Friday, January 26, 2024
Update 7
Ah, back to the weekday routines! I have to note how open & inviting this place is. It's officially called Bakong Development Center. Unofficially, I'd call it Whatever You Need. Kids come all times of day, come into the house, ask for food & she gives them something. The next door 3 year old is nicknamed Tornado—justly earned. He seems to have no boundaries & plays with everything. Currently the toilet plunger is his favorite. Sue will stop him from a few things-like drinking from the spout of the clean water dispenser-but only in a loving voice…and then chuckle. The kids come in & out of the library, play with the badminton set or volleyball and whatever else they find. Some kids come just to crawl up on Sue's lap. In the evening, the boys who live here & a few others play an intense game of volleyball. Though they obviously don't follow all the rules, they have a great time. There's a warm feeling of love and trust that permeates the compound.
Most days, I usually hang out in the library which is filled before & after classes with about 20 kids, ages 4-12 or so, doing puzzles, playing with legos, drawing and a few even look at books! There are three English classes a day. Rog & I alternate being in the day classes with the young kids. We both help out in the evening class of about 25 kids between the ages of 18-28. The teacher, Mr. Chin has quit teaching from the book & has asked us to teach grammar and conversational English instead. So we have had the kids pair up & learn something about their partner and then they took turns introducing their partner. After Day 3, they were getting pretty good at it! Tonight we'll ask them to tell 2 or 3 things about themselves. We have also worked on nouns, contractions, verb tenses, adjectives & adverbs. They laugh often and are eager to learn. The class is free for them and totally voluntary. Bakong Dev. Center, Monk Hun's non profit picks up the bill. Learning English will be a major advantage to them when they look for a job. Early morning & later evening, we work in the garden which is looking pretty good!
My birthday! As my friend Elsi said, "Another Year, Another Country!" After a normal morning, Sue, Monk Hun, Rog & I went to a nice place to eat lunch. We sat by a river…chocolate brown & hardly flowing…and I again ordered egg rolls & D Coke. Hey, if I love them, why not?? I spoiled myself by not going to work in the garden today and reading instead. At 7, we went to our class & soon after, the kids turned the lights off and carried in 2 birthday cakes, each lit with a candle. They sang Happy Birthday to the top of their lungs and covered me with silly string. Sue had bought one of the cakes & the students the other. $5 is a lot of money for them! We manage to teach our lesson, then cut the cakes into 30 tiny pieces. Everyone loved it…especially me!!
Most days, I usually hang out in the library which is filled before & after classes with about 20 kids, ages 4-12 or so, doing puzzles, playing with legos, drawing and a few even look at books! There are three English classes a day. Rog & I alternate being in the day classes with the young kids. We both help out in the evening class of about 25 kids between the ages of 18-28. The teacher, Mr. Chin has quit teaching from the book & has asked us to teach grammar and conversational English instead. So we have had the kids pair up & learn something about their partner and then they took turns introducing their partner. After Day 3, they were getting pretty good at it! Tonight we'll ask them to tell 2 or 3 things about themselves. We have also worked on nouns, contractions, verb tenses, adjectives & adverbs. They laugh often and are eager to learn. The class is free for them and totally voluntary. Bakong Dev. Center, Monk Hun's non profit picks up the bill. Learning English will be a major advantage to them when they look for a job. Early morning & later evening, we work in the garden which is looking pretty good!
My birthday! As my friend Elsi said, "Another Year, Another Country!" After a normal morning, Sue, Monk Hun, Rog & I went to a nice place to eat lunch. We sat by a river…chocolate brown & hardly flowing…and I again ordered egg rolls & D Coke. Hey, if I love them, why not?? I spoiled myself by not going to work in the garden today and reading instead. At 7, we went to our class & soon after, the kids turned the lights off and carried in 2 birthday cakes, each lit with a candle. They sang Happy Birthday to the top of their lungs and covered me with silly string. Sue had bought one of the cakes & the students the other. $5 is a lot of money for them! We manage to teach our lesson, then cut the cakes into 30 tiny pieces. Everyone loved it…especially me!!
