These guys were part of a church we visited. Their service was over an hour and a half, in which time they moved around in sync. Very amazing to watch!

These were two of the wonderful people we saw in Vietnam. The woman above, is making little seedling pots out of what I think is banana leaf, each on secured with a little splinter of wood. The guy below was washing his rooster as I cycled past. I stopped and ran back to ask for a photo - at which point he did a final polish and stood up proudly with his rooster. (Unfortunately for the roster, I think it was being so carefully looked after because it was a fighting one - but all the same, they did make a handsome pair).

A monk on a hill we climed, close to Chou Doc, and the waters edge in the Mekong Delta region (by My Tho), both in Vietnam.

drinking hot coffee with condensed milk in Vietnam on the cycle trip - in the middle of a rain storm!

Rachel (VSA - based in Svay Rieng at REDA organisation), and Garth - in the back of a tuk-tuk at night.

Warren and I on the back of a moto, in the monsoon rain in Phnom Penh (on our way to the circus of all places!)

May 28^th 07

ARg,

A long long overdue update! Things are going well! I’m really liking living here, my house is cool, I’ve too much to do in the time I have free, and the monsoon has started – it’s awesome! I’m really tried at the moment though. Need to start getting some better sleeps, and maybe some iron tablets or something. It’s been kind of hectic the last month.

It’s almost 3 months since I got to Cambodia! That feels pretty weird – it sounds like a long time on paper, but it doesn’t feel like a long time of actually living here. A lot has happened though.

Working backwards, I’ve just come back from Svay Rieng this weekend, where I spent two days hanging out with Fiona at her place. It was cool to catch up with her, and have someone to swap stories with. I really like it down there, and it feels good to get out of the city. The way it works is I get up and jump on a bus early on Saturday morning, and get to Fiona’s place about 10am on Saturday – then hang out there for a night and ‘hitch’ a ride back to Phnom Penh on Sunday afternoon (paying my driver about US$4 for the seat in the car).

The week before that was spent working. Another VSA girl, Rachael stayed with me, and it was nice to have a housemate for a while! In the next post I’ll stick up a thing from the Geography News letter about work here in Cambodia.

The week before that was spent cycling with Rachael and Kate (another VSAer, who also works in Phnom Penh with me). We went from Sunday-Sunday in Vietnam. We hit Vietnam close by Ben Cau (via Svay Rieng), skirted down the left hand side of Saigon/Ho chi minh (didn’t go in, thank god – the traffic was bad enough on the outskirts), to the delta region, and then cycled up river to a place called Chau Doc. It was an awesome week – and got some good photos. Great to be back on the bicycle again (I’ve just brought one here in PP, a new paddock basher to replace the old paddock basher I left at home!).

Just before that, two Kiw guys; Warren and Garth, turned up at my door. My first Kiwi visitors! It was great to have them there, a little taste of home!

And before that it’s been more work. They were the main events of the past 4 weeks. Lots of little happenings in between times. Like the monsoon beginning, so some weeks we get rain every afternoon. The mosquito numbers are going up ever so slightly. There are less mangos around now. I’ve been doing some dress making (yay), with fabric being so cheap I’m happy to buy a few meters and get into it (rather than at home buying a few meters and then being too scared to start because I don’t want to destroy the fabric!!!). I’ve almost made a dress, just need to locate somewhere to buy a zip! I’ve worked out where the guitar shops are, and someone is helping me choose one to buy next week.

Anyway – that is a very quick update.

Love you all lots, hope everyone’s travels are going well, and good luck for exams eh!

Xxox

Anna

this photos is of Michael (Peace Core Volunteer down in Svay Rieng) and Fiona, we were visiting a Pagoda (again), this one called Svay Chrum Pagoda.
This is the market place in Svay Rieng. all the rubbish is pilled out into the middle of the street through the day, gets stomped down by the shoppers and cars and motorbikes and bicycles and small children during the day, and the dogs and cats drag off bits, and then the little ants and cockroaches chomp away at it, and then eventually, in the depths of the night someone comes and picks up what is left puts it into a huge basket and carries it off to who knows where...
The witch with purple pants, her broom and her Cat. This is the name of my next novel. This is Fiona's cat, called 'Dom Ruit' (or something similar). Which when pronounced right it means 'Policeman'.

Visited Fiona's house over Khmer New Year, down in the south by the Vietnam border. A little town called Svay Rieng. Very very cool place, and now my weekend retreat from the city. This photo shows Helen (Australian volunteer), Fiona and I enjoying a home cooked dinner! Helen played mother and spoilt us all, bringing loads and loads of good home comfort food from Phnom Penh.
Here are some extremely happy kids down in Svay Rieng, enjoying the Khmer New Year festivities. Khmer New Year is one of the major festivals here, and a bit like our Christmas (in terms of holidays, and families getting together).
A beautiful beautiful pagoda, called Prahout Pagoda - again down in Svay Rieng. I'm looking forward to passing lots of these on our bike trip through the country in December - they litter the countryside in a similar way to churches in Eastern Europe.
And, best of good luck for Khmer New Year! It rained and hailed on the last day of the 4 day New Year celebrations, a very good sign. Here is me doing a rain dance with the frogs which appeared from nowhere and hopped all over the show. It was the first time it had hailed in 30 years - Fiona's 27 year old friend visited her house after the storm and said he had never ever seen hail before in his life!
And yes - in the name of safety I invested in a helmet (in New Zealand). Very good move, as the roads here are shockingly bad. The trouble is I accidentally brought a SPACE HELMET, not a motorbike helmet. As a result, not only do people stare at me because I am white, but also because I am wearing the most ridiculous sized, hot air balloon shaped and sized thing on my head. However, the oxygen supply used for out of space travel is a bonus on hot days. Was very pleased to find out that the bikes in this country are built for people just my size, so I can easily reach the ground. I also dont usually show as much leg as this photo would suggest... i am in actual fact wearing an ankle length skirt!

PHOTOS FROM THE PAST FEW WEEKS (text update to follow in a few days... sorry).


...the above two photos were taken in Pagoda's - the equivalent of monasteries here. Khmer New Year has just been here (best of luck to everyone for the new year), and a Pagoda is the place to hang out during the festivals, dancing, carnival atmosphere, games and food - and lots and lots of people.

Next two photos are from a trip to Angkor Wat (although the bottom photo is in Phnom Penh), with Andrew McGregor from the Otago Geography department back in NZ. Was very fun to have a visitor.
Work photo for the year - can you spot me? (Rach, I'll explain about work in more detail soon!!)