Chris L.P and I are gearing up and getting ready to travel up to Siem Reap tomorrow! Siem Reap is the tourist hub for travellers looking to experience the ancient temple of Angkor Wat, which was inscribed on the UNESCO […]
Dating from 802 CE to 1431 CE, the Khmer empire was a vibrant and lively culture filled with celebrations year round. Music, festivals, dancing and fireworks were a fundamental dynamic to the Khmer culture (Plubins 2013). So much so that […]
An exciting initiative, Matt and Jess, and all the more so given you're undertaking it in close collaboration with CLA staff and artists. I'll really look forward to the outcome!
Great post, Jess! The ideas you discuss are highly important, particularly for the ongoing revitalisation of Khmer music, like we see through the work of Peter Kersale, and for the survival of traditional Khmer art-forms. I think that the catalog of traditional Khmer instruments is also another step to make... Read more...
Myself and Jess skyped with Cathy yesterday, and in addition to having a good chat and a bit of a laugh, I made the point that we have been very busy – the good kind of busy! Last week our […]
My last post talked about the Khmer Rouge regime and the Cheoung Ek killing field I visited on Saturday. Today I want to talk about the Khmer people, and share the story of one particular guy I met at Music […]
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. – George Santayana Please forgive my preamble, but I feel as though this next blog post should come with some form of forewarning. Yesterday Jessie, Chris LP and I […]
Thanks for sharing Emily. It helps us to know what you are going through - I hope it helps you too
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings on your experience at the Killing Fields, Emily, they were lovely to read. I can imagine writing them down is no easy task! Hope you guys are doing well in PP.
Thanks Emily for your honesty. You probably remember me telling you that when my tour group visited Yad Vashem, the holocaust museum in Jerusalem I didn't go in, instead choosing to sit outside on a rock for 3 hours and wait. I chose the rock because I couldn't bear to... Read more...
See the nation through the people’s eyes, See tears that flow like rivers from the skies. Where it seems there are only borderlines Where others turn and sigh, You shall rise – Mattafix, Rhythm & Hymns, 2007 “Hey! How are […]
hi Chris great to read about your journey. It's a tough one isn't it, I found a lot of this happening in the communities in aust and was always torn between the best way to help out.
I'm glad you gave Chris. I used to get tied in knots walking past the homeless people in Sydney and thinking if I gave them money they might use it for drugs. Now I realise whether I show compassion or not is my decision, what they do with the money... Read more...
Thanks Chris, great to see you courageously getting down to the guts of things over there. Still, take care! We asked ourselves the same questions in Uganda and still do, in Australia too for that matter. I guess each situation is different and we always must be generous. But generous... Read more...
Love it Chris-o. We miss you too
thanks Chris. You have a real gift for making us feel like we are there. I loved the song! It ain't heavy - it's your story...
Last night we ventured to Meta House in Phnom Penh to participate in the highly controversial debate surrounding Australia’s most recent refugee resettlement deal with Cambodia. The panel consisted of Sister Denise Coghlan, an Australian who runs the Jesuit Mission […]
What does it mean to attend the funeral of a person you do not know? Really, it seems like the kind of experience you don’t want to have. The family of the deceased would probably be looking at you unwelcomingly; […]
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Informative post, Matt, thanks - and the photos are beautiful! Today, in the little alley right outside my flat in Phnom Penh, people are setting up for a wedding ceremony, preparing food and mounting a tarpaulin as protection from the afternoon rains. I know it'll be a wedding rather than... Read more...
Thanks Cathy! That does sound interesting. I am intrigued by the length of both of these ceremonies! Jess and me realised today that there is a wedding taking place on the same street as our inn, a few of lots away and on the opposite side of the road. We... Read more...
Prior to leaving for this trip, I was struggling with the idea of a three-week placement. Lecomte (2004) says that, “ultimately, it becomes an issue of determining whose interest is prioritised when these exchanges are established.” With an emerging scholarly […]
Volunteering full fills both sides of the equation. Ie you will receive satisfaction(even though you may not think so now) when you arrive home why not enquire of volunteers who have been serving society for many as I am sure their response will be a positive one. Then seek out... Read more...