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Update 6
Sunday morning, Sue had arranged for us to meet some of her friends for brunch in Siem Reap about 40 minutes away. On our way, we stopped to pick up some stuff to add to the drawing area in the library. Great store. Brunch was interesting. Sue's friends include Expats who were artist, musician, jewelry artist & one who also helps local kids. We also stopped at her friend's shop, The Muffin Man. Delicious treats! Last stop was for groceries…also a well stocked store. We loaded the cart—for $45! After we unloaded the groceries, we took bananas to the boys who were working hard in the garden. Each boy will be given a plot to plant. Sue got some plywood & Rog showed them how to cut out sections to put their names on it. Some boys were already planting seeds in seedling trays & others were hoeing & still others mixing up compost. Roger and I have spent time weeding & tilling parts of the garden to help out some. I picture a lush garden in about a month! Three of the boys had attended a mushroom growing class yesterday and were inspired to start using their newly learned knowledge. They'd cleaned out the chicken coop & drew up a list of needs. Sue told then she'd load them the $$ but they would need to pay her back. The profits then would be split 4 ways-3 boys & herself. That got them working harder!
At 4, the 11 boys who live here, a couple extras & Rog jumped in the motorcycle flatbed cart & Sue, Monk & I got in a tuk tuk and we all headed for the lake through the cloud of dust on the road. Our hair was orange by the time we got there. When we got to a deep part of a river, we hired a boat. 17 excited people boarded and the boat headed upstream. Before long, we were passing a ton of houses built on 15-20 ft stilts. Small fishing boats were unloading their catch. Traps, nets, buckets of fish, kids, laundry, small fires and trash were everywhere. Imagine living here?? The steps alone would do me in! We barely managed to pass through the narrow area not crowded with fishing boats. After about 30 minutes, the river opened wide and there was the Tonlesap Lake. No end in site! The boys were so excited. They were snapping pictures constantly—mostly of themselves. Most had not been on a boat or seen a lake. The boat stopped a ways out and we sat and watched the beautiful sunset. Then turned around and retraced our route…all the way home. The road dust covered us but the happiness & smiles shone through. It was a well spent $70 treat for the boys & us!
Sunday morning, Sue had arranged for us to meet some of her friends for brunch in Siem Reap about 40 minutes away. On our way, we stopped to pick up some stuff to add to the drawing area in the library. Great store. Brunch was interesting. Sue's friends include Expats who were artist, musician, jewelry artist & one who also helps local kids. We also stopped at her friend's shop, The Muffin Man. Delicious treats! Last stop was for groceries…also a well stocked store. We loaded the cart—for $45! After we unloaded the groceries, we took bananas to the boys who were working hard in the garden. Each boy will be given a plot to plant. Sue got some plywood & Rog showed them how to cut out sections to put their names on it. Some boys were already planting seeds in seedling trays & others were hoeing & still others mixing up compost. Roger and I have spent time weeding & tilling parts of the garden to help out some. I picture a lush garden in about a month! Three of the boys had attended a mushroom growing class yesterday and were inspired to start using their newly learned knowledge. They'd cleaned out the chicken coop & drew up a list of needs. Sue told then she'd load them the $$ but they would need to pay her back. The profits then would be split 4 ways-3 boys & herself. That got them working harder!
At 4, the 11 boys who live here, a couple extras & Rog jumped in the motorcycle flatbed cart & Sue, Monk & I got in a tuk tuk and we all headed for the lake through the cloud of dust on the road. Our hair was orange by the time we got there. When we got to a deep part of a river, we hired a boat. 17 excited people boarded and the boat headed upstream. Before long, we were passing a ton of houses built on 15-20 ft stilts. Small fishing boats were unloading their catch. Traps, nets, buckets of fish, kids, laundry, small fires and trash were everywhere. Imagine living here?? The steps alone would do me in! We barely managed to pass through the narrow area not crowded with fishing boats. After about 30 minutes, the river opened wide and there was the Tonlesap Lake. No end in site! The boys were so excited. They were snapping pictures constantly—mostly of themselves. Most had not been on a boat or seen a lake. The boat stopped a ways out and we sat and watched the beautiful sunset. Then turned around and retraced our route…all the way home. The road dust covered us but the happiness & smiles shone through. It was a well spent $70 treat for the boys & us!
