Day 3 - Siem Reap

Our day started with a leisurely late breakfast after which we all met up for a morning of exploring markets and back streets of Siem Reap. The heat was a contributing factor to everyone being back by the paradise pool by lunch time, ready to cool off and relax. By mid afternoon we were ready to negotiate with the Tuk Tuk drivers to take us to a Pagoda and a shadow puppet shop attached to an orphanage. We spent some time interacting with the local monks who gave us insight into the temple ruins and the many family members who are buried around the pagoda.

We returned to our hotel to meet our Habitat hosts and have our group orientation, we were given a crash course in the local language and customs and also met some local Cambodian volunteers who will be helping us on the build.

We then retreated to the rooftop pool for a local meal and final debrief before an early night (for some) before our 7.30 departure for our first day of hard work.

Chum Reap Lear

Day 2 Ho Chi Minh City - Siem Reap

We awoke to a beautiful day in Ho Chi Minh City, the usual haze gave way to beautiful sunshine, the perfect morning for a 6.00am swim and a walking tour of Ho Chi Minh City. The tour took in the back alleys, street markets and look at the antiques district, two of our highlights were everyone managing to cross the roads without being hit by a vehicle of any description, and coffee at a local sidewalk cafe. The walking tour gave us a valuable insight into the day to day lives of the vietnamese people living in this city. Another highlight was Honey having her camera returned after dropping it in a very busy laquer factory showroom  a phone call from our Guide, Tam had another man hand deliver the camera on his motorbike. We returned to the hotel to catch our bus out to the Airport to fly into Siem Reap. Our flight was temporarily delayed whilst a small thunderstorm passed through, eventually we were in the air, on or way to our Siem Reap Paradise.

Flying into Siem Reap, we could see the result of the devastating floods which took the lives of over 300 people in the past few weeks. It was dark when we arrived, so we were yet to see what this bustling little city has to offer. Today is a rest day, we will head out after breakfast to explore the city, we will report back tonight on our adventures for the day.

DAY 1

We checked in at Melbourne airport without too much fuss, but then HONEY almost missed the flight (don't ask!).  The flight was long and boring because the movie system was broken but we did manage to entertain ourselves with and when we arrived into Saigon we had to load all of our luggage in through the windows of the bus.  the pool closed at 6pm, so the girls had to settle for a spa in the Page's luxury suite instead.   After dinner, BRETT & PHOEBE & JEN found a great place for ice-creams - we'll be going back!

It's nearly time....

Hi there fellow team members, well its nearly time, I hope everyone has their bags packed and are ready to go. I sent out the family profile via email last night, so you should all have a bit more of an idea of what to expect.....that is expect the unexpected.
Make sure you all get a good nights sleep tonight and we will see you at the Airport between 9.00 and 9.30am in the morning.

Some great links about Cambodia

Here’s a link for trip advisor with people talking about the floods in Siem Reap.  Looks like it’s OK right now and seems to be quickly improving!  You need to go to page 30 (#298) to get the latest information otherwise it might be up to a month old.
http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowTopic-g297390-i9163-k4812275-o290-Flooding_in_Siem_Reap-Siem_Reap.html
Here’s a link for what to wear at Angkor Wat – these suggestions will apply for all of the touristy parts of our trip (including Vietnam) – though it will be a little different when we are on the build – I will save that for another blog!
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=855122

All about – Vietnam

Welcome to a world where the colours are more vivid, where the landscapes are bolder, the coastline more dramatic, where the history is more compelling, where the tastes are more divine, where life is lived in the fast lane. This world is Vietnam, the latest Asian dragon to awake from its slumber.
Nature has blessed Vietnam with a bountiful harvest of soaring mountains, a killer coastline and radiant rice fields, Vietnam is a cracker. Inland, peasant women in conical hats still tend to their fields, children ride buffalos along country paths and minority people scratch out a living from impossible gradients.
Vietnam is a nation of determined optimists who have weathered war after war, survived colonialism and communism, and are now getting to grips with the wheeler-dealer world of capitalism. Fiercely protective of their independence and sovereignty, the Vietnamese are graciously welcoming of foreigners who come as guests not conquerors.
Don’t believe the hype. Or the propagandist party billboards that are as common as statues of ‘Uncle Ho’. Believe your senses, as you discover one of the most enriching, enlivening and exotic countries on earth.
To escape the buzz of millions of motorbikes, head west to the watery landscape of green fields and sleepy villages in the Mekong Delta.
Vietnam has it all. Go expecting the unexpected, be ready for an adventure as much as a holiday, and Vietnam will deliver.

