Travels

Over the last week GG had some students from a University in the UK come and visit. They watched Sarah and I take lessons and then did their own. Here are some pics!!!!

or her???

Future musician???

Team work 2

Team work

The Water Cycle Song

Helping out xxx

More concentration

Concentration

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Off on an aeroplane!

Big Smile

I have finally moved out of the hostel. Though I loved living there $$ matters meant I needed to find somewhere cheaper. A week ago Liz and I came and had a look at a few apartments just down the road from the hostel and work. I really wanted to stay in the area as I liked it and it is close to most things. The first apartment we looked at was the one I moved into. As soon as I walked in I felt at home and I really believe in gut feelings! We went at looked at the other apartments too but I just kept coming back to number 1!!! (actually it is number 22). The next day I rang Tida (landlady) and accepted the apartment, signed the lease etc on the Saturday morning and moved in on the Saturday afternoon!!!! Don't like to waste time do I!!

That afternoon was a shopping expedition! Liz, Sarah and I got into a tuktuk and off we went! Sopera (my favourite tuktuk driver) was quite amused by the shopping trip. The tuktuk was FULL. Pillows, pots, pans, food, broom, mop etc etc. Liz thought my colour coordination focus was hilarious (I think it is important!) and we were back at Chateau Esme for an evening of drinks and burgers on the patio! Yes there is a restaurant around the corner that delivers!!!! Had a lovely night on the patio with good friends chatting and laughing. Nele (who used to work at GG) brought me a house warming present; a bottle of whiskey called Barosa, which is a really expensive whiskey – 7000 riel ($1.25). It actually does not taste that bad!!!

There is a lovely family living in traditional housing at the back. They are very friendly and helpful and have a yay (grandmother), who like all yays are loving and beautiful. A Khmer family also live in the apartment 2 doors down and their children are lively and cute! It is nice to have the noise around and to know there is always somebody close by.

I have set my little home up and I am really happy that I have more space and a FRIDGE!! I can have cold drinks, cheese, yoghurt, ice……..oh the possibilities.

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Well now I am over my emotional scarring of the EVENT 2 weeks ago I can share it with you all!!! Though let me assure you I am still bearing the remains of the physical scarring, especially in the arse area!

Since our weekends have been full of adventure with dress ups, amazing races etc I decided that we needed to continue on in the same form! Since Paloma was heading home I said to her “What would you prefer to do: horse riding or a moto tour??” Why did I ask – should have just gone with the moto tour!!!! As you can guess Paloma chose horse riding. Now I am not a novice when it comes to riding a horse (it was one of the very many activities I attempted as a child; along with roller skating, dance, brownies and so on!) but it had been a long time – about 15 years!

Tempting Liz with another weekend full of adventure, she cautiously agreed to join us on the trek – yes a TREK, a 4 hr trek through the outskirts of Siem Reap. All through the week Liz nervously predicted what could happen – with me reassuring her “ Don’t worry Liz, you are not going to fall off!” Well I was right!

The night before was NYE is Cambodia so we had the traditional celebrations at the Green Star Restaurant. Food, drink and party games. One of the traditional games is to be blindfolded and be given a stick with which you have to hit and crack a clay pot – a bit like a piñata but without the treats just talcum powder. It is also tradition to have a big water fight and throw more talcum powder around!!! It was a great night and I was really looking forward to see the NY in riding a horse at sunrise. Even better was that we got a surprise visit from Nienke (a past volunteer) who decided to join us on the ride!!!

Waking up at 4.30am we rode out to The Happy Ranch Farm to find our horses waiting for us! Now as I have mentioned in previous posts I am considered ‘tom tom’ in Cambodia. They decided to change my horse and give me a taller, stronger one – oh what could have happened if I kept my original horse.

Off we went and it was beautiful. There has not been much rain so far while I have been here but the black clouds were rolling over and only 5 mins into the ride it began pouring. But it was stunning. With such little rain, the streets, villages, houses and gardens are covered in a red dust. To have the downpour meant everything was clean, green and fresh. And also cool!!!!

Being NY everybody’s spirits were high and there was lots of yelling out wishing everybody a Happy NY! Riding through the countryside was wonderful. All of our horses were behaving at first and I was keeping my horse at a distance from the other ones. Liz’s horse began to be the one that caused a ruckus. He didn’t like it when anyone came too close and would give a little back kick (was also being annoyed by the flies). We decided that Liz should go last in the line. We rode through villages, rice paddy fields, pagodas and temples. The scenery was breathtaking and we were all having such a delightful time!!!! That is until we stopped in a field to graze our horses. With each horse minding their own business it was a time to chill and take in our surroundings.

To be honest I actually don’t remember the exact events of the next few moments. I think my horse got a bit too close to Liz’s horse and then her horse turned on my horse and then I went flying (with lots of verbalisation). How I landed?? Very hard on my bottom. Grazes on my right leg, a massive bruise and swelling of my left knee and a VERY sore bottom!!!! I think I may have gone through a little bit of shock as Liz and Nienke got some pics of me with what I think is a smile on my face! Did I cry?? Yes I did! The poor guide was quite distressed and was very helpful! Considering I had to use a chair to get onto Mexico (the name of my horse) we had to find a raised bit of land for me to be able to get back on. Well you would think that would be the end of the day’s challenges wouldn’t you!

