Our Journey

what's next?

2008-12-31T23:42:00.003+10:00

Today is new year's eve. What a better day to reflect on our year than today. We have been dragging our feet to write the last blog of our journey since we came back to Australia. Yes, we are back in Brisbane (in case you don't know) and have been very busy. We both went straight back to work within one week of landing back in Brisbane (Alvin went in the very day we landed and Linda started work a week later). We haven't really had time to reflect on the year as there were many things that kept us occupied such as work, finding a place to live, getting used to life in a developed country again, etc... We suffered from what a lot of people warned us about - REVERSED CULTURE SHOCK. I must say that when we first landed back into Australia (or even in the Qantas Lounge at Changi Airport before we departed Singapore for Brisbane), it was a little strange to see so many Caucasians (fair skin and blonde/brown hair) around us. As you can imagine, we have been around people with dark skin and black hair (Peruvians, Thais, Cambodians, Vietnamese, Chinese, Malays and Indians) for a good part of 2008. It felt really weird and we do not know how to describe it. I (Linda) was having difficulty accepting the difference between the haves and have-nots. I can't help feeling sad when I hear about people spending hundreds to thousands on a handbag, thousands on jewelries or thousands on a watch. All I can think of is how many children I can feed with that amount of money. In most of the places we have visited, all it takes is just USD$1 a day for an underprivileged child to live...

The trip in general can be described and summarised in two words - LIFE CHANGING. It has completely changed our perspectives in life. We knew all along that there are lots of less fortunate people in other parts of the world. What we did not know was how real it is and how big the gap is between the haves and have-nots. No matter how much you read about it, how much you hear from people or how much you see on TV, it is never quite the same as being there in person. We are so fortunate to be born where we were, to live where we are, to eat what we want to, to be educated to the standard that we attained, to have the good jobs that we have, to be given the opportunities that we are given and so much more. Seeing is really believing. Life is different after this trip.

Peru was great. We were volunteering at Peru's Challenge and having a holiday at the same time. It has always been Alvin's dream to see Machu Picchu and it has been fulfilled. We met some great people and made some friends. It was definitely a trip to remember. We got to know the local people, the local culture/food and to help out in the indigenous communities. It was definitely an eye opener for us. There is nothing like being right there to see how poor people are and that there is so much that need to be done. It also brought home to us the excesses that we have in the western world. We were inspired by the passion and commitment of the people starting projects to help the less fortunate in our world.

We continued onto Samuel's House for a few weeks to see our beautiful children and to work with Samuel's House. We then went to House of Mercy Foundation (HOMF) to volunteer for eight weeks. This was when the trip changed for me (Alvin). Before the trip started, I have always thought that this will be a one year trip to experience mission/volunteer work and get back to "life" in 2009 and beyond in Brisbane - making good money, change his car to a Volkswagen GTI DSG, buy a nice carbon fibre road bike, buy a nice townhouse in inner city Brisbane, live life to the fullest with life's little luxuries... And of course continue to support our children's home and other good causes from Brisbane (afar) by giving money. That was the plan, even when we were in Peru and Samuel's House. While we were at HOMF, I felt a very strong burden for the less fortunate (especially children as we strongly believe that children are the future). HOMF houses about 90 children and employs about 30 staff. It is a beautiful place and the children are beautiful. The children are very well look after. In terms of material things, they have it much much better than our children at Samuel's House. They are fed a lot better, clothe a lot better, live a lot better, etc... However, there are very sad stories behind every child's smiling face. This was when the trip changed for me. We read through their bios and I was more convinced that there is more that can be done besides just going through life worrying about life. And more importantly, it seems that although HOMF is a Christian orphanage, many of the children do not have a true revelation of God and are just going through the motions. This further convinced me that my purpose in life is about to change. Thinking back, I questioned myself why wasn't I convinced earlier since we have already been working/visiting Samuel's House. Working at/with Samuel's House did not show me as much how children in Thailand (and other parts of the world) are disadvantaged. Our children at Samuel's House no doubt has very sad stories too but we made sure that it is not an orphanage and is not an institution. Right from the start, Samuel's House was set up as a family home, not an orphanage. The children at Samuel's House has Hannah, Nehamee and Koh to love them like their own flesh and blood. They have very sad stories too, very much the same as the children at HOMF. We both love each one of them very much and are constantly visiting them in Thailand to shower our love to all 12 of them. And most importantly, we can see that every single one of them has God as their Father. Our children at Samuel's House, in my view, are so much more fortunate than the children at HOMF. They have a sense of belonging, a sense of family, and the love and guidance that many children in other children's homes don't get. We are so fortunate that we started (and kept) Samuel's House as a family run children's home and that we have wonderful and committed people to pour their lives into each of the children. Given such circumstances, we decided to sponsor this little girl - Joop Jang in HOMF. She is an orphan and her parents and brother were killed in a car accident when she was 5 years old. We hope that we can make a difference in her life (whether big or small) and the lives of many other children as we come across them. What worries us is that who are the orphans (from HOMF and elsewhere around the world) going to get guidance from when they get older, who are they going to turn to in the future, what is their future like without proper guidance, and most importantly what is their future going to be if they do not know God. Our children at Samuel's House's are growing up very well and we have no doubt that they will all grow up to be fine young men and women of God, spreading the word of God throughout Thailand and contributing to the society/world. We have a heart to see the same thing happen to as many children as possible. To give them an opportunity. An opportunity to know God. An opportunity to grow up to be a fine man/woman of God. An opportunity to be educated. An opportunity to contribute to society.

We then moved on to Cambodia to work with New Life Fellowship (NLF). One of the major things that reinforced my burden was visiting the slums and seeing the street kids there. They have absolutely no future. They were running around the slums shirtless, smoking in full view of their drunk parents, uncleaned, not in school, etc... NLF is trying to help these children as much as possible. NLF also goes out to the countryside to assist the poor to get a foot in life. They train the villagers to farm smart and to start small businesses. NLF also provides FREE English and Office skills to empower the local people. All these projects and programmes have really made a difference in the lives of the Cambodian people, much more than what a lot of those so called "NGOs" do... All this just reinforces that more needs to be done and done the right way. This is the same with our trip to Vietnam. The work that AOG WR is doing out there needs to be commended. They are helping the people to help themselves. AOG WR have put in pig farm programs (pay-if-forward programme), water projects, heart operations, etc...into the local communities. They have really made a difference to the people of Vietnam. These are the people that we want to learn from. Paul and Deb are truly inspirational and have been a major encouragement for us to embark on the next phase of our lives. We have also seen many people and children in Vietnam without hope and purpose in life. They are just passing each day and it comes and goes. We went to this children's home that is run by this amazing woman. It is a similar concept to Samuel's House and she is doing an amazing job considering that she is running the place only with the help of her daughter. They have 12 girls and all of them are firm believers of God. This is what we want to see and what we want to be. People with the passion and the commitment to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate.

Everyone needs a purpose in life. We do not want to go through our lives just going to work 9-5 Monday to Friday (and doing the usual weekend stuff) without accomplishing something bigger. We have promised God and ourselves that we will make blessing the less fortunate our main purpose in our lives. If we can make a difference to one child, that is one life we have made a difference to. But we believe God will utilise us to the fullest and impact as many lives as we can. HE has equipped us with the right skills, knowledge, resources and etc. to prepare us for this journey. HE has also blessed us tremendously throughout this journey and we know for a fact that HE will continue to bless us so that we can bless others.

You may think that we (2 people) or you can make very little difference to this world when there are so many less fortunate people. Think about it...you make a difference just by bringing a smile to the face of a less fortunate child. You can give an opportunity, a hope and a future to a child. We wish you all the best for 2009 and hope that you will get involved, make a difference, one child at a time.

phayakkhaphum phisai, thailand

2008-12-22T15:43:00.001+10:00

We love every visit to Samuel's House at Phayakkhaphum Phisai even though the 6-7 hours bus trip can be torturous. We were able to visit SH 4 times this year and spent a substantial amount of time with them. Our longest stay was 3.5 weeks when the weather was unbearably HOT! The heat just sapped your energy away and it was almost impossible to do anything. Our time at SH has given us insights into how the place run and the social/cultural factors we need to take into consideration when we make decisions. We were also very happy to have visitors from Korea (Elly and Heeseon) and from Australia (Lung and Rachel), and to have the opportunity to share our passion with them. Phayak is a little country town and there is not a lot you can do around there. There are just rice fields after rice fields.

