Rockin4Tabitha 2008

Day 3 build:

2009-03-03T11:01:00.009-05:00

Our last day... 'a walk in the park'.

With only three houses left to reach our goal, the 'heat was off', figuratively if not literally, and I personally felt like I had a little more time to enjoy the process, and reflect on how rewarding the entire experience has been.

Janne always says during orientation; 'It's not about you." It is about the people we are helping. As they have been an active part of the process, sometimes for years, they do indeed 'deserve their house'.

And what a home... what we in North America would consider a good sized garden shed, will become home to an entire family... always a very sobering thought.

The very genuine and heart-felt gratitude of the families is truly touching, and we always feel honored to have been able to be a part of the process that culminates in the housebuilding.

I think it is important for us to also remember that most families have saved for years to be able contribute the $30 that is their share of the expense of their new house.

In our culture, where we really have everything, it, for me, is always a great leveler, and I feel that much more grateful for what we so often take for granted.

Thank you all for your continued support...
you also helped turn these houses into "homes".

Bob Carver and Wendy Cunning

And a special thanks to our Teams...
the 2009 Rockin4Tabitha Housebuilding Team...
Nathan Weiss
Dr. Paula Piilonen
Derek Boyd

and our co-team Ritskes/Brennan
Jeff and Mary Ritskes
Drs. Terry and Brenda Brennan
Rebecca and Lauren Brennan
Terry Brennan Sr. aka Number 1
CW Young

______________________________________

Special Announcement;
There will be a special event this June at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa - 'A Night at the Museum'. Please stay tuned to our blog for future details. Tabitha founder Janne Ritskes will be attending.

And don't forget...
Rockin4Tabitha4 ...
this September 2009
______________________________________

Day 2 build...

2009-02-28T08:02:00.006-05:00

The build continues......

After completing our first day of building we were all tired, but happy to have completed 9 houses. We are definitely a little ahead of the curve at this point.

After a quick breakfast, we were back in the vans for our hour long commute back to the village. The highway that connects Phnom Penh to Battambang is a good road by Cambodian standards, but here it would be the equivalent of a paved county road; one lane of traffic in each direction.

Once we turn off highway 5, it is a totally different matter.

Dirt road, that might be graded once a year. Because it is try season we immediately kick up a cloud of dust that follows our vehicles all the way to the village, which I guess is about 15km off of the main highway.

Everyone in the village knows that we will be there, but we still get stares of curiosity as we inch our way through the very small village market, selling fresh vegetables, clothing and other items essential to village life.

Our by now veteran team swings into full gear right away with everyone gravitating to their section of our new houses. Some people nail on the floor, while others man the ladders and begin nailing on the corrugated tin siding..

By 3:30 we have finished another 8 houses, but I think we would risk mass heat-stroke if we tried to finish our last three houses, so it will be back for a short day tomorrow to finish our twenty houses.

Once again we have a short ceremony mc’d by Srei, who has been with us on each of our builds, and families get to move into their house and start to make it their home.

Traffic Notes...

2009-02-08T08:30:00.005-05:00

Some Observations...

Traffic in Asia is difficult to describe if you haven't been here, but a few observations may help in giving you a feel for land travel over here.

In Thailand, they drive at light speed, there is a constant jockeying for position, cutting in is standard operating procedure,a nd nobody gets too upset unless there is contact, then it's a totally different story.

In Vietnam, the ratio of motos to cars is probably a hundred to one, similar rules, but more aggressive and less forgiving.

Cambodia, which lies in the middle of these to nations is a subtle combination of both. Much like the food, sort of like Thai, sort of ike Vietnamese..... sidebar..... Vietnamese soup is called Pho, honkies always say Fo, like in Fee Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman....when in fact it is pronounced Fa, as in Do Re Mi Fa......

Back to traffic.

Cambodia is growing fast. There are still more motos than cars, but Phnom Penh is rife with CLO's (corrupt local officials) zooming around in their Lexus SUV's. I think I might have seen ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin zooming around in an Escalade.

Our usual way of getting from point a to point b is by the ubiquitous Tuk Tuk. Motorcycle on the front, hauling a four person rickshaw type rear end.

When driving in Cambodia there really are no rules. While there are a few lights they tend to be more for show than anything else...unless a local gendarme is right there....so traffic flows incessantly. SIZE MATTERS. Trucks rule. cars second motos third, pedestrians.....

Groups of six to ten motos equals a car, and if the traffic is flowing, can indeed win the game.

Travel is indeed interesting here.

Day 1 Build

2009-02-06T07:57:00.006-05:00

Battambang

After a 5 1/2hr drive north to Battambang, we checked into our nice hotel, with a pool. Great bonus to look forward to after our first day of building.