Next we need to cross a small irrigation waterway. He guide could not get his horse over it and we all struggled with our horses! Finally the assistant got his horse over, then Paloma, then Nienke and then Liz. Could the guide and I get our horses over?? No! So he decided that we would go on an alternative route. By this time my leg was swelling quite badly and it was painful to be on the horse but I wasn’t going to give up and so we went on. Despite the pain, I actually continued to enjoy the ride. It was a shame that I was not with the others but we went past lots of different scenery (fish, duck, watermelon, rice and lotus farms).

Bet you are thinking that from now on it was a smooth ride! Nope. Mexico had one more surprise installed for me. Just as my confidence was back and I was succeeding at ignoring the pain, Mexico stopped and popped his head down as to eat. As I looked down I couldn’t see anything but sand so I began to pull his head back up but he decided he wasn’t going to have any of that and sank down onto the sand and rolled onto his side with me underneath (and on my swelling leg too!!) THAT WAS IT! I had had enough and told the guide that I wanted to be picked up as my leg was throbbing! That would have been possible of he had any battery left on his phone!!! Finding another piece of raised land I got back up on the horse and followed the guide. As soon as we were back on the dusty road another obstacle!!! On our right hand side was a beautiful but fiery looking stallion that was making enough noise and pulling on his rope to worry he guide so it was back onto the off beaten track!

Finally we stopped under a tree, which Mexico was tied to and off the guide went to get a moto for me to be driven back to The HAPPY Ranch! Mexico was not happy to be tied up but by this point he had lost all affection from me! I waiting outside a village school and the owner came out to see what the fuss was. He took one look at my leg and invited me to sit down in his garden so he could apply Cambodia’s solution to everything – tiger balm. He and his family were delightful and his little boy gorgeous. I do plan on going back there (I think I remember the way) to donate some supplies to his school.

So that is my adventure!

The Happy Ranch is actually an excellent facility – the horses are so well looked after – in fact they live in better conditions than most Cambodians! And they have even offered me a free ride! We’ll see …………

The Amazing PePY Race

What to do on Easter Sunday in a Buddhist country??? Amazingly enough I found tiny easer eggs in Ankgor Supermarket and yes they tasted as bad as Easter egg chocolate in Australia (not a fan except for the new Malteser Bunny mmmmm) and then I found an Aussie making hot cross buns so one dozen were ordered for pick up straight out of the oven!

We (Liz, Sarah, Paloma and I) decided we would join in The Amazing PePY Race. PePY is a NGO in Siem Reap (http://pepyride.org/) and had organised the race to raise money for their cause. Obviously being a race AND Easter Sunday we decided that we must dress up (and we thought everybody else would think the same!) My job was to get the tinsel, Liz to get the hats and others to dress in their colour!!!

2pm we meet downstairs in the hostel. A G&T with fresh hot cross buns and butter and Easter eggs and the ladies had their Easter afternoon tea! The staff at the hostel also got to share in the chocolate and hot cross buns and they thoroughly enjoyed their western experience, especially when I left the remaining eggs with them!

Off we ride to the Royal Gardens to meet our competitors. First challenge – where to park our bikes – no not there; no not on the grass; no you cannot bring them into the park; no not on this side of the road …….. We walk into the park to greet the others – is anyone else dressed up – No but our efforts were appreciated!!!! Team name: Esme and the ladies!!!! We see that others are going by moto or by tuk tuk BUT no not us! We will ride!!!!

The clues are handed to us and we are off!!!! We figure out a few and head towards our first location – the Butterfly restaurant where the clue is to find 3 animals that are near the water but can’t move to drink it! Now we (or I) thought we were clever and came up with the answers: buffalo grass, spider orchid and bird of paradise!!! It wasn’t that difficult and we were supposed to be looking by the river!!! Oh well points for originality!

Another challenge was the game that many locals play here – basically it is a feather with a rubber stopper on the end and you kick it around like a hacky sack. We need to get 6 continuous kicks – we gave up!!!!! And I am please to say it was not just me that was challenged by this game.

We also had to make up sentences from the page number; paragraph and word number in a sentence from a book; complete an indoor rock climb, eat a cricket and play charades. The charades was hilarious as 1. Paloma didn’t understand the English word and so made sound effects for her word monkey and 2. Liz got Battambang (pronounced Battambong; a town about 2 hours away from Siem Reap) – being an Aussie the bat was her miming playing cricket and the bong was well you know!!!! We were the first to come up with it and I got it straight away!!! Hilarious.

We rode far and wide around Siem Reap – yelling out Happy Easter or Happy New Year (Khmer NY was beginning that week) and getting lots of smiles. At the end of the race we all gathered for a drink and to find out the results. We won a prize for dressing up (it was worth it!) and a girl who none of us had met before commented on how great we looked and the fact that for most of the race she didn’t see us but could hear us!!!!!!

The night ended with one of our favourite meals at Rosy’s – baked spud with a choice of toppings and salad with a juice slushy mmmmmm. We were supposed to continue on and watch friends perform fire twirling but as the dinner progressed you could see us sinking into our chairs and not wanting to come back out!