Cambodian ox cart ride- the ride you must not miss

The ox is not a distinct species but merely a sturdier castrated male zebu that has been kept for heavy work.

The Cambodian ox is also very much a work animal, and is used extensively for hauling cartloads of produce, firewood etc. These oxen are usually yoked in pairs. As is the case in many cultures, the yoke used in Cambodia is distinctively Khmer and quite attractive in design.

During our stay at the Khmer Village Homestay there is an option of going on an evening ox cart ride that takes you on a rollercoaster experience through the bumpy dirt trails behind the farmhouses in Baray. The ride is quite unforgettable as you get to experience some very attractive Cambodian rural landscapes (while pondering Paul's teaching about not being 'unequally yoked').

The ride climaxes when you are parked in a desolate spread open countryside where you can wait and catch a spectacular Cambodian sunset (if the weather is good!)

Certainly one ride you musn't miss when in Cambodia!

Cambodian cattle - the Zebu

Cambodian Zebu contentedly lazing around in front of the school at O Ta Saeng

Domestic Cambodian cattle are similar to those found in other parts of Asia. They are called Zebus (Bos primigenius indicus). They are characterized by having a hump, droopy ears and a large dewlap. These cattle are one of the major domesticated animals found on many farms, and there is a distinct economy built around selling, loaning and hiring of these animals. They are cultivated largely for meat as this species of cattle are poor milk producers, producing barely enough for their own young.

When we move around the villages, we come across many of these animals, some roaming freely and some being herded. They are rather sad looking as these Cambodian Zebus look particularly skinny.

...sigh....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7814974.stm

'nuff said...

Home with a view...

There are some very picturesque spots in rural Cambodia. This is one of them. The peaceful and beautiful pastoral setting of this scene with the quaint little hut hides the abject poverty of many of the people living there. The flat lands in the back ground appear barren because it is actually very low lying and much of it is actually beneath the water line. During the rainy period, large swathes of the land will be under water. That's the reason why the hut is on stilts.

We came here because the roof of this hut had fallen in and needed repairs. The single room hut housed a family of six. The family could not afford to fix the roof, so the NTU students were there to help.

Unfortunately, we discovered that the structure of the hut was too weak to support the new zinc roofing the students had planned to install. We understood that the family had gone round to borrow money so that they could install stronger columns that could take the weight of the zinc roof. We all felt rather uncomfortable with the realization that our attempts to help the family would actually put the family under the burden of a sizeable debt. Then and there, the students decided to take up a collection among themselves so that they could contribute to the cost of re-structuring the house support for the installation of the new roof.

The students' spontaneous generosity under such unexpected conditions touched us very much.

Leaky roofs

It's really no fun sleeping under a leaky roof. We had that experience once at the home stay, back when the roofs were still made of palm leaves. It was quite a miserable and stressful night trying to avoid all that constant erratic dripping.

But many of the villagers live with even worse leaks. The palm leaf thatches, though functional, do not last long. Many homes have various degrees of roof leakiness.

This widow and her kids live in a very small hut just off the main highway leading out of Baray village, - a hut with a badly decayed and damaged roof. Everything about the house was almost falling apart, including the wooden front stepst. The NTU students (Project L.O.V.E.) were supposed to construct a new zinc roof for her home. When we were getting acquainted with her, it was obvious she was moved almost to tears at the prospect of being able to get a new roof for her house. As it transpired, the students were not allowed to climb up to the roof as the scaffolding was badly decayed and we were concerned for the students' safety. Then later we realized that the supplied amount of zinc sheets were inadequate. Happily, two Ngee Ann Poly lecturers were visiting at the same time, and coming to know of the students' plight, chipped in and donated money to purchase the additional zinc sheets. Later, the students having chipped in themselves to fund the reconstruction of another house, offered some of that money to reconstruct the steps leading up to the house.

All in all, it worked out well and we had one very happy widow and her family.

