Messing About on the River

Sunday 28th October

What better way to spend a Sunday morning than messing about on the river. As I am an incredibly generous and giving person, on the whole, I decided (without too much persuasion) that I could afford to give up some of my precious time, whilst in Phnom Penh, to join the Boat Race Team 2007 during their practice session for the big race at the end of the month.
Every year, Phnom Penh enjoys a water festival to celebrate around the time when the Mekong River changes direction and starts flowing the other way. It is one of the most ancient of the festivals and events in Phnom Penh, also called Bon Om Tuk, meaning Festival of the Reversing Current, the festival marks the beginning of the fishing season. Each province from all over the country competes prior to this festival in order to find the most elite rowers to attempt to win the infamous boat race in Phnom Penh during November. VSO are organised enough this year to have a boat entered into the race of which I am now a team member! So at the end of the month watch out for an update on how successful the ‘team’ has been!

It was a hugely enjoyable morning despite having to display amounts of physical exertion that just shouldn’t be necessary in a climate such as this. We had to travel for about an hour on the back of trucks, rather like cattle being taken to market, till we reached a quiet bit of river and the boat where the more wary of us donned life-jackets and plenty of sun-cream. Then with our partners, we took our oars and boarded the vessel, which surprisingly stayed afloat the whole time! We were supposed to follow the whistle or signal of a more experienced Khmer guy sat at the bow and all row together chanting “Moy, Moy, Moy-Pee, Moy!” (which neatly translates as one, one, one-two, one!). However, being nearer the stern of the vessel, I was in the fortunate position of not being able to be seen by many other rowers. This meant that necessary breaks in rowing could be taken when needed! We also amused ourselves at the back by changing the chant to more comical words, splashing each other and thinking of all the songs with the word ‘River’ in them.

Not that I wish anyone to even dream that this Boat Race practice wasn’t taken seriously! Oxford and Cambridge eat your heart out, this is serious business! It was even suggested by a more experienced VSO veteran that this was the largest number of volunteers working together to move in the same direction for ages!

I am very excited about the actual race! I leave Phnom Penh tomorrow but will be back on 19th November for a week of various Education Team meetings followed by the Boat Race on Friday 23rd! Watch This Space...!