Hi folks,

Well that's another week under the belt. We have managed to get the school plans organised now although it takes us about 4 hours on Sunday, so that has made life a bit easier. But the heat is back and that is a downer. Even the dogs are tired all day, lying around everywhere. The biggest problem really is the dust - riding on the back of a moto around the back blocks is a challenge, starting at 7.30 in the morning. By the time you've gone 10 mins you feel like you haven't washed for a week!! So when we've done 5 or 6 of these rides, taken 6 classes and finished at around 6.30 we are absolutely buggered. Anyway, can't complain too much because the people we pass along the road are in much worse shape than us.

Anyway Rhon is going to fill you in on the week, but I thought I'd just mention the traffic which is unbelievable. However, having been here a couple of weeks I think I've worked out the road rules which are -

1. All drivers have right of way at all times.

2. Always ignore speed limit signs and traffic lights - these are purely for the amusement of tourists.

3. Do not give hand signals, especially when turning. You have right of way.

4. When entering a main road from a side street, ignore all other traffic. You have right of way.

5. Park all vehicles on pavements or as close to shop doors as possible. Pedestrians have no right of way.

6. Carry as many passengers as possible at all times. 3 on a bike is expected, 5 on a moto, and at least 40 on a small tray.

7. When turning into a busy intersection, drive against oncoming traffic until you can cross to the correct side. You have right of way.

8. If apprehended by a policeman for an alleged traffic infringement, an on the spot cash donation to the police ball fund will fix the problem.

9. In the event of an accident, costs will be shared equally, because all those involved HAVE RIGHT OF WAY!!

Our week has been as Barry said, busy and exhausting, but we certainly cannot complain about our lot given the circumstances that most Cambodian people live in. The villages around the Krousar Themey centres are very impoverished. Most people live in bamboo huts, thatched with what looks like sugar cane leaves. Most people have a stall of some sort set up outside their huts but I am not sure how much they sell as they are relying on their neighbours to purchase from them and they do not any any money! Many people here have lost limbs due to the land mines and there are still thousands of unexploded mines left. The other morning I saw a man with one leg dragging himself along the dusty road on his bottom. He did not even have a pair of crutches to assist him.

The other volunteers that we share our accommodation with are working with some interesting NGO'S. One of our friends works with an organisation called Life & Hope which is run by the Buddhist monks. The other day she visited a village about 1 km from town and everyone in the village is HIV positive. She went to an orphanage where all the children have Aids. One of the little girls fell over and cut her head open and went to her to be picked up but she wasn't allowed to touch her. I am not sure about the legal situation of the children in the orphanages but I heard from one of our friends that a father tried to get his daughter back from the orphanage. As he had previously sold her twice at one of the local markets, the organisation was taking him to court. I presume then that there is some sort of guardianship order that can be taken out to protect children if need be. There is a lot of sexual exploitation of children in Cambodia by pimps and pedophiles. There is now a campaign called "Child Safe" that is trying to educate poor families against the danger of letting their children go with foreigners with false promises of educating them. Lots of the hotels have "Child Safe" signs to indicate that the staff have been trained to report child sexual abuse. Hopefully this will start to have some effect.

There are approx 10,000 children living on the streets in Cambodia and 1 million, 52% of children between the ages of 7-17 are in the workforce and dont attend school. There is discussion in the newspaper about the need to strengthen the Child Labour laws and try to stamp this out, but with lots of these children being the only breadwinner in the family, there is a long way to go. One of the children bought into one of the orphanage last week was 6 years old and the primary carer for his grandmother.

On Wednesday we went to the Deaf & Blind school to see a performance by 2 visiting mime artists from Japan. They entertained the deaf children who were delighted with their antics and showed their appreciation at the end of each act by "clapping" (putting their hands in their air and shaking them).

This afternoon we are going to see a puppet parade that involves students from 9 schools around Siem Reap. has been organised by an international organisation that has been touring Cambodia teaching about the environment. All the puppets have been made by the students with re-cycled material. The Cambodian people are as far as we can see, excellent at re-cycling. Nothing seems to go to waste, except the thousands of plastic bags which are lying around everywhere.

The photo with the sign on the street cart is typical of what you see, especially around the Old Market area which is frequented by many tourists. Apparently people are arrested for begging. so many NGO's have been supporting people to set up small businesses such as this one that caters to the tourists. These include shoe shines, book sales, postcard sales &c. The police stand on every corner, seemingly to prevent the tourists being harrassed as the economy is largely now dependent on the tourist dollar. It is difficult to sit at any of the restaurants and resist the sad faces of these sellers. I have bought many, many postcards and now have enough to set up my own stall!

Well that's about all our news for now. Many thanks to everyone for your comments which we look forward to each week.

Heaps of love to all our family and friends...................Barry & Rhon.