What we love

LL: My kids! They are such lovely and well mannered kids. Can't ask for any more.

AT: Believe or not - Koh's cooking!!! He is a great cook and even though the food is simple, it was delicious!!!

What we dislike

LL: The extremely hot weather in some months.

AT: The heat!!! The heat!!! The heat!!! The heat was unbearable during May/June!!! It was much much better in Nov (Thailand's "winter")!!!

What we miss

LL: My kids! I miss them so much...

AT: All our kids!!! They are a great bunch and I missed them as soon as we said our goodbyes!!!

What we don't miss

LL: The insects especially mosquitoes. They are vicious!

AT: The 6 hour bus ride...Thai shows/music all the way from Bangkok...

What we have accomplished

LL: I really appreciate the time we had to spend with the kids as well as with Nehamee, Hannah and Koh. Also, I can give myself a pat on the back for picking up thai! Thai is not a difficult language to learn but it's tonal and has 5 tones. I am glad that I was able to communicate with the children with the little thai I know. The relationships and understanding we have built with the adults have also help all of us to move ahead with a common goal.

AT: I believe that our relationship with the children and carers have progressed to another level. This will enable us to work together more efficiently to assist the community at large.

What we learnt

So many things...where to start? The core of it is the importance of building relationships with people.

phetchabun, thailand

2008-12-22T15:29:00.001+10:00

After 7.5 hours of bus ride from Bangkok to Phechatchun, we were so over it and were tired and cranky. However, once we stepped into Ban Meata Phetchabun, we felt at home and were very warmly welcomed by many. Phetchabun is situated in the midst of the mountains and the scenery is beautiful. Ban Meata Phetchabun has lovely children and lovely staff. The children are very well looked after by the staff. This place is amazing. They have a farm which is used to grow produce for the children's meals. We get free and fresh produce, such as pumpkin, papaya, bananas, etc... They also have fish farms which produces the most beautiful fish we have eaten in Thailand. Ban Meata Phetchabun has also built a school to provide free education not only to the children of Ban Meata but the whole village. They currently provide free education to over 1000 children in the school. We are very thankful that God has brought us to Ban Meata Phetchabun on our trip.

What we love

LL: The beautiful people serving in this place who are truly men and women of faith.

AT: The people working their hearts out for the children. They are truly great people and people of God.

What we dislike

LL: I can't help but feel that some of the children don't have a sense of belonging in this place. The people running this place have sacrificed so much and done their best. Unfortunately the number of children and the size of the place have some negative impact.

AT: I didn't like the structured schedules of the daily lives of the children in the home. I can understand that it is necessary in a big place like that.

What we miss

LL: I miss the children but especially the staff. Got to know some great and wonderful people at this place and they have inspired me a lot.

AT: I miss the children, the staff and the environment. The environment that these children grow up in is pure bliss. They need to understand how God has blessed them and how fortunate they are.

What we don't miss

LL: Millions of mosquito bites... I ended up with atopic demertitis and had to get an injection.

AT: I don't miss the heat at Phetchabun during the hotter months of the year.

What we have accomplished

LL: Working with the staff at the school canteen was really fun. Had a chance to get to know the carers better and appreciate what they are doing.

AT: To understand the inner workings of a children's home more intimately - the successes and mistakes that have been made.

What we learnt

Dream big... don't let the circumstances around you limit what you can do. We also learnt a lot of practical things about running a children home in Thailand which will clearly help us run Samuel's House more effectively.

da nang, vietnam

2008-12-06T09:40:00.001+10:00

For many years, we have wanted to visit Da Nang, Vietnam to see the great work that Deb and Paul Hilton are doing and to meet Hien's family. Da Nang is a small city on the coast of Central Vietnam. It has beautiful beaches and mountains to offer. We were physically and mentally exhausted when we got to Da Nang and were a little apprehensive about how much we can do there. However, we learnt the most about community development projects during our time with AOG World Relief Vietnam. The tireless effort of Paul and Deb to improve the lives of the poor in Vietnam has truly inspired us. We enjoyed all the trips out to the villages. Whether it was for providing clean water to villages and school, or to give wheelchairs to CP kids, or to provide pigs to the poor, we had a great time meeting the locals and witnessing the impact of these great projects on the lives of the poor. We could clearly see hope, joy and happiness in the eyes of the people benefiting from the projects. It was also marvelous to finally meet Hien's family and be able to put faces to names. We were very touched by the hospitality of her and her family.

What we love

LL: Visiting a variety of community projects out in the villages and seeing how they have impacted on the lives of many.

AT: Vietnamese Coffee!!! Had quite a few cups daily!!!

What we dislike

LL: Vietnamese love to use their honks.

AT: The noise from the horns of motorcycles and cars!

What we miss

LL: Very yummy vietnamese food at very cheap price.

AT: The friendly staff of Pacific Hotel in Da Nang. There are not many hotels in the world where the staff will go all out to make your stay as comfortable as possible (without spending lots of $$$).

What we don't miss

LL: Traffic traffic traffic

AT: THE BEEPING OF HORNS!!! Glad that I am no longer hearing any of it now!

What we have accomplished

LL: Our time there was just so different from the others. I felt that I got a lot more out from the time I spent with the Hilton than what they got out of me. They gave me a real insight into community development projects and ways to break poverty cycle and to improve the lives of the poor.

AT: We managed to teach the kids some crafts and make a difference in their lives, even for those few short days. The smiles on their faces makes everything that we have done so worthwhile.

What we learnt

The community development projects did not just directly improve the lives of the people in short term, but aims at improving the community as a whole to make a lasting difference. Many other organisations are doing the 'band-aid' approach but AOG WR Vietnam is truly making a lasting impact.

phnom penh, cambodia

2008-11-21T01:59:00.003+10:00

It was our first visit to Cambodia for both of us so we weren't too sure what to expect. Our first day experience with both the airport taxi and bus journey from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh was definitely interesting and a little uncomfortable even though we are experienced travelers and have traveled a fair bit in Asia. After our visit to the genocide museum and the killing fields, I am not sure how Cambodians can trust anyone anymore but themselves. What happened during the short regime of Khmer Rouge has scarred the people and had such a huge impact on this society. It's good that we learnt about their history before we started working with the locals as it gave us insights into how they process their thoughts, how they live, how they work, etc.

Our 2 weeks at NLF went passed fairly quickly. We are extremely impressed with their passion to empower the locals. More than 10 years ago, NLF started providing free English and computing lessons to the locals, believing that this will truly make an impact in this city. They did! Many people in Phnom Penh know about NLF and have taken classes at NLF. Many have came to know the Lord through this program and many are now leaders of NLF contributing back to NLF. We particularly like their Children at Risk program, which is not just a child sponsorship program but also a way for them to equip the families in the poor villages to start small micro-businesses to be self-sufficient. Their Children Ministry is led by Vimean who is truly passionate about the kids living out in the slums and on the streets. No one can do what this team is doing weekly if they don't have a heart for these 250+ street kids.

What we love

LL: Khmer believers reaching out to their own people with a passion, and improving the lives of those living in poverty by empowering and equipping them.

AT: The beautiful and friendly people in the Cambodia countryside.

What we dislike

LL: The rubbish all over the streets!

AT: The fear of getting ripped off by the locals.

What we miss

LL: Khmer is very friendly and polite.

AT: Cambodian dragon fruit!!! I had heaps of it while we were in Cambodia. Apparently it is very good for constipation.

What we don't miss

LL: Traffic, dirt roads, big pot holes, rubbish on the streets...

AT: I don't miss the pollution in Phnom Penh. In addition to the air pollution, there was rubbish everywhere in the city.

What we are thankful for

LL: Health and safety. The church apartment was comfortable and convenient.

AT: Thankful that we got to see Cambodia, especially the beautiful countryside.

What we have accomplished

LL: Surviving 3 days visiting Angkor Wat. I know everyone wants to visit Angkor Wat and it's a world heritage site. For me, spending 3 days sight-seeing temples and more temples is a little too excessive.

