Kampung Cham

We had an awesome afternoon in Kampong Cham.  We left early this morning from Siem Reap and got on a public bus (we’re doing a tour through Intrepid but since it’s the basic tour we use some public transport).  Thea talked mom and dad into trying crickets at one of the rest stops! 

We were pretty close when we ran into a protest right outside the city.  Rice workers had shut down the road and were protesting for higher wages.  Protests in Asia sure are different from the ones at home.  They had brought in huge speakers and were having a dance party in the middle of the street.  If Thea hadn't told us I would've thought it was a flash mob.  There were a few police but they were just sitting at a shop watching.  

We ended up walking to the other side and hopping in the back of a pick up and they dropped us off at our hotel.  A tuk tuk went back to get our bags.  We went on an amazing bike ride over to one of the islands.  We got there over a long bamboo bridge.  The bridge just opened today so there was a party on the beach.  It washes away every year during rainy season so they have to rebuild it.  The island was beautiful and we stopped at a house to try pomelo and Chinese apples.  Dinner tonight was at the house of the tuk tuk river who picked up our luggage.  It was fantastic, and they made a ton of veggie food.  

Siem Reap

Angkor Wat at Sunrise

Siem Reap has exploded in recent years with the increase in tourism.  We went to the temples for the sunrise, it was cold, and not all that colorful but it was neat to be there, walking through Angkor Wat in the dark (with thousands of other tourists).  It reminded me a bit of Sukhothai, although on a grander scale, and more intact, and we could walk through the buildings.  My favorite was a temple with stone heads all over the place.  We also saw Ta Prohm which is the one where Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was filmed.  It’s amazing to thing about how much work went into the temples.  Just transporting the stones without the help of cranes and tractor trailers is amazing.

Tay at Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm

We had a very un-Christmassy Christmas.  Tay hasn’t been feeling well so we had a lazy morning and then headed out for a nice boat trip to a floating village.  It was really interesting to see and kind of reminded me of the clan jetties in Penang except that the houses actually float, they aren’t just built on stilts.  During the rainy season the move their houses to a different part of the river.  They use the river for everything: drinking, cooking, washing clothes.  We saw a man taking a bath off of the side of a boat and women fishing with nets.

The parents and I took a cooking class at a restaurant where we had watched an Aswara dance our first evening in Siem Reap.  The dancing was interesting, although not as exciting as Indian and Tamil dances.  The dancers moved very slowly and methodically.  They were wearing beautiful, elegant dresses.  The cooking class was fun.  I made fresh spring rolls and the rice paper was fascinating.  It looked kind of like mesh before she got it wet.  I wonder how it was made.  We went to an artisan’s workshop, run by the same people as the silk place, but this one has stone carvers and metal workers.

Bayon Temple

Bayon Temple

Cambodia

We arrived in Cambodia this afternoon after a day of driving, the van and bus were pretty comfortable though so I napped and it didn’t really seem like a long drive.  We hit a long line at Thai immigration and then walked through no man’s land where there are a few casinos (gambling is illegal in Cambodia and Thailand). 

We stopped at a Silk Farm on the way to Siem Reap, it was fascinating how they make the silk, especially how they dye the thread in patterns before weaving.  I still don’t understand how they get it to all line up!

Siem Reap is nice.  We took a tuk tuk to town for dinner and a Cambodian dance show and walked around the night market, which is upscale touristy with a bunch of nice artwork as well as the usual bags, clothes, etc..  

Family Reunion in Bangkok

Wat Arun

I returned to Bangkok to meet up with the family for our Christmas vacation.  After seven months I was really excited to see them!

I had a day by myself before they arrived so I figured I’d try out the muay thai class that I had tried to go to last time... but missed after getting stuck in traffic.  I discovered the canals and commuted to class via boat which was interesting, and a great way to get off the roads.  We all piled onto long benches and a ticket taker walked around the outside of the boat collecting money while holding onto a rope so she didn't fall off. They have to wear helmets because of all the low bridges.  Class was fun, just me and a bunch of Thai girls.  The trainer grunted when I came in and I was a little offended, but I can understand why he may not be excited about having a foreigner, during one round I thought he said ‘side kick’ but he said ‘sideways’, and I kicked him, oops!

We had a productive visit in Bangkok, I finally got to see the Grand Palace and a floating market.  I took mom and dad to Wat Arun at sunset and woke them up early the next to see the monks receiving alms nearby.

The Grand Palace was beautiful, and huge!  They have palace guards that, like any good palace guard, stand completely still and won’t move or talk.  Thai and foreign tourists alike were posing with them.

