Siem Reap - Spider City and New Hope Cambodia
After such a busy day (killing fields, Tuol Sleng, and visiting the school) it was kind of nice to have a long bus ride as we headed to Siem Reap.
We saw lots of local buses (long tuk tuks) and markets along the way.
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And stopped for a quick break at Spider City which was crawling with kids selling pineapples, bananas, and the chance to hold a tarantula. I made friends with a girl and her eight-legged companion.
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| His feet were sticky. |
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Some of us liked our new, creepy friends.
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Some did not.
DO NOT WANT! |
There were snacks for sale as well.
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| Crickets, frogs, cockroaches, grasshoppers |
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| Water beetles |
We did stop for a larger, proper lunch at a waterside restaurant before arriving in Siem Reap.
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For dinner we had another fantastic opportunity to met some local students through a non-profit called New Hope. Our guide for the evening was Rysseai (his name means bamboo) who helps run the foundation. New Hope is supported through G Adventures Planeterra projects. New Hope's mandate is free education for all, but supports foundational community projects as well as free English education.
The first location we visited was the original school site opened in 2007. It is in one of the poorest slums in Siem Reap and soon couldn't keep up with demand. A second location was financed and opened in 2011.
Now the original school serves as free housing for disadvantaged mothers and children. Once again we had some school supplies that went over like gangbusters.
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And we did nothing but get the kids all wound up with the Hokey Pokey, airplane rides, and arm swing flips before hoping back in our tuk tuks and heading to the new school.
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| Spreading the hokey pokey wherever we go |
At the new location we sat in on the last 15 minutes of the advanced English class, watching the students recap what they learned. Then we toured the onsite free clinic and crisis outreach centre before sitting down at the training restaurant for dinner.
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| I am a terrible student... |
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Besides vocational training in the restaurant and bar tending industries, New Hope also offers training in traditional Khmer music, sewing and computers.
The student bar tender, wait staff, chefs and musicians did a fantastic job at dinner.
While Khmer school is free, parents still have to buy uniforms, shoes, and supplies - which many cannot afford. New Hope is currently supplemental free English education but hopes to have a new free Khmer school built onsite soon.
More on New Hope Cambodia through video or online here - http://www.newhopecambodia.com/
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