Monday, January 22, 2024
Update #5
Today we were tourist! A tuk tuk with Monk Hun arrived at 7:30 and off we went. We drove on the main road along with countless motorcycles, bicycles, cars, carts, two wheeled tractors pulling huge loads of a multitude of stuff piled high & precariously and semi trucks. Along the way, Monk Hun gave us some background information about the temples we'd be seeing. An then, there one was—Banteay Srei in all it's glory and yet wearing the face of an ancient one. The 10th century Hindu temple—a palace for gods—built with exquisite decorative carvings which in some areas, have amazingly survived. Taking a closer look, you see faces of many gods, musicians, animals, flowers & foliage covering every inch. The endless scenes depict events with great detail. Some glorious & others gory. Facial expressions, clothing, hairstyles, jewelry-so much detail! Who designed all this??? Who carved all this in sandstone?? How can it have survived over 1000 years?? Just incredible. After an hour, we headed to a lunch spot. Monk Honk needs to eat before noon-which is nice cause I was hungry & restaurants are nearly empty. Hun picked a great one, of course. I got egg rolls again & D Coke and Rog got sweet & sour chicken. Who knew we'd get Chinese food here? Actually, Hun says it's Cambodian food. The next temple we were awed by was Ta Prohm, late 12th century. This Buddhist temple is being strangled by the massive roots of trees. One of them is now called Tomb Raider and it's where Angelin Jolie picked the jasmine flower. Next we crossed over a bridge lined with figures of gods, passed under a gigantic gateway to discover the Bayon Temple (12th century/Buddist). I was struck again by the details in the carvings especially the humongous smiling faces. There's not enough time to describe the many scenes carved in the walls. Rog loved the scene where a man is tickling the foot of a swordsman. Monkeys liked this temple too. On our way back to our tuk tuk, we passed a band playing. Several plastic legs were propped next to the stage & a sign informed us that they'd been land mine victims. Monk Hun had planned our day well. He left the best for last, Angkor Wat. The jewel. Surrounded by a vast moat. It is considered "heaven on earth", Mt Olympus of the Hindu faith. To me, I consider it an ultimate gem of a might, brilliant & talented ancient civilization. Over a million people lived in this, the biggest city in Asia at the time. Complete with libraries, post office, hospitals, pharmacy and schools. Angkor Wat's massive walls tell in their exquisite carvings, so many Hindu stories of gods which would fill volumes of books…but as the saying goes, "a carving is worth a thousand words." Angkor Wat is truly a magnificent site to see and let soak into your being.
And the cherry on top, was that our guide was Monk Hon. Many tourist stopped and honored him with a bow and asked to have pictures taken with him. I felt very honored, humbled and lucky to walk among these hallowed temples with him.
Today we were tourist! A tuk tuk with Monk Hun arrived at 7:30 and off we went. We drove on the main road along with countless motorcycles, bicycles, cars, carts, two wheeled tractors pulling huge loads of a multitude of stuff piled high & precariously and semi trucks. Along the way, Monk Hun gave us some background information about the temples we'd be seeing. An then, there one was—Banteay Srei in all it's glory and yet wearing the face of an ancient one. The 10th century Hindu temple—a palace for gods—built with exquisite decorative carvings which in some areas, have amazingly survived. Taking a closer look, you see faces of many gods, musicians, animals, flowers & foliage covering every inch. The endless scenes depict events with great detail. Some glorious & others gory. Facial expressions, clothing, hairstyles, jewelry-so much detail! Who designed all this??? Who carved all this in sandstone?? How can it have survived over 1000 years?? Just incredible. After an hour, we headed to a lunch spot. Monk Honk needs to eat before noon-which is nice cause I was hungry & restaurants are nearly empty. Hun picked a great one, of course. I got egg rolls again & D Coke and Rog got sweet & sour chicken. Who knew we'd get Chinese food here? Actually, Hun says it's Cambodian food. The next temple we were awed by was Ta Prohm, late 12th century. This Buddhist temple is being strangled by the massive roots of trees. One of them is now called Tomb Raider and it's where Angelin Jolie picked the jasmine flower. Next we crossed over a bridge lined with figures of gods, passed under a gigantic gateway to discover the Bayon Temple (12th century/Buddist). I was struck again by the details in the carvings especially the humongous smiling faces. There's not enough time to describe the many scenes carved in the walls. Rog loved the scene where a man is tickling the foot of a swordsman. Monkeys liked this temple too. On our way back to our tuk tuk, we passed a band playing. Several plastic legs were propped next to the stage & a sign informed us that they'd been land mine victims. Monk Hun had planned our day well. He left the best for last, Angkor Wat. The jewel. Surrounded by a vast moat. It is considered "heaven on earth", Mt Olympus of the Hindu faith. To me, I consider it an ultimate gem of a might, brilliant & talented ancient civilization. Over a million people lived in this, the biggest city in Asia at the time. Complete with libraries, post office, hospitals, pharmacy and schools. Angkor Wat's massive walls tell in their exquisite carvings, so many Hindu stories of gods which would fill volumes of books…but as the saying goes, "a carving is worth a thousand words." Angkor Wat is truly a magnificent site to see and let soak into your being.
