House warming

We've just come to the end of party season, when anybody who is anybody throws a wedding party; or, if no one in the family is getting married, then a party for any old reason. Here I am at the house-extension warming party of the director of a local NGO. Party invitees are sent a very grand personalised invitation letter, and are then expected to give a "gift"of $10 whether or not they are able to attend! Most people go along to get their money's worth. It's a chance to get dressed up to the nines, have a 7 course meal with plenty of drink and to dance the night away, Khmer style. I am sitting with Savann, a colleague from CoDeC. Unfortunately I'm in the wrong type of Khmer party-wear, without so much as a hint of satin or lace. The fashion police would not be happy.

Quackery

Cambodia has the most amazing set of health care beliefs. Cupping is very popular, whereby glass cups are placed on the body and heated with a flame to draw impurities out and cure headaches. I often see people out and about with red circles all over the faces and chests after they have been "cupped". Coining is also widely practised, even by educated Western Khmers, as in this picture. A coin is rubbed up and down on the skin until it makes a raw red mark. This is supposed to relieve the symptoms of colds and headaches. Possibly there may be an element of merit in these cures, but I'm absolutely certain it is not safe practice to light a fire under the bed of a woman giving birth, particularly in a wooden house!

Ratanakiri

Cambodia celebrated the Kings birthday last week, meaning there was yet another national holiday. As part of my mission to see as much of the country as I can, I headed off on a gruelling 12 hour journey to Ratanakiri in the north east with 6 other VSO volunteers. Ratanakiri is famous for its beautiful wild countryside, lakes and waterfalls, and we saw it at its best. We hired two 4-wheel drive cars with guides, which is the only possible way to get around during the rainy season. We swam in a lake, took a boat trip to visit some tribal communities and visited a rubber plantation. Recommended!

Wot a scorcher!!

While the UK was basking in delightful above-average April temperatures, Cambodia’s weather has been hellishly hot. April is always the hottest month in Cambodia, but this year was exceptional, with most days getting to above 40 degrees. It was like living in a sauna and the humidity meant that I had sweat cascading all over my body 24/7 – yuk. I didn’t move more than was necessary, and only then very slowly. My poorly hand gave me a good excuse to really slow down – every cloud has a silver lining! It’s now May and still very hot, but there are indications that we are soon to enter the rainy season, which will provide some respite.
I don’t know if this year’s temperatures are a blip or part of the ongoing trend towards global warming. If it’s the latter, the Cambodian people can’t be blamed, as they consume and pollute so little relatively. Their ecological footprints must be among the lowest in the world. So...... will you lot living in developed countries please stop doing what you’re doing!

Back to Khmer New Year

Just before my accident, I took part in some lovely traditional Khmer New Year celebrations. Like last year, CoDeC arranged for some monks to come to bless us, so the staff spent a happy day preparing flowers and gifts for the small ceremony in the office, and transported the monks on the backs of their motos to and from their pagoda.

On New Years Day itself, everyone dresses up and takes a picnic to the pagoda for more Buddhist blessings.

One tradition I managed to avoid this year was water and flour throwing. This little girl seems to have covered her own face with flour.