Build a School Project - FAQs

1. What is the BASP?
The Build a School Project is a project that was begun about 3 years ago to place schools in very remote villages in rural Cambodia. Many of these villages are kilometers away from the nearest school. Young children often do not attend school because of the need to walk these distances through bad and unsafe dirt tracks.

2. What sort of schools do you build?
We essentially build very basic 2-3 classroom brick schools. The school will have toilet facilities and a bore well in the school premises. We furnish the schools with very simple wooden desks and benches. There is a painted chalk and duster 'blackboard'.

3. What level of education will these provide?
We seek to provide access to schools for the youngest children - so it will be Grades 1-3. We hope that by the time the children complete Grade 3, they will be old enough to be able to travel further to the larger schools, and that they would have learnt enough for them to integrate into the new school environment.

4. What about teachers?
We have a partnership with the Department of Education, so that once the school is built, the government will appoint teachers to the school. So far this has worked out very well.

5. Do you have any ownership or management roles in the school?
No. This school will essentially belong 100% to the community. We seek a healthy relationship with the village so that the village community become committed stakeholders in the school. Our continuing friendship and partnership with the village leadership (through the local pastors) provide a channel for us to support and mentor the community.

6. How much does it cost to build the schools?
Currently (2009) the cost of building the school, toilets and wells, and to provide simple furnishings average about USD$30K. The costs has increased recently. Also, these villages are relatively inaccessible even by vehicular means - via bumpy, pot-holed dirt tracks. This makes it even more costly to bring in construction supplies etc. The Appeal for funds.

7. What other needs do the children have?
The school is very basic and under-resourced. The government does provide basic text books, but often writing materials are inadequate. The children need exercise books, writing materials, other educational aids such as posters, charts etc.

8. How can one contribute?
Donations can be made by cheque or cash. Cheques are to be made out to "Mt Carmel BP Church Ltd". A note should be made on the back of the cheque that this is to be directed to the "Cambodia School Building Project". The cheque or cash can be mailed directly to:

Mt Carmel BP Church
Clementi Bible Centre
152 West Coast Road
Singapore 127370

9. Is this project financially supported by the church?
Currently we do not draw any support from church funds, and the church does not give a grant for this work. Thus, the BASP is entirely funded through private donations. The church office assists us by providing an independent and auditable accounting mechanism for the funds received.

10. What proportion of the moneys received actually goes to the building of the school?
100%. There is no administrative costs drawn from the donations received. All administrative, travel and miscellaneous costs are borne personally. If donations received exceed the budget, the excess is set aside for the next school or is used to support the children's educational needs, e.g. books and writing materials etc.

11. How much experience have you had doing this?
We have been in and out of Baray for the last 10 years. Over the last 3 years, we have built 3 village schools- in Chhom Trach, Ta Peuv and O Ta Saeng.

12. Who are you?
My name's Edmund. Just an ordinary nobody who cares about these kids. You can find out more about me here and here and here.

Sugar palm (Borassus flabellifer)

The sugar palm (Palmyra; Borassus flabellifer) tree is so iconic of Cambodia. It is seen everywhere in the countryside, and there's hardly a single landscape photo that does not show a sugar palm lurking in the background. It's one of the those trees that is so functional to the lives of the Cambodian villagers.

A description of the many uses of the sugar palm can be found here, at the FAO website.

pic from www.mandevu.net

Its leaves are used for thatching the roofs of the village huts. Unlike other villages in South East Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia) where the Nipah (attap) palm leaves are used instead, the Khmers stitch down the fronds of the sugar palm to make the roofs of their huts.

The fruits are edible, and the flowers are tapped for the syrupy liquid that is concentrated to make palm sugar. Unlike the palm sugar (gula melaka) in Malaysia/Singapore, which is harvested from coconut flowers, the palm sugar in Cambodia and other parts of Indochina is extracted from the Palmyra palm flowers. A detailed description of the process can be found at the FAO site, and some interesting pictures/descriptions can also be found at this Flickr site.