And the cherry on top, was that our guide was Monk Hon. Many tourist stopped and honored him with a bow and asked to have pictures taken with him. I felt very honored, humbled and lucky to walk among these hallowed temples with him.
Update #5
Today we were tourist! A tuk tuk with Monk Hun arrived at 7:30 and off we went. We drove on the main road along with countless motorcycles, bicycles, cars, carts, two wheeled tractors pulling huge loads of a multitude of stuff piled high & precariously and semi trucks. Along the way, Monk Hun gave us some background information about the temples we'd be seeing. An then, there one was—Banteay Srei in all it's glory and yet wearing the face of an ancient one. The 10th century Hindu temple—a palace for gods—built with exquisite decorative carvings which in some areas, have amazingly survived. Taking a closer look, you see faces of many gods, musicians, animals, flowers & foliage covering every inch. The endless scenes depict events with great detail. Some glorious & others gory. Facial expressions, clothing, hairstyles, jewelry-so much detail! Who designed all this??? Who carved all this in sandstone?? How can it have survived over 1000 years?? Just incredible. After an hour, we headed to a lunch spot. Monk Honk needs to eat before noon-which is nice cause I was hungry & restaurants are nearly empty. Hun picked a great one, of course. I got egg rolls again & D Coke and Rog got sweet & sour chicken. Who knew we'd get Chinese food here? Actually, Hun says it's Cambodian food. The next temple we were awed by was Ta Prohm, late 12th century. This Buddhist temple is being strangled by the massive roots of trees. One of them is now called Tomb Raider and it's where Angelin Jolie picked the jasmine flower. Next we crossed over a bridge lined with figures of gods, passed under a gigantic gateway to discover the Bayon Temple (12th century/Buddist). I was struck again by the details in the carvings especially the humongous smiling faces. There's not enough time to describe the many scenes carved in the walls. Rog loved the scene where a man is tickling the foot of a swordsman. Monkeys liked this temple too. On our way back to our tuk tuk, we passed a band playing. Several plastic legs were propped next to the stage & a sign informed us that they'd been land mine victims. Monk Hun had planned our day well. He left the best for last, Angkor Wat. The jewel. Surrounded by a vast moat. It is considered "heaven on earth", Mt Olympus of the Hindu faith. To me, I consider it an ultimate gem of a might, brilliant & talented ancient civilization. Over a million people lived in this, the biggest city in Asia at the time. Complete with libraries, post office, hospitals, pharmacy and schools. Angkor Wat's massive walls tell in their exquisite carvings, so many Hindu stories of gods which would fill volumes of books…but as the saying goes, "a carving is worth a thousand words." Angkor Wat is truly a magnificent site to see and let soak into your being.
And the cherry on top, was that our guide was Monk Hon. Many tourist stopped and honored him with a bow and asked to have pictures taken with him. I felt very honored, humbled and lucky to walk among these hallowed temples with him.