AT: We were able to share our ideas with the different departments in NLF, and they are in the process of implementing some of these ideas.

What we learnt

The importance in equipping the locals and empowering them to reach their own nation. This is so much more effective.

cusco, peru

2008-11-20T03:02:00.001+10:00

PERU! What a beautiful country! It has so much to offer to the tourist but sadly the majority of the country is living in poverty. We enjoyed our 9 weeks in Peru and glad that we were able to volunteer with Peru's Challenge on the 8-week program. The program not only gave us an insight into needs of the under-privileged and poor but also open our eyes to the rich and beautiful culture of Peru. Cusco city is a major tourism centre in Peru as it's the gate to the world famous and world heritage listed Machu Picchu. Cusco city and its vicinity has so much to offer.

What we love

LL: The walk up to school...such a scenic walk and takes you to a completely different place. It was my keep fit exercise as well as my training for Inca Trail. I love my time with the kids in the kindy class! They are so adorable and I love doing all the activities with them.

AT: The nice weather. It was cold at times but most of the time it was cool with sunshine. The bicycle ride up to the school and back down at 4000m was also a highlight. I enjoyed the work at the school. Being able to make a difference in the children's and community's lives, whether big or small, was thoroughly enjoyable and has changed my perspective in life.

What we dislike

LL: The different social class and mistreatment of the indigenous Peruvian. Domestic violence towards the wives is widely acceptable in this society. I am glad there is organisation like Peru's Challenge to help these ladies.

AT: The poverty in Peru. It was sad to see the poor struggling with the everyday basics that we, in the western world, take for granted everyday.

What we miss

LL: Off course the kids in the kindy class. Also the friends we met during this journey and the great time we had together.

AT: The good times that we had with Peru's Challenge's staff, the friends we made on this journey and the kids.

What we don't miss

LL: The temperamental electric shower...I don't miss not knowing if I will have a warm shower or will I get an electric shock while in my shower. It's good to be able to turn on the tap and drink water straight from it.

AT: I don't miss the dusty roads and air pollution of Cusco.

What we are thankful for

LL: Although we had to be extremely careful with our food, there are plenty of good cafes in the city that offer great food and coffee. I was able to get my coffee fix once a week in one of these cafes as well as enjoyed a yummy big breakfast.

AT: Thankful that I did not get any stomach bugs/viruses at all. Everyone else did!!!! I was the last man standing...

What we accomplished

LL: 4 days trekking on Inca Trail to Machu Picchu which was tough but enjoyable. I managed to stay fit and healthy even though I had amoeba towards the end of the program.

AT: I am actually quite proud that we made it to Peru and finished the 8-week program. Throughout the planning process, there was always this lingering feeling about whether is this for real, is it really going to happen, etc....It was a dream to travel to Peru and volunteer to help the less fortunate.

What we learnt

We learnt about the ins and outs of the travel volunteer program. It is a very good not-for-profit system as the funds generated from the volunteers are put into the community development program. This benefits both the community being helped and the volunteers.

end of the road...

2008-11-19T23:51:00.000+10:00

Hi All, we have come to the end of our journey. This year has been GREAT!!! It has been extremely rewarding, fulfilling, life-changing, educational, etc....(all the good things). We will be putting up a few more posts to reflect on the year. Stay tuned.

saying goodbyes...

2008-11-14T02:47:00.005+10:00

Our last morning at Samuel's House before all four of us left for Bangkok. Saying goodbye is never easy as we have grown very close to this big happy family...

korean buffet

2008-11-14T01:10:00.001+10:00

The entire Samuel's House family went out for a Korean BBQ buffet on our last night at SH. Once again, we had a great time feasting together and enjoying spending time with each other. The kids just ate and ate and ate... They had so much food and we were getting worried that some of them might end up with upset tummies.

how's the rice?

2008-11-14T01:00:00.001+10:00

The last time we showed you that we were clearing the rice field late May in preparation for rice planting. We had an American team helped us with the rice planting in July. When we came back in August, we showed you some photos of the newly planted rice. Now we are back here again and I like to show you how the rice is developing. The Samuel's House team will be harvesting them next week and we expect at least 40 big bags of rice.

BBQ

2008-11-14T00:50:00.002+10:00

The weather is a lot cooler now than earlier in the year. Perfect weather to have an outdoor BBQ so we seized the opportunity to have a BBQ with the kids. Koh and Alvin constructed a long BBQ pit to fit everyone in. The kids helped with the preparation of the food as well as catching some fish for BBQ. Initially, Alvin and Koh struggled with getting the charcoal going but eventually had it going well. The kids wasted no time and got right into barbecuing their food. As usual, they love their hotdogs and meat balls.

7 eleven

2008-11-14T00:41:00.002+10:00

This is our favourite shop in Phayak. The first 7 Eleven in Phayak! Only opened less than 6 months ago and is the only shop with air-con in the town. Simple living out in the country...

first sundae

2008-11-14T00:39:00.002+10:00

These kids had seen many pictures of ice cream sundaes but never had one before in their lives. We thought of bring them to the nearest Swensen's but the closest Swensen's is about an hour's drive from Samuel's House. Fortunately, we found a little ice cream shop in Phayak town and took all the kids there one afternoon. Such an amazing feeling to share their first sundae experience. You can tell that they absolutely love it from these photos. We hope to share many more sundaes with them in the future.

oz visitors

2008-11-14T00:32:00.001+10:00

Our friends, Lung and Rachel, visited us at Samuel's House! It was good to have visitors from Australia! They were really good with the kids. See other posts on some of the things we did together.

recycled shoe rack

2008-11-14T00:30:00.001+10:00

We had an old cabinet that was used for storage in the old kitchen. Now that the kitchen is renovated and nicely set up, we no longer need this old cabinet. Koh had a bright idea of converting the old cabinet into a shoe rack. As you can imagine, trying to keep that many pairs of shoes neatly is not easy without a big shoe rack. Koh removed the doors of the cabinet and the kids got involved in helping to give the shoe rack a fresh coat of paint. Of course Alvin had to come in and give it a beautiful second coat to finish off the new shoe rack. Looks good, right?

11 little pigs...

2008-11-11T23:20:00.004+10:00

Our 11 little pigs. These are now two months old and we have 4 females and 7 males. The plan is to rear the males to about 100kg (about 3 more months to go) and sell them. We will keep the females and expand our pig farming program with them. The long term plan is to expand our pig farm to a stage where we can have a steady income but more importantly, to give and bless the community with piglets (pay it forward program) so that the whole community can grow richer together.

new kitchen...

2008-11-11T23:20:00.003+10:00

Our brand new kitchen!!! We are so happy with the result. Certainly looks a lot different and a lot more hygienic than the old kitchen. Koh, our carer, is especially proud and protective of his new kitchen. He has been cleaning it religiously ever day and night ever since it was completed!!! We also purchased a brand new fridge to replace the old fridge (which was very old and not working properly) and to complement the new kitchen. The old fridge was so bad that Koh complained that the new fridge is too cold because he is unable to chop/cut the meat immediately after removing it from the freezer. The old fridge was that bad that the freezer section did not freeze the meat!!!

hello samuel's house for the last time in 2008

2008-11-11T23:19:00.001+10:00

Back to Samuel's House for one last visit before we finish up our year long trip. It has always been our plan to see our wonderful kids as our last stop to put the year into perspective. We arrived at a good time as the new school term has not started for some of the kids. Been having a great time with them!!!

hello & goodbye ban meata khon kaen

2008-11-11T23:18:00.001+10:00

Did a whirlwind visit to Ban Meata in Khon Kaen on our way to Samuel's House. Ban Meata Khon Kaen is a children's home which specifically looks after children with HIV. These are real happy kids and they look no different from normal children. We were taken on a tour of the facility by an adorable girl named Sujaree. We had a great time playing with the children.

hello & goodbye ban meata phetchabun

2008-11-11T23:00:00.001+10:00

Went back to Ban Meata Phetchabun for about one week. It was good to see friends, staff and children again. The staff and children at Ban Meata are always friendly and full of love. We helped to wrap Christmas presents for the staff, children and community, fix a few computer problems, etc...for the week that we were there. It was very sad to say goodbye and a few tears were shed on the last day. This place will always have a special place in our hearts. We will definitely miss the place...

no posts for sometime...

