Oddar Meanchey, Take Two

The last time I visited this part of the world I experienced a near-death experience - no word of a lie. When I re-tell the story to friends or random strangers on the bus, I take care not to exaggerate the story of desperation, pain and loss of dignity I lived through - not that I am known for exaggerating the facts at all, see the Road Trip blog entry posted around this time last year - but the fact that I was composing my final dying messages to my nearest and dearest in my head while I lay nursing myself and my explosive rear-end can sometimes seem far-fetched.

Due to this far from positive experience of visiting my previous VA's home and family in Samroang, Oddar Meanchey Province, it has been at the forefront of my mind to repeat the trip when I was feeling back to full fitness again. Feeling back to my peak and with a few free days to travel, my Khmer colleagues and I decided to take the trip together to visit Soroth. He was only my VA for about 3 or 4 months (before he found a much better job - sob!) but he made quite an impact on Mr Sophan, Srei Saart and Daney, not to mention others, so much so that they were all more than willing to take the trip to see him.

With a calm happy tummy we dug into Soroth's mother's great cooking when we arrived and I presented the family with gifts of kramas from Phnom Srok District. I also gave Soroth a large World Map poster after a particular conversation of whether the United States of America was in Europe had stuck in my brain. Also to serve as a reminder of where I will be when I return to England in 8 months time. He also got a long over due but very complimentary, and rightly so, letter of recommendation from me which he read translated to Mr Sophan with a lot of excitement.

We had quite a party that evening with a Khmer-style Gordon Ramsey look-a-like and some other VSO volunteers who live nearby. It is an interesting province, one of the very last to stop fighting as recently as 8 or 9 years ago I believe. It is still heavily mined in some areas, has increasing NGO support in health and community and education development and is expanding as the population increases. It shares a border with Thailand which we visited the day after our arrival which was very exciting for my Khmer friends and colleagues who got to cross the border and shop in the market on the Thai side. I wasn't let through as I'd forgotten my passport so swung in a hammock and watched bus loads of Thais come through to gamble their money away at the ever increasing number of casinos on Cambodian soil. We had a great picnic wrapped in banana leaves and returned to Soroth's house before the goodbyes.

I am so pleased to have stayed in contact with Soroth. He is the gentlest and most caring and considerate Khmer man I have met in this country. He has a fantastic understanding of his own culture and is sensitive to foreign cultures as well, a perfect host and someone who could really make a positive difference to his country. I am also pleased that my guts behaved this time and I could enjoy the hospitality of his family!

Still problems with viruses - photos on the way!