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20.
Street Kids
12
November 2005
 Hi
everyone,
Hope you have been well and happy since I last got my
fingers on the keyboard and sent out an "I am not
dead email". Things have been happening a plenty
since as well. I survived the Vietnam bike trip (excellent
fun) and was then asked to run some charity bike trips
but my boss wouldn't let me off the schedule so I was
a little angry for awhile there but I should be up and
running those early next year (fingers crossed).
I then did a whole series of back to back to back to back
to back to back week long Cambodia trips and nearly went
nuts as I sat on the bus along Cambodia's worst road for
the twentieth time in one month - 8 hours to drive 150km!!
Crazy country.
I thought I would improve my Khmer language skills and
I can now read Khmer script, very impressed with myself
there. Also less than 50% of the Cambodian population
is literate so that means I can read better than most
Cambodians - scary thought!
I spent some time helping out in a new drop in center
for the street kids in Siem Reap. Great fun, the kids
would drag me off to go swimming each day which was in
the river than runs through town. A river that every man
and his dog throws his rubbish into. One of the kids was
waving me over to dive in as another was having a piss
straight into the water. I told them I couldn't swim!
Actually
the centre has been a great experience. It is run by an
Australian lady who has a Khmer husband. She is having
a little trouble controlling the kids as the place is
brand new. It is only open during the day as the kids
parents force them to go and beg for money from tourists
at night and she knows if she starts opposing that the
parents wont let them come at all.
Also
one of the kids was kidnapped from the market whilst I
was there. She was missing for over two weeks - there
is a big human trafficking ring in Cambodia so it was
very possible she was taken and sold off to a brothel
in Thailand. However two weeks after she disappeared she
turned up again saying that "the Vietnamese"
had kidnapped her. Cambodians blame the Vietnamese for
everything but everyone is happy she is back with her
family.
I
am currently on my favourite trip - the four countries
in four weeks loop. I have a trainee along as well so
I can be really slack and get him to do most of the work.
Christmas I should be in Bangkok and New years will be
in Bangkok as well.
However
on the 1st of January I am meant to travel with the group
on THAT road - 8 hours 150km bumpy as anything not a great
way to start the year!
Off to Lao
Marlo
About
the Author
Marlo Perry is a Group Leader for the Australian based
tour operator, Intrepid
Travel.
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