2008-11-06T23:49:00.001+10:00

Sorry for the lack of posts on our blog...Internet access hasn't been readily available...It is still not readily available but we are managing better...

family fun

2008-10-24T00:30:00.001+10:00

We met up with Ron, Colleen, Whun and Why in Bangkok. If you remember, Ron and Colleen are volunteering at Mercy International and we got to know them the last time we were at Mercy. They decided to bring their sponsored child (Whun) and her sister (Why) to Bangkok for a holiday. We did heaps over the few days in Bangkok! We took them to Siam Ocean World (an aquarium in the city), Science Museum and Planetarium, Thailand National Museum, Grand Palace, a cruise down the river, and of course trips for smoothies and ice-creams.

flying budget airlines

2008-10-24T00:27:00.001+10:00

Now, as many of you know, there has been an influx of budget airlines in recent times. One of them is Air Asia, which we took from Bangkok to Krabi and back. With budget airlines, everything is BUDGET!!! Free seating, limited check-in baggage allowance, no free meals on board the aircraft, no aerobridge for boarding and unboarding, which brings me to the purpose of this blog post. Just before we boarded our Air Asia flight from Krabi to Bangkok, it started to rain very heavily. We were given umbrellas (which they had limited numbers and had to keep ferrying them back from the aeroplane from previous passengers) to walk to the aeroplane. By the time everyone made their way to the aeroplane, we were all soaking wet. The Air Asia ground staff did not have raincoats or umbrellas and they were soaked to the skin. This is the first time we have experienced something like this. IT WAS FUN (see the smiles on our faces)!!!

sea kayaking

2008-10-23T23:54:00.001+10:00

Went sea kayaking at Ao Thalene - about 40 mins drive from our hotel in Ao Nang. We have always enjoyed kayaking and could not resist a sea kayaking trip in Krabi. Joop Jang and Whun has never kayaked before and were a little apprehensive. We had a great time kayaking on the ocean, along the river, through the mangroves and beside rock cliff faces. Tired but satisfied...

sunset from room balcony

2008-10-23T23:34:00.001+10:00

royal nakara

2008-10-23T23:01:00.001+10:00

We stayed at the Royal Nakara during our stay at Krabi. Great little boutique hotel. It has about 20 rooms and most rooms have a great view of the ocean and mountains. Breakfast is a cook-to-order outdoor affair and not the usual buffet style all-you-can-eat breakfast.

view from ao nang beach

2008-10-23T23:00:00.000+10:00

Beautiful, isn't it? Enough said...We will be back!

feeding fish

2008-10-23T22:50:00.000+10:00

One of the things that we got to do was feeding the fish at the beach. There were so many fish!!! All we had to do was to stick a piece of bread under the water and all the fish would rush to us. And if we were not careful, we would get bitten!!! These hungry fish...

island hopping

2008-10-23T22:49:00.000+10:00

Did some island hopping while we were at Krabi. Visited four islands and had a great time. Picture perfect setting. Sunny warm weather, fine white sand and crystal clear water (and no, the pictures have not been photoshopped). We built sand castles, snorkeled, swam and lazed around the beaches. Don't you wish you were there?

longtail boat ride

2008-10-23T22:48:00.001+10:00

Had to get on a longtail boat to visit the different islands around Krabi. These boats are essentially wooden boats with big engines bolted to the back of them. They are very noisy and the engines put out a lot of black smoke (I reckon they don't get serviced very often?). The boat captains (if you can call them that) are very capable in piloting their boats - using their legs and arms to steer and maneuver the boat.

to krabi

2008-10-23T22:43:00.001+10:00

Back in Thailand! The first destination of our Thailand trip is KRABI!!! We are taking our sponsored child, Joop Jang, and our thai friend Wunnie, for a holiday at Krabi. It was the first trip to Krabi for all of us. It was also Joop Jang's first plane ride and she was very excited!!!

our last stop

2008-10-15T11:32:00.005+10:00

We are flying to Thailand this morning! This is the last leg of our journey. Bit tired now (packing, unpacking, airports, airplanes, buses, different beds, different showers/toilets, etc....) but we believe that it will be GREAT to finish up the trip in Thailand!!! Will keep blogging to keep you updated on our progress.

kaya toast

2008-10-14T10:11:00.004+10:00

White bread (charcoal toasted) and spread with kaya jam and top with a thin slice of butter...that's kaya toast for you. Kaya toast used to be just a breakfast item and sold mainly in coffee shops but now it's consumed throughout the day as a popular snack and served in many up- market coffee shops (Ya Kun and Toast Box) specialising in kaya toast. Kaya (a Malay word) is actually a coconut jam made with coconut milk, eggs, pandan leaf and sugar. Singaporeans like to have their kaya toast with a cup of traditional coffee (kopi) or tea (teh) and sometimes with 2 half boiled eggs.

laksa

2008-10-14T10:11:00.003+10:00

Another TOP 10 MUST TRY in Singapore. A spicy noodle dish (rice noodles with prawns, cockles, fried bean curd, bean sprouts and fish cake in a coconut chili soup base) originated from Peranakan culture (merge between Chinese and Malay). We have served this noodle dish to many in Australia and most people love the dish, likely due to the coconut based soup. YUM!!!

bak kut teh

2008-10-10T14:07:00.002+10:00

Bak Kut Teh is a Chinese soup with pork ribs, which literally means 'pork bone tea'. The pork ribs are cooked for hours in a broth with Chinese herbs and spices and it is usually eaten with rice and yu tiao (strips of fried dough). The meat on the ribs should be tender and fall off the bones easily and the soup has a peppery taste. We often made this dish in Australia but with instant packs of herbs and spices. Love to have it during winter nights. By the way, it's also a Top 10 MUST TRY in Singapore.

favourite pastime

2008-10-10T13:46:00.001+10:00

The favourite pastime for many Singaporeans is eating. Singaporeans will drive from one end of the country to another end and even queue for hours just to eat their favourite food. Singapore is a very small country, just 707.1 km square. Not much you can do except shop and eat therefore we are very passionate about our food. It's common for Singaporeans to have 5 meals in a day but don't be surprise if we have up to 7 meals. However, each meal is usually small.

A few more snacks... First is the curry puff, which is a little pie filled with thick curry potato and chicken and a small piece of hard boiled egg. You wrapped the fillings in the dough before you deep fried the entire puff. I did learnt how to make this from my grandma when I was a little girl. Next we have the peanut pancake (Mee Chiang Kueh). This is not the usual pancake that you know. It's 2 honeycomb-like soft spongy layers sandwiching tasty chopped peanuts and sugar. Eat it while it fresh and hot! The aroma...I think I need one now! The last one is Hum Chim Peng...which is a deep fried dough with bean paste.

traditional kuehs

2008-10-06T19:04:00.002+10:00

Singaporeans eat round the clock. They are many 24 hour eating places in this country to satisfy the appetite of the people. Besides the 3 meal meals, we also have many choices for the in-between meals snacks. Here are some traditional ones. First, the Teochew Png Kueh (glutinous rice cake), which is glutinous rice with shiitake mushroom, peanuts and shredded pork wrap in a pink rice flour skin. My granny made very good png kueh when she was around and our family usually pan fry the png kueh before we dip it in sweet dark soya sauce and chili sauce to eat. The next one is Ang-ku-kueh, glutinous rice flour cake with different fillings and is a nonya snack. These days, not only can you get the traditional ang- ku-kueh with peanuts or mung bean, you can also have the durian ang-ku-kueh, yam ang-ku-kueh, coconut ang-ku kueh and so on... Lastly, we have Kueh tutu which is rice flour with peanuts and sugar or shredded coconut as filling. Kueh tutu is made on the spot when you order and ready in minutes. You should also eat it while it's hot or it becomes hard when cooled.

singapore food

2008-10-06T18:24:00.003+10:00

OK... this post and the upcoming ones will be focusing on Singapore food. I decided to take the opportunity to introduce Singapore food to our overseas friends as they have been talking about visiting Singapore for years and haven't done so. Hopefully these yummy food will help them make up their minds!

