Double Boat with Vietnamese

This was suppose to go on yesterday's post but never made it... 

Double Boat

A double boat loaded with Vietnamese. the boatman was amazed of my command of the language and was yelling to the other boatman that I could understand. I sat in his shade to keep cool and listened to the Vietnamese chatter. They truly to have High Pitch sing- songy voices that grated on the nerves after a while. My daughter has been over in Vietnam many times with her husband as has my husband Tim. I never have. My Megan who is 20 said she spent 3 days during Tet( their new year )two years ago and had a head ache the whole time. Though only thing they do share with the Khmer is they shout. Khmer are also very loud.
We live right on the border of Vietnam and My son-in-law worked as head of Customs for two years till his promotion this last May. Now he's in charge of International relations.
I prefer Thailand and love to travel into Bangkok whenever I can. 

Older Cham women

It was interesting to ride back and forth with people as they rode the boats. It was a real pain for people having to use that everyday. Cars had to go the long way around the Karsk(Limestone mountains) Which added an hour each way. This was a little bit slower then going over the bridge but so much fun, though I didn't have to do each day like these women. 

Ahh, what happened???

the man on the left with a green hat seemes to saying that. It was a way over ladened truck with salt. this happens all the time... 

Boat ride

this was taken a few months ago when it was hot and sunny. Nice to see the sun since it's rainy season now.
The bridge fell in because of the salt trucks going over. Will post a shot of that. I was riding on one of the Cham Muslim's boat and he had me tucked safely in the back and was proud to have me taking pictures using his boat. I usually keep my head covered whn around the Cham, out of respect and when out in the more remote villages I cover my face. I have some really nice bright pink head coverings though. I refuse to wear black but most of the Cham women still wear bright colors.
I will probably adopt a more conservative dress when going to Bangkok from now on because I'm usually in a more predominately Muslim area and Muslims from all over the Mid-East are there. I have noticed though, if I have a child or a baby on my hip I get more respect. If I'm alone, I have to move out of the way. Don't know why that is.
This is a picture of the boats ferrying people from one end of the channel to the other. Motos, people, everything that can fit on these boats goes.
During the flood a week ago they were in business again. That was who got us around then. When they aren't trucking people around they are out at sea fishing. That's where all of Kampot's famous seafood comes from. 

Monks collecting offerings

I find myself enjoying the peacfulness of the Monks when I see them out on their walks in the mornings. A blur of saffron and yellow. Makes me wish that more of us in the world would find peace...
Though none of the world's religions are 100% peaceful, even Christianity, which is so sad though we look and point at others and say they are the ones... No, There has been so much corruption in all of the worlds faiths, nothing is pure anymore and no one knows their roots. Even the monks here , many who only do a short stint for one reason or another. Many can be seen today sitting astride instead of sidesaddle, many wear shoes and carry cell phones like was seen in Tomb Raider. If you go by the Wats and look in their dorms you can see pictures of the latest Pop stars and they have radios or some type of stereo. Peace still prevails though. I have one Wat on the other side of the river that I like to go visit and sit down and just rest, take a moment, a breather from all the rush. It's quiet and peaceful, something I've needed a lot lately.
May we all find some kind of peace in our lives today. 

trees down

here on the water front near the bridge more trees came down. If it was back in New Hampshire there would be plenty of free fire wood for the winter... When I took this the current had got a bit stronger so I grabbed a boat rather than chance falling in. The garbage and slime in the water is gross, wrapping around your legs as you walk. Makes me think of 1999 when we had it even worse. There was no walking this area back then. When I tried the neighbors said "No, Ming, you will drown, we can't let you."
So now I've been going out to check our house at the riverside and check on friends. 

Water fun during the flood

Despite the flood and all the problems it brings the kids seem to be having fun with the river in their yard. 

Getting around Kampot

As we floated by, kids were out taking advantage of the extra water to play in... 

Prime Minister Hun Sen

PM Hun Sen came yesterday at 6:30am to view the damage of the flood. My son-in-law who grew up with his kids and relatives had to be up most of the night planning the whole thing, security ect... he is the one in the blue shirt. It tookquite a bit to get this picture. i found he was much shorter then I thought and from those in the crowd, others realized the same thing. My batteries died after this picture before his copter took off. 

Getting around Kampot

This was taken yesterday in the morning and the only comfortable way to get around the flooded parts of town. We are fortunate to have the dryest street in Kampot to live on BUT all the water flows into are yard and house...
This pictures is right on the riverside in front of our other property that our daughter and Son-in-law will be living at for the next couple of years. 

Catching a boat ride

Well on my third trip out this morning, I took my daughter and her friend Tea. We walked till we got to one of the side streets near our house at the riverside and then as we got into water up to our knees and slogging through garbage and everything else we found a boat. The same one MaryKate had taken less then an hour before. So we secured the same price, 25 cents for each of us. We ended up taking an hour ride. We also picked up some hitchhikers but they paid their own way. After finding out we only wanted to stay by the river front they got out and went looking for a boat going to the market. I told the fisherman to go by our Sri Lankan friends place. Good thing we did. Our English friends were there and they wanted to hitch a ride to their house on the river to get some bricks to build up a wall at Lucky's to keep the water from seeping through any more.
We got there and back and then it decided to pour. We had five girls plus us three adults and the Cham Fisherman. So we were full and then one of the girls would giggle and the boat would go teetering.
We are having more rain so I'm afraid what it's gonna do to our house on the river side. We've done quite a bit of work to it since buying it. It had gone up about 6 inches after my 2nd trip.
Despite the rain this is the perfect time to go house hunting. You can see if they leak and what the yard is like. Ours is so flooded at the moment and the back is all flooding into the kitchen. It's disgusting to say the least. Since we'll be renting till we get all the work down on the river front homes we have no choise but to rent.

Cham fisherman ...

their doing a brisk business this morning... 

Kampot flood Aug. 2006

 

Any one for a boat ride?

The Cham Muslim are taking advatage of this. We need to use boats for most of the town at the moment. This was taken in fron of my house at the river front. 

Days in Cambodia part 2, the flood

I'm going to start posting pictures as I can. I posted one already. The roads are clear till you get nearer to the river and then the water and debri starts to rise. I went out with my daughter and cleaner first thing this morning. We road bikes and I can tell you that was a trip for sure. We were pushed by the rain and wind and then as car went by the water got even worse but we laughed the whole while, loosing our shoes, trying to stay upright. I tried to get to two of my friends houses, our Sri Lankan friend and his wife and our English friends. The current was so strong as I got towards Lucky's place we had to turn around. So then we went to one of the sides streets near our houses on the riverside and we got almost to the end then had to get off cause it was at the top of our tires. So I parked my bike and tried to walk to my English friends house but I was pushing (because of the wind and the river which swelled it's banks) through garbage of all sorts. Saw their door shut and the water hadn't reached that far up yet so it's not as bad yet as 1999, yet... so we turned around and came home. I then snagged my older son since Tim's in Phnom Penh and we took off and tried to get back to the water front so I could take pictures. Brendan had to park and I walked. Took pictures but we were both childed so I'll go back. MaryKate says at 11am we'll go get one of the boats to rent and go for a ride. That's how they are getting around to go to the market which at this moment doesn't exsist, it's under water so the market is on the main road but you still need a boat.
Our house is not flooded except the kitchen and the sewer is coming up through the tile... But our houses on the river haven't gotten water yet so maybe if and that's a BIG IF the rain stops then we'll be ok.
Will try and post more pictues as I go today.

Kampot Flood, Aug. 2006