Overnight the ship had been going flat out at 20 nautical
miles an hour! From around 7 a.m. we
were passing tiny green islands in the Gulf some with a handful of inhabitants,
houses and small fishing boats, others looking completely deserted except for
their palm trees. Here the sea is truly
calm and smooth too, no swell no waves.
It’s a good place for daydreaming.
A little bit later I was watching Chicago from bed until
breakfast, island view to my right, and afterwards we watched the sail in. I am not sure why we were late arriving but
it put back the excursions almost an hour. So we were sitting in the theatre passing
our time doing crosswords after breakfast.
Then we were off, the excursion was called Contrasts, and so
it was. Very very poor, very Buddhist, and very much a new tourist industry, making some people very very rich.
Our first stop was to a local
primary school – first we were invited into a class, then the library, then a
walk around the grounds. The children were gorgeous, all wear exactly the same
(white shirt and black skirt or trousers), and primary education is free and state
provided. The children looked as though
they were having fun learning, they sang beautifully to us all, and showed off
their Q and A skills with their teacher. We got the chance to see the library
and hear a bit more about the education system and the Khmer alphabet! I noticed the sparsely furnished classroom
first, just benches, desks, exercise books and pencils. I have since thought how fantastic it would
be for a class in a UK school to pair up with, and possibly send donations, books,
paints, paper etc. A really happy visit
anyway, the children appear to love their teachers and lessons, lots of facial
expression, hopefully you will see in the photos and video of their song.
The second part of the trip was to a family home of a very poor traditional family who grow their own coconuts, mangos, tamarinds, lemongrass and ginger in the garden, and have a hand to mouth existence. Their house was wooden, built on stilts, with home-made bamboo shades looked flimsy, but wasn’t. We were invited in to see the cooking and living quarters, quite an honour I thought, as there were a lot of us, and the family stayed happy through it all.
Next we moved into China Town and visited a huge temple with hundreds of statues and pagodas, and the largest reclining Buddha in the country. Shoes off and shoulders wrapped up here, we were able to receive a Sanskrit blessing from a Buddhist monk. I was near the front in this queue receiving splashes of water and fresh petals along with the blessing
Next we moved into China Town and visited a huge temple with hundreds of statues and pagodas, and the largest reclining Buddha in the country. Shoes off and shoulders wrapped up here, we were able to receive a Sanskrit blessing from a Buddhist monk. I was near the front in this queue receiving splashes of water and fresh petals along with the blessing
.
After this we visited a beach resort for an hour of rest,
cold drinks and swimming in the sea or pool if we chose. We were here for an hour and the time flew
by. We didn’t eat here although there
was an outdoor barbeque for anyone who was hungry. It had a wholesome smell,
but I deferred gratification until I could get my hands on a crunchy salad!
Driving around it was obvious that rebuilding Cambodia after Pol Pot’s regime has not progressed quickly. There were ruins all over and signs promoting land for sale for development everywhere. In places that had successfully rebuilt the hotels look good, the land is clear, the resorts stunning, well maintained and clean, but very close by there was so much dereliction and garbage too. I have read about the unexploded mines too, which won’t help the tourist trade/economy. Our guide was emphatic that without cruise ships he and many others wouldn’t have a job, so I do hope some serious building investment comes soon. Anyway, I could recommend this seaside resort, if a resort holiday is what you like. Two seasons: hot and wet, and hot and dry, just like Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia. Sun, sea, sand, a spa.
So here we are back on board, ready for a spot of afternoon
tea and a tea time sail away. We have a
sea day tomorrow, 24th, Singapore on 25th and then
Malaysia on 26th. So three
more sleeps to our week in Bangkok and Siam Care events.
So I will sign off for today, and be back again at the end
of tomorrow’s sea day towards Singapore.
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