Let's start with 2 of the Singaporean favourites, chicken rice and fried Hokkien mee. Chicken rice is Alvin's favourite and he can eat this dish for breakfast, lunch and dinner if you let him. Chicken rice is also known as Hainanese Chicken Rice due to it's origin from Hainan, China. The chicken is boiled to perfection such that it's just cooked and not overcook, whereas the rice is cooked in a special chicken broth giving it a unique fragrance and flavour. You should also know that the condiments, chili and garlic sauce and dark soya sauce, that come with chicken rice are very important to complete this dish. If you step into Singapore you must try this dish as it's the Top 10 MUST TRY in Singapore. Hokkien mee refers to fired noodles cooked in Hokkien/Fujian style. Hokkien or Fujian people are from Fujian province in China and they speak the Fujian dialect. By the way, Alvin is Fujian and I am Chaozhou (Teochew).

Check out this website if you are keen to find out more on Singaporean food (http://singaporefoodfestival.com/foodfacts.php).

family time in singapore

2008-10-06T17:56:00.001+10:00

We left Vietnam one week earlier than the original plan so that we can be back in Singapore for more than a week to spend some time with our families before we head off to Thailand. The shorten time in Vietnam means we could not go to Ho Chi Minh City to visit some friends or to Hanoi to visit the world famous Ha Long Bay. Fortunately we didn't make any bookings beforehand for Hanoi and Ha Long bay as parts of North Vietnam are flooded due to typhoons. Not to worry as we are sure we will go back to visit Vietnam in near future.

nail art 2

2008-10-03T01:01:00.001+10:00

Hien, you should be proud of me! I decided to get my nails done beautifuly before I leave Da Nang. This design is a little more complicated than the first one I had but it didn't take her any longer to do it.

paul and deb hilton

2008-10-03T00:52:00.002+10:00

We want to thank Paul and Deb Hilton for a fabulous time in Da Nang. Honestly, we were a little tired coming into Da Nang. We were tired from living out of our bags, packing and unpacking, moving from one place to another, and mental exhaustion as there is so much to take in and process from each place. However, we felt recharged and refreshed in Da Nang! There is something very special about Paul and Deb. As we spent time to visit different places and meet different people with them, we sensed the presence of our Heavenly Father everywhere we went. We really admire their dedication and passion to the Vietnamese people, touching the hearts of these people with their hearts and also making lasting changes in their lives with actions. They are passionate about making life better not just for individuals but for the entire communities. Thanks Paul and Deb!

pigs day

2008-10-03T00:11:00.002+10:00

We went back to Nui Thanh district today, this time to distribute pigs. We had a great day out. We were meeting the locals, assisting AOG World Relief, and giving out piglets to the villagers. This is the AOG World Relief Vietnam's "pay it forward" pigs program. 50 female piglets are given to 50 of the poorest families in the village. The piglets will be artificially inseminated after 6 months. The families are to give two females piglets (from the second little of piglets from the original sow) to their neighbour in the same village. This "pay it forward" system continues until every family in the village has a pig and this effectively raises the economic standard of the whole village. This is a very good program and we have learnt a lot from it.

hue cuisine

2008-10-01T21:44:00.002+10:00

Some very traditional Hue food... banh beo (steam rice cake top with shrimp and pork crackling), banh uot (steamed rice roll), cha tom (shrimp cake), banh it ram (chewy rice ball on pork crackling), banh nam (rice cake with shrimp and pork wrap in banana leaf), banh bot loc (tapioca starch with shrimp and pork fat wrap in banana leaf), and of course we tried the best known Bun Bo Hue (spicy beef noodle soup, no photo)!

perfume river

2008-10-01T20:36:00.001+10:00

Perfume River...the landmark of Hue city. Was a little puzzled why they named it 'perfume river' when it does not smell that good when we walked along the river. Well, in autumn flowers upriver fall into the river giving it a perfume-like aroma.

hue imperial citadel

2008-10-01T20:25:00.001+10:00

Hue is an imperial city of the Nyugen Dynasty ad best known for it's historic monuments. It's also a world heritage site. The Imperial Citadel is large and on the north side of the famous river, perfume river. Inside the Citadel is the Forbidden City where it used to house the imperial family and any trespassers would face death as punishment. Not much of the Forbidden City is left due to bombings during the Vietnam war. There are also a number of Emperors' tombs in Hue but we decided visiting the Citadel is enough.

train ride to hue

2008-10-01T19:26:00.002+10:00

Always wanted to experience a train ride in asia. The train ride from Da Nang to Hue is deemed as the most scenic part along the coast of Vietnam. Many locals still use the train to get to cities between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Hue, a world heritage site, is the next stop north of Da Nang and is less than 3 hour away by train. So we decided to take a train to Hue...

We have been warned by Hien that train ride in vietnam might not be as comfortable as we thought as it is slow and the cabin is dirty but she did stressed that it's safe to travel on the train. Not knowing what we to expect, we got to the train station at Da Nang more than an hour before our scheduled train. The train station at Da Nang is fairly small and there's a little waiting room for everyone to seat and wait. Interestingly, there are many 'no smoking' signs in the station but that does not stop people from standing right at the doorway puffing away. There are different types of train in Vietnam and each with different types of cabins. You can have the hard seat (bench style), soft seat, soft seat reclining, hard berth, soft berth, with or without air-con, slow train, fast train or express. Since we only have one stop to go, we went for the soft seat with air-con option. This cost us only 48,000 VND each (~AUD $3.50). Trains in Vietnam are usually on time and they do not wait for their passengers. Once we got on the train and into our cabin, we were a little taken aback. Hien is right! The seats look old and dirty, with rubbish and left-over food on the floor. We got to our seats and sat there quietly for more than 30 minutes trying to take it all in. Vietnamese people do not respect personal space or exhibit social mannerism. People took off their shoes and putting their bared feet in the air (the smell...), then a man walked into the cabin smoking in the cabin under the non-smoking sign, next a group of teenagers started to change out of their wet clothes in their seats...

Well, the scenery between Da Nang and Hue is indeed beautiful even though it was raining quite hard.

thanks hien!

2008-10-01T17:39:00.002+10:00

We just want to thank Hien and her family for the wonderful hospitality. We had such a great time, enjoying the weekend with Hien and her family. Thanks for showing us around Danang and Hoi An, and spoiling us with the best local food. See you the next time we come to Vietnam!

nail art

2008-09-29T01:00:00.001+10:00

I do not enjoy pedicure or manicure and only had one in my entire life. However, under persistent urging from Hien, I gave in and decided to get my fingernails done. Nail art... First, I picked the design, and the lady told me that the design is too simple and I should pick something a little more complicated as she can do any design I like. I told her I am happy with a simple design and she went ahead did my nails in less than 10 minutes. I cannot believe that this only cost me 20,000 VND, which is ~AUD$1.50!

marble mountains

2008-09-29T00:49:00.001+10:00

The weather finally cleared up in the afternoon so we visited the marble mountains. Marble mountains is a cluster of 5 limestone hills not far from Da Nang city. We climbed one of the mountains which provided good views of the other mountains and the town. There are numerous caves you can visit up in the mountain.

scenic drive

2008-09-29T00:33:00.001+10:00

There was not a single drop of rain for 2 weeks since we got here but it started raining very heavily this weekend! We had to change our plans for outdoor activities because of the rain so we decided to take a drive through the Hai Van Tunnel, a 6km tunnel. It's probably the longest tunnel we have gone through and the scenery at the other end of the tunnel was absolutely beautiful.

hien and hoi an

2008-09-29T00:23:00.001+10:00

One of the reasons for our visit to Da Nang is to visit our friend, Hien, and her family. Hien was a student in Brisbane before she came back to Vietnam at the end of last year. She is now working in HCM city but flew back to Da Nang to spend the weekend with us. We went to Hoi An, a world heritage site, which is less than an hour south of Da Nang. Hoi An is not as impressive as we thought. It does have numerous shops selling souvenirs and tailors making made-to-measure jackets/dresses/pants/suits for a very small price. Hoi An is flooded every year! The photo with the different faces showed the levels of flood water each year. Everyone who visits Hoi An will try the famous Cao Lau noodles which is only found here. Pretty good. We are pleased to finally meet Hien's family and thankful for the home cooked food by Hien's mum. Look at the spread...we were so stuffed at the end of the night.