Today we were tourist! A tuk tuk with Monk Hun arrived at 7:30 and off we went. We drove on the main road along with countless motorcycles, bicycles, cars, carts, two wheeled tractors pulling huge loads of a multitude of stuff piled high & precariously and semi trucks. Along the way, Monk Hun gave us some background information about the temples we'd be seeing. An then, there one was—Banteay Srei in all it's glory and yet wearing the face of an ancient one. The 10th century Hindu temple—a palace for gods—built with exquisite decorative carvings which in some areas, have amazingly survived. Taking a closer look, you see faces of many gods, musicians, animals, flowers & foliage covering every inch. The endless scenes depict events with great detail. Some glorious & others gory. Facial expressions, clothing, hairstyles, jewelry-so much detail! Who designed all this??? Who carved all this in sandstone?? How can it have survived over 1000 years?? Just incredible. After an hour, we headed to a lunch spot. Monk Honk needs to eat before noon-which is nice cause I was hungry & restaurants are nearly empty. Hun picked a great one, of course. I got egg rolls again & D Coke and Rog got sweet & sour chicken. Who knew we'd get Chinese food here? Actually, Hun says it's Cambodian food. The next temple we were awed by was Ta Prohm, late 12th century. This Buddhist temple is being strangled by the massive roots of trees. One of them is now called Tomb Raider and it's where Angelin Jolie picked the jasmine flower. Next we crossed over a bridge lined with figures of gods, passed under a gigantic gateway to discover the Bayon Temple (12th century/Buddist). I was struck again by the details in the carvings especially the humongous smiling faces. There's not enough time to describe the many scenes carved in the walls. Rog loved the scene where a man is tickling the foot of a swordsman. Monkeys liked this temple too. On our way back to our tuk tuk, we passed a band playing. Several plastic legs were propped next to the stage & a sign informed us that they'd been land mine victims. Monk Hun had planned our day well. He left the best for last, Angkor Wat. The jewel. Surrounded by a vast moat. It is considered "heaven on earth", Mt Olympus of the Hindu faith. To me, I consider it an ultimate gem of a might, brilliant & talented ancient civilization. Over a million people lived in this, the biggest city in Asia at the time. Complete with libraries, post office, hospitals, pharmacy and schools. Angkor Wat's massive walls tell in their exquisite carvings, so many Hindu stories of gods which would fill volumes of books…but as the saying goes, "a carving is worth a thousand words." Angkor Wat is truly a magnificent site to see and let soak into your being.
And the cherry on top, was that our guide was Monk Hon. Many tourist stopped and honored him with a bow and asked to have pictures taken with him. I felt very honored, humbled and lucky to walk among these hallowed temples with him.
Friday, January 19, 2024
Update #4
I'm getting use to waking up to the chickens. It was a treat to call David on his birthday and talk to the rest of Jake's family. Thank you WhatsApp! Our routine is now working in the garden early, being in the library or classroom most the rest of the day. They found a new driver for the school bus (motorcycle pulling a covered flatbed) so one day we rode along after school to see where the kids live. We have spent time talking to the teachers giving them ideas and commending them on keeping the kids engaged. The English classes are extra and the kids come either before or after their regular school hours. Totally a bonus class but if they didn't like it, they could easily choose not to come. On Friday, the teachers asked me to show them some classroom games so yet another country learned about Doggie, Doggie Where's Your Bone, I Spy with my little Eye, and 7 Up. Kids and teachers loved all three. During our lunch break, went to a market to get seeds & take one of the boys to the dentist for an estimate to fix his two rotten teeth. $20. Sue will ask his family to pay as she tries hard not to create dependent people. That being said, she & Hun do understand when the need is critical and they jump in with both feet to do whatever needs to be done…like the 2 young girls living with their aging grandparents in a shack. Hun has figured out the cost of building them a better home and Sue is doing a fund raiser. She does it mostly by writing their story & then posting it on Facebook and on their website. In 3 days, she has raised $3200. Only $800 to go. (Her Facebook page is Sue Thompson). Once all the money is raised, Hun will arrange for the workers & supplies. They make an impressive team!
Here's pictures of that family:
Update #3
Monday morning starts our routine days. Up early at 5:30 giving us time to learn more about where we are at from Sue. Kids arrive around 8. I headed to the library where kids have free play with many activities & can explore the nice collection of books. I read aloud to them and also with individuals. Rog joined the English class just adding whatever and whenever he could. Kids left around 10. We had a good lunch of corn fritters. Soon after, we cleared a room & then Rog & some boys pulled down a rotting thatch ceiling. Dirty work. Jane worked on packing up donated clothes. After Rog cleaned up, Sue helped him make bread. This could be dangerous newly learned skill. Fresh bread was great with the delicious roast. At 7, we went to the evening English class where climate change was the topic. We were asked to teach a bit more about global warming.
