Bye bye teacher!

Today I said my goodbyes to the children at the orphanage... It was hard to leave them as we had a great time together; I will leave with a bag full of memories and knowing I made a lot of new (little) friends.

Five minutes after I arrived I was a kid myself and playing on the swing and monkey bars, the bananas were a treat and gone in 2 minutes and cuddles all over as a thank you.

I'm wishing Mr. Boran and the children all the best for the rest of this year and I look forward meeting them again in the near future and contribute to the progress of the orphanage.

Bye bye my lovely cheeky monkey's

xxx

my cheeky monkey's

Tie the photographer!

Angelina does some charity work

After British Brad left it was time for this Angelina to do some charity work and Cambodia is the best place to start. I’m in Siem Reap which is based in the North of Cambodia and famous for itss temples like Angkor Wat. Maybe this is not the most famous one for some of you as Tomb Raider was filmed – starring Angelina Jolie-   at the Ta Prohm temple.

For the past 10 days I’ve been working at PACDOC (www.pacdoccambodia.org) orphanage which is a safe place for poor children and orphans.

When Paul and I arrived in Cambodia we were truly taking back and emotional to see how many NGO (non-governmental organization) and street children were around. Most evenings we talked to the children, gave them drinks/food or allowed them to be a child for at least 15 minutes by playing a game or had fish nibble their feet. I was thinking all the time why is this possible and I really like to be able to contribute to change this. Of course this would be a bit much for even this Angelina but after a couple of days I met the children from PACDOC orphanage and started working there.

Now I know that the children need structure, education and a good diet. Most tourist come with sweets, clothes and toys but in honestly they have all of this and really need the TLC. So I decided to stay in Siem Reap a bit longer and visit the kids every day to play and teach  basics of English.

The director of the orphanage Mr. Boran is there for the kids and really tries to create the best environment for them. One of the problems is that the government wants to close all the orphanages as there are a lot of ‘bad’  or ‘fake’ ones out there so they don’t bother to investigate and support the genuine ones. This means that they have no funding at all from the government and only rely on money from tourists or donations. This is a tricky one too as many tourist visit orphanages and pull their wallets to give some USD$. Unfortunately this only gives the tourist a good feeling but you are not guaranteed that the money is spend to your donated project. The best option is to buy the food, education supplies or build a building for them as at least then you know the money is spend for something they need. There is a cultural difference too as we (Westerns) oversee what’s needed, therefore we would start a long-term project to build on a broader picture for the future. As most of the NGO’s prefer the money as they need it for buying rice, pay the electricity bill or school uniforms but when it’s gone they are left with were they started.

Some of the NGO’s are lucky to have the support from organisations or individuals who want to help them to build on the future and arrange the funds to make this happen. At PACDOC I met Emma and Peter who run www.lovecambodia.co.uk, they are truly ANGELS. They live and breathe for the kids and have achieved a lot of great projects for NGO’s and villages. They are a real inspiration for me and gave me lots of food for thoughts. One other gem is USA native Rich; after his retirement he started visiting Cambodia and felt he wanted to contribute and help. So he spends at least a month in Cambodia and build what’s needed for an orphanage or village. During the year he fundraises and matches the final figure with his own money. I was lucky to spend a couple of days with this trio and supported their projects and I saw with my own eyes what this means for the NGO’s and the children.

My ten days gave me inspiration for more charity work or teaching but most of all I’ve received so much love from these kids which I will take with me in my backpack for the rest of my trip. I’m planning to contribute to their future and return but not sure in which shape or form but I’m sure I will figure this out during my trip.

At the end of this week I will leave Siem Reap with lovely memories of this inspiring adventure with the lovely kids as it’s time to continue my travels. I’m heading to the East of Cambodia which is less visited and more remote for some cycling and hiking in the Ratanakira Province.

I will update you about my adventures from there and thank you again for following me during my travels.

 View my pictures from my great time with the kids:

www.dropbox.com/sh/be6udh6mw81wcqw/tOLYqx1dNp

Gem Rich

A is one of my boys....

classroom

Mekong Delta crossing in Cambodia

Cambodia

Hello followers, it’s been a while since my last post with my travel adventures. I’m in Cambodia since the beginning of which the first ten days with my British Brad. At a later stage I will post some of our joint adventures which but for now…..

Cambodia

After   great time in Vietnam we set off for our final leg of our joint travel; Cambodia.

We left HCMC city with a 7am bus which was from Mekong Express. Due to a hangover and the early start we were both not looking forward to a long journey into a new country with no accommodation or destination confirmed for that day.

We had a lovely Cambodian bus hostess dressed in a beautiful golden/purple long skirt and top finished with high heels. We noticed that she had a lovely smile and later on we found out she had a lovely personality too.

