Another Day In Camobida is a tourist-aimed booklet which highlights organizations whose support can directly benefit the local community. I decided to spend a morning visiting such places around Siem Reap. Below is the related entry from my journal.
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Been a good day so far. Met and ate breakfast with a New Zealand girl at the Butterfly Garden. (The restaurant pays local kids to collect butterflies for its garden. I arrived too early to see the kids set the day's batch free.)
Was the first tourist to visit the newly opened visitor center at Angkor Childrens Hospital. They were still putting the finishing touches on it. The Manager was an Asian-American woman. The center's architect is from New York City, and just designed a new building in Bryant Park. (The hospital offers free care to children from all over Cambodia. It is staffed by Cambodian doctors and nurses.)
I donated $30 at Handicap International. The facility looked really basic, but it's free to Cambodians, transport, dorms, food, physical rehab, prosthesis, because those affected are often poor rural farmers. (The facility helps Cambodians affected predominantly by landmine and UXO (unexploded ordinance) explosions. Among the recent homemade prosthesis made by the injured before they could visit the center were a few examples which literally incorporated the metal shells from bombs. The examples shown in the photo were no more than a few years old.)
The Angkor Museum was opened in 2007. It was huge, empty of tourists, but well designed and worth a visit I thought. There was a good energy in the room/exhibit with 1,000 Buddha statues. You could feel it, as long as you were open to it.
And lunch of ostrich near Pub Street before an internet/writing session. I'm 99% sure my ASUS AC adapter broke again, and after paying $40 for a new one, and having it less than one week. I'm pissed off about that. I'm going to have to haul the computer around through Cambodia, Laos, and northern Thailand for another six weeks before going back to Bangkok and visiting the service center for a replacement. If that one breaks, I'm going to forget about it for the rest of the trip.
As Alice had left in the morning, it was down to Ross, Sandy and myself for dinner. Afterwards, Sandy and I headed to the night market as I searched for a scorpion to eat (no luck). Then, we went to the guest house of an Austrian she had met a few nights prior, where we encountered a favorite scene of mine. A small table in an quiet restaurant, a few well-seasoned backpackers from different countries, and a free-flowing exchange of travel tales. We talked for about three hours before calling it a night.
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Nomadic Matt says
September 17, 2008 at 1:16 pmdon’t be a travel wanker and talk about “where I have been….” it is just showing off!!! it becomes a competition really…
Dave says
September 18, 2008 at 8:29 amNot trying to show off though I realize it comes off that way. Just about every tourist makes an effort to visit these types of places, or ophanages when coming to Cambodia….it seems like part of the “trail” or experience even. I imagine that can only be a good thing in terms of raising money.
Besides, I already tried to show off by spending 7 weeks on Thai beaches!
Dave says
September 18, 2008 at 8:37 amOr were you talking about the conversation with other travelers I had that night?
I’m a bit self-aware at this point in my trip when it comes to talking about where I’ve been. I sometimes feel like in the excitement to share what I’ve seen and done, I end up sounding like a travel wanker. But I think it can be done without being overbearing. I like hearing from others who have lived in places like Bocas del Toro, Panama, or Australia even!
Nomadic Matt says
September 17, 2008 at 8:16 amdon’t be a travel wanker and talk about “where I have been….” it is just showing off!!! it becomes a competition really…
Dave says
September 18, 2008 at 3:29 amNot trying to show off though I realize it comes off that way. Just about every tourist makes an effort to visit these types of places, or ophanages when coming to Cambodia….it seems like part of the “trail” or experience even. I imagine that can only be a good thing in terms of raising money.
Besides, I already tried to show off by spending 7 weeks on Thai beaches!
Dave says
September 18, 2008 at 3:37 amOr were you talking about the conversation with other travelers I had that night?
I’m a bit self-aware at this point in my trip when it comes to talking about where I’ve been. I sometimes feel like in the excitement to share what I’ve seen and done, I end up sounding like a travel wanker. But I think it can be done without being overbearing. I like hearing from others who have lived in places like Bocas del Toro, Panama, or Australia even!
Gurran says
September 17, 2008 at 1:25 pmEnjoyed the monk picture, really good shot…
Been following your trip and am thinking –If your trip was about to end would you be ready to re-enter the world of the American worker (i dont like to say corporate world)??
In any event I will continue to follow from my cube as long as the markets over here still stay afloat…
Dave says
September 18, 2008 at 8:33 amIt’ll be strange to go from adventures each day to an office routine again, so I don’t know how I’ll adapt. Probably all too easily after a few weeks. I am looking forward to living in one place for more than a week or two at a time though. And my own bed, and shower, and toilet, and food.
Gurran says
September 18, 2008 at 5:29 pmYeah i hear you. I think i slept for like 16 straight hours when i finally got back to my bed…
Good luck to you on the road..
Dave says
September 18, 2008 at 8:33 amIt’ll be strange to go from adventures each day to an office routine again, so I don’t know how I’ll adapt. Probably all too easily after a few weeks. I am looking forward to living in one place for more than a week or two at a time though. And my own bed, and shower, and toilet, and food.
Gurran says
September 17, 2008 at 8:25 amEnjoyed the monk picture, really good shot…
Been following your trip and am thinking –If your trip was about to end would you be ready to re-enter the world of the American worker (i dont like to say corporate world)??
In any event I will continue to follow from my cube as long as the markets over here still stay afloat…
Dave says
September 18, 2008 at 3:33 amIt’ll be strange to go from adventures each day to an office routine again, so I don’t know how I’ll adapt. Probably all too easily after a few weeks. I am looking forward to living in one place for more than a week or two at a time though. And my own bed, and shower, and toilet, and food.
Gurran says
September 18, 2008 at 12:29 pmYeah i hear you. I think i slept for like 16 straight hours when i finally got back to my bed…
Good luck to you on the road..
TravMonkey says
September 17, 2008 at 9:43 pm:mrgreen:
Been a long time Dave, loving the blog at the moment….bringing back some great memories from asia with all your great photos!
Keep up the good work!
Dave says
September 18, 2008 at 8:34 amGood to hear from you Mr. Monkey!
TravMonkey says
September 17, 2008 at 4:43 pm:mrgreen:
Been a long time Dave, loving the blog at the moment….bringing back some great memories from asia with all your great photos!
Keep up the good work!
Dave says
September 18, 2008 at 3:34 amGood to hear from you Mr. Monkey!
Saurabh Nagar says
January 20, 2013 at 8:48 pmI am going Cambodia in 2 weeks from now, nearly everything I read about it makes me all the more excited :) Did you finally get to eat the scorpion?
Dave says
January 22, 2013 at 4:38 pmNope, I never did find a scorpion to eat (and I’m kinda happy about that)!