Next morning was a repeat of yesterday with English class & library activities from 8-10 and again from 1-3. In the time between, Hun stop by & we put together some plans for the next two weeks. We then took him to his home at the temple. It was quite a massive area with lots of buildings and several temples. It was located right next to ancient, crumbling temple that is over 700 years old. The road we took to get there is through rice fields and ends at the local school. Hun was instrumental in getting it built so it is called Hun Road. It is a must safer route to school since most must bike there. We ended the evening walking down the road to a small market…where they sold cold Coke! Not Diet but it tasted wonderful! A hot air balloon was overhead so kids came running as sometimes they drop candy. They did. This adds to the rotten teeth we see in most the kids. We were in bed before 9.
Up at 5 & off to meet Hun. We had to drive through a herd of water buffalo to get to the pond where we'd agreed to meet him. At 6 we were sitting on a mat looking over the pond & learning about Buddhism, importance of Karma & the rules monks live by. He challenged us to meditate for 10 minutes. Then he blessed us by sprinkling water on us & tying a string bracelet on us. Pretty neat experience. A tuk tuk brought us home in time for our 8 am duties. We all went out for a very nice lunch where I got spring rolls & Diet Coke, Rog got a traditional soup & Hun got a hamburger & FF! He can't kill an ant but….
After our 1 o'clock duties, Rog worked in the garden & I did a thorough cleaning of the washing machine. With about 15 boys using it, the vents were badly plugged. We were both ready for a cool shower before dinner. The evening English class was fun as they were studying weather related words and had lots of questions about snow & ice. The teacher is very engaging & has a wonderful rapport with the kids.
Another good day.
Monday morning starts our routine days. Up early at 5:30 giving us time to learn more about where we are at from Sue. Kids arrive around 8. I headed to the library where kids have free play with many activities & can explore the nice collection of books. I read aloud to them and also with individuals. Rog joined the English class just adding whatever and whenever he could. Kids left around 10. We had a good lunch of corn fritters. Soon after, we cleared a room & then Rog & some boys pulled down a rotting thatch ceiling. Dirty work. Jane worked on packing up donated clothes. After Rog cleaned up, Sue helped him make bread. This could be dangerous newly learned skill. Fresh bread was great with the delicious roast. At 7, we went to the evening English class where climate change was the topic. We were asked to teach a bit more about global warming.
Next morning was a repeat of yesterday with English class & library activities from 8-10 and again from 1-3. In the time between, Hun stop by & we put together some plans for the next two weeks. We then took him to his home at the temple. It was quite a massive area with lots of buildings and several temples. It was located right next to ancient, crumbling temple that is over 700 years old. The road we took to get there is through rice fields and ends at the local school. Hun was instrumental in getting it built so it is called Hun Road. It is a must safer route to school since most must bike there. We ended the evening walking down the road to a small market…where they sold cold Coke! Not Diet but it tasted wonderful! A hot air balloon was overhead so kids came running as sometimes they drop candy. They did. This adds to the rotten teeth we see in most the kids. We were in bed before 9.
Up at 5 & off to meet Hun. We had to drive through a herd of water buffalo to get to the pond where we'd agreed to meet him. At 6 we were sitting on a mat looking over the pond & learning about Buddhism, importance of Karma & the rules monks live by. He challenged us to meditate for 10 minutes. Then he blessed us by sprinkling water on us & tying a string bracelet on us. Pretty neat experience. A tuk tuk brought us home in time for our 8 am duties. We all went out for a very nice lunch where I got spring rolls & Diet Coke, Rog got a traditional soup & Hun got a hamburger & FF! He can't kill an ant but….
After our 1 o'clock duties, Rog worked in the garden & I did a thorough cleaning of the washing machine. With about 15 boys using it, the vents were badly plugged. We were both ready for a cool shower before dinner. The evening English class was fun as they were studying weather related words and had lots of questions about snow & ice. The teacher is very engaging & has a wonderful rapport with the kids.
Another good day.
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
Update#2
*As usual, I won't be editing my updates as the idea is to just get our days events and my thoughts recorded. This isn't for a grade or publication! Thanks for understanding and feel free to reply. We love hearing from you!
