Back in the Saddle

Well the holiday was a welcome change, but it sure was nice to get back to Australia's red centre where the humidity was significantly lower and I can breathe. Jumped back into work with both feet, hitting the ground running which is just fine with me. Headed out bush today to Laramba and Ti Tree and had good outcomes with both cases, so always happy when that happens. We had to drive 84kms each way from the paved road to Laramba on bush road which was thrilling as always. One must grip the steering wheel strongly enough to keep it from careening out of control in the red dirt and sand but not too tightly as you could break your thumbs, and when bogged the rule is hands off. We didn't have any issues with control though, and managed the drive without issue. We did see an abundance of reptile life though - ran over a huge snake that was more than half the width of the road - huge king brown! I ran over a few smaller ones, and a couple of lizards - one frill neck lizard and one thorny I think. We also saw several goanna's crossing the road but I think I managed not to hit them. Just as we were leaving Alice Springs we also saw two wallabies on the road, and later down the track we had a cow on the road that I honked and honked at hoping it would continue on it's way off the road, but instead it jumped back onto the road in front of me and ran across...luckily I predicted as much and has slowed right down and off the cow went without further issue. Dumb cow.

It was good to get out bush again. Love the desert.

Just Call Me the Weaver

     Today my friend F. and I parted ways for the day – she went for a spa day and I went to visit Mekong Island silk weavers. I had arranged with a travel agent for a tuk tuk driver to take me to Silk Island, however along the way when he asked for directions, we were lured to Mekong Island instead, which was much closer. Initially I was a bit irritated as I paid a higher price to be driven to Silk Island, however I wasn’t quite sure in the beginning just what was up, as my driver did not speak much English and did not understand my question. In any case, it turned out to be an amazing trip just the same as I met Jenny, a weaver from Mekong Island who soon explained to me that there were just as many weavers on Mekong Island as Silk Island, only not so far to go. Given the day was hot and the road was bumpy, I decided to go along. She promised to take me to her house and to her sister’s house where the weaving was done in her family.

     We met Jenny along the road to where the ferry to Mekong Island docked, and followed her there. While we waited for the ferry I probed her about how much she was going to charge me for translating and showing me around the island, only to find she did not want money, but did expect me to buy silk weaving from her, which was fine with me as I did expect to buy something directly from the weavers I met. Once the ferry arrived, I learned that the tuk tuk driver could drive onto the small ferry and take me around Mekong Island. Once we docked on the island, it was clear why I would need the driver. There was no organized tour of any of the weavers, and the island was simply a village of many houses, most of whom were silk weavers. There was no real road, just a path for motorbikes, bicycles and of course, cows and oxen…the tuk tuk drivers could also drive this road, and we were in for a hell of a bumpy ride since the rains had mostly destroyed the road and left it with many potholes. We didn’t have to drive through any flood waters but it was apparent that there had been much flooding. Jenny said it was up to her waist at the highest, but had since receded this past month at the end of the rainy season.

     After much bumping over the road we arrived at the house of Jenny’s sister. A simple shack with a large area underneath for weaving. There were two looms set up and two of her sisters were busy weaving the same design. They were happy to see a foreigner and to show me how they wove the cloth. I learned that it takes them one full day of weaving to make 2 metres of cloth. Before long the weaving for sale was brought out and I was overwhelmed with the weaving of 4 people who had things to sell. It was pressure, but I didn’t mind as I was grateful for the opportunity to see it all in action and the family was so very friendly. I bought several pieces being sure to buy some from every weaver. Jenny was quick to tell me that I would get a special discount from her, which I did as I only paid $25 for a large silk bedspread, bargain and a half of course. I bought another table runner from the weaver who showed me how to weave, and scarves from the other weavers.