The bus service also included the border crossing, this was the first one for me over ground and not by air so I didn’t know what to expect. It was a bit chaotic but very efficient and our lovely hostess (another Ginny in the bottle) was dealing with the papers and our passports. After 2 stops (Vietnam and Cambodian side) we had the required stamps in our passports and were dropped off at an eatery for breakfast. Most of it was noodles or the traditional breakfast so I tried the fish soup with noodles and vegetable. This was delicious for breakfast and wouldn’t mind to have this more often in Cambodia.

After breakfast we went back on the bus ready for our crossing over the Mekong Delta, where we got out of the bus and celebrated our new country with a picture.

As usual the locals tried to sell their produce or drinks and I was surprised that they weren’t pushy at all as we were used to in Vietnam. But most importantly, everybody smiles and/or have a beautiful smile which makes you feel happy and want to hug them.

The kids are already adorable so it will be hard to ignore them when they come over to sell something. Back on the bus I got a good impression of the country which looked very green, flat and children everywhere. They were playing in the fields, cycling or just having fun with old car tyres, wood and things we call rubbish. When we arrived in the capital City Phnom Penh it was a very different experience as it is very civilized with fast food chains, lots of scooters, cars, office buildings and many little markets. We swapped busses to take us in 5 hrs to Sihanoukville we were expecting a nice beachsite place to chill but as this wasn’t good enough for us we wanted to spend a week at a remote island called Koh Ta Kiev. It was a recommendation of two British men I met on a beach in Railay / Thailand.  We tried to contact the two places who had wooden bungalows/ tree houses and hammocks on the island but this was very difficult. So we just had to change it to go to the island and find a place. At 7.45pm we made it to Sihanoukville which turned out to be less idyllic than we thought it would be. No room at the places we hoped to stay and we had to wait till the next day to find out if there was a tree house available on Koh Ta Kiev.

The next day we got on a small boat with one other couple which would take us to the island as we had the VIP tree house with our own toilet for 5 nights! So we were very excited and looking forward to the quiet, WiFi and limited electricity new home during our stay at Koh ta Kiev.

While writing this I’m having one of the best views. The island life: sleeping in the ‘round house’ with no windows just a round bed and a mini table and chairs made from a tree branch and our own squat toilet. The shower is a big bucket of water and a plastic pan which you use to wet your body. Washing your hair is not that easy so you’ll leave it till it’s really necessary.

Our days were spend waking up around 7am followed by a run or exercise on the beach, swim in the sea then a lovely breakfast with stunning views. The rest of the day we spend reading books, listened to music, enjoying a short sea kayak trip, talking to other travellers, explored the Island and by 5pm you head to the bar as it’s getting dark and there will be lights, food and drinks. We had lovely warm evenings chatting to people and enjoying the worriless atmosphere. It took only a minute to get back to our tree house in the dark so head torches are a must and on our way home we were met by some little creatures like crab hermits crabs and spiders.

One day we’ve visited the fishing village at the other side of the Island, we went with ‘guide’ Co-op through the jungle which changed in a very leafy surrounding followed by dune like area before arriving at the fishing village. After we were greeted by children and dogs we walked to the water and found out that is was shoes off and walk through the water as it was a floating village. The next hurdle was a self-made wooden bridge with hardly any barriers to hold on as the planks were very loose. It seems to go on for ever but finally we arrived at the ‘restaurant’ which was a big area with one table. We agreed to have fried crabs so the lady went to get some which were still alive. One tried to escape but ended up on our plates half an hour later. We tried to find out how she prepared it but they were delicious, we had the leftovers for dinner. But maybe the highlight of the fishermen’s village was a trip to the toilet…..

After 4 nights at the Island we felt it was time to go back to the mainland; full of energy and with a tan!

Toilet at fishermen village

view at Koh ta Kiev

Our tree house

View from the Tree House

The final stretch in Vietnam

happy new year

After Halong Bay we travelled to the world Heritage Site of Hue; a lovely cultural and spiritual city in the heart of Vietnam. Unfortunately rain for us (24 hrs) so we didn’t explore the Citadel completely but have an idea of the private enclosure of the Emperor. Due to the weather I met another kind, interesting traveller which resulted in an evening out with the locals.  From Hue by bus to Historic Hoi An which was once a major port but now this riverside village boats the grand architecture with historic buildings. We visited five of the twelve historical buildings which are preserved by UNESCO world heritage. In the old town there are no cars allowed, only bikes and the annoying scooters but it gives the village a very relaxed and chilled almost Venetian feeling. We celebrated Christmas there and enjoyed the warmer weather. It seemed that the people were warmer and more approachable too. After 5 days we took a plane to Ho Chi Minh City (previous Saigon) as we weren’t looking forward to another long 24 bus journey. This was a 90 minute journey which took us to the South of Vietnam, the heart of this big city and warmer weather. We stayed there for 5 days including New Year. This city is for both of us (one of) our favourite places in Vietnam, it is a very cosmopolitan city, friendly / open people, busy but approachable, gateway to other places like the Mekong Delta or a border crossing to Cambodia. We met many locals there who were eager to speak to us and invite us for drinks, sightseeing or into their lives. Also meeting fellow travellers was easy at one of the local outdoor café’s where we met interesting and kind Japanese, Indians, German, French, Korean, Australian and Ozzie’s for a Bia Hoi (beer). It was a great finish to our Vietnam adventure and it gave me different view of this country.