We were warmly welcomed by Sue and Monk Hun as soon as we got outside the airport. In about 25 minutes, we arrived at her lovely home. It's quite unique with beaded doors, stone sink & doors that open completely to the outside. Simple yet elegant. We walked the compound that includes two bunk houses for the boys who live here, a bath house, a library and a school. We met several of the boys who range in age 6-28. Wegot a brief back story and all this while a loud band played with intensity in the background. There's a wedding across the street. Sue made us a delicious chicken salad & fresh homemade bread. Hun didn't join us as he doesn't eat after noon. Tomorrow plans were discussed and then Sue went to the upstairs bedroom as she'd insisted we stay in her downstair suite as the water pressure isn't working. We were in bed by 8. And ready. All slept well until 2:30 when the dogs had a party and then 4:00 when the local wedding celebration began again. Such an effective loud speaker! After some coffee & toast, we walked over to peek at the wedding. We were encouraged to pass the crowd of elegantly, glitzy attired guest, each holding a golden platter with various items on top & held on with cellophane. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, sodas, beer, etc. We watched as the parents exchanged gifts & the guest entered each given some $$. We were immersed! At 9, we loaded the car with school supplies, clothing, Monk Hun, us & Sue at the wheel…out for a Sunday drive. Not the leisurely normal Sunday drive with stops at an ice cream shop or park. Our drive was over rutted roads with stops at homes where people with many needs lived. Sue and Hun had been alerted to these needs by the village chief who joined us at several stops. There was the young girls whose mother had died & father raped her. Using rice & $ to bribe the father, he agreed to keep his distance and let her go to school. She had received a bike, school uniform & supplies earlier. This was just a check up to see all was well. We stopped for lunch at a relaxing spot with lots of shade. The village chief, the administrator of the area and a photographer, Jo met us there. Jo is working on a documentary on Monk Hun. I jumped in the tuk tuk with her so I could feel the air & taste the dust and we went off to our next stop. It was the home where an albino girl lived with a neighbor as her parents left to work a year ago & has only been home once. The young girl had extreme vision issues when Sue first met her and had already taken her to get glasses. Since then, she has learned to read and ride a bike so we gave her one of her very own with a basket filled with school supplies! We all clapped as she took off on her bike. On to the next stop where a blind boy lived with his grandmother as both parents had died. Sue & Monk talked with the Gma getting permission to take him to a school for blind. Hun had also arranged for us to stop at the home of another blind person. A father who lost his sight about 10 years ago and last year his wife died. His 8 year old daughter cares for him. Again, with much encouragement, he agreed to have Sue take him to see an eye doctor soon. Some of Hun's boys meet us at village center. They'd driven the motorcycle with a flatbed loaded with bikes. There 3 other kids were gifted bikes with baskets filled with school supplies. Lots more smiles!!! It was almost 5 by now but there was one more stop. The home…shack…of an old couple (actually about my age) who lived there with two granddaughters. The Gma was a skeleton and could hardly move. The Gpa was blind and almost completely deaf. The parents of the girls were dead and the gparents were worried about what would happen to the girls as they surely couldn't take care of them much longer. Also, the girls were beautiful and they couldn't protect them either. Sue is hoping to build them a small brick home where the girls will be safe and can care for the gparents. When they pass, the girls will have a decent home. Hun said it'll take about $4000 and they must check to make sure the land will be theirs. That's the next step. It seems so wrong to have to wait to get them all in a better place. We arrived home exhausted but filled with a deep sense of satisfaction. Rog & I made a supper of scrambled eggs & toast and cleaned up. Sue headed up to her room to journal…as did I.