We set out from the hotel at around 7am for a 45 minute drive back towards Phnom Penh. About 15km off of the highway is our village. It sits next to a hill, which pops right up in the middle of a lot of flat land that during rainy season is green with rice paddies.

Srie, our Tabitha staffer, who has been with us on all three of our builds tells me that the Khmer Rouge brought many people here to be killed.

We are getting used to seeing friendly faces who manage to survive in very hard circumstances. Since it is dry season, there is dust everywhere. There is no electricity in the village. Some of the richer households have a car battery that powers a small tv set.

We hope to build 8 houses today. I am fighting wobbly stomach syndrome, but will have to hang tough.

Everyone pitches in and starts to build. We could all take a lesson from Terry Brennan Sr. who is in his mid seventies. Terry takes it slow and steady, and works the whole day through, with only mandatory water and lunch breaks.

Another of our team CW Young, who is a friend of the Brennans, has taken time from his "Around the World" trip to help on this build. CW went to UofO with Terry Jr.

We had a little cloud cover today, which helped us finish 9 houses, a little better than we hoped, so we are off to a good start.

The best part of the day is when we gather the families whose homes we have finished that day and hand over their houses. Their faces say it all.

2 more days.

Arriving... at last!

2009-02-06T07:40:00.010-05:00

The 51 hour flight...
(or the crystallized crapper caper)

Well, wouldn't you know that Air Canada just keeps on getting better and better.

We were scheduled to leave ottawa at 7am on the 26th, but due to a frozen toilet were unable to leave = flight cancelled. Pick up bags, go back upstairs and wait for an hour to have an agent try to re-route us. Luckily we were able to get out, however, our usual 31 hrs. of travel turned into a whopping 51....

Hang around Ottawa til noon, fly to Toronto, hang around til 5:30 fly to LA, hang around LA til midnight, catch the redeye to Hong Kong. Short wait in Hong Kong and into Bangkok. Because we were so far behind, we waited in Suvarnaphum airport for our flight to Phnom Penh, which originally was to happen after a good night's sleep in a hotel close to the airport.... hangout by the pool, maybe get a massage.... no such luck.

Short hop and we were in Phnom Penh. Good news... all of our team members arrived safely! Tomorrow we will have our orientation, and first time builders will visit the killing fields and Tuol Sleng prison.

In and around Phnom Penh

Our orientation went well, but, as usual, during orientation with Janne, there weren't many dry eyes. Orientation is crucial to understanding today's Cambodia.

There are also lots of rules to ensure that we interact successfully with the villagers, most of whom have not seen foreigners, and will probably never leave their village for their entire lives.

Jeff Ritskes booked us a boat ride on the Mekong, which was lots of fun, a couple of hours on the river, and seeing river life was interesting.

We all went to a Thai restaurant and had our first team meal. Food was great, and everybody had fun and got to know each other a bit better.

Tomorrow we leave for Battambang, the second largest city in Cambodia. Bonus, we have a hotel with a pool, which should feel great after our first day of building.

The 2009 Build Diary

2009-01-20T16:43:00.007-05:00

Pre-Flight Ramblings:

Well, our fundraising efforts were a great success, thanks to a joint effort between Rockin4Tabitha3, and ‘Team Ritskes/Brennan’.

The funds were sent over to Cambodia just when the dollar took a huge hit, but we still had enough for our twenty-house goal. Thanks again to everyone who supported this worthy event.

Our team this year is 11 strong; and we will need every bit of strength to succeed in finishing our 20 houses in 3 days.

It is great to have Jeff and Mary Ritskes on another build. They were part of our first build and, as often happens, Asia and the build experience has called them back again. Nathan Weiss, an Instructor here at the Thai Boxing Academy has been part of every Rockin4Tabitha build and is returning with us again this year - Thanks Nate. Also returning from last year’s build is TBA member Dr. Paula Piilonen, who has been very helpful with ideas and organization skills, not only for R4T3, but for Tabitha Canada as well.

As usual, our team is an independent lot, and rather than an organized ‘if this is Friday, this must be Saigon’, group tour, everyone is leaving and returning from Canada according to their own agenda. We will all meet in Phnom Penh for our orientation on Friday the 30th of January followed by a night cruise on the Mekong River.

As this is going to be the first build in the Battambang province, Tabitha Foundation founder Janne Ritskes will be accompanying us on the build. This is going to make the build even more interesting and fun than usual.

Team Gear...

All team members were furnished with an apron, hammer, and work gloves courtesy of Home Depot. Thank you!

Team Ritskes provided work hats to help keep the sun at bay, and the Thai Boxing Academy provided build t-shirts, so we should all look spiffy….at least on the first day.