HUE

HOI AN

HOI AN

Some of my thoughts an memorable adventures in Vietnam:

Food; this country does amazing food, after a couple of weeks getting used to Asian food and not feeding my mouth what my eyes saw I’m now happy to eat what locals eat and enjoy what other countries have to offer.

The Pho Bo or Go (noodle soup with beef or chicken) is available everywhere and I’ve enjoyed the best ones at the local street food stalls in many cities. The fried spring rolls (nem or Cha gio) are delicious and I had far too many but the fresh rolls are to die for! These rice paper rolls filled with pork, prawns or fresh fish with raw vegetable are a most. Both versions are served with hot chillies in oil or nuoc nam (fish sauce). In Halong Bay we had fish for lunch and dinner, in HCMC we had boiled crab as street food to go with our Bia Hoi and in Hoi An I had the best crab in tamarind sauce for less than £3 as my main course. The list could go on with fish hot pot or fried fresh fish with fresh vegetable. It really makes me think why we have to pay so much money in the London for decent fresh fish as I had such a great experiences here in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese; traveling from North to South I’ve noticed the difference in people and their approach to foreigners. The people in the North are reserved and come across as un- friendly, not interested in tourists and closed. My first two weeks I found it hard to connect with them as it’s hard to start a conversation or you feel they are not interested. This could be the opposite but sometimes there’s no time to find out. This does influence your experience and opinion that part of the country, Sapa is in the North and the journey there was sometimes a struggle especially if it was difficult to get the help from locals who know their way or could assist you. Traveling to the South you notice that people are open and more approachable; our Christmas never won’t be the same without the lovely front office ladies from our hotel in Hoi An who waved at us when leaving the hotel saying : Happy Chissmis….. The staff at the Landmark Hotel in Hanoi were ever so friendly and the owner of the tailor shop in Hoi An gave me a silk purse as I was so patience while Brad was getting his clothes fitted. Ha the Guesthouse lady in HCMC who laughed every time we tried to speak in Vietnamese and said she loved us. But most of all our local friends in Ho Chi Minh who shared their stories, drinks and food with us, introduced us to their friends and their city.

We travelled by bus, train, plane, tuk-tuk, taxi, bike and scooter in Vietnam. A couple of memorable stories:

We made many bus trips for longer or shorter journeys in day or night time but the longest bus trip and for me the one not to forget was from Hanoi to Hue. This was a 15 hrs night bus called a ‘sleeper’ with a toilet on board so no breaks during the trip! This sleeper was a bus which had 3 rows of bunk beds as its interior so the only thing you could do was sleep. The bus left and as usual we made many stops to let more people on but in this case not only people also a lot of cargo. I’m guessing they are making some extra money as a courier service too. So at some point the haul of the bus was full which meant the boxes were dumped in the free spaces between the beds. I was lucky to get a big suitcase and box next to me so I felt that I was ‘boxed’ in for my journey. I wasn’t happy and started complaining that this wasn’t safe as in case of an accident I was ‘boxed’ in. After a couple of times they gave in to shut this moaning Minnie up and just dumped the boxes to the other side of the aisle so other travellers had it between them….  They didn’t complain so it stayed there till the end. So far so good till I needed a toilet break, as we weren’t stopping I had to use the on board one which was first blocked by boxes and after that it was made clear to me that it looked and smelled horrendous. In the end I used it 3 times as you can’t sleep without emptying your bladder during a 15 hrs bus ride. To top it all off it started to rain followed by a downpour shortly after we left Hanoi all the way to Hue. While writing this down I have a smile on my face but at the time I wasn’t happy at all and only slept a couple of hours due to the commotion.

Scooters; well these are becoming a real problem for Vietnam. From Hanoi till the Mekong Delta these little vehicles rule the roads. They are everywhere and the roads are completely traffic jammed by them and not as we are used to with cars. I was told that some households have up to 5 of them as cars are taxed 300%, there is no underground system and limited busses so it’s no wonder that everyone is using them to get from A to B.  To experience this we had a couple of trips on the back of one to see it for ourselves…..