craft therapy

2008-09-26T15:52:00.001+10:00

Did a couple more craft sessions with the children at the Rehab Centre. The first one is making wooly sheep, which we have to substitute cotton wool with toilet paper. The final result is pretty good and the kids were absolutely engrossed and very proud of their artworks. The next day, we cut up potatoes into different shapes and sizes for them to do printing with these potatoes and water colour. Many of them are very creative but just never had the opportunity to display their creativity.

tears of sadness

2008-09-25T20:23:00.002+10:00

While one family is celebrating with joy for receiving a wheelchair for their CP daughter, another mother with a CP son is crying out for help. If you like to help this lady and her boy, pledge your support NOW!

tears of joy

2008-09-25T14:48:00.001+10:00

Wheelchair delivery! A mum with tears of joy when she received a wheelchair from AOG WR Vietnam for her cerebral palsy daughter. Many children in Vietnam are born with CP and most of the families cannot afford a wheelchair. A wheelchair significantly improves the quality of life for the CP child and the family. If you like to make a difference to the life of a CP child/family, pledge a donation to buy a wheelchair!

water and sanitation

2008-09-25T14:45:00.001+10:00

We went out to a school in Nui Thanh district which is about 2 hours south of Da Nang. The AOG WR Vietnam team went out there to investigate the possibility of installing a water purification system in the school. Clean water will reduce the number of health problems face by the school kids. The common cause is usually poor sanitation and poor quality drinking water. The team assessed the best location for installation of the water purification system, accessibility of drinking water by the school kids and also the sanitation status of the school. Look at colour of the water in the water bottle held by the water technician. We were shocked! Don't you think it looks more like tea than water? That's the water the children use to wash their hands. I wonder if it's cleaner before or after washing your hands with the water. The condition of the toilets is not any better. The team is looking at ways to improve the current condition and providing health and hygiene eduction in this school.

i am a multi-millionaire!!!

2008-09-24T19:56:00.003+10:00

Only in Vietnam though..........

playdough

2008-09-23T22:46:00.001+10:00

We went back to the Rehab Centre that we visited last week to do some activities with some children who don't get to go to school. There are several reasons why they aren't going to school. Many of these kids were street kids and without families. If the Centre do not have their birth certificates, the children will not be able to attend school. Some of them have physical or mental disability and are not accepted into school too. We bought some playdough for the children, teaching them the colours and getting them to make their favourite animals. Very quickly the children were engrossed in creating animals with their playdough.

life-saving heart operation

2008-09-23T19:53:00.002+10:00

AOG World Relief Vietnam also provides medical assistance to many Vietnamese families who have children affected by malformations of the heart. We were fortunate to meet one little girl who benefited from this program. She is now a healthy 20 month old girl. She was born with valve failure in her heart and to a very poor family out in the village. Her family would never have been able to afford the cost of the surgery and without the assistance of AOG WR Vietnam. And it would be very likely that she would not have survived without the surgery. Almost every single day, families with children of similar heart conditions go to AOG WR Vietnam office to seek help as the cost of surgery is beyond the means of most Vietnamese. If you like to support a heart operation, go to their website (see link on our blog) and pledge your support. You will be saving lives!

girls' home

2008-09-21T13:03:00.001+10:00

We went to visit a girls' home started up by a lady named An (centre of photo). It started 4 years ago when she began to take in young girls who can no longer be supported by their poor families. She houses them in her own house, cooks for them, sends them to school and teaches them important life skills. Many of these girls have never felt love before they came to this house. These 11 girls (range from 6 to 14) are like her own daughters. An's passion and love for these girls are just amazing and heart warming. We wish her the very best.

home visit in vietnam

2008-09-19T21:06:00.003+10:00

While in the village, we also visited a family (poorest in this village). It was 9.30am and we were a little surprised to see a few men having beer. Seems to be common in all poor countries...Alcohol is used either to numb their pain or for them to escape from reality. In the wooden house with dirt floor, there is a wooden bed with a mat and a dinning table. Nothing more... This guy is 39 years old but he looks like he is 50+. He has blood shot eyes and looked dazed. He does not have a regular source of income and you can sense that he feels there is no future for him and hopelessness in life. AOG World Relief Vietnam will investigate the possibility of helping this family with their pay-it-forward livestock program. In this program, a family will be provided with a pig for breeding. From the first litter of piglets, the family has to give away 2 healthy female piglets to 2 other needy neighbours, who in turn do the same. In this way, the whole village will benefit from it very quickly. This is one way to break the poverty cycle.

water of life

2008-09-19T21:03:00.002+10:00

Water is definitely one thing that we take for granted in developed countries. A major cost of our daily expenses goes to purchasing drinking water during this journey. I miss turning on the tap and drinking from it or not to worry too much if I accidentally drink some water during a shower or using tap water to brush my teeth. One of the community projects that AOG World Relief Vietnam has been doing for many years is to provide piped clean water to villages. Today we got the chance to visit one such project with Paul Hilton and Mr Cau (Project Manager) out in a village at the out-skirts of Da Nang city. When we arrived, we saw an old man looking with enthusiasm as the others dug the ground to lay the water pipe to pipe water to each household. He told Mr Cau that he is 93 years old and this is the first time he has seen piped water to his village. He was overjoyed that he is able to live to see piped water to his house! We went into a house where they eagerly showed us their new metered tap with water running from it. The villagers have to pay a small fee for their tap water usage which the money is used for maintenance.

the supermarket sealed my cap in a bag!!!

2008-09-17T22:11:00.003+10:00

That is exactly what they did!!! We went to the Big C supermarket today. Big C is like Carrefour, Tesco, Giant, etc... Anyway, as we approached the entrance, we were stopped by two security guards. They gestured to Linda's handbag and pointed to a sealer and plastic bag. We figured out what they were trying to do after a while. So they took Linda's bag and sealed it in a plastic bag and gave it back to her. We thought that was it and started to enter the store. One of the guards started to point to my cap. I thought "you have to be kidding me!!!". I took off my cap and gestured that there was no way I can hide anything under it... But they had their way and my cap got sealed in a plastic bag. I had my cap SEALED in a plastic bag and went shopping!!! CRAZY!!! AND (yes, I am not done...), we had a security guard running up to us to stop us from taking the two photos that you see above!!! See the guy to the left of the photo on the right. He was coming up to stop us...

an intersection in danang

2008-09-17T21:59:00.005+10:00

visits

2008-09-17T21:54:00.004+10:00

We visited a centre, which houses street people - men/women and unwanted kids/babies. Due to a law passed in Danang a few years ago, the city is cleaning the street of beggars and homeless people. They put these people into centres such as the one we visited. These people get a roof over their heads, three meals a day and nothing else. From what we can see, it is quite a meaningless for them to stay in the centre. The centre does not re-educated and re-integrate them back into the society. The centre is hoping that the people will get so bored of life there that they will go back home, usually in the countryside. If they return to the streets, they will be brought back to the centre and the cycle begins again...

We also visited a single mothers' home (Father's House). This place houses pregnant girls and single mothers, who are usually rejected by their families due to the girls getting pregnant before marriage. These girls are often abandoned by their so-called "boyfriends". The place provides a safe environment for the pregnant girls (around 18-20 years old), give them the right nutrition required during their pregnancy and also teaches them some parenting skills once the baby is born.

At Father's House, we met a lady who is 3 months pregnant and has just arrived at the house few days ago. She looked scared and empty. We found out that she has 2 previous abortions with 2 different guys and this is her 3rd pregnancy. She does not seems to be fully aware of why or what she is doing. The reason she gave for getting pregnant for the second and third time is to get back at her boyfriends. However, we also met a girl who has been there for 15 months. She has a beautiful 8 months old little girl. Father's House has helped her get on her feet and she is a keen leaner. She will be studying accounting for the next few years. We hope the new lady will find hope in life soon.

danang

2008-09-17T21:48:00.002+10:00

In Da Nang now!!! First visit to Vietnam for Linda, whereas Alvin has been to Hanoi and HCM City before (but not to Da Nang). Da Nang, Vietnam's 3rd largest city, is in the middle of the country (in between Hanoi, which is in the North and HCM City, which is in the South). We will be working with Paul and Debbie Hilton, who run AOG World Relief. They provide aid and relief to the socially disadvantaged in Vietnam. We will be doing what we can to help and also hopefully learn from them.

cambodia to vietnam!!!