Everyone is ‘taking off’ within the next two-weeks, so our next report will be ‘from the field’.

Keep your eyes peeled for updates.

Hopefully the ‘Cambodian Internet Black Hole’ will not appear this year, but if you don’t see anything for a while that will be the reason – messages will inexplicably have disappeared into the Internet Wasteland.

Bob Carver and Wendy Cunning – ‘Rockin4Tabitha’

Jeff and Mary Ritskes - ‘Team Ritskes/Brennan’

Another BIG Thank you!

2008-09-22T12:16:00.032-04:00

The 2008 event was a blast!!!

Many thanks to all who participated,
working both behind and in front of the stage!

Opening Act: Texas Flood!

Bob Carver... guitar, vocals
Brad Campbell... bass. vocals
Steve Hollingworth... drums
Wayne Wahab... keyboard

with special guests:

Brian Sim... guitar
Wes... congas

setting up...
wall of sound...
Bobby Ray belting it out...
... and taking a break!
and lots of great door prizes too!!!
(presented with the help of the stunning ticket babes)

Main Act: the fabulous Hitmen...

the legendary Les Emmerson...
Steve... the ultimate drum monster...
Brian the "killer" guitarist... Wes the conga masters...
up and dancing the night away!

More news to follow soon...

but until then,
enjoy this...

the opening song by Texas Flood...
a rockin version of "Little Sister"...

and later in the set, Texas Flood
covers a great song called Tush! ...
(I missed the first half... sorry!)...

Next Concert Sept 18th!

2008-08-05T09:53:00.019-04:00

Click to Enlarge this year's poster

OK everyone...
we need your help once again!

We are all making a difference...
lives of many deserving families
in the poorest sections of Cambodia
have been greatly improved thanks
to your past efforts...

Please join us on the 18th...
to once again... "Hammer it home!"
and raise funds to help build new
homes in Cambodia!

Check it out...

Read last year's build report... (here)
and check out last year's event... (here)
we all had a great time and the
results speak for themselves!

Book the 18th on your calendars
to make a difference in Cambodia!

Print it out!

If you live in Ottawa...
(and have a lot of extra ink toner)
why not download our poster
and paste it all over town!

R4T08poster.pdf

Hosted by eSnips

R4T 2007 Build Report

2008-04-13T09:49:00.011-04:00

The final "Build Report" for our
2007 Tabitha fund-raising event,
(and the build in January 2008)
is now available.

Click here to download

You will need Adobe Acrobat
Reader in order to view.

Photos... 2008

2008-03-10T21:57:00.001-04:00

Commemorative scarves given to all team members by Tabitha. These could be worn in a variety of ways to suit a variety of functions.
In the Russian Market

The Kohngkosal family

The Sokteum family

Another Viewpoint - Build 2008

2008-03-10T20:51:00.001-04:00

Recollections by P.C. Piilonen

We're off...
Chickens, cases of Angkor beer, cans of Pringles, emaciated cows, smiling, waving Khmer children, and death-defying driving carried out under a set of rules that Westerners certainly cannot understand: no road trip in Cambodia would be complete without all of the above. As we start off on the road from Phnom Penh to Kampot, this leg of the journey looked not to disappoint!

As our two vans head south towards the sleepy Cambodia seaside towns of Kep and Kampot, I ponder the task that lies ahead of us – building ten houses for deserving Khmer families on behalf of the Tabitha Foundation. I think back to Janne’s very blunt words two days previous – “If you cannot do these things, do not participate” and “this is not about you, it’s about the families you are here to help”. The litany of rules that Janne recited to us during our orientation flits across my mind: the 5-minute nail rule; don’t eat food given as a gift; don’t share food with the villagers; don’t compliment a family’s baby; no touching anyone of the opposite sex. A firm thought plants itself in my mind: we’re not in Thailand anymore, Toto.

A Different World...
After a month in Thailand , the last six days in Cambodia have been a shock to the senses. Cambodia is a different world. Although it’s an easy, scenic 6 hour train ride from Bangkok , crossing the border at Poipet was like stepping back in time, stepping into a world that is trying to emerge from a horrific (recent) past which has left the entire population scarred, scared, and fighting to regain their culture and sense of self. Before coming to Asia, I did my homework: I read books on Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, I watched documentaries and Hollywood films. I thought I was prepared. I wasn’t. The minute I stepped out of the taxi in Siem Reap, the objective, scientific thought pattern which can be maintained when reading a book comes crashing down. The horrors of the Pol Pot regime are ever present and unavoidable. I find myself having to deliberately vanquish thoughts of pure evil and genocide from my mind as I wave at these smiling, happy people. My mind keeps flashing back to the stories that Janne told us of her staff at the orientation. I will never fully understand what they have gone through, but I think I can learn a lot from these survivors.

