Smile!
Friday, 11 February 2005
Cambodia has to be the most heart rending country we've been to, but everyone is still smiling. There are thousends of beggars roaming around the streets (children, amputees, ancient old chrones which might be male or female and are probably only 50). I have already spent way too much money on buying extremely useless crap and post cards off them, mainly the children - so perhaps there's a postcard coming your way soon...
This buying of rubbish has to stop though, so today I am pioneering a new technique, just giving them half the food I am eating (and all of Dan's - he isn't geting on with budget Khmer food and is exsisting on coke, banana shakes and Angkor beer at the moment - expect skeletal photos within the week). The beggars and hawkers are generally not aggressive or too persistant and are generally up for having a bit of a laugh with you (or at you) if you've nothing to give. We were talking to this 14 year old girl in Angkor Wat yesterday who spoke fluent English, Japanese and Khmer - a genious in any other country, here she had to sell guide books and postcards to go to school part time.
We went to the land mine museum in Angkor before we left, which, in an increasingly common style was both awful and heart warming, the place is a collection of huts, run by a former Khmer Rouge soldier who has dedicated his life to clearing land mines and helping their victims. The children who live there with him have some horrific stories between them, some of the older ones were victims of the army using them as a mine clearance technique i.e. making them walk ahead of them through mined areas to make sure it was safe. Now they are offered free food and education and a way of avoiding begging for a living. The museum is also stationed next to a free children's hospital.
Anyone we meet over the age of about thirty five has a horrific tale to tell if you ask them, they were witnesses of executions of family members, saw people dying by starvation or by stepping on land mines. Understandably no-one wants to dwell on this, and all the people we've met are desperate for an education, especially to learn English, although I might also suggest Maths ($80.75 - $73.75 anyone? 19 was the answer this morning from a bright Khmer woman who was trying to work out my change). And there's no sarcasm intended when I say she was bright, she was.
Harsh country, but weirdly I am having a good time, the people here are nice friendly and a good laugh.
