Project Happy Feet

For those of you who have read about my recent trip to Siem Reap, you would have heard my story about how the village children go around without footwear. And you would have heard about how I'd like to start a little project - Project Happy Feet to get a large number of slippers to be shipped over to them.

And so, far and wide, I am making a call to whoever who thinks they can contribute in some way to bring these slippers to the children. For example, if you...

a) Know a slipper manufacturer/supplier who can sponsor or sell cheap slippers
b) Know someone in the cargo company who can fly/ship the slippers over free
c) Would like to donate in some monetary terms
d) Can spread the word round so we have more hands to contribute
e) Think you can lend a hand in any way to Project Happy Feet

Do drop me an email at projecthappyfeet@gmail.com, stating how you can be contacted, and how you'd like to contribute.

Bless your good heart! I'm sure the children will be very thankful in whatever way you'd be contributing.



Let's make many happy feet!

:)

When Two Sources of Water Meet

Grace and I decided to head to the Tonle Sap Lake this afternoon, the biggest lake in Cambodia. It’s so big, it’s even bigger than Singapore. It not only houses many families living on boat or floating houses, there is even a church, a school, a library, fishing farms and even a boat repair shop!

But what’s more amazing about lake is that it floods to more than 12 feet high come the end of the monsoon period in October. Muddy waters give way to clear rivers as the waters from the Mekong River flow downstream from its source in Tibet to meet the mouth of the Tonle Sap Lake, only to push the waters upstream to flood the lake. At the end of the monsoon, the water flows downstream back to the Mekong River.

One would think this would cause an ecological chaos to the people living on the river. But no. They embrace the yearly cycle as this not only helps make the land fertile, it also brings in a bountiful supply of fish. And they just go with the flow come rain or shine.

We were lucky not only to be able to see the river and how the people by the river lived, we were also lucky to have missed the rain and best of all, we had such a knowledgeable guide who not only fought in the in war during the reign of the Khmer Rouge, he also worked closely with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt when they came to film The Tomb Raider, not to mention his experience in land mines, telling us which property in Cambodia is worth investing in, and the beautiful beach resorts in Cambodia! Here’s one guide who makes me wish I had more time to roam other parts of Cambodia!

As I reach the end of my trip, I can’t help but feel that this has been one really fulfilling journey. The best part of it all is that we didn’t even plan much, but just went with the flow. God had indeed blessed us with good weather, and nice people who had been with us throughout the way.

And maybe that’s what I love about traveling. It reminds me of the wonderful things in life I’ve taken for granted, and it reminds me that God always plants little angels along the way, no matter where you are.

Houses built on the river. The people live on the river, drawing their water for cooking, washing, bathing... all from the river!


Entrepreneurial locals selling their goods on smaller boats


When you reach the middle parts of the lake, it really looks like you've reached the sea. Some villagers live right in the middle of the lake, like a kelong.




A villager casting his net to catch fish. The greenery behind him will be completely submerged come October when the water from the Mekong River floods the entire lake.

A simple reflection

We left Shinta Mani at 8.30am sharp, lugging along the three bags of stationery, sweets and slippers for the children we were to meet at the village. Besides Ceilo and Kol, whom we met the previous day, another man also came along. We later learnt that he was the officer working for Shinta Mani that was in charge of deciding which family needed help most.

It was a fairly long drive as we drove past the Angkor Wat again to get into the village. We stopped at the first school, and gave out the pencils and sweets we brought along. The children were delighted and immensely polite as they thanked us for our gifts. Learning that the students were short of exercise books, I took out a stack to give it to them too.

I was told that the next school we were visiting would be worse off and so we kept most of the stuff we brought along for them.

They were right. When I stepped out of the van, I realized that the school was more run down. The walls had holes in it, and the roofs too, making them leak and impossible to have lessons should it rain. The blackboard was hardly one, almost broken into half. And most of the children were without footwear.

It was at that point that I wished I had brought along more slippers. Those who had footwear on almost wore them out. Some even wore mismatched slippers. You can imagine their appreciation and smiles when we distributed to the children the croc-like sandals we got.

We also learnt that one boy in the class had just lost his mother who died of excessive bleeding from giving birth. The family has five children, with him being the oldest, all living with the father who is an odd job labourer. Worst of all, they didn’t even have money to bury his mother so she was just left by the river to rot.

The boy was obviously affected, but he stood strong, perhaps knowing what education can bring him. But the village only offers free education right till primary school, after which, they would have to seek education in the town area, which is too far for most to afford.

His story brought tears to my eyes. It made me want to do so much more. A boy of his age shouldn’t be experiencing life like that. People like his mother should die in a more dignified manner.

When Ceilo told me to bring slippers, I hadn’t realise that there were so many children who went around without footwear, not to mention bicycles that would bring them to school.

As an educator, I realized there is so much that can be done for them. This is but one village, comprising 1000 odd families. There are many other villages that need help too. And they are not asking for the skies. Just simple basic necessities we take for granted – like footwear.

In my head, I began to conjure up a plan to start a movement to provide footwear for these children – “Project Happy Feet”.