We’re a diverse group headed to Kampot for the build – Muay Thai students and their Kru (teacher), friends from Ottawa , Tabitha Foundation members from both Phnom Penh and Ottawa , a lone cyclist from New York , and a young engineer from Singapore. Whatever our personal reasons for coming to the other side of the world to spend two days building houses in a remote village, we are unified in our wish to do our part, to help out those who need help to get back on their feet. The ironic thing is, although the villagers have less material possessions than we soft, pampered Westerners, I think they possess more than we do when it comes to family and emotions.

Our “home” for the next three days is the N4 Guesthouse in Kep. The four hour van ride and our first supper as a group offer the opportunity to get to know each other. Even though I know quite a few of the team members that we’re traveling with, I know that this will be a chance to get to know them in a more intimate way. A foreign country is often a great leveler. Traveling within a group which has been thrown together can often be a challenging experience, but I think we’ll do fine.

The First Build Day...
The next morning, we’re up bright and early for a very French breakfast – baguette, fruit and an “omlette”. Loading into the vans at 7am, we’re off on a two hour journey towards Kampot and the village where our house frames are waiting for us. Although not quite the “road from hell” as the highway leading from Poipet to Siem Reap, the final stretch of dirt road headed into our village made many of us consider stocks in Gravol! As always, the ubiquitous cows, chickens and kids on bicycles followed us the entire way.

Arriving in the village, we didn’t waste anytime. Although the hardwood frames and tin roofs of the houses were already in place, put up earlier by professionals, we had a long, hot, dusty day ahead of us. Hammers in hand, gloves on, we were quickly split into two work groups and set on our houses. Without too much talk, each work group naturally broke into a floor and wall fractions. Either way, we all quickly realized why Janne enforces a “5 minute nail” rule – after hitting a stubborn nail for five minutes, you must simply walk away before frustration sets is. Cambodian nails + Cambodian hardwood = many bent nails and frustrated workers! The solution? Put aside Western ideals of perfection and get the job done.

Our first day, we complete an amazing six houses by 3pm! Falling into a rhythm was the key – grab a sheet of tin and hand it up to Srei on the inside, scamper up the ladder, slam in three top nails, three mid-line nails, back down the ladder and start the process again, leaving the bottom two rows of nails to the person on the ground. Working in a bit of a trance, I was amazed at how fast the walls went up. Inside, our team quickly put in the floor boards and moved on to the next house. At one point in time, I found myself balancing the ladder away from the house like a pair of stilts, hanging on with one hand while someone slipped a piece of tin up underneath me. None of the hang-ups and safety concerns one would find on a build site in Canada ! Just get the job done.

Janne’s statement that this build is not about us is correct. But standing there on a rickety ladder banging in nails all day long while 25-30 villagers watch your every move in anticipation and fear, it’s hard not to turn at least part of the experience inward. Academia and research often feel like the most self-centered way of making a living, something I’ve never quite come to terms with. I was amazingly at peace, for the first time in many months, and happy to be working with my hands, swinging a hammer and doing work which would bring such happiness and comfort to a family later that day. Yes, volunteer work is about those who you are helping. But it’s also about personal growth.

After completion of six houses in record time, Srei performed a ceremony for the families, thanking our team and Tabitha, and welcoming them into their houses. It was quite a touching moment to realize that, possibly for the first time in their lives, these families would be living in relative comfort, safe and dry. We quickly loaded our gear into the van and took off back to Kep to rest, relax, clean up, and get ready for supper out with the team. When on the ocean, eat seafood. On the menu for the evening: crab, squid and shrimp, all in mass quantities!

Build Day Two...
Our second day of building was much smoother than the first – a bit of experience makes the job quite a bit easier! With only four houses to build, we could relax and not worry about rushing to finish. Back to wall-duty, grab a piece of tin, hand it up to Srei, scamper up the ladder, pound in three nails, and jump back down to complete the process a couple of feet further along the wall. At one point in time, while doing all the middle nail rows, I looked around and the only people present were myself and an older man from the village who was spotting my ladder, looking up at me and smiling nervously. He proved to be an excellent helper and we got the last nails done together in a timely fashion.

As with the first day, at the completion of the 4th house, Srei held a ceremony for the families and they were welcomed into their new houses. What an emotional time it must be for the families to watch a group of strange Westerners build your house all day long, then to be essentially handed the keys (handed the quilt?), so to speak, and allowed to move in. During the build, the villagers were alternatively watching us from the next lot, or hanging out underneath the house itself. I would like to know what they are thinking while watching us. It’s difficult to put myself in their shoes when I cannot fully understand their history and what it was like to live in terror for so many years. Unlike Tabitha, I believe this is where a lot of NGO’s and government organizations go wrong: trying to impose Western ideals and concepts into a culture which is so far removed from Western life and a Westerner’s understanding. I’m impressed and humbled by Janne’s work in Cambodia. She and her staff have worked within the bounds of the culture, and are teaching the Khmer families to be survivors, to be independent and self-sufficient.