Sunset from Wat Arun

We woke up early our second day and walked around our guest house to see the monks receiving alms.  There were a lot more monks, but it didn’t seem as special as it did when I first saw them in Chiang Mai.  Dad had to see an eye doctor, so we headed across the river to Siriraj hospital.  We took a boat again, they’re so convenient!  When we returned to the dock we saw a sign for a floating market tour which sounded perfect so we took a long tail boat up the canal to Talin Chan.  It was a lot of fun and very colorful, we saw monitor lizards on the canal that looked like alligators.  The market is smaller, but also less crazy than Damuen Saduak.  We met one woman on the canal selling tourist items and drinks.  The market itself was mostly people in boats, along a permanent dock restaurant.  There was a connected market on land as well.  The prices, at least for fruit, were really good.

Talin Chan

Wat Pho

Tay got in really late on Saturday night but we wanted her to get to see some of Bangkok so we went to Wat Pho to see the reclining Buddha and walked through one of  the more interesting markets along the canal, although it wasn’t as busy as usual, maybe because it was Sunday or because everyone was out at the demonstration.  

Bangkok has been even more crazy than normal because of the protesters.   We went to see the weekend market yesterday afternoon and got caught in it all.  We took the sky train part of the way, hoping to avoid traffic, and ended up spending forever just trying to get into the station and buy a ticket.  As we were on the train, we looked down at the streets and it was incredible how many people there were!  It was even busier at the other end, so we took a canal boat.  Even the canals were packed, the line for the boat was huge, and then when we got on the boat was really crowded.  I counted over a hundred people, and that was just in the front half of the boat.  I was standing on top of someone and Dad and Tay were perched on the sides.  We still were a bit of a distance from the hotel so we fought through the crowds and walked through back alleys, we arrived only 45 minutes late, which by Thai standards isn’t really that late, we did miss our tour orientation meeting though.

Jean turns 80

In India, 60th, 80th and 100th birthdays warrant a big celebration and it just so happened that Jean turned 80 while we were at the illam.  The preparations started days in advance; a priest had to be called, cows secured, dances learned.  It was quite an event.

We started early because the ceremony had to be finished by dawn and it took over an hour.  The priest had come the night before to build a ceremonial fire pit and altar.  There was lots of chanting and pouring things in bowls and putting things in the fire, followed by fruit and the sweet rice that seem to accompany all Hindu ceremonies.  I couldn't believe the kids were all hungry for breakfast an hour later.  I was stuffed!

In India people give gifts on their birthdays.  The children will bring around candy at school, and Jean always buys saris for the women and a local nursing home.















In the evening we all gathered for dancing by the children, and of course numerous long Tamil speeches.

Children's Day

The teacher chatting and waiting for everyone to arrive

One of my projects with the school was to help with the planning and preparation for Children's Day.  We worked for the month leading up to the event, practicing magic tricks and creating pieces of science experiments.

The schools in Tamil Nadu have a very strict syllabus and the teachers don't have much time for activities so I think the children really enjoyed getting to do some hands on work.  They paired up and showed off their experiments involving things like properties of metals, density, and air currents.





Two of the boys put on a fantastic magic show.

  

We had a great turnout and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Dollar Movie

I had a very strange movie going experience tonight.  As I was walking to my favorite restaurant this afternoon I noticed a theater that was playing the new Hunger Games movie for only 60 rupees so I couldn't resist.  The theater looked more like a theater for a play, or maybe a very large school auditorium.  The movie is only available in Hindi and English and since people in Karnataka speak about as much Hindi as those in Tamil Nadu (the official language here is Kannada), we were watching the un-dubbed version.

Open stalls in the women's restroom?  No thanks

There was not one woman in the theater, I don't think they go out at night here.  It wasn't like a normal movie theater; people were smoking and talking on their cell phones, and they paused the movie in the middle for an intermission.  

Vettaikaranpudur

I left the illam yesterday for Vettaikaranpudur.  It was hard to leave, I’ve become so close to everyone there.  But I’m also excited to do some traveling.  

I was a bit nervous since I haven’t done any traveling on my own in India and the buses seem confusing, but I found all of the buses ok and once I got out of Nilakottai there seemed to be more English around, and everyone was very helpful in telling me which bus to take and where to get off.  I was worried also because I hadn’t really finalized my plans with the guy I met on Couchsurfing and when we tried calling him at the illam we couldn’t get through, so I was relieved when I tried him on a pay phone in Pollachi and finally spoke to him.  As I was sitting on the bus I was picturing imagining myself getting off at a small village with no accomodations, and not being able to find him. But it all worked out I got on a local bus for the last leg of the journey and met him at a tea shop near his farm.  

Rohit and his family are really nice.  They live on a farm in a beautiful new house, I actually feel a bit out of place.  We took a walk in the farm with his sister Mojitha and saw the workers collecting cocoa pods, we even tried some, the seed is bitter but it’s surrounded by a gooey fruit that is quite good.  

His family is scattered throughout the area so we went to his grandfather's farm nearby and then his uncle's house.  We went back this morning and took a dip in their waterfall.  It was a bit chilly since the sun wasn't out at all, and it's just generally chillier here since we're near the mountains.

This afternoon I took a bike ride through the village and around the countryside.  It's beautiful out here!