Saturday 18^th October

There was good news this morning, Fr Ingune, a Jesuit from Battambang has just finished giving a seminar here and is going back today with spare seats in the car, so we are getting a lift to Chomnoum. We are due to leave about 12.30, so a lazy morning, did not even have to write a homily, so I put up another posting on the blog and then packed a small weekend bag. Ratana picked me up in a tuk-tuk and we made the short journey to the Jesuit Centre where they were ready to leave. Fr Ingune is from Korea and there were two volunteers with him and he was giving a lift to three Buddhist monks, plus Ratana and me. 

We had to drop off two of the monks at a pagoda on the way, one of them wanted to visit his master as he was passing. As it happened it was 4ks off the road, down probably the worst road in Cambodia.


Arriving at the pagoda after 4ks of bad road, much better suited to this form of transport.

It was well worth a visit, very beautiful, but a bit isolated.

The Master and his student with two visiting Catholic priests.

As we turned off I suggested that the girls be left at the main road to get a drink as it is very hard and bumpy in the back, this turned out to be a very good idea. It took about 20 minutes to cover the distance and was very hard work for Fr Ingune. We had to ask several times where this particular pagoda is, but eventually we found it, and it was worth it. I think the two monks we dropped were rather worried that they might never get back to the main road.

Our next stop was at the church at Sway Sisophon to collect a few things from Fr Rajat. Some girls were sorting and opening nuts, so we gave them a hand for a while and then headed off again. 

 The road from Sway Sisophon to Chomnoum is being rebuild and will be a great improvement. Fr Pedro said it can take over an hour to cover 10k from the main road to the village in the wet season. but with new road gradually being raised above the flood level, it will only take about 15 minutes.

Next stop was Chomnoum, Ratana’s village, we arrived at her uncle’s house around 4.00 pm. One of her uncles is visiting from the US, which is why she particularly wanted to visit, and it was a good opportunity for me to go and be there for a weekend at their church. 

This Ratana's mum, Punluek, who I have met several times before, she is a lovely jolly lady and always pleased to see me and have a few laughs.

When we arrived the whole family was gathered, Punluek is one of 9, 7 of whom are still alive, and all were gathered with many cousins as well. It was a family gathering like many I have attended with my own family and with other families as well. Circumstances were a little different, everyone sat on the floor, outside the house, lots of food was being prepared, lots of beer being drunk and a great deal of chat and laughter.

Blessed art thou among women!!! These are all of the ladies of the family, from different generations, mostly aunties and some cousins.


 I guess family gatherings are part of every culture. I was made most welcome, although only two or three speak English, and soon had beer and food put in my hand.

Ratana's grandma on the left and her sister on the right. 

The man in this picture next to me is an uncle who is visiting form the US, he has only been back once before, he left nearly 30 years ago. they were all very pleased to see him, he brought Nathan with him, his youngest, who seemed to be getting on well with his cousins, even though he does not speak Khmer.

Grandma with all of her children.

I was to have dinner with Fr Pedro, the parish priest, and I was staying at the church house. So as it got dark, around 6.00 pm Ratana took me to the church and I met Fr Pedro and Sr Faustina, a sister from Battambang paying her first visit to the parish about to start working there each weekend. Fr Pedro is a member of a Colombian Missionary Society and has been in Cambodia for 14 years, he lives in Battambang but comes each weekend to Chomnoum for Mass and to meet the community. 

After dinner Ratana came back and she and I, Sr Faustina and a young lady from the church went on motos to the local pagoda where there was a village festival in full swing. Most of the young people of the village seemed to be there and many families. It was a little incongruous to me, right next to the pagoda, with all of its peace and quiet, with monks and meditation, there was a full blown western style disco happening.

There was also a little train for the children to ride round a small circuit, not quite Alton Towers, but lots of fun for the children and families.

People go to bed early in the villages, so I was in bed before 10.00, unheard of for me. I slept well, disturbed a little by the night chorus of the jungle all around, and woken by the most amazing booming noise, which I learnt later is made by the frogs.

Sunday 19^th October

Mass here is at a much more civilised time of 08.30, so no rush in the morning. Before breakfast I headed for the church for a bit of quiet time and to take some photos. It had rained heavily during the night and they have a problem with the roof, so a few people were sweeping water from the back of the church.

