Sundays in Sisophon
on Vicky Dyer (Cambodia), 13/Nov/2012 14:03, 34 days ago
Sundays are very relaxing. I often go for a ride on my bicycle and there are always opportunities to see or do interesting things. These are a few photos from past weeks. Some friends took me swimming in a nice, quiet, clean(ish) ricefield. Anna had prepared a very tasty barbecue.Swimming in a ricefieldDitches dug for irrigation make good pools for swimming. We enjoyed ourselves a short distance from the busy resort where Cambodians go to swim. The centre of Sisophon is fairly developed. Some of the roads are quite good and not too busy on a Sunday.Exercise to music in the park  The Watika (park) is very lively at weekends with exercise sessions, fairground rides, loud music and food stalls.On the other side of the river however it's a different story. The main bridge is next to the college where I work.These kids spend their time collecting plastic bottles and cans for recycling.Traffic hazards include cattle, goats, chickens and, when it rains, frogs!Here the roads are not surfaced and it's much quieter. The views are beautiful especially at sunset. I love the lotus flowers and the way that everyone greets me. People appreciate the fact that I know some khmer and I often get invited to join families for a drink and a chat.The lotus flower raises its lovely head above the dirty waterNot all the views are beautiful. Poor people live along the riverbank making their living by fishing. Their homes are in a very poor state of repair, suffering annually from flooding. You will still always see them smiling though.Riverside homesSometimes I visit nearby districts. Here, on the way to Svay Cheik, we stopped to buy peanuts. These ladies are harvesting them by hand.I was amused to see these huge pigs at the pagoda. They look very well fed! The light was very bright so it was hard to get a good photo.Last weekend, Japanese volunteers hosted a range of Japanese cultural activities from Aikido to origami at the local University. I dressed in Japanese costume and had a lesson in Japanese writing. I have two Japanese colleagues at PTTC. These two young boys made their own entertainment for a Sunday afternoon. Their home made go-carts  use Nestle milk cans for wheels. They didn't go very fast but the lads had a great time with them.Finally, if I stay at home, my neighbours children like to pay a visit and do some drawing or colouring. They were initially quite wild but have settled down. My khmer teacher provided me with all the right vocabulary 'Please play nicely in my house' :-)Drawing and colouringOn that day the crash helmet was firmly fixed to his head!!!