Saturday 22^nd November

Quiet day of work on the computer, first write a homily for the evening and then write the blog, it often takes a long time to upload the photos, so I sit and read while they upload. Today I managed to finish the blog and post it in good time. I went to evening Mass and after Mass I was invited by Fr Jupp and the some of the Jesuit community to join them for dinner, they also invited Ratana and we had a lovely meal at Arun with Fr Bongbong and Sr Denise, Elizabeth, Hayley and Brother Doh.

Sunday 23^rd November

This is on route to Kompong Cliang, the village built on stilts. The water has receded a lot since last month and so the stilts seem much longer and the houses higher up from the water level.






This is in the garden of a pagoda next to the river and is very colourful.

These two pictures show the level of the water dropping at the Church. On the left four weeks ago, Above taken on 23rd November shows a drop of about a metre.

Fr Bongbong said the Mass this morning; he has swapped with Fr Panus as he is going to the Philippines later today and wanted to be here to get to the airport easily. After Mass I went with Fr Jupp to Kompong Cliang for the Mass, Sr Pontip came as well. She is very good with the children. 

Three tourists from the Philippines arrived at the Church late for Mass and so decided to come with us for the experience and for Mass. They were lovely and very interested in the whole event and easily joined in serving rice soup. The water is definitely going down on the lake, it has dropped about 1 metre around the Church. After Mass we chatted, served rice soup, had lunch and then returned home. I had a quiet evening and a light supper.

The children set off for home, lots of noise and take to the boats very easily, all seem to have great balance and move the boats with great ease.






The team and guests having lunch after the children started leaving.

Just because you live on stilts above a lake does not mean that you cannot have a garden, some of them very colourful and well kept.

Monday 24^th November

Mondays are busy with morning class and then two classes in the afternoon, plus my Khmer class with Ratana. I went for a swim and Ratana came as well, she has a swimming costume in which she is happy, which is acceptable in the hotel, and she enjoyed her swim. Cambodians usually swim in their clothes, or in shorts and tee shirt, but this is not permitted at hotels. So eventually she found a swimsuit that is suitable for her, she enjoys swimming very much. I went for dinner with the Japanese sisters just around the corner. There are three sisters, they do not speak much English, so they had also invited Ratana to interpret for us. We had a lovely meal, chicken and fried vegetables and some lovely Japanese seaweed, followed by fresh mango and ice cream. We chatted and had a lot of laughs about language and different customs. Sr Asico invited me to visit their kindergarten, so I arranged to go on Friday.

Tuesday 25^th November

I say Mass in English on Tuesdays and have breakfast with the sisters. After Mass I taught at the hotel and then went to the Church for lunch and then with Fr Panus to Ta Om for Mass.


These two pictures show how the rice is going golden, almost ready for the harvest, rather like the corn in England. Some is still green and other fields are changing colour.



















I had said the Mass there last time and was greeted with open arms and much joy and laughter. I joined Fr Panus for Mass.

We got home in time for me to teach English and then Ratana came for a simple supper, I had some salad and hard boiled eggs and she brought a little barbecued pork and we put it together.

Wednesday 26^th November

Busy day, I have three English classes. I have had some trouble with the internet, so I stayed for a while at the hotel and did some work there, emails and so on. I went out for dinner to Daly’s house and enjoyed a very nice evening with her and her husband, Sarom. He came and picked me up and took me to their room which is in a very nice development. Daly had prepared a meal, stuffed tomatoes, stir fried vegetables and a fish soup, she is a good cook and it was a lovely meal. She has prepared a room for Tony and showed me where he will stay, it is very nice and should work out fine. Her friend Channa dropped by and chatted for a while and then her sister, Sekla also came to say hello, they are all so friendly it is a joy to meet them, both of them come to church and said they will speak to me at Mass now.

Thursday 27^th November

No one stayed for breakfast this morning at the church, so Ratana took me for the best roast duck in Siem Reap. Not quite what I usually have for breakfast, but it was very good. After English I went for a swim and then Ratana took me to do a few jobs, shopping in the market for dinner this evening, then to an ATM and supermarket.



We tried to check out a restaurant for my birthday, but it was lunchtime and there was a coach outside, so decided to do that another time.

I taught my class and then Ratana and Pharoth came for dinner. They brought a bbq with them and we sat outside to cook and to eat, it was lovely and, as ever, the food was “chingnang nah”, very delicious!

We had spilled a few drops of juice on the floor and watched the ants devour it, first there is a great swarm around the food and a few minutes later you can see the effect they have had on the same spot.





















Friday 28^th November

I paid my rent this morning for the coming month, it will be the last full month. I cancelled the morning class today to go to see the kindergarten where Sr Asico works and where two of the girls in my English class also teach, Ean teaches there too.

I was amazed, it is a beautiful school building and has a lovely playground outside for the children. There are fifty children in two classes, aged 4 and 5, they have a lovely hall, kitchen for preparing food, loos and showers for the children.




These are the loos above and the shower room to the right, they are really well thought out and all is really clean. It is a great start for the children.

The children get one shower per week and after lunch all children wash their teeth.








Each child gets some lunch every day, parents pay $2.50 a month for the food, if they can afford it, otherwise it is free, they pay nothing for the education.  There was a really good atmosphere and the teachers are clearly doing a great job. The children are in school from 8.00 – 11.30 each day, the teachers prepare for the next day in the afternoon before going home. It was great to see such a well organised little school.

Above the children are doing some exercise in the hall.



The photo on the right shows the corridor of the school. It is really well designed and very cool inside for the staff and the children.

On the way home we stopped at a nursery to look at some plants and some pots for Ratana’s garden, we did not buy, but got some ideas. We went into town to a pharmacy and then had some lunch, popped in to see Pharoth for a coffee before coming home for a rest.






















After evening Mass Ratana and I invited Ean to join us for dinner, we drove around a little before finding a restaurant I had not been to before. Ratana is keen for me to have many new experiences, this was a Kymer restaurant and we had beef tongue, roast bee brood, and squid, it was all very good, although I am not sure what bee brood is and have not found much on the internet to help, but it was very tastey.


That is all for now, do send me a comment if you can and want to. Next week I am going to Kompong Tlom to stsay with Sr Soklin, then back here on Saturday via an ordination in Battambang, so plenty of different news next time.