When writing this blog post I had to really explore this idea of children beggars. During my time in Cambodia I’ve experienced it firsthand. As a tourist in this country I found the concept quite confronting and saddening. The four […]
Hello, it’s been a couple of days in Cambodia and I have to say I am loving it. I love the extremes of the culture. On the first day we went around Phnom Penh, went through the markets and explored […]
Phnom Penh has been full of some pretty amazing surprises. From walking through the city and braving its traffic madness, indulging in all sorts of beautiful authentic Khmer dishes, and admiring the incredible architecture that has been strongly influenced by […]
Thanks very much for your post Jessie - very interesting. I can't wait for us all to see the Children of Bassac (Heritage of Bassac) in performance at the National Museum during our stay!
This post is highly interesting Jessie! There is so much to take into consideration on this matter.
Wow thats amazing that the children also perform there Jessie. I wasnt aware of this. Have you been able to organise a visit inside?
“Hop in, we’ll give you a lift,” the driver said, waving toward the back door of his shiny Land Rover. “Thanks, but my guest house is only a minute away, I’ll walk,” I said. “That’s okay, hop in anyway.” I […]
very nice, i really like your blog
Nice Blog, Thank you for sharing a valuable topic.
Nice Blog,Thank you for sharing a valuable topic.
Well Chris, you sure got that severe look from me the next morning! Then again, you sure are engaging with the Cambodian people. Keep having fun, and take care. I've got my good eye on you!
Chris you must have been perrified! Its amazing you were able to speak up! You have made me reflect on trust here in Cambodia. It is all too easy. Even last night at dinner they did not have change for us and asked us to wait 5 minutes. A man... Read more...
At dinner on the first evening of our trip, we got talking about Australia’s $40 million deal with Cambodia: to send refugees from Nauru to Cambodia. See, for example: ‘Australia enlists Cambodia in drive to deter refugees’ or, ‘Welcome to […]
Thanks very much Matt for this thoughtful and informed post. It certainly raises some important questions about aid, altruism and responsibility, both at the personal and the governmental levels. We in Phnom Penh are looking forward to attending a Human Rights Debate tonight, on the topic of the recent resettlement... Read more...
Very informative post Matt! Its interesting to consider whether we are part of effective alturism by taking part in this initiative by the government or whether those funds would have been better allocated. I would like to think that our presence and work is more efffective than a direct monetary... Read more...
I realise that my last blog post touched on the topic of giving. However, unfortunately it is a problem too large to simply be resolved by the thoughts of a single post. Furthermore, being immersed in a culture so rife […]
Emily, we felt exactly that way in Kenya. Though I did not become immune to the poverty and the needs there were times with a breaking heart I had to back away when pressured too much. In Kenya buying a small item can be the difference between food on the... Read more...
“If writers wrote as carelessly as some people talk, then adhasdh asdglaseuyt[bn[ pasdlgkhasdfasdf.” ― Lemony Snicket, Horseradish I’ll try to spare you careless words, but do be gracious – a short and sweet account of 3 very full days is knotty business. Some […]
Great to follow you on your journey, Chris. Love the way you express yourself in writing! Love to know what you join in with and how that works out!
Thanks Chris, Yes we love the photos! And the stories. Love the line "It was like being at a conservatorium of music, but people are smiling" haha. Sounds like there's lots to process. Looking forward to the next post.
Chris and I arrived in Phnom Penh yesterday afternoon. Waiting around at the luggage carousel, it became apparent that our packs had not arrived with as much ease as we did. However, with the promise they would be delivered the […]
Emily, thanks for showing your heart in this blog. We saw so many homeless beggars and buskers in Europe it was heartbreaking. In the end I kept a pocket of small change to give to buskers, however bad they were. I couldn't give to everyone, but I could give to... Read more...
Beautiful post Emmy, honest and true. Mother Theresa was never dissuaded by the fact she couldn't help all of India; instead she remarked, "I just help the one before me." Experience is a great teacher. Next walk perhaps you'll prepare a pocket with some giving money in it. Taking home... Read more...
The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready. – Henry David Thoreau A casual perusal of the ’50 Best Travel Quotes for Travel Inspiration’ found me this ill-placed […]
Just a couple of days to go… Since the end of the uni semester I have slowly been getting my head around this trip! There has been a lot to organise and keep updated on, but with my exam and […]
An evening spent in the Arabian desert is must-do experience if you are visiting Dubai. On this spectacular desert safari, you will be picked up from your ...
Thanks for these thoughts Jessie. I first visited Angkor Wat in 2007, and my most recent visit was July 2014. I remember thinking that the number of people visiting the Wat on the days I was there last year must have been at least triple the number during my visit... Read more...