Arrived at the branch to find teachers and the adult education student milling around. No one seemed in a particular hurry to get going, but then that is the way of things here. The adherence to timetables being a foreign concept and is possibly one of the things that people both love and hate about living here. Marady and I were meant to bring food for a picnic that we were meant to be having. I found the teachers I work with in the crowd and chatted briefly to them. The other foreign teachers were there too. These people offer a much more interesting and easy conversation. Marady said she was going to go grab some food to take with us. I passed her the keys to the moto and a small amount of money. I asked her if she knew our destination and she nodded. Poom Rokar (Rokar village) out towards Phnom Sampov.
I grabbed my camera and started snapping shots of the assembled crowd. This was one of my duties for the day. One that I love. Being in charge of DSLR is always good for me! Chat, click, click, chat. Make students and teachers pose. Chat, click, chat, click, click. Then the assembled group started filing into the mini vans and fetching their scooters. Marady was not yet back, so I was a little worried. Needed to follow this group as I had only the vaguest idea where I was going. But Marady had said she knew, so hopefully no problem. Vans and motos started leaving and still no Marady. I gave her a call and said hurry up!
Waiting on the now deserted side of the road, slowly puffing on a cigarette, waiting, wondering. Marady finally arrived and I knew that about 10 minutes had elapsed since the departure of the group. Marady said to me "Don't be mad!"
I quickly went through town and headed toward Phnom Sampov. Watching all the way to see if I could spot the USA school vans. We managed to get out all the way to the mountain and still no vans! Yikes. Grabbed the cell phone and dialed one of the other teachers. "Danny, Danny, please put on one of the Khmer teachers!" and handed the phone to Marady. Then the phone ran out of credit! This was turning out to be a shite day! Spied a phone shop and dashed inside. Brought some credit and phoned again.
Now armed with the vaguest of directions we headed back towards Battambang. Took a left at a service station and headed off in the country side. Marady said to stop at one of the road side stalls because she wanted to ask if this was the road to Poom Rokar. This is a normal way of navigating in Cambodia. One day their love for smart phones might go beyond games and they will discover that most have a GPS built in, and maps and the like. I actually prefer for people to give me co-ordinates. So much easier!
After it was firmly established that we were on the right road we continued the travel. One eye on the gas gauge, one on the road. We are heading into the back of beyond with not alot of petrol. I rued the fact that I had not topped up before I left, and with how luck was running today I was almost certain I would end up on the side of the road with no gasoline in sight.
After what seemed like and eternity of travelling down a dirt road the village loomed large! There was the Pagoda! And better still, the USA School vans! We were in the right place. grabbing the camera I quickly got to work, snapping pictures of the teachers and students planting the trees. Also of the monks that were offering a blessing to the trees. Wonder if now would be the time to mention that I am a minister in the church of eternal light and that I could bless them too. But thought the irony of a atheist doing this would be lost on them.
The USA International school certainly has done a great thing here with it's offering of tree planting, Cambodia leads the world in one thing. Deforestation! So big ups to this school for doing this.
We left after about an hour and a half after chatting with the appropriate people and headed for home. Hoping to find a petrol station in a hurry. But arrived home safe and sound without so much as a drop of rain falling on me. Must of shaken all the bad luck for the day!
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