Bike; we used bikes to explore Hoi An which was really easy as there was limited traffic in the old town and they were so used to cyclists on the roads. And in the Mekong Delta we rode along the river and rice paddies and were greeted with many ‘hello’ or ‘how are you’ by most of all children.  It was a good way to get closer to the locals and connect with them or chat where possible.

MEKONG DELTA

MEKONG DELTA

MEKONG DELTA

ON THE SCOOTER...

Sapa

Sapa is based in the North of Vietnam which is perched on a steep slope overlooking a valley of rice terraces with mountains overlooking the village. It’s usually colder, wetter and foggier there then the rest of the country. The area is home for many minorities who is still living their cultural life however many of the younger generation doing get proper education and move out of the hill tribe to explore other options than farm life in the hills. There are  7 minorities  in Sapa;  H'mong black, H'mong red, blue and flower,  Day, Tay, Dao and during our 3 day home stay tour I saw a couple of the different minorities.

We were met by our guide for the trip Joe who is from the H'mong tribe. He wasn't dressed in traditional clothing but more looked like a boy band member incl red/black glittery cap.

After some faffing around to sort out some money for the trip and picking up the other 3 members we finally set off. And with we I mean guide Chao, Paul, me, Aussie family; Niary, Stevie and Ray. Soon 4 H'mong tribe ladies joined us and decided to accompany us to our home stay 8 km away.

So we started along a busy road with beautiful mountain scenery, followed by off road bumpy lanes, muddy hills and watery rivers. For lunch we stopped at an eatery near a bridge and suddenly a lot of kids and more tribe ladies showed up to sell us, scarves, silverware, bags, hats, bracelets and ivory combe’s. It was all a bit too much as you couldn't move or talk to people. The next half hour the crowd tripled and the tribe ladies quadrupled! We continued after lunch with a bigger following of 5 ladies (they were from the Hn'ong tribe from our homestay village). Personally I wasn't sure if I liked the crowd or not, they were very kind and helpful but we all know what that meant; buying a gift later on.

On our way we past children working on the field or collecting wood for the fire. After the final up and down hill treks we've reached our home stay. This is a very simple place from wood with concrete floors. The tribe ladies were indeed trying to sell their stuff but only the Aussie family were topping up their Xmas presents. 

It was only 3pm so still a long time till dinner. After a shower I walked around and ended up at the local nursery. I watched the children sing and donated some colouring pencils. After that I've watched a group of boys play with wooden spinning tops and girls with marbles. A boy digged a hole into the ground for a pee and he and his friend filled it up afterwards with some sand..

They seem to have much fun and looking after their little siblings who were strapped on their backs. It was nice seeing kids being kids and I was pleased I've experienced unfortunately the authentic was wearing off during the day with the tribe ladies using her mobile phone and my 10 yr old 'female' friends returning to my home stay with their mum to sell me some bracelets! 

The rest of the afternoon we had some more 'visitors' at our home stay till we went inside.

We ate with the family; mum, dad and son. They prepared; Vietnamese spring rolls (yummy), stir fried veg with chicken or pork, rice, fish in bamboo sauce, runner beans and Happy Water! The 'water' is homemade sake and quite strong but it helped me to get warm. The rest of the evening we played cards, chatted and our guide Chao kept us entertained. He's a married 22 yr old man with a child but in London I'm sure he would have more fun on Old Compton Street.

By 9pm everyone incl the family was tucked up in bed to stay warm and have a good rest for tomorrow's walk. 

Day 2; I woke up to thick fog and chilly weather after a lovely pancake (Dutch style) breakfast, Aussie family, guide Chao and I set off on our trip. This time without any tribe ladies company, after two hour of gentle walking we reached a small authentic village where we had a bowl of noodle soup. In the kitchen was a small fire with a big pot preparing Happy Water (Ruoi Gao) it looks so easy just boil rice long enough and the steam gets fermented into the juice.

Another hour later we arrived at a valley with a bigger village which would be our home for the night. We explored the village which was called Ban Ho and rested the rest of the afternoon, followed by dinner in the kitchen and early night to stay warm.

After our cold adventure in Sapa we were looking for sun and the stunning views of Halong Bay. Most of you seen the well-known pictures featured in magazines from this bay so our expectations were high.  Unfortunately, the expectations weren’t reached maybe due to the 4 hour journey long drive to Halong Bay Harbour from Hanoi, the cloudy and wet weather and traveling for almost a week non-stop. I’m glad I’ve visited the Bay but it won’t show up in my top 3 of destinations.

the H'mong ladies 

TEAM SAPA

SAPA VALLEY

DINNER

HOME STAY DINNER

KIDS BEING KIDS?

STUNNING VIEWS