Back at the ranch, the N4 Guesthouse, a trip to the beach prior to supper was in order. After a hot, sweaty, dirty day of work, what better way to clean off then a jump in the ocean to play with the jelly fish?! Upon returning to the guesthouse refreshed and showered, I had an opportunity to get to know the Tabitha staff a bit more, one of the highlights of my experience. After approaching Srei to make a reservation at a restaurant for supper, I was invited to sit with her and the van drivers and share their cockles and dried fish over a beer. Everyone was amazingly friendly and eager to share knowledge of Khmer history and tales about the local caves, including Animist/Buddhist tales about giants and kings of old. Although I found having discussions with the villagers a bit difficult given the fact that we had a job to do and were in and out of the area so quickly, sitting and talking with the Tabitha staff was easy, relaxing and very enjoyable.

The following morning, many of our team headed back to Phnom Penh to continue their travels or fly home. A few of us stayed on in Kep to explore the surrounding caves and islands, relaxing before continuing on our respective journeys. A few of the main topics of conversation: where are we building next year? how many houses are we building?

Looking Ahead...
Back in Canada, staring out the window at the most snow we’ve had in a decade, I’ve already started to look for airplane tickets to put me in Phnom Penh on January 19th, 2009. Why go back? Aside from the obvious, the fact that +35˚C and sun is much more tolerable than -20˚C and snow, I’m not done doing my part. I’m not done getting to know the people I’ll be traveling with either. And there’s certainly a lot more of the country to explore and experience.

Tuesday Jan. 29th 2008

2008-03-03T18:46:00.001-05:00

Day 4: The Second Build Day

I think we will be glad that we managed six houses yesterday. We were only left with four houses complete our build.

Did I mention the blackouts? Fairly regular lapses in electrical can come at inconvenient times. One of our team, who was lucky enough to have hot water in his room, was caught mid-shower by the latest outage. I guess it is a regular thing here, nobody seems to pay much attention, (except someone with shampoo in his hair).

I must admit, I am getting a little tired of the ‘set-breakfast’….exactly the same thing each
morning, cold egg thing and all.

The Meghan Incident:

We were all prepped to leave for today’s build, we did a fast head count and within five minutes we were down the road. We only discovered that Meg was missing after everyone got out of the vans in the village. OOPS.

Today’s drive was a little rougher for me that it was yesterday. By the time we navigated the last 10 km of potholes I was a little green under the gills. No matter, we split into our teams, and started hammering. After the first house was done I was feeling a little worse, so stayed off the ladder and did both feet planted firmly on the ground stuff. At the third house it really hit me; had to sit out. Fell asleep sitting up, woke up, and left to upchuck in quieter climes. Almost made it out of the lot by the time breakfast decided to re-appear. Taking the ‘any port in a storm’ rule to heart, I spotted a pile of lumber underneath a small tree with some shade.

This is something I will always remember. Within a minute of going prone, someone from inside an ‘old house’ who we had built for, brought me out a small pillow, the kind gesture really hit home. They sure don’t have many possessions, but they possess more than many in other areas.

How nice was that.

I think I was out of commission for a half hour or so, but when I heard the hammering stop, I headed over to the last house in time for the official handover. It feels pretty damn good.

Thanks to the rest of the team for plugging away while the ‘team leader’ was temporarily out of commission.

Drive back relatively uneventful other than one more upchuck stop by a Dugong sign. Darn near made it all the way back to Kep.

Save the Dugong.

This is the last night that everyone will be together, so we are having a team dinner right by the sea-front in Kep.

In addition to Srei, we had one other Tabitha staff with us, Thom, who runs the provincial ‘office’ for Tabitha. There were also our 2 van drivers. I guess our team really had 18 members, because everyone pitched in on the build.

Chillin’ tomorrow.

Monday Jan. 28th 2008

2008-03-03T18:07:00.001-05:00

Day 3: Our First Build Day

Everyone was excited to get going this morning. We all headed up to the restaurant for breakfast, where we found a group of about 12 Koreans who were doing something volunteer oriented as well, but time constraints and language barriers prevented us finding out what they were doing. Breakfast; fresh fruit, the ubiquitous Cambodian baguette (a remnant of the French Colonial past), coffee that wasn’t too bad, and an egg-something or other (cold).

