Friday 31^st October

After evening Mass Ratana provided dinner for me and the men who had helped her move all her belongings back to her old room, she had to be moved by the end of the month. She did some nice food for them as a thank you, lovely gesture which they really appreciated. 

After dinner she suggested that we go to Pub Street to see Halloween, which she had never seen before. So we did. It was very busy and she commented that there many Cambodians, I guess they had all turned out to see what the tourists were getting up to.

Saturday 1^st November

They do not usually have mass in the morning on Saturday, but because of the feastday I had announced that there would be Mass and a good number turned up, at the later time of 6.30 am! After breakfast I went back to the church to do some gardening, the long border beside the car park was an overgrown mess, so I started and Pola and Ean, two young ladies hoping to become sisters came and joined me, also Lam came with the strimmer and another lady was working on another part of the garden.

We did about three hours before it got too hot, but we had completed the border and weeded much of the car park and swept, it looks lovely.





Next week we are going to work on a border along the outside of the church property, which is very bad and makes it look as though the church does not take pride in its own environment. When I got home all my cloths were completely soaking wet, I had a shower and made sure to take plenty of water and a can of Coke before I had a beer.

The weekend was a little confusing. Cambodia celebrates All Souls Day as Ancestors Day at the end of September, so it was to be the 31^st Sunday in Ordinary time, but when their new English book for November arrived, it gave readings for All Souls. So on Saturday evening we kept All Souls and at the Khmer Mass on Sunday morning we kept the 31^st Sunday.

Sunday 2^nd November

Fr Panus is still away, so I have to say the Sunday Mass in Khmer. Sr Pontip explained to the people that I would do my best and that they were just to answer in Khmer after English prayers as they usually would. Thon read the gospel in Khmer, with me doing the greeting and conclusion, he also interpreted a short homily for me. All went well and the people were both surprised and complimentary about my Khmer.

Some of you may remember Dichai who came to visit St Edmund's two years ago, she is now happily married and has a baby son, she was very proud to bring him to meet me.

After the morning Mass in Siem Reap I went with a small group to the Jesus Farm and said Mass there for a group of about 60 Buddhist children and a few Catholic adults, then we served rice soup and lunch before coming home. I finished off and posted the blog that afternoon.

                          Mass at the Jesus Farm

Preparing and then serving rice soup at the farm, always there is a group of people on hand to help with the soup and get it ready for the children.

Children playing a kind of high jump after the Mass at the farm.

On the way back we came across a very colourful procession in Angkor

Tuesday 4^th November

After a quiet day on Monday catching up on reading and emails, I went to Ta Om today for their weekly Mass. We set off about 10.30, the road is much improved now, so it only takes about an hour to get there. We were greeted very warmly and joined the small community there for lunch, which was lovely. The congregation was gradually gathering and they were practicing some singing before Mass. We started Mass, again in Khmer, with necessary explanations and assistance, again they were just so pleased to have Mass and that I had tried with their language. I got home in time to teach English.

I have been helping Ratana do her CV and an accompanying letter to try to get a job at the airport, so we 

finished that off and went for dinner with Ean, one of her friends from Don Bosco days, who is at Mass here every day and is hoping to become a nun. I have met her every time I have been here and it was lovely to get the chance to have dinner and good chat. 

The Water Festival begins tomorrow with a great carnival and boat races on the river, it is very busy in town, we went for a wonder in the Angkor Craft Night Market, some lovely things and good presents and souvenirs, I will go back there again to do some shopping.

Wednesday 5^th November

The Water Festival begins this afternoon in earnest so there is a three day public holiday. We went to watch some of the early races on the river. The boats are made from a hollowed out tree trunk and the teams come many districts outside of the city and they row with great pride, the boats are beautifully decorated and the teams wear a team shirt. There are usually about 20 or 30 people in the team and they row about 500 metres of the river. Eventually there will be a final and a winner. All around the festival there are hundreds of food outlets and markets and people selling all kinds of things, every one joins in, the five star hotel was doing burgers for $1.50, so Cambodians could get in and afford to buy, nice thought.

Decorative medallion on the river bank.

One of many food stalls, selling a great variety of things to eat.



We then went out to the airport to meet John Saunders, a parishioner from St Edmund's, the traffic was terrible and so we were a little late, but John had waited for us and we picked him up without problem. The drive back was even worse and near the river the whole place was completely gridlocked and volunteers were trying to direct the traffic, and doing very well. We got John checked in to his hotel and then he and I went out for dinner and then headed home.

Thursday 6^th November


John and I spent the morning wandering around the festival and seeing what was going on. We visited a Buddhist Temple which was very peaceful and beautiful, it is in the city centre, near the river and the Old Market.




The gardens were very attractive, a nice quiet place too stroll amid all the noise of the Water Festival




We also got a chance to look at one of the boats close up, they are beautiful and much loved and cared for by each community.

We had a drink in Pub Street and some lunch near the market and then got to where we could see the finish of the races and managed to get a seat for a little rest. The first races were single coracle races and then the main event, with men’s and women’s races, we watched quite a few of them and there was great excitement. 

I guess there were getting on for half a million people by the river and in the parks and roads nearby, a cross between Glastonbury and Trafalgar Square on New Year’s Eve. 

In the evening we had arranged to go out to visit the young people who stay at the KT Centre, one of the church’s residential centres for young people, to enable them to continue in school. 

There are about 10 students, the centre is next door to the Thai Sisters house and they keep an eye on the students and make sure they are all right. Ratana and Kimseak cooked fried rice for us all and we took some drinks, the sisters provided some fruit, so we all had dinner together.























After dinner we tried some English country dancing, with the help of a video, it was good fun and they did very well, but they said it was too hot for that kind of dancing.








About 7.30 we loaded about 8 bikes and all the young people and sisters into the pickup and brought them in to visit the festival, so we walked round with them and had a good evening, they are lovely young people to be with.

Everything was lit up and the whole evening concluded with fireworks.

Friday 7^th November.

I was a little below par today with bad tummy, I think too much sun with the malaria medication. The Water Festival is more or less finished here, but there is a mammoth clear up to do. It is much quitter in the city and all the roads are open again.





The young people came in to some gardening as part of my scheme to make the church look a little more loved and cared for and to show that it takes care of its environment. So we worked on the border on the outside of the church wall, along the small side road next to the church.







They did a great job and even bought some shrubs they had been growing to put in, we did a lot of clearing but by 11.00 it was too hot to keep going, so we tidied up and left the rest for another day. But they made a really good start and it is a great improvement. Steadily during the day I began to feel a little better, but not quite right, hopefully all clear by tomorrow, taking the medication and not eating much.

Sorry this is a bit later than usual, the internet was not working very well. Hope all is well with all of you, do leave a comment in  the box below, to share with others who read the blog.