All about - Siem Reap town

Back in the 1960s, Siem Reap (see-em ree-ep) was the place to be in Southeast Asia and saw a steady stream of the rich and famous. After three decades of slumber, it’s well and truly back and one of the most popular destinations on the planet right now. The life-support system for the temples of Angkor, Cambodia’s eighth wonder of the world, Siem Reap was always destined for great things, but few people saw them coming this thick and this fast. It has reinvented itself as the epicentre of the new Cambodia, with more guesthouses and hotels than temples, world-class wining and dining and sumptuous spas.
At its heart, Siem Reap is still a little charmer, with old French shop-houses, shady tree-lined boulevards and a slow-flowing river. But it is expanding at breakneck speed with new houses and apartments, hotels and resorts sprouting like mushrooms in the surrounding countryside. The tourist tide has arrived and locals are riding the wave. Not only is this great news for the long-suffering Khmers, but it has transformed the town into a pulsating place for visitors. Forget the naysayers who mutter into their beers about Siem Reap in the ‘old days’, now is the time to be here, although you may curse your luck when stuck behind a jam of tour buses on the way back from the temples.
 

All about - Ho Chi Minh City

Fasten your seatbelts as Ho Chi Minh City is a metropolis on the move – and we’re not just talking about the motorbikes that throng the streets. Saigon, as it’s known to all but city officials, is Vietnam at its most dizzying: a high-octane city of commerce and culture that has driven the whole country forward with its limitless energy. It is a living organism that breathes life and vitality into all who settle here, and visitors cannot help but be hauled along for the ride.
Saigon is a name so evocative that it conjures up a thousand jumbled images. Wander through timeless alleys to ancient pagodas or teeming markets, past ramshackle wooden shops selling silk, spices and baskets, before fast-forwarding into the future beneath sleek skyscrapers or at designer malls, gourmet restaurants and minimalist bars. The ghosts of the past live on in the churches, temples, former GI hotels and government buildings that one generation ago witnessed a city in turmoil, but the real beauty of Saigon’s urban collage is that these two worlds blend so seamlessly into one.
Whether you want the finest hotels or the cheapest guesthouses, the classiest restaurants or the most humble street stalls, the designer boutiques or the scrum of the markets, Saigon has it all. The Saigon experience is about so many things – memorable conversations, tantalising tastes and moments of frustration – yet it will not evoke apathy. Stick around this conundrum of a city long enough and you may just unravel its mysteries.

All about - Our build programme

All about - Our build programme
Sunday is a free day to explore Siem Reap town but in the evening we will meet our Habitat Cambodia host for dinner and welcome party.  This is a chance for us to learn more about how Habitat Cambodia works; some information about the community in which we are building; and a bit more about what to expect on the build – particularly from a cultural viewpoint.
On our first day at site, we will have a safety orientation and get to know the homeowners, after which we will start work immediately.
Habitat Cambodia will bring drinking water for us; fruit for morning and afternoon tea, as well as our lunch.  During breaks, we will have plenty of opportunities to play with the local children and to interact with the villagers. 
A Habitat construction supervisor will help our team, together with the local skilled laborers, to work on the building tasks. The work will follow a strict building schedule and it is important, for both safety and operational reasons, that we comply fully with all instructions of the Habitat Cambodia staff.
We will have a half day break during the week to visit a school or an orphanage – our host will tell us all about this at the welcome party. 
On our last day we will have a House dedication ceremony.  This is a wonderful opportunity for sharing all the feelings, impressions and appreciations that we have experienced during our time here. Most volunteers find that this is a touching time for the team, for the homeowners and for the communities.
 

All about Habitat for Humanity in Siem Reap

Siem Reap is one of the 24 provinces in Kingdom of Cambodia located 314 kms North of Phnom Penh with the total area of 12,000 km2 and the entire province comprises 12 districts covering 100 communes and 921 villages of just under one million people (6% of Cambodia’s population). 
Siem Reap Province is divided into 3 parts - the highlands, the midlands and the lowlands.  In the highlands, the terrain is very hilly, and most of the residents work as farmers in rice fields.  The midland section is mostly flat and the residents are either farmers or work in the service sector - restaurants, hotels, government agencies, etc.  The lowlands are home to farmers and fishermen.  It is the second poorest province among the 24 provinces of Cambodia.

