The Last Post

On the bamboo train, riding on old French rails. The platforms of bamboo sit on a steel frame, riding on wheels from abandoned tanks, using a small gas engine with direct belt drive to the the axle. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norry

To change direction the train is taken off the track, and reassembled for the other direction in about five minutes.If trains are traveling in opposite direction, the one with the fewest passengers moves off the track to let the other one pass. If there are goods being transported, the one with the lighthest cargo defers.  

On the top of Phonm Samphou, near Battambang are temples and a pogoda.. We did not go to the local Khmer Rouge killing caves, also on the mountain

Reclining Buddha

We went to the circus again. The show was augmented by a girl drumming group from Madagascar, Bloco Malagasy, playing a fusion of Brazilian and Madagascar rhythms.

This was created in the background during the circus performance
.

On the way up to Phnom Samphou is a famous bat cave drawing observers for the dusk departure of many millions of bats over fortyfive minutes.

See you soon.

Oh Well

So we meet this Dutch guy Elzo who is staying at our lovely boutique hotel in Siem Reap, who tells us that he has been installing wells for needy families in the poor countryside around town for the last three years. He has been doing this with his own funds, help from friends, work (from which he recently retired as an engineer), and word of mouth. He asked me if I wanted to go on a bike ride to see some of his wells and what he does. He is an avid bicyclist, having taken a six month trip from the Netherlands to the base of Mount Everest on the Tibetan side a few years ago. How could I resist!

Buddha at breakfast at Le Tigre, named as shortened from le tigre papier (paper tiger), the taunt of the Vietnamese about the Americans during the American War there, as it is referred to. Owned by a Frechman and his Cambodian wife, who are enjoying their one year old son Tito.

Elzo on his special carbon frame belt drive mountain bike, partially sponsored by the bike builders for his travels.

We ride through small compounds checking out previously installed wells or looking for appropriate sites for  new ones. Selection of a family depends on whether the land they squat will be sold by the government, the needs of the family, and a sense of how industrous and neat the owners are (he doesn't like places with garbage piling).

A recent installed well.

We came to the site of the well being dug today.

Chief driller, with a hat from a Dutch company that donated. 

The father of the family of six children who will benefit from today's well. Having a well allows field irrigatation, enabling three rice crops per year rather than one. Clean water speaks for itself.

Kiki and Jitske joined us. They are on six weeks vacation in South East Asia and one is the daughter of a friend, so they looked Elzo up on their trip here.

His home on stilts. Very clean. One open space with sections for different functions.

Their current water supply is a pole, bucket, and a ditch

She came over to check out the activity of four barang on bikes and a new well. She demurely asked if we could come to her house.

Her well maintained compound

Very neat and beautiful raised bed gardens. We decided that she was a great candidate for a well. I had told Elzo I wanted to sponsor a well with him. Three hundred euro is what it takes to do each one. My well is number 071.

After ten minutes of scouting the property the spot for the project was chosen. Shade is best, less stress on metal parts than in the exposed sun. The next day Elzo tells me they finished the well the same day we visited, as well as fixing another family's broken one. Try getting that done where you live.

When everything is finished, and the concrete is set, a sign is erected with attribution. Elzo didn't like the big signs, and started to remove one for a smaller version, but the family asked him to leave it, as it was convenient for hanging laundry. If anyone would like information about donating a well, please get in touch with me.

The warmth and openess of those we met was overwhelming, which is why he keeps on doing this project.

We then visited a school and were surrounded by the kids who were on break.

Showing off his toy which he carefully returned to his pocket.

When the teacher got back, she had the class sing us a couple of songs. The kids wanted us to sing to them, and Kiki and Jitske came through.

She is five months pregnant with her first child and has been teaching for twelve years. Her look of pride and satisfaction was not contrived.

Just arrived in Battambang where we are being treatead to the fastest internet of our trip, which enabled my pictures. The  beach on Rabbit Island, a thirty minute boat ride from Kep.

On The Road

The tales of other travelers, from holidayers, to the chronically addicted, to the young women venturing solo, or in groups, some on long term adventures in foreign lands. Now we're in Siem Reap, and did some Wats today. Hot. Overwhelming. Circus last night, from an NGO school that teaches arts and performance. Amazing acrobats and actors, with a depiction of a Cambodian dance bar in Phnom Penh, and the conflicts encountered at these clubs, like extortion over an Ipad, a weird deranged employee, and a scene where the boyfriend is torn between the girl he came with, a gorgeous acrobat that can bend everything, or the hunk of an incredible gymnast. Music was drums, guitar, bass, and traditional Khmer xylophone, banging barrels, and upside down metal bowls in water.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymDa11HjdOg

The international people watching was riveting. Particularly the Japanese. 

The Vine Resort outside of Kep grows organic pepper, and where we stayed overnight on our way to the sea.

Their 423 poles support the pepper vines maintianed by two farmers.

Green, red and black pepper on a spike

The digs

From the gardens

I took a bike ride and came across these two junior farmers tending new pepper plants.The younger boy is playing with a circuit board as a toy

New pepper vines take 4-5 years to produce drupes, which when dried are called peppercorns. 

School was letting out and everyone got on the motorbike and rode away. I joined the kids riding their bikes home.

Into the sunset and next day the shore, and seafood, and bungalows, and balm.