     Allie then sat me down and showed me how to do the weaving and one of the family members took photos of my efforts. It was not difficult to do, but easily long and tedious work to weave thread by thread. I shot the bobbin through too fast at one point and it sailed onto the floor, breaking the thread, which I was very worried about but everyone laughed long and hard at my mistake, so I relaxed quickly after. Then there were more photos, more chat about the weaving before we were off to see Jenny’s house. She was quick to tell me she is very poor and that her sister’s house was much bigger than hers. I told her not to worry about it, that I was honored to see her house and meet her family. A long bumpy ride to the other end of the island and we arrived at Jenny’s house. It was a very simple shack with two levels of sleeping chambers and an open level for daily sitting and working. I was soon surrounded by children, some hers, some nieces and nephews and other various children that lived nearby. All of whom crowded around to see this foreigner Jenny had brought home. I met her husband who had no English and seemed a bit shy as we sat around and chatted briefly. I then asked if I could get a photo of all of the children and Jenny, which they readily complied, and then I showed them the photo afterwards, to which the children all giggled. Several goodbyes later and we were on our way.

     Next stop was the local pagoda where Jenny and her family go to worship Buddha. It was currently flooded so the doors were closed and we could only see outside. It was next door to a school that was buzzing with children who all swarmed me to see the foreigner, with some shouting hello, while others braved it and came to talk to me. My skin color was of great importance as my pasty white legs were compared to their darker skin. I told them I wanted browner legs as I usually wore long skirts and didn’t tan, but had shorts on today for the heat. Lots of giggles and then a visit from one of Jenny’s friends who wanted me to buy some scarves. Feeling somewhat obligated, I bought three more, making my scarf count well over 20 now…I hope my friends and family all know they are getting a scarf from me for Christmas…

     It was then time to start heading back to the ferry to the mainland, dropping Jenny off at her sister’s house to weave. Many more greetings and goodbyes there, and Jenny insisted that I take her mobile number. I tried to ask for a mailing address so I could send a post card and possibly a parcel with some Canadian things in it, but this was impossible. There was no mail that came to Mekong Island and unless someone had a post office box in town, no one received any mail. Jenny insisted that I was now her sister and was welcome to come to her house when I returned to Cambodia and she would cook me a proper Cambodian meal. I made no promises other than if I come back to Cambodia, I would come to see her.

     My tuk tuk driver and I then made our way to the ferry where it was already docked and rolled onboard. They then loaded a cow onboard and tied her down which she bucked against and made it known she was not up for a ferry ride. She eventually settled, but I could see the fear in her eyes and felt for her. A dusty ride back to Phnom Penh and the tour was over. Along the way the driver whose name I cannot recall – Ravana or something like that, had mentioned that he came to Phnom Penh to drive tuk tuk but there are so many drivers in town with many of them coming in from Thailand now because of severe flooding there, he sometimes goes days without a fare, so often does not eat. I felt bad for him so when we arrived back in town, I gave him an extra $5 and suggested that he get something to eat today. He thanked me profusely and disappeared into the city. It was a good day and an experience to remember.

Seeing the Sights of Phnom Penh and Beyond

     It wasn’t long before we missed Siem Reap and the quieter pace of that city, however we were determined to see what we could and deal with the noise and pollution of Phnom Penh. We traveled to the Night Market, the Russian Market and the Central Market. The Night Market seemed to be more for locals than foreign tourists with many food stalls, ordinary clothing rip-offs, and a talent show on stage. We watched three boys mimic the many boy bands in a dance routine to someone else’s music. I did manage to pick up a couple of things, but the market was quite small and we were through it all before we knew it. The Russian Market was a real let down, just more of the same of usual markets and nothing Russian at all to be found. The Central Market was huge and carried just about anything under the sun but was so crowded by stalls and hot we didn’t stay long. I did pick up a few more things here though but bargaining was fierce. I am definitely marketed out. The aggressiveness of sellers can really wear on a person, and then when we sit outside for meals on the busy river front, the children take to the streets to peddle scarves, books, bracelets, wallets, and so on and are even more aggressive. When we were out for supper a few nights ago I found myself swarmed at the table by children, so I bought from 3 of them and another girl showed up who was very upset I bought from those other three but not from her. She became quite rude and sullen, so I finally had to send her away, telling her to get lost if she was going to be rude, and that I had no intention to buy from her. We also get hit on by women with small babies looking for food money, and occasionally a man carrying a baby. We never know if they really want money for food or to fuel some habit of their own as we’ve heard that too. Going to the temples is no different – aggressive sellers both adult and child wanting you to part with your money, to offer you a tour, to fan your heat soaked body, etc. These are the most aggressive as they follow you around like a puppy dog and then demand that you pay them despite telling them you don’t want their services and have told them to go away. I’m looking forward to going back to Australia where I can be ignored and walk around in peace without someone shouting “special price for you! Bring you good luck!”

