of large number at least on the main boulevards, and moves with apparently complete disregard for other objects whether they are pedestrians, cars, motorcycles or bikes. Directions are relative since traffic flows in both ways literally with the traffic traveling on the correct side of the road having the right of way – I think. So, until I work up the nerve, I will either avoid bicycling or stay only on side streets with less traffic. I haven’t seen any elephants, berserk or not.

Tomorrow (today, because of the crossover of time) I will begin to meet with various personnel from the VSO office and discuss some cultural issues, hunting for a flat (apartment, I know you know that), and some other details. Later in the week I will be meeting with reps from UNESCO, DAC (Disability Action Council) and probably most importantly, members of the Ministry of Education with whom I will be working. I will still have another week to get grounded before doing any serious work but the agenda for that has not been given to me yet.

I have a lead on an apartment that is currently being rented by a girl (lady) who is leaving shortly. It is rumored to be a very nice, large and comfortable flat. I will contact her this week about possibly subletting it. The rumor is also that the landlord is going to raise the rent but unless it is exorbitant I think we will be able to work something out. VSO does provide a rent subsidy of $250/month. The comparison between Palawan and here continues to be significantly different. While the amenities are certainly grater and the cash flow better here, my memories of Palawan and the Philippines are so positive that it will take a long time before Cambodia becomes my Asian idyll. In the meanwhile, I will just have to enjoy being in a foreign land and testing its Shangri-like features.

As I walk along the streets of Phnom Penh or ride the slow moving “Tuk-tuk” (the moto, mentioned earlier), it is hard to fathom that only a few years ago, this entire city was evacuated by the Khmer Rouge and the inhabitants were relocated in “cooperatives”. Hitler called them camps in his day; concentration, in order to be more focused. The entire history of that time here in Cambodia is mind-boggling. There just were not any good guys anywhere. Everyone; French, American, Khmer, Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Russian either actively joined in screwing the other guy or looked the other way, or both. After the dead were counted and/or presumed to be – the country began its long haul back into the sunlight and despite drought, complete loss of personal ownership of property, and basically a rebirth using someone else’s currency, the country is actually beginning to see daylight. I had a long talk yesterday with a nurse management adviser who is going home in a few weeks. She extended beyond her 18 months because she had to finish a book that she and her Khmer nurses had written about I-V feeding. It sounds like a manual and was the product of the nurses’ desire to have something concrete to follow when they do a particular procedure. Prior there had not been anything. We also talked about the incredible malnutrition that exists in her work area in the north. I think I will make some detours to visit and see what they are doing there.

Yesterday, I almost literally ran into a Peace Corps guy on the street today as I was searching for an Internet store. He was walking toward me and he looked like a guy I had met the night before with a bunch of VSO’ers at a bar. He, of course, wasn’t the guy I thought, but he did turn out to be a PC’er. We shared some stories about the “Old Corps”(can you believe this turn of events?) and today’s Peace Corps. We exchanged phone numbers – I now am modern and have my own phone number. Next week I have to register with the American Embassy so that they know they can rescue me in case of any trouble or if Canada refuses to accept me as one of their own. This fellow, “Ren”, is in education and is in one of the provinces I am responsible for. Angkor Wat, the famous temple, is in Battanbang Province and he is as well.

Well, that’s it from the Wandering exile. Say a prayer to God, Allah, Buddha or whomever for me. The Druids are working overtime.