Siem Reap Week 2 Sept 2013

Siem Reap, week 2 Sept 2013

 

Week 2 has passed very quickly and I am at last becoming a little more acclimatized to the heat and the humidity which is more than I can say for my hair. I have given up and wonder why I bothered to bring my dryer and straightners with me. We have had a lot of rain particularly in the latter part of the week and over the weekend and have been caught in a heavy downpour twice now whilst out on the bike. Not a pleasant experience but it is humorous watching some of the locals.

I have enough trouble keeping balance on my bike with 2 hands but to see a young woman riding headlong into the rain holding an umbrella over her head had me shaking my head in disbelief. This is as good as seeing the woman as a passenger on the motorbike holding the umbrella over the drivers head, probably to help him keep his cigarette in his mouth dry whilst talking on the mobile. Multi talented!

I am increasing my knowledge on geography and natural hazards as I research for the students topic lessons and am probably more interested than them in the subject. Hopefully something is being absorbed.

I continue to be on the look out for food and have included a few photos of the fast and take away foods Cambodian style. There are many road side carts that sell a variety of foods. Some traditional and some from the days of the French influence. Every evening on her way home, Hayley, the volunteer coordinator buys a steamed corn on the cob, she is addicted. The addiction that she is trying to wean herself off that costs a grand total of 600 riel (about 15 cents) is a banana dipped in a type of batter that looks like it has black sesame seeds in it then deep fried. I haven't tried this as I am scared that I too may become an addict and am trying to avoid fried food and of course steering away from wheat. My addiction is the baby water melon that are a massive 50 cents each and lasts me 4 days. I bought a bunch of lady finger bananas today , probably 20 in the hand and you can only buy them in the whole hand from the market - 75 cents!

There aren't any dairy cows in Cambodia therefore dairy food is imported and not the best quality. If I am lucky I may find a small piece of NZ cheddar at the supermarket but I have got used to not having it. But I have discovered an amazing yogurt that is made in Phnom Penh, from dried milk powder. Sounds awful but it is natural with no additives, flavours or sugar and has the texture of whipped mascarpone. Delicious.

The vegetables of course are also great quality, cheap and abundant. Lots of garlic, fresh ginger and birds eye chillies that almost burn your throat just as they are cut open to remove the seeds, intoxicating! These 3 ingredients are a staple in the local cuisine along with fish sauce and oyster sauce. I made a great stir fry this week with local prawns and the above ingredients as you will see in the photos. It is amazing what one can cook in a wok on a single gas burner stove! The little gas bottles are only 1500 riels which is less than 50 cents, to replace. When the little tin is empty, I just pop over the road to the little stall and hand it in for a replacement. Praying it won't explode on me of course! These little burners throw out an incredible heat and take up very little room!

I also now buy my fresh water from this man. The 20 liters in a bottle with a tap costs initially $6 but when emptied is replaced for $1. I managed to carry it across the road to the Hotel acting with bravado but collapsed on the floor when I entered reception and paid a $1 tip for the boy on the desk to carry it up the 3 flights for me. I know when I am beaten!

My next Cambodian style creation was a stir fried rice with pork and vegetables, once again strongly laced with garlic, ginger and chilli and the beautiful shallots that are found here. They call the pork bacon but it isn't smoked and is really just thinly sliced belly pork but very good for the stir frying. The rice is of course abundant here and there are so many different types to cook with. For my rice I bought brown jasmine and cooked it in the rice cooker which I'm not familiar with, it was Ok, but I now know the secret and next attempt should be better. Fortunately didn't spoil my creation!

The kitchen staff at Grace house usually cook pork for lunch as it is cheap and plentiful, I find it a bit dry usually and eat only a little. What they do cook that is delicious is chicken. It has the usual seasonings but the outside is very caramelized and this is achieved with obviously some sugar in the wok but also a little oyster sauce. Yesterday I marinated a chicken breast in the garlic, ginger and chilli along with some ground coriander seeds and ground star anise, with a little oil and some oyster sauce. This evening I pan fried this, let it rest, sliced it and ate it as a warm chicken salad and it was so tender and delicious and the salad so crisp and a little sweetened with some pineapple chopped through it, mouth watering now thinking about it!

At the end of town is a beautiful colonial style 5 star hotel called the Victoria. On a Friday evening they promote themselves by offering some live lay back music and a little buffet. This costs a whole $6 and includes 2 glasses of whatever you want to drink. The food included the most divine little fresh spring rolls with a fish type sauce and chopped nuts, chicken wings, sauté potatoes, tortilla chips with salsa and a wonderful sour salad with shrimp. What a lovely way to spend a couple of hours in a sophisticated venue where we could get a little dressed up and not dissolve in the heat. On a Sunday they offer use of their gorgeous pool from 10 until 3 along with a buffet brunch , $20! For us very inexpensive but that can go a long way in Siem Reap.

On the other end of the scale Grace House continue with the meals on wheels service to several of the very elderly women in the village to ensure they get a decent daily feed and of course the lunch program feeding about 20 of the children whose families suffer extreme poverty.

It sounds like all I do is eat, probably true but it is mostly very healthy and along with my swimming and cycling I have worked myself into a good routine but have to admit that the stairs are taking a bit of a toll on my knee.

I splurged out on Saturday afternoon, an indulgence but also something to do that wasn't researching for class or writing up lesson plans. I had another massage, body scrub and a facial. 3 hours of total pampering for $58. It was lovely but my guilt is taking hold of me for these indulgences especially when I see the little people in the pouring rain, little boy holding the hand of a toddler, both very skinny and dressed very poorly and both unsupervised crossing busy roads. Makes my heart sink at the poverty that is still here along with the corruption.

Politically life is on tender hooks. We had a discussion today about what we should do in the event of seeing a political rally. The Cambodian People's Rescue Party, which is lead by Sam Rainsey and who were beaten in the recent elections, have their head office close to and on the main route to Grace House. There was a rally at the local Wat, it may have been facilitated by the monks and many people turned out. The monks are apparently quite political and in full support of the people. This was peaceful but today in Phnom Penh a demonstrator was shot and killed by government troops and several more were injured. They are still protesting about the corrupt election results and this could well spill over here. We are to avoid these situations, turn back home or seek an alternative route to work. Our local commune chief is a supporter of Hun Sen's party - The Cambodian People's Party. He has apparently in the past rounded up the locals and organized a march in response, Grace House policy is to stay well out of these things even if they aren't agreed with because the concern is for the villagers and interference will not assist them at all.

The main supporters for Sam Rainsey are the more educated young people, people in business and those who lost land in the Pol Pot era. They are not influenced by the wealth of Hun Sen and want to see the corruption and injustices corrected. All very interesting but best observed from the side lines! Never a dull moment here!!!

Week 3 begins with my new evening class which is to teach a little more English to the girls who work in the Grace House shop and market stall and try to teach them some selling skills and instill some confidence. A 4 week trial and will report back in the next epistle!

Lei son hi ( good bye until next time) no idea how to spell it!!!!!

 

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