Siem Reap Province is well known for Angkor Wat temple complex, 5.5 kms north of the Siem Reap town, and built in the early 12th Century.  The temple is a powerful symbol of Cambodia, and is a source of great national pride.  A depiction of Angkor Wat is a part of the Cambodian national flag.

Angkor Chum is one of the 12 districts of Siem Reap located about 47 Kms northwest of Siem Reap town.  Angkor Chum comprises 7 communes, 84 villages, and the total population is just under 60,000 with 11,000 families (1,559 of these families have women as the head of the household).  The district is known as the 5th poorest in Siem Reap. Most of families (98%) are farmers who grow vegetable, raise pigs, and provide labour to Thai businesses along the Cambodia Thai border.
Puok district is situated about 20km from Siem Reap town and comprises 14 communes and 132 villages with a population of 120,000. Within Puok district there are 20 Habitat Cambodia targeted villages in 4 communes.

All about - Habitat for Humanity Cambodia -

Habitat Cambodia began in 2002 and registered with the Royal Government of Cambodia on 16th of January 2003. Habitat believes that, “every Cambodian has a right to a simple decent home”. Through partnership with local NGOs and local authorities Habitat Cambodia implemented its housing program in Phnom Penh April 2003, and has since expanded its Housing Assistance Projects around Phnom Penh City to five resettlement areas.   In 2007 Habitat Cambodia expanded to Battambong province and Siem Reap province.  There are now 5 provinces operating: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Battambong, Kandal, and Prey Veng provinces.

In Siem Reap, Habitat Cambodia have hosted 32 Global Village teams from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, US, Singapore, China, Korea, and Germany helping Cambodian people to build new houses, repair existing homes, and build wells, water tanks and sanitation facilities such as toilets etc. 

As we look to the future, Habitat Cambodia are dedicated to serving even more families in partnership with thousands of people from around the region.

Only 11 more sleeps till we head off, and some of you have been asking about the floods in Cambodia
I’ve been in touch with Savoeun who will be our build host in Siem Reap and he has advised that we should be OK –
 “Yesterday evening some roads in the city were dried up, so I hope that it will not affect to our build trip as well as the tour!!! The day before yesterday most roads were covered by the flooding water as well as some villages in our build project area. Hectares of rice of the families in the project area (Puok district) are destroyed by the flooding. Livestock are evacuated to alongside the roads as the water all over the ground of the houses. The water along the roads in some villages up to the chest when they go a cross outside. In short, I believe it will not affect to our work as we also just finished a team last week!!!”
Here are some photo’s that Saveoun has sent through.   It looks very wet, so there will probably be a few mossies!  Don’t forget to pack the bushman’s repellent!

Time to start gathering up donations

If people have promised donations of pencils, books and balls, now is the time to start getting them together, Our host Savoen has told us that donations of tooth brushes and tooth paste as well as usable clothing are all good things to donate, with clothing just keep it to the cooler light items which will be light enough to carry. We have extra weight allocation going over so it wont hurt to use it up and help out in the process.

Floods in Siem Reap

Siem Reap is currently experiencing some flooding, but our Habitat hosts assure us that the build will not be affected by the floods. He sent us these pictures late last week.

Vietnam - Tailors

Well, I have been busy researching Tailors in Vietnam, I have spoken to many people and the general concensus is that you get what you pay for. and be prepared, that is unless you want to spend all of your time in Vietnam in the Tailors.

• Allow a couple of days for the garments to be made.
• Take as many pictures of the garment with you as you can.
• Be very clear about what you want.
• Be wary of silk linings in suits etc (they may not be colorfast).
• Shoes are good but the length of time they will last is directly proportional to how much you pay for them (that could be said anywhere in world though).
• Dont be tempted to order 10 of the same thing because the price is so good (it will still be in your wardrobe unworn in 2 years time).
• Dont be too tempted to buy silk items, they are great in vietnam, but honestly how much silk will you wear once you get home,. (You could always recycle it for curtains).
• If you do buy something allow plenty of time before you leave Vietnam to have it altered, just in case it doesnt fit.
• check out this website, this one sounds reasonably reputable http://www.triciaandverona.com/