St Teresa's Church, Chomnoum.

It is very simple and beautiful inside.



8.30 came and went, but not many people had arrived, so Fr Pedro 
waited and started about 9.00 am, Mass starts when the people arrive! It was again a lovely community gathered for Sunday Mass. Ratana and her sister, Ratha, and nieces, arriving for Mass at 08.47, but still in good time.

Fr Pedro and me and the painting of Sr Teresa, then ready to begin Mass.

I was made very welcome, as was Sr Faustina, and we were both invited to say a word or two. Fr Pedro has a statue of Our Lady of Walsingham which he puts out when he has visitors from East Anglia, so I said a little about that and how much it made me feel at home.

Offertory procession at Mass

Ratana with Ratha and two girls and the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham

Some of the Sunday Community at Chomnoun

 After Mass some of the young people took Sister and I to visit some of the local Catholic families around the village, it was very moving to be welcomed into their homes. After lunch and a knap I said goodbye to Fr Pedro and Sr Faustina and some of the young people as they went off back to Battambang. Ratana then took me on a tour of the village and finally to see the house where she was born, where she learnt to swim in the river and to the rice fields. Much of this caused great consternation as they do not see many Europeans in the village, one lady even got up from her hammock as we drove by! 

 One of the families we visited, an old man of the village, pleased to welcome me to his home and to receive God's blessing before we left.

Preparing small fish, cutting off the heads and tails, the fish are left for a while to get "high", then salted and compressed into a container and can be stored for a long time. They call it fish cheese, I have never managed to get passed the smell to get near enough to see what it looks like, never mind taste it!

We were accompanied most of the day by Ratana’s two nieces, Dalia and Monliwan, aged 6 and 3, happy to go anywhere with their auntie on the moto and to lead my by the hand to see the sights. After dinner with a smaller number of Ratana’s family I went back to the church, where I was now the only guest, with the night guard to keep an eye on me. So, again I went to bed early.

Monday 20^th October

I had offered to say Mass on Monday morning in English and so several people turned up for Mass, which I did part in English and part in Khmer. I have been working on the parts of the Mass that interact with the people, “The Lord be with you” etc. they were very kind and said I had done quite well, I think they were delighted that I tried. As for the English, there was no book available, thank goodness for the apps on my ipad!!

People gathered for Mass on Monday morning.

I watched the children arriving for kindergarten, Ratha is the Principle. It was lovely to see them arriving and then putting up the flag at the beginning of the day. I visited one class and sang some songs with the children. Ratana and I had a lazy morning at her sister’s house with her parents-in-law, I learnt how to get safely in and out of a hammock and had a doze while they chatted. 

Outside the house where Ratan's grandma lived and where she was born.

Ratana cooking at home in the village, no gas, just an open fire, but very well controlled, very happy producing "spaghetti chomnoum" with pork instead of beef. It was very good, only thing missing, wine and parmiggiano!!

After early lunch and goodbyes we set off back to Siem Reap. The first 45 minutes on the back of a moto, bit dusty, but OK, then we took a taxi from Sway Sisophon, arriving in Siem Reap in time for my 4.00 pm English class. The whole visit was a lovely experience of rural Cambodia and Ratana was so proud to show me her village after all this time that I have heard her speak of it.

I had cancelled the 5.00 pm class because of another engagement. John Blunt in Ely had drawn to my attention a reception that the British Ambassador was giving in Siem Reap for all British Nationals living here. So, never one to miss a party, I applied and got an invitation. It was held at the FCC Hotel, next to the King’s Residence here, a very smart hotel. Fortunately there was no dress code and it was all very low key and friendly, I guess there were about 30 people in total. The Ambassador only took up his post in January and is a youngish man, we all took the chance to meet him, he seemed very pleasant. I raised the issue of visas and will follow up with an email to him in the next couple of days. The reception was just an hour, with some canapés and drinks; I met one lady from the church here and a few other people from different parts of the UK.

life here is certainly very varied and enjoyable, my Khmer is coming on very slowly, but beginning to understand a little now. Ratana says I have become a good passenger on the back of the moto, not too stiff any more, it is quite good for prayer sitting on the back! She is very careful and understands the flow of the traffic well. I hope you can access this, some people have told they have not been able to, good luck. more next week.