Home Again.
on So Now It's Cambodia (Cambodia), 20/Oct/2010 15:06, 34 days ago
I've finally returned to our house in Mongkul Borei after two months away.Alison and I enjoyed a weekend in Siem Reap first staying at our usual hotel the Prince D'Angkor where we are made to feel most welcome. It also has a bath and shower that work with instant and plentiful hot water and an efficient air con system and remote lighting by the bed - saves a lot of hopping around! It's bliss to be able to have a good soak and clean up without worrying about slipping in the shower, balancing on one foot or slipping when hopping out again. This is one reason I delayed returning to the house. The stairs are also scary but I'm beginning to get the knack with someone to support me. Our taxi driver back from Siem Reap ( a new one but a good driver) had no hesitation in helping me up the stairs when we got back (see photo!sorry it's wonky-I'm not in the picture - that's Alison's colleague from Thmar Pouk).Whilst in Siem Reap we went for tea and cake at Raffles. Although the full afternoon tea is tempting we restricted ourselves because we both just fancied a really good cup of tea (ok - and one piece of chocolate cake!!) and they were able to provide. They also provide staff to pour and top up and replace tea at the slightest sign that you might need assistance! I've just had tea and cake at home but I had to do it all myself!! This does involve a few journeys as I am now using one crutch (most of the time) and can carry one item in the other hand.I haven't yet mentioned that I saw my regular Thai surgeon last Wednesday who did x rays and said he "thought it was strong enough now" and was pretty much healed though there is still a sign of the crack on the x ray but once again.... - best I leave that to him! So he advised me to use just one crutch and I had to practise with him there. It was a bit strange at first but I've got the hang of it now. You syncronise the left crutch with the right (injured) foot so the weight is shared by the crutch and the foot.While I can manage this the ankle has become much more painful now and is swelling more than before so I'm not sure what to make of that. I'm doing the warm water soaking he recommends so strongly but am missing the swimming now I'm at the house. Talking of swimming - during the last two months while I've been complaining about the rain, the countryside has changed. it's especially noticeable in our area. Many houses are flooded or their grounds are - if you ever wonder why Cambodian houses are built on stilts, the "lakes" that would otherwise engulf their houses are sufficient evidence.Not everyone gets away with it - even the nurse working with Alison this week on Ambulance training says her ground floor is flooded up to their knees. The amazing thing is that they seem unbothered by it! It probably explains why the downstairs in many Cambodian houses are quite plain - a bit like garages, often with tiling for floors - and certainly no carpet!! Our landlady said her downstairs area flooded about 4 years ago so this year is good (so far!!).It also opens windows of opportunity. Fishing is the main one. In the most unlikely places: by the road, any old patch of water will do - it often looks like an accident scene by the side of the road but it's just loads of people with simple sticks and lines hoping to catch the fish that (presumably) have got washed up in the flooding. Big nets on very long poles are also a feature - I saw one today being transported on a moto. Swimming is the other thing - we've even seen children wearing brightly coloured inflatable arm bands(health and safety??)swimming in ponds by the side of the road. People up to their chests in water - no messages about not playing in rivers etc. here!!! At the weekend Alison went to a garden centre in Siem Reap to buy some tropical fish for the house. The entrance was flooded and there were people fishing there -we drove past the next day and most of the water had gone - and so had the fisherfolk.In fact, we have an invite to join Alison's VA for a swimming outing on Sunday - not sure if we'll make it! We may go for the experience (on the way back from the hotel swimming pool) but I'll leave the nasty diseases, snakes and rubbish etc. to the locals!!This week Alison has been in the Sisophon hospital every day as two young Americans have been over doing Ambulance training. They really need this but it is so sad that they just don't have the equipment to carry out what they have learnt. They were an enthusiastic couple who took about 30 hours of flying time to get here from the states for just two weeks work. They do it voluntarily on release from their emegency work in America. It's very practical and Alison showed me videos they'd made of the training today. They even took a patient sitting watching and used her as a guinea pig (in spite of Alison's protestations!) - got her all strapped up and on  stretcher and made her daughter cry as she didn't know what was going on!! The most important point is that the staff here are very willing to learn and could probably end up being good at it - if only they were properly resourced!!This also gave me an excuse to join them for lunch in Sisophon for our favourite pork and ginger and coffee. The restaurant must be doing well as the owner has built a lovely house behind the restaurant which would not look out of place in Barnet or the South Coast! These trips have enabled me to meet up with our usual taxi driver and tuk tuk driver - feels like I'm home now! I am really feeling the heat having lived in air conditioned hotels for two months so I went searching for air con units in Sisophon with the help of our tuk tuk driver. Although they had the ones that go in the wall there were no free standing ones - hopefully we'll get one in Siem Reap as I'm not looking forward to wilting and melting for another year!