     We went to the National Museum a couple of days ago. It was interesting but just more of the same in each room we entered – statues of every size and shape, made of stone, precious metals, or otherwise of mostly one thing – the many versions of Buddha and several other Gods. It was quite hot inside despite the many fans blowing air around, and we left after an hour or so.

     We toured the Royal Palace yesterday, such as it was. It was more the palace grounds and some of the outbuildings used for prayers, events, and so on, many of which were currently closed to the public. The gardens were not really impressive, but the buildings were very ornate and overdone. There were lots of tourists milling about taking photos, but we could only take photos outside as cameras were not permitted inside any of the buildings, as was the museum.

     Today we decided to get out of town for a bit to visit Oulong Mountain where there was a temple at the summit that we could walk to. Oulong used to be the capitol city of Cambodia, but now it is just a sleepy town filled with farmers.  The tuk tuk drive was about an hour over bumpy roads, slow going but allowing us a peek inside of people’s lives as they moved through their day. There were several portions of the road that were flooded or near flooded and several homes that were flooded as their stilts were not quite high enough. There were several beautiful homes surrounded by shanties as zoning is clearly not part of municipal planning. The stench rising from the flooded areas was overwhelming – garbage piles and free flowing sewage get only worse when flooded in the heat. The ride was pleasant none the less as children waved to us along the way and shouted “hello!” to us. Once we arrived at the mountain, the staircase loomed in front of us – reportedly 509 steps, but it didn’t seem that high. We took it in stride and off we went up, up, up to the top, taking a few breaks along the way to enjoy the stunning view from above the flooded flatlands. The temples at the summit were more of the same, but beautiful and the view from the top was amazing. Cambodia is quite flat through most of the country and we could see for miles and miles. After a break at the top we descended and returned to the tuk tuk and bumbled our way back to Phnom Penh, some 50 kms away.

     We had the driver drop us off at Wat Phnom, a local temple site that is still in use, and more stairs! Nowhere near as many as the mountain though, so we were up before long. We had heard that one could find a fortune teller here but we didn’t see any and no one we asked seemed to know what we were asking. What I did find though is they had an elephant one could ride around the temple’s rotary on the outside for $20. Having missed my opportunity in Siem Reap to do so, I gladly paid and climbed up onto the 51 year old female elephant named Sorna. It was a slow lumbering ride around the rotary, right out in traffic with the cars and motorbikes. I felt like royalty as people stopped to take photos of the elephant and I, and children waved to me as we went by.

     From there we went in search of a restaurant for some lunch before returning to the hotel to cool off and rest. We made it back about an hour before the rains came crashing down again. It doesn’t rain long, but it does rain hard when it comes. It poured last night as well. We had been out to a new restaurant opened by a former tuk tuk driver named Sary. He has a guesthouse and restaurant and we sat and chatted with Sary last night over several cocktails and dinner. About 10pm we finally called it a night feeling quite boozed up with Long Island Mistakes (Long Island Iced Tea with grenadine added by mistake but we loved it so kept ordering the same) and headed back to the hotel.

     Only two more full days in Phnom Penh before we leave on Sunday to go home. I might stop by a travel agent tomorrow to see about a boat ride to Silk Island where they spin silk and manufacture garments. I can’t believe our trip is nearly over, but I am looking forward to my own space again, and my own bed, and curling up with Dundee.