2008-09-17T21:39:00.005+10:00

We are off to Da Nang, Vietnam, from Siem Reap. Learned a lot from Phnom Penh and hopefully we have provided useful help and ideas to them too. Enjoyed ourselves too - being able to experience what life in Cambodia (in the city and countryside) is like.

interesting facts of Cambodia

2008-09-15T23:15:00.003+10:00

People like to go out in their PJs (pajamas) regardless of what time it is in the day.
When crossing a road (no pedestrian crossings here), just make your way slowly across the road as the vehicles will drive around you.
The locals tend to smile and nod their heads saying 'yes' but the real answers to your questions may not be 'yes'.
Many locals can speak some English and the younger generation can speak the language very well learning it through unofficial conversational classes.
US dollar is the unofficial currency in Cambodia and Cambodian Riel is the small change (treated like coins).
Even in Phnom Penh, many roads are unsealed dirt road.
The number of NGOs/missionaries in Cambodia is unbelievable. Locals like to work in NGOs because the pay is better (USD150-170 per month). Other government office positions may pay as little as USD50 per month.
There is a minimum wage policy (USD60 per month) in Cambodia but not enforced in many industries. A waiter/waitress may be paid only USD20 per month.
Many plots of empty land but have high concrete walls surrounding them. The first thing a land owner builds after he purchased the land is to start building the concrete wall as soon as possible.
Lexus 4WD seems to be the preferred car in this third world country.
No point looking for rubbish bins. Locals just throw everything onto the streets.
They eat dogs! Don't be surprise if you are being served a bowl of stewed or barbecued dog meat. By the way, it is likely to be meat from a stray dog!
There are more hotels than tourists in Siem Reap. One hotel/ guesthouse every few meters apart.

bakong

2008-09-15T22:43:00.001+10:00

Bakong is the most impressive member of the Roluos Group which is 13km east of Siem Reap town. The journey out to view the Roluos Group also gave us an opportunity to see how the locals live.

ta prohm

2008-09-15T22:42:00.001+10:00

A temple built in late 12th to 13th centuries. Much interest on this temple due to its romantic atmosphere, with trees interlaced among the ruins. It was chosen as the temple to be left in its 'natural state' as an example of how most of the Angkor temples looked when they were discovered in the 19th century. Look at the size of the these trees!

the world famous angkor wat

2008-09-15T22:40:00.002+10:00

The world's largest religious monument. A total area of almost 200 hectares with a 190m-wide moat surrounding it. It's Gallery of Bas-Reliefs is unbelievable, the carved area is 600m in length and 2m high, documenting legendary stories on the wall. Having visited Angkor Thom before Angkor Wat, you are somehow left with a disappointed feeling, expecting Angkor Wat to be as massive as Angkor Thom. Unfortunately scaffolding was present on the main centre tower during our visit.

terrace of the elephants, angkor thom

2008-09-15T22:38:00.002+10:00

This is a long terrace in the middle of Angkor Thom, with cravings of elephants along it's wall, displaying bas-reliefs of hunting scenes with elephants.

bayon, angkor thom

2008-09-15T22:37:00.002+10:00

When you see advertising pictures of Angkor Archaeological Park, you will definitely see images of Angkor Wat in front of the reflecting lake and the giant stone faces of Bayon. Once you get into Bayon, you are surrounded by 37 standing towers, most but not all with 4 craved faces of Bayon. Every corner you turn, you will not fail to see one of the giant faces.

angkor thom south gate

2008-09-15T22:35:00.001+10:00

The famous gate where everyone goes through to enter Angkor Thom. It was terribly crowded in the morning when everyone stops at the gate to take photos.

angkor archaeological park

2008-09-15T22:32:00.002+10:00

We bought a 3 day tourist pass to Angkor. Unlike our visit to Machu Picchu we didn't have to hike 4 days to get there. We had the luxury of travelling from one destination to another in a tuk tuk. Couldn't believe how massive the entire park is. In most cases, you cannot walk from one site to another. We will post a few blogs showing you some photos of a few key temples. We visited many more sites but we didn't want you to get 'temple burnout' like we did.

goodbye NLF

2008-09-15T22:05:00.002+10:00

We have finished our 2 weeks at NLF. It has been a fruitful time. We have learnt so much from the NLF team and hopefully we have been helpful to them during our stay. We are really impressed with their commitment and dedication to the people of Cambodia. We want to thank Jesse and Soar McCaul for this opportunity. Also thanks to Pheakdey and his team at the Children at Risk and Vimean and his team at Children Ministry for their hospitality and warmth.

We are heading to Siem Reap for 4 days. Will take a 6 hour bus journey from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. Not surprisingly, we are spending our time in Siem Reap visiting the world famous and world heritage site, Angkor Archaeological Park which houses Angkor Wat and many other ancient temples.

crossing the road in phnom penh

2008-09-15T21:00:00.001+10:00

what's behind the wall?

2008-09-08T18:25:00.002+10:00

At first, we were very puzzled to see many empty lands with high concrete walls and big gates on the perimeter of these plots of land. There is NOTHING behind the walls. I suspect the reason is for the land owner to protect his land. Slums emerging overnight on empty land is not surprising and removing the slum occupants may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Therefore, the first thing a land owner builds after the purchase of his land is high concrete walls with big gate. This prevent unwanted slums to settle on the land.

equipping locals

2008-09-08T17:10:00.001+10:00

As part of the Children at Risk program, NLF also equips the families of the sponsored children to enable them to start small family business to generate food or small amounts of income for their own family. The staff go out to the provinces to train the families on how to run their businesses or how to do good agriculture to get good returns.

lexus

2008-09-06T20:32:00.001+10:00

Phnom Penh may be the city to have the most Lexus vehicles in the world. Weird, right? For a third world country, it has many luxurious 4WD. The Lexus 4WD seems to be very popular as every corner you turn intp, you will see one. Not sure if it's due to the concentration of NGOs in this city but many are driven by the locals too.

home visits

2008-09-06T18:37:00.002+10:00

We went to the provinces to visit some sponsored children. The Children at Risk department in NLF runs a 3-year sponsorship program where a child out in a village gets food (rice, oil, sauces, sugar, salt, canned fish etc) and school supplies for 3 years. During the 3 years, they also help the family to start a small micro-business which could be a food stall, farming vegetables, animal farming, making hand- loomed Cambodian silk etc, so that the family will eventually be self-sufficient and no longer rely on donations. We loaded up our car with bags of rice and others before heading out of the city. During the visit, the staff will check on the child's health and living condition, any issues in the household as well as going through schoolwork with them. The staff will visit each child once a month. Each child is also linked to a provincial church planted by NLF Phnom Penh and looked after by the provincial pastor. People are very friendly and you can see community living out in these villages. The neighbours help out one another.

phsar thmei

2008-09-06T18:35:00.001+10:00

The popular Central Market (Phsar Thmei) in Phnom Penh. Well known for it's architecture as it was constructed in 1935-1937. I must say that I wasn't that impress with it but was rather disappointed. The building is not well conserved. The inside of the market has hundreds of jewelry stalls selling all sorts of stones, while the outer areas of the market has stalls selling T-shirts, silverware, souvenir such as the famous kramas (Cambodian multi-purpose checkered scarf used by the locals as scarf, towel, male sarong, and to shield their faces from the sun).

cambodian tuk tuk

2008-09-06T18:34:00.001+10:00

This is the cambodian tuk tuk. A bit different from the Thai version. The cambodia version is essentially a four-stroke motorbike pulling a trailer. Not much conversion required except for a towing system fitted to the rear seat of the motorbike. These are much quieter and more environmentally friendly than the two-stroke Thai tuk tuk.

car rego number?