We visited two families to see their farms and how Shinta Mani had been instrumental in building water pumps for them so that they can farm, earn money and be independent.

As we drove back to Shinat Mani, we were all quiet. Perhaps, in each of our heads, we were reflecting on how fortunate we’ve been as compared to the people at the village. Yet, in the simple life they lead, there is always hope in their eyes, and appreciation in their hearts for the simplest things in life, because that’s all that matters.

A simple reflection for us indeed.

One of the schools we visited.


Children at the village school in the village of Angkor Tom. There area about 40 odd studens in a class.


Grace giving out sweets to the children's delight


Earnestly listening as their teacher told them where we are from...


A blackboard that hardly is...


Children thankful for the sandals we brought for them. It is probably the first time they've seen such sandals...


Most villagers draw water from shallow wells like these. The dirty water does little for agriculture and hygiene.


As such, Shinta Mani sources for donations to build for villages water pumps like these so that they can draw clean water from some 21 feet under. Kol from Shinta Mani showing us how clean water is drawn. The blue plate behind him states who the pump is donated by.


With clean water, the family is able to grow simple crops like these for sustenance, and to earn some additional money. They usually grow morning glory - or what we know as kang kong! *wink!


Most families live in sheds like these. Each family houses an average of 8 persons. Through the heat and rain, they live in these conditions.

Feeling faint

The heat must be getting into my head literally as I felt light headed yesterday. On top of that, I had a throbbing pain in my head. That plus the heat just made me want to go to bed.

Grace made sure I had extra meat yesterday at dinner with a big beef burger and I think that helped a little. I drank lots of water and went to bed early yesterday on the huge day bed in our room.

Today, I got up feeling a little better, and I hope I'll feel fine again.

Now, it's breakfast time! :)

Blue Pumpkin

Grace and I are now at the Blue Pumpkin - a chic modern cafe that serves great breads, desserts and cafe food, and best of all, free WIFI. I've logged onto the Internet, and still no luck - can't load up the pictures for some reason. :( Just found out that the bandwidth here is really low.. 512 is considered "high speed"!

We roamed about the Old Market area earlier today and found really nice shops. I bought for our C&S friends nice gifts that I hope they will like. :) We also popped by the sister hotel of Shinta Mani, Hotel de la Paix. Really nice place! It even had its own photo gallery, and a really nice deli that sold the kind of sandwiches I would make back home!

We also toured the hospitality school at Shinta Mani today. It was a simple place that offered free training in culinary skills, front office and spa techniques to selected young Cambodians. We saw them in action today in the kitchen as the head chef taught them how to cook a typical Khmer dish - Fish and Pork Dipping - much like curried fish and pork. Grace and I tried it... Surprisingly delicious!

We met up with Ceilo, the administrator for the school and together with Koy Kol, we will be heading to the village tomorrow morning to give away to the children what we brought along for them.

As for now, Grace and I are waiting for the rain to stop. But we're not complaining. With a nice ambience, WIFI and delicious food, who's complaining? Well, if only I could load up the pictures, it would be just perfect!

:)

The Angkor Wat

At 9am sharp, our driver and English-speaking guide was already waiting for us. Along the way, the guide spoke to us about the temples we were about to see as well as the history of how these temples came about. It was interesting to know how the architecture changed (sometimes destroyed on purpose) because of a change in kingship and religion. This explains the many defaced and headless artifacts.

Of course, some of these acts of destruction were caused by “bad people” who were in to make a fast buck by selling original artifacts to antique hunters. Tourists are thus highly encouraged not to buy any of these. Simple logic – no demand, no need for a supply.

From 9.30am where we reached the first site right till 3pm, with a one hour lunch break in between, we trekked through the sites – long walks, climbing up stairs, winding in and out, dodging insensitive tourists – all under the hot sun. Our driver and guide thoughtfully stocked our van with ice cool water, much to our delight. But by then, my shoulders were burnt!

I leave you with pictures of the city of Angkor Wat to tell the rest of the story...

Big trees like these grow out of the temple buildings, this one at Ta Phrom. The trees while destory the buildings, also keep them together and prevent destruction by weathering.

Intricate carvings like these can still be seen despite years of weathering, erosion, and man's destruction. The carvings are made after the temple was built, explaining the grooves between the carvings.

Big tree roots of the Sung tree reflect the sun's light, giving rise to a silver tinge.



The tree's roots grow downwards, then upwards, breaking up the temple's strong stone walls.

Miraculously, the roots of this tree refuses to block the face of this carving, framing it nicely instead.


More tree roots draping over the temple buildings

People still offer joss sticks and prayers within the temple, believing in the sacredness of the building after all these years.

Every carving tells a story. This one near the Terrace of the Elephants, is the Terrace of the Leper King. The carvings depict how the people would be cured of leprosy after dipping into the water.

Our favourite monument, The Bayon, lying in the cnetre of the city of Angkor Thom.


My personal favourites













We came back to the Shinta Mani and were warmly welcomed by the receptionist with ice-cool lemongrass scented towels. Surely, we were experiencing hospitality to the fullest!