After a quick picture in front of the vans, we all piled in and headed off to our village-Kom Thmey. It is only about forty km away. The majority of the trip was on paved ‘highway’-bonus. But as we turned off the highway to the village ‘the other shoe dropped’. Only ten or twelve km, however, the road was…rustic. So speed down to an easy jog for what seemed to be very long periods. Reality – thirty minutes.

Old and new side by side...

We split into 3 groups and started working. This year our external walls were corrugated tin. Even the third grade wood, which we had for walls last year, is now very hard to acquire in Cambodia. Plus side on corrugated tin-goes up fast, downside-NOISY, (next year I am adding ear-plugs to my must bring list).

Everyone worked hard and by our lunch break we had three houses finished. We got into a good rhythm and were finished our sixth house by 3:30. Building is a real whirlwind. In, slam, hand-over ceremony, everybody in the van….

There is interaction with the fams, but we are there to work. There is a tendency for builders to want to ‘hang out’ at the village after the build, but, as Janne has noted. They won’t say anything, but the families are just champing at the bit to get into their new house. The kids get to pick out a corner all of their own, and everyone in the family has a safe, dry place to sleep, so after we present the families their new homes and a new Tabitha quilt, we all say Sak Sabay, smile, wave, wipe away the odd tear, and get out of Dodge.

File Under The Strange But True Section

Save the Dugong sign...

On our drive back to Kep, we saw a couple of signs by the road of Manatees. Yeah, they call them Dugong, but they are indeed one and the same. I thought they were only found in Florida….Anywho, our reaction; ‘Cool, maybe there is an aquarium or boat trips to see them in their natural habitat….nope. We had an interesting ‘sauce’ on some of our meals that we couldn’t quite put our finger on…..you guessed it-DUGONG SAUCE!-we immediately started an impromptu ‘save the dugong’ campaign, which consisted of ‘save the Dugong graffiti’ appearing in several different locales.

Had a team dinner at a sea-side restaurant. Not quite ‘there’ yet. Food was ok. Getting the food in a somewhat timely manner more difficult. Complicating factor. We ordered local blue crab, which only reinforced my previous opinion that crab is generally way to much work for too little gastronomic pay-off. Bright side shrimp, fish, and rice all good, and the beer was cheap.

Hitting the pit early to prep for day two of the build.

Sunday, Jan. 27th 2008

2008-02-27T14:51:00.001-05:00

View from our resort in Kep of ocean and abandoned building.

Day 2: Our travels to Kep

We all piled into two vans at three o’clock this afternoon, which gave everyone the better part of the day to get some free time in Phnom Penh. Wendy and I had a late breakfast with Janne and her daughter Miriam.

A little walk to (I think) the only Western style grocery store in town to pick up some snack type stuff for the couple of days of the build, as our area doesn’t have anything even close to what we would call a store. So, such honkie staples as Pringles, peanut butter, jam, packages of gator-ade etc. went into our bags for the time in Kep.

After dropping off our loot, we walked a couple of blocks to the local ‘blind massage’ parlor. Now before you start snickering; yes, it is indeed a bona-fide massage. After changing into what can only be described as operating room scrubs, we were directed upstairs to a three table massage room. Great massage, eight dollars.

Everyone was a little early, enabling us to start our drive south a few minutes ahead of schedule. The highway to Kep is paved, two lanes, something that we would consider a small country road, maybe not quite as wide. Traffic wasn’t too bad. All in all, an easy transit. We drove through an area where we saw a lot of two wheel carts being pulled by ponies.

About ten kilometers or so before Kampot town, we hung a left at a roundabout with a horse statue, must have been some connection to the ponies we saw, but is still a bit of a mystery.

All along the drive down, in towns, as well as random other spots we have seen roadside markets, the most interesting items being recently butchered cow. Having seen these guys wandering in the fields as we drive by, I am not super excited about the prospect of the meat. These cows didn’t seem to have a lot of meat on them. Pretty skinny units. Picture 35 degree celcius and hanging meat…..I think the well done rule is definitely in effect here, but more likely we will stick to seafood and chicken.

Our accommodations are nice. A small resort with decent rooms, some with hot water, about half a kilometer from the ocean. Nice view of what was probably the only hotel in town 50 years ago, now abandoned. Quite a few French Colonial mansions in the same state, most still bearing bullet scuffs on the external walls from the KR.

We all decided to eat at the resort restaurant tonight… verdict, not bad.

Tomorrow, first day of build.

Saturday, Jan 26th 2008

2008-02-25T21:19:00.001-05:00

What a face....street food vendor in Phnom Penh.

Day 1: Phnom Penh

As asian cities go, Phnom Penh has a relatively quiet bustle.