2008-09-06T17:43:00.001+10:00

Fairly common to see cars on the road without a registration/number plate. Apparently it's not against the law.

different ways of filling up

2008-09-06T17:27:00.001+10:00

By using a regular pump at a shophouse by a busy intersection...By using a bottle and funnel...By using a hose siphoning from a drum...And of course using a regular pump at a regular petrol station (no pictures, you know what it looks like). All these methods are available all over Cambodia.

moto-taxis

2008-09-06T17:26:00.001+10:00

A popular mode of transport here is the moto-taxi. Basically a beefed up motorcycle that the locals used to ferry passengers anywhere in town for a small fee. As you can see in the pictures, the beefed up motorcycles have a longer bench-type seat and stronger struts. The moto-taxis are able to take up to four people (including the driver)!!!

rubbish everywhere

2008-09-04T14:30:00.001+10:00

We haven't been game enough to eat from street stalls in Phnom Penh or use the tap water for brushing teeth. Why? The hygiene and sanitary system in Cambodia is not great, not even in the capital city Phnom Penh. It's a common sight to see rubbish being left on the walking pavement in front of almost every single building. In the whole week we have been here, we have not seen a rubbish tuck come to collect these bags of rubbish and the same bags of rubbish have been there for more than a week. So imagine the sight and smell... Locals tend to drop their rubbish anywhere and everywhere too and they also have a habit of spitting onto the streets. We have also heard a few stories on nasty stomach bugs/parasites in Cambodia. Not surprise! It's reminding us of those days in Peru...

art & craft

2008-09-03T13:08:00.001+10:00

We have been involved in the Children's Ministry and Children at Risk programs in Cambodia. One of the things that we are doing is providing them with fresh ideas on Sunday School for the children. We have been advising them on how we run Sunday School at our home church and also the different crafts that we do with our children. We have been hard at work making craft examples for them.

visit to the slums

2008-09-03T13:05:00.003+10:00

We went to visit some children who live in a slum near the city. This is part of the outreach program of the Children Ministry in NLF. A couple of the staff will go visit the same slum each week to spend some time and do some activities with the children. These children also get transported to church on Thursday for Joy Club (an outreach program for street kids) and Sunday for Children's Church. There are more than 750 families living in these slums, with approximately 300 children. These families used to live in tiny houses near the hospital (just a stone's throw away from the slum) but all houses were burnt down in a fire 5 months ago. Many of them came to Phnom Penh from other provinces to find work. Now they live in huts made with practically anything they can find, with no proper sanitation. Many of the children do not attend school. Unsurprisingly, alcohol, violence and child abuse is prominent in slums. Although they are living in appalling conditions with limited money for food and/or no money to send their children to school, the males in the families seemed quote comfortable spending a lot of money on alcohol. The children are also fairly violent towards each other (witnessed by us several times during our short visit). What threw me off completely was when I saw a boy (7-9 years old?) publicly smoking in front of all the adults and the adults did not seem bothered by it.

killing fields

2008-09-03T13:03:00.001+10:00

We also went to visit the killing fields, Choeung EK Memorial, which is 15 km from the city. During the short reign of Khmer Rouge, between 1-2.5 million Cambodians perished. Many of the dead ended up in various killing fields that can be found scattered across the country. The killing fields were ad-hoc, places of execution and dumping grounds for dead bodies. The memorial at Choeung EK is the site of the brutal executions of more than 17,000 men, women and children, most of whom suffered through interrogation, torture and deprivation of the S-21 prison. We were very surprised to see pieces of bones and clothing protruding from the ground even though much effort has been put in to collect these articles.

toul sleng genocide museum

2008-09-03T12:58:00.001+10:00

Toul Sleng Genocide Museum was formerly Khmer Rouge S-21 prison. S-21 stands for "Security Office 21", was Angkar's premier security institution specifically designed for the interrogation and extermination of anti-Angkar elements. S-21 was a high school before all classrooms of the school were converted into prison cells. All windows were enclosed by iron bars and covered with tangled barbed wire to prevent possible escape by prisoners. The victims in the prison were taken from all parts of the country and from all walks of life. They were different nationalities but the vast majority were Cambodians. The civilians prisoners composed of workers, farmers, engineers, technicians, intellectuals, professors, teachers, students and even minsters and diplomats. The prisoners were kept in their respective small cells and shackled with chains fixed to the walls or the concrete floors. It was very disturbing when we visited this place. You have to just walk through the place without stopping to think as it would be too overwhelming. The cruelty and inhumanity of Khmer Rouge is unbelievable and you would think it's impossible for a human being to commit such war crimes and genocide against their own people.

hot hot hot

2008-08-31T17:55:00.004+10:00

We thought Thailand was hot but it's even hotter in Cambodia!!! How am I going to survive the next few weeks? My skin problem has just cleared up before we left Singapore. After 2 days in Cambodia, it's itching at the same spots again. One good thing is there aren't that many mozzies in the city. There are some but not as many as in Thailand countryside.

us dollar or cambodian riel?

2008-08-31T17:55:00.003+10:00

Apparently both!!! The official currency in Cambodia is the Cambodian Riel but no one uses it. All businesses, big and small, trade in US Dollars. The Cambodian Riel is only used as small change. The current exchange rate is about US$1 = 4000 Cambodian Riel. An example...I pay for an item which cost US$2.50 (yes, most prices are in US Dollars). Hand over a US$5 note and you will be given two US$1 notes and 2000 Cambodian Riels as change...As you can imagine, we were a little confused on the first day... The photo above shows a 100 Cambodian Riel note which is about US$0.025!!!

more mobile bus ticket sellers (phnom penh)

2008-08-31T17:53:00.001+10:00

These mobile bus ticket sellers were very aggressive. They were pulling the woman's handbag and even dragging her child to their buses!!!

yellow pepsi?

2008-08-31T17:52:00.001+10:00

Well, not exactly...It is petrol in these bottles. These petrol sellers are all over the place. They sell by the bottle and provide you with a funnel to fill up!!!

where we live

2008-08-31T17:48:00.001+10:00

This is where we will live for the next 2 weeks. Quite comfortable apartment with all the essentials (including air-conditioner) and it just just opposite the church that we are working at.

where we work

2008-08-31T17:45:00.001+10:00

New Life Fellowship (Cambodia Outreach-NLF) is located in the Phnom Penh (PP) city, near the Olympic Stadium. They have planted over 60 churches in the provinces of Cambodia and provided assistance to many poor and underprivileged children in the slums in PP and villages out in the provinces. We will also get opportunities to visit these slums and take trips out to the provinces.

bus ride from siem reap to phnom penh

2008-08-31T17:39:00.002+10:00

Got to the "bus station" after a somewhat strange ride in an "official taxi" (proper licensed desk) from the airport. Few hundreds metres out of the airport, the driver stopped the taxi by the side of the road and started taking off all the taxi signs (including the one on the roof)!!! They were magnetic!!! I thought..."Oh-O"...We asked why did he do that and he tried explaining to us but we didn't understand. Oh well, we got to the "bus station" in one piece. Well, the bus station is really a dirt road with buses parked on one side of the road. There were numerous "mobile ticket sellers" trying to sell you tickets from different bus companies. As soon as the "official taxi" pulled into the dirt road, we had all these "mobile ticket sellers" all over the car. Finally decided on the bus to take...Waited for about 2 hours before the bus left (the mobile ticket seller told us the bus was leaving immediately)...As you can see from the pictures, the bus not only carried passengers but also transported a motorcycle!!! The bus ride was about 5 hours from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh and we had Cambodian music blaring out of the speakers all the way. Scenery is similar to Thailand...

arrived in cambodia

2008-08-31T17:36:00.001+10:00

Arrived in Siem Reap International Airport!!! Now, we have to take a 6 hour bus ride to Phnom Penh...

going to cambodia and vietnam

2008-08-31T17:35:00.000+10:00

We have had a good break in Singapore. Will be leaving for Cambodia for about 3 weeks and Vietnam for about 4 weeks. We will be working with a Christian organisation - New Life Fellowship - in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We will mainly work with their orphan/disadvantaged children program out in the provinces. This is our first trip to Cambodia - EXCITING!!! In Danang, Vietnam, we will be working with AOG World Relief. Similiar kind of work that we have been doing the past few months. We believe we will have lots to learn in these places.

still having problems with blogger

2008-08-31T17:34:00.000+10:00

Hi all, we are still having problems with blogger!!! Frustrating!!! Please bear with us as we try to sort out the problems. We will continue to blog daily - just that they might not get posted up in real-time...Check back regularly!!!