I took a dip by the pool then headed for my spa package which saw me scrubbed with a fruity concoction, followed by a bath in an outdoor shower, then wrapped with banana leaves and a cool mud mixture. To complete the pampering, I had an hour’s worth of kneading to loosen out the tension in the muscles. Heavenly.

We ordered room service cos we were too lazy to walk out after all that pampering, and for just USD1.50, I've got myself a mega huge ham sandwich with fries!

Now, I'm out at the lobby again tapping onto the wireless. It's the only way I can get connected to the world back home, and I'm thankful for it!

Can't upload images...

My patience is running thin when it comes to uploading the images on the blog. I was "kiasu" enough to drag Grace out early this morning for breakfast before we head off to the Angkor Wat. I lugged my laptop with me, hoping to have some luck with uploading the pictures, but I had none.

After a huge breakfast of:

Tea
Fresh Fruit with Yoghurt
Chocolate Croissant
Toast with Butter & Jam
Orange Juice
Scrambled Eggs with Bacon, Tomatoes and Baked Beans..

My photos still won't load up. :(

I'm suffering from "can't-load-pictures-up-on-the-blog" withdrawal symptoms... :(

First Day in Siem Reap

We stepped onto Siem Reap, surprised that it was peaceful and serene. The airport was nice and clean and we cleared immigration pretty fast. Within minutes, our driver brought us to our resort, Shinta Mani.

We were greeted with cold towels at the reception, followed by a welcome with nice silk shawls draped over our necks. The hospitality didn't stop there. We were shown to our rooms and had an in-room check in. Our luggage came in shortly after, and to complete the complimentary fruits in the room, we were served ice-cold coconut drinks - fresh from the coconut!

Grace deligted with the welcome coconut drink



The room was immaculately clean and wonderfully furnished. We even have a see-through bathroom complete with nice toiletries.

Nice soft bed with wonderful down pillows...


The toilet


The pool - nice and small


Grace at the entrance of our hotel


Grace and I took a walk to the nearby FCC (Foreign Correspondence Club) and a few shops. We decided against walking to the Grand Hotel D'angkor as it was already getting dark. Coming back to the resort, we booked ourselves a nice foot spa and a spa package tomorrow, after our one-day trip to the Angkor Wat.

The FCC


It began to rain, which was perfect as it cooled the evening. The sound of the falling raindrops also made it good background music as we relaxed by the pool and had our foot spa therapy done. After one hour, our feet are nice and buffed, well kneaded and ready to take on the Angkor Wat tomorrow!

As for now, I'll leave you with some pictures of our resort. Excuse me while I escape from the numerous lizards (geckos as they call it here) and mosquitoes...

Ending the day with a beautiful sunset near our hotel

Adventure Begins Right at Changi Airport!

Grace and I checked in early at 10.20am, and did a full three hours' worth of shopping before heading to our departure gate - F40. After waiting a long while, we were then allowed to form a queue to scan our hand luggage. The queue was extremely long cos one family had a full bag of liquids they were bringing on board.. (What were they thinking!) Then, just as I was about to have my belongings scanned, adventure began!

Our gates changed - right to the other end of the airport at E7. So after about 10 minutes worth of walking, we're finally here... waiting to board the plane.. Now we're crossing our fingers our luggage get to where we are going!

Our adventure had begun!

The First Step

It seemed a like a little far-fetched idea I hatched some time back. "I want to eradicate poverty through education." I never thought how I'd be doing it or when I'd be doing it. I just wanted to do it. It sounds like a UN initiative, I know. I don't plan to be the next Nobel Prize Winner, but I stay grounded in my starfish philosophy, knowing that what I can, will and should do can make a difference to at least one.

It made me sad when I travelled to Hanoi and to India, to see young children not having a chance to be educated, and here I am in Singapore, seeing our young taking education for granted. If I could, I would make them change places, so both will benefit. That was when I conceptualised the idea of "The World is My Classroom".

And so began my journey to seek out ways and learn alternatives to education, in hope of eradicating poverty globally. I stumbled upon the idea of social enterprises last year, and I liked the idea of making individuals less reliant on charities and handouts, and instead creating platforms to empower them to be more self-reliant. I liked the idea that the efforts were sustainable, and it had a snow-ball effect. It hinted an answer to what I was searching for in fulfilling my vision.

Grace highlighted Shinta Mani, a resort in Siem Reap that runs itself as a social enterprise. Its in-house culinary institute trains local Cambodians in culinary and hospitality skills so that they can be gainfully employed either at the resort or in the many sprouting hotel establishments in Cambodia. The resort even provides these selected Cambodians with a monthly stipend and necessities like rice for the family - things we take for granted.

And so, when Grace and I wanted to take a break, we thought of Shinta Mani immediately. Not only will we be able to see the Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, we'd be able to experience first-hand a social enterprise in action. We'd be visiting the local villages too and meeting up with the Head of the resort to find out more if we can contribute in other ways.

I'm not only excited by the infinite possibilities that can stem out of this trip, I am also happy that I am making a step forward towards fulfilling my vision.