Taxis drive slower, traffic is less congested, partly due to the fact that Phnom Penh is a relatively small city in comparison to Bangkok or Saigon.

Located at the junction of the Tonle and Mekong rivers, Phnom Penh retains some of its’ colonial feel. There are a number of French Colonial buildings, as well as quite a bit of new development. While we were there we saw the location for Phnom Penh’s first ‘sky-scraper’. Cambodia is definitely starting to ‘open up’, but it can still be a bit edgy.

Our Team is staying at a small hotel close to the Democracy Monument, just a five-minute tuk-tuk ride to Tabitha headquarters.

Tabitha founder Janne Ritskes met with us for the crucial first step to the orientation process. Janne, in her inimitable style, paints a sketch of recent Cambodian/World history that led to the emergence of the Khmer Rouge. Janne tells stories of real people, some of whom are Tabitha employees. These stories make the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge very personal. You do not leave the lecture unmoved.

Also included in this part of the orientation is the very important rules that are mandatory for team members to abide by; tempered with a very polite choice given to all team members by Janne. “If you cannot do these things, please do not participate in the build”.

The area that we are building in this year is on the coast in Kampot province Located on the gulf of Thailand. Our village-Kom Thmey, is about a one hour commute from our guest house accommodation in the town of Kep.

The people from these rural villages have a culture and heritage much different from our own. Janne tells us of a number of cultural “no-no’s’ that we must keep in mind. We are only in these villages for a few days, but inadvertent, or uncaring actions on our part would have to be dealt with after we are gone by Janne and the Tabitha staff.

A Visit to the Killing Fields...

View of the memorial at Chuong Ek 'the killling fields'

After Janne’s orientation talk, team members have two mandatory things left to do before orientation is complete. One is to visit the infamous ‘killing fields’, the other is to visit the notorious Tuol Sleng Prison. Both are very sobering experiences. Seeing the faces of the many people tortured and killed, and the bones and clothing of those slaughtered at the killing fields is a very emotional experience.

While it is no walk in the park, this orientation process is crucial to giving team members an understanding of what the Cambodian people had to endure. Anyone over the age of 35 or so will have memories of family members who did not survive the terrible time under the Khmer Rouge.

Tomorrow afternoon (Sunday) we travel to our build area.

Apology to our blog watchers….

We did send reports back from the field, but, it became apparent that we were caught in many of the ‘internet black holes’……luckily we kept a hard copy….sorry for the delay we will catch you up over the next week.

Bob Carver

The 2008 Build Diary

2008-01-09T17:02:00.002-05:00

Pre Flight Ramblings

Some Quick Observations...

As my tenth trip to the ‘land of smiles’ approaches, a few observations come to mind.

Thirty plus hours ‘in transit’, with a typical flying/connecting time of 27 hours, can take some psychological girding….unless….you are getting to fly in business class.

As one keen observer has noted on a trip to the opposite side of the World, you can’t wait for the trip to end (coach), or you NEVER want it to end (business).

This year Wendy and I are fortunate to be traveling business class – Hooray. It takes around 4 years worth of trips to Thailand to bank enough points to score business class travel.

Flying Coach:

We always book at least 6 months prior to our trip, and make sure to ‘request’ emergency row seating – caveat – this can mean winding up in the deadly middle row (5 seats) with screaming babies. Yes folks, that’s where they put the diaper squad. So, regular screaming baby incidents can seriously try your patience. Not to mention the ear damage possibly caused by the genetically fine-tuned decibel level of the baby scream, which goes directly to the ‘most annoying sound in the world’ part of your brain. Not that I hate babies, more the parents that would bring any human being under the age of, say, two, to the other side of the World.

If you have scored exit row, (window please) you can at least stretch your legs out a bit. But once again there is a price to pay. You often wind up in the row right behind, yes, you guessed it, the crapper. Second only to the screaming baby in annoyance level, is the sound of the flush of an aircraft toilet. Another tip. The further into the cross Pacific leg of around 14 hours, the skankier the crapper becomes. It can become quite similar to a visit to an old fashioned outhouse.

If one winds up in the middle of the ubiquitous middle section of 5 seats; well, all I can say is, you have my condolences

Food in coach: can barely qualify as food. It is at about the same level as hospital or prison food. My personal favorite is the ‘cuppanoodles” that they trot out in the last couple of hours of the flight.

Which brings me to the flight attendants.

We have collected reward points from Air Canada for years now….that is about to change. Between indifferent check-in staff, to overworked gate crew, to the bevy of ‘surly flight attendants that pass as staff supposedly there to make your trip as easy to bear as possible (they want to be in business class too) We have finally had enough and are going to fly with other carriers if humanly possible.

