The Sunrise Children's Village and the temples of Angkor

It's been a very busy week. Up at the crack of sparrow for the last few days, catching buses, tuk tuks, motos all around the country side. I've been up in Siem Reap this week, visiting Bonna, the manager of the Sunrise Angkor Children's Village and all her little ones. The Orphanage is a very well run organisation where kids attend school, english classes, dance classes, computer training and everyone has their own bed. Of course the kids are great, everybody helps everyone else and the whole operation seems to run very smoothly.
Alongside visiting the orphanage, I've been emersing myself in temple life. Exploring ancient ruins and getting up very very early.
Off to Vietnem tomorrow for a couple of days before heading out to near Takeo province again to spend some more time at Porject Wat Opot.
Ciao for now...

What do you do when you step in ....

I visited the Wat Opot project the other day. It is an orphanage for kids who have been deserted and kids with HIV. The organisation also cares for adults who with AIDS. It is run by an American man, Wayne Mathias and is situated near Takeo province, about an hour and a half south of Phnom Penh. It is set at the back of an old Wat, down a dirt track, surrounded by green.
I'm currently in Siem Reap for 4 days, visiting The Sunrrise Childrens Village before hopping over to Vietnem for the weekend, but when I return I will be spending a few more days with Wayne and the Wat Opot project. Here are some images from my last visit.

I found my way home from the dump

I am apologising now for the lack of movement from this side of the world. It's been an interesting last few weeks. I am no longer working with the CLCA orphanage as they have turned out to be completely corrupt and have told Drew (the american volunteering there) that they don't want anything to do with him any more because Drew could see what was going on. They accused him of photographing parts of the orphanage he helped build to raise funds for his seperate english school that he set up next to the orphanage. I thought it wise to quietly step away incase they somehow brought me into it.
So I have been trying to find other orphanages to visit, and am taking a trip out to one of the provinces tomorrow to visit an orphanage that cares for HIV kids and is also centre for women and a rehabilitation centre. I am also spending next week up in Siem Reap visiting Angkor again alongside spending time with the kids at Sunrise Childrens Village.
So just a quicky to say I'm not dead, far from it. Living it up in Phnom Penh, chasing rickshaws and getting lost out in the Cambodian country side.
Check out the kids working at the dump on the outskirts of town, and below are more photos for you.

more photos

Good times had by the guy in the gutter

My Spanish is definately better than my khmer. I think Pauly Crebar would pick it up quite quickly with all the experience in the bongs and lit chits that he has. I can say the basics and have remembered my street number in khmer so I know how to get home!
Over the last few days I have visited another orphanage in the city which I would say is a proper orphanage. The kids are well looked after, clean, go to school and they have a vegie garden! It makes the CLCA look like just part of the slum. It is very disheartening because it's hard to know how to help them. I have been in contact with Gerladine Cox, who is the director of the Sunrise Childrens Village in Phnom Penh and in Siem Reap and I will be visiting the orphanage in Siem Reap over the next few weeks. She is an Australian woman who started these orphanages and from all reports are fantastic places which nurture and educate the children up until they are 18 which gives them a huge advantage for their futures.
Just before I leave you,
Q. How did Pinocchio find out he was made of wood?
A. When his hand caught on fire.
WA WA WA

English School

I have now taken resposibility of providing the tuition fees for english lessons for the kids at CLCA. There are 26 of them attending and pricing ranges from $3US to $5US a month. We have to keep track of attendance records but it is good way for me to give to the orphanage and I know where the money is going. Besides from that, I'm moving into an apartment tomorrow that an Aussie girl is renting. It's the plushest apartment in a really good area of Phnom Penh. I'll be sure to be sending you photos. Stay classy Sydney.