Flying Business Class:

OH MY GOD. Pleasant flight attendants! Yes, even Air Canada. Double-wide seats, that recline to near bed status. Relative peace and quiet.

Before you even have time to play with your seat controls; “Hello Mr. Carver, would you like some champagne or orange juice? I start our relationship on a personal level. After putting her name in my memory bank (business class flight attendants have name tags; coach flight attendants wish to remain anonymous, and rightly so.

I digress: In response to Stephanie’s request I reply; “Yes please Stephanie, by the way, just so you know. Any time you are dispensing food or drink, I am in. If I am asleep, wake me up, if I am in the facilities, leave whatever you are handing out. Thank you”.

After sipping our champagne from a crystal flute, adjusting my extra-comfy double wide seat and snickering at those suckers in coach, Stephanie will come by and drop off our menu: appetizers such as braised duck with confit, shrimps and scallops on soba noodle, and other such delicacies is followed by entrée choices; filet mignon, smoked salmon, lamb….I wonder if I can push the envelope and ask for seconds?. Even though I will be stuffed, I will, by god, eat the dessert.

The Business Class Care Package: a cute little package the size of a shaving kit containing travel socks, your own toothbrush and toothpaste, comb and sundry other items; lotions and such….I’m keepin’ it.

My own personal entertainment system. Multiple movies, tv, and tunage available.

Sleep: Thank God, yes, you actually can get pretty good winks.

You really don’t want the flight to end, but, as they say, “all good things…”

But there is yet another perk; The Executive Lounge – comfy lounge chairs – free booze – free food – free internet – want a shower? Right this way please.

A humorous anecdote from last years trip:

Through unwittingly flying to Asia twice in one calendar year, I received the semi-coveted ELITE status. Cool. Special tags for your bags, special check-in, special exemption on changing itinerary etc.

I have scored this perk one other time, so I knew I was going to get some upgrade certificates. Four for travel within North America. Two for Asia – Bingo.

But our friends at Air Canada have been making things more difficult (surprise). To redeem coupon you have to purchase a certain class of seat…yeah, you guessed it, at twice the price of their lowest quoted fares, so flying within North America is out. However, Long haul international trips are somewhat easier to access.

So on last years trip we had two upgrade certificates. We try to get the upgrade at the Ottawa check-in, only to be told we will have to try at the gate in Toronto.

After waiting for an agent to show up (along with about six other wannabees) I learn that I can only redeem one certificate…no amount of whining or offer of a small bribe brings success. After a short powwow with Wendy, and quick game of rock-paper-scissors, I wind up “up front”. Sorry honey.

Feeling somewhat guilty I buy some really nice ice-wine chocolates from Stephanie and have them hand delivered to my now plebian co-traveller.

However, we are both able to hang out in the executive lounge. Some small comfort. One more leg from HongKong to Bangkok; yes, once again, me in the land of splendor, and Wendy in the back dukeing it out for the last crappy bit of food being handed out in coach.

Wendy is not too bitter because she knows the shoe is going to be on the other foot on the way home. She just silently harbors her gloat until she has that coupon in her hand.

After three weeks of our forays in Asia we call the aeroplan number in Bangkok, to ‘cash in’ our second coupon. Due to some language issues we actually wind up with reservations for 2 business-class seats for the trip home. Can we actually be that lucky?

Check-in. Eureka, we actually have 2 seats in business class from Hongkong to Toronto…quick, keep your head down, move quickly to the lounge.

After keeping our fingers crossed during the entire 31/2-hour flight to HK in coach, we go to a transit counter and I work my charm on the girl. She indeed shows us sitting in business class together, but I only have one coupon.

Problem. I smile, I tell her she is beautiful, I offer her money. It doesn’t seem to be working. But then, a miracle, she hands over two Business Class Boarding Cards. After exchanging furtive glances we head immediately to the executive class lounge, keeping our heads down.

About 45 minutes later, the other shoe drops. "Would Mr. Bob Carver please see the Air Canada staff".

"Mr. Carver do you have your other coupon?". I plead ignorance; what other coupon? Maybe the girl dropped it. Using the, possession is nine tenths of the law rule, I grip the coupon with all my strength, but when the girl looks like she is prepping for the Kill Bill 5 point kill technique I back down and give it up. I could have used the little known counter technique the Larry Curly and Moe three move eye poke counter, but it too is fatal, and I didn’t know if HongKong now has the death penalty since the commies took over.

So I bitterly fought my way to my seat with the rest of the great unwashed, thinking vainly of the opulence being enjoyed by my sweetie, who is being served hand and foot by the beautiful Stephanie.

Only 18 days till business class lift-off!

Watch for updates starting late January.

Bob (who do I have to kill for business class seats every trip) Carver