We were warmly welcomed by Sue and Monk Hun as soon as we got outside the airport. In about 25 minutes, we arrived at her lovely home. It's quite unique with beaded doors, stone sink & doors that open completely to the outside. Simple yet elegant. We walked the compound that includes two bunk houses for the boys who live here, a bath house, a library and a school. We met several of the boys who range in age 6-28. Wegot a brief back story and all this while a loud band played with intensity in the background. There's a wedding across the street. Sue made us a delicious chicken salad & fresh homemade bread. Hun didn't join us as he doesn't eat after noon. Tomorrow plans were discussed and then Sue went to the upstairs bedroom as she'd insisted we stay in her downstair suite as the water pressure isn't working. We were in bed by 8. And ready. All slept well until 2:30 when the dogs had a party and then 4:00 when the local wedding celebration began again. Such an effective loud speaker! After some coffee & toast, we walked over to peek at the wedding. We were encouraged to pass the crowd of elegantly, glitzy attired guest, each holding a golden platter with various items on top & held on with cellophane. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, sodas, beer, etc. We watched as the parents exchanged gifts & the guest entered each given some $$. We were immersed! At 9, we loaded the car with school supplies, clothing, Monk Hun, us & Sue at the wheel…out for a Sunday drive. Not the leisurely normal Sunday drive with stops at an ice cream shop or park. Our drive was over rutted roads with stops at homes where people with many needs lived. Sue and Hun had been alerted to these needs by the village chief who joined us at several stops. There was the young girls whose mother had died & father raped her. Using rice & $ to bribe the father, he agreed to keep his distance and let her go to school. She had received a bike, school uniform & supplies earlier. This was just a check up to see all was well. We stopped for lunch at a relaxing spot with lots of shade. The village chief, the administrator of the area and a photographer, Jo met us there. Jo is working on a documentary on Monk Hun. I jumped in the tuk tuk with her so I could feel the air & taste the dust and we went off to our next stop. It was the home where an albino girl lived with a neighbor as her parents left to work a year ago & has only been home once. The young girl had extreme vision issues when Sue first met her and had already taken her to get glasses. Since then, she has learned to read and ride a bike so we gave her one of her very own with a basket filled with school supplies! We all clapped as she took off on her bike. On to the next stop where a blind boy lived with his grandmother as both parents had died. Sue & Monk talked with the Gma getting permission to take him to a school for blind. Hun had also arranged for us to stop at the home of another blind person. A father who lost his sight about 10 years ago and last year his wife died. His 8 year old daughter cares for him. Again, with much encouragement, he agreed to have Sue take him to see an eye doctor soon. Some of Hun's boys meet us at village center. They'd driven the motorcycle with a flatbed loaded with bikes. There 3 other kids were gifted bikes with baskets filled with school supplies. Lots more smiles!!! It was almost 5 by now but there was one more stop. The home…shack…of an old couple (actually about my age) who lived there with two granddaughters. The Gma was a skeleton and could hardly move. The Gpa was blind and almost completely deaf. The parents of the girls were dead and the gparents were worried about what would happen to the girls as they surely couldn't take care of them much longer. Also, the girls were beautiful and they couldn't protect them either. Sue is hoping to build them a small brick home where the girls will be safe and can care for the gparents. When they pass, the girls will have a decent home. Hun said it'll take about $4000 and they must check to make sure the land will be theirs. That's the next step. It seems so wrong to have to wait to get them all in a better place. We arrived home exhausted but filled with a deep sense of satisfaction. Rog & I made a supper of scrambled eggs & toast and cleaned up. Sue headed up to her room to journal…as did I.
Sunday, January 14, 2024
Update #1
We're off again on another adventure…and another chance to experience yet again another part of the world. I love that part…getting the chance to step into other cultures and spend time with the people in their own homes. I know it's a small window it greatly expands my vision and love of this world and the people in it!
Day 1…that last a looong time:
After carefully checking off our packing list & listening to the weather forecast, we asked Ben to take us to an airport hotel so we'd avoid problems in the morning. We got up before 6 and were at the gate by 7:30. Our flight to Chicago was delayed but fortunately, we made our connecting flight to Istanbul. Ten hours got us there—the ancient city once called Constantinople. Mosque everywhere. Gorgeous, humongous and with minarets reaching to the sky, many surrounded by tombs honoring sultans. We heard there are 81,000+ mosque in Turkey. We took the subway to the downtown area, we could walk to see the Blue Mosque, Haifa Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Bosporus Strait that separates Asia from Europe. We ate sharma at a small street restaurant and when we got tired of trying to navigate the crowded sidewalks—many of them uneven stone-we got on a Hop On Hop Off bus & rode around getting a good view of the city. We hit the wall about 4 pm ( 26 hours since we'd left our hotel in Detroit) and went to a hotel for a long rest. Up at 12:30 am & headed to the airport to catch our 3 am flight. Another 10 hours filled with more movies, uncomfortable naps, airplane food and landed in Ho Chi Minh City where we just wanted to go to our hotel. But since line to get through customs was so long, our ride had long gone, we ended up maneuvering the walk to the hotel, dodging motorcycles thick as a swarm of mosquitoes. But we made it. We ate chicken skewers and sweet sticky rice cake at the restaurant on the top floor of our hotel. Nice location and excellent service. Also quite cheap at a bit under 400,000 dong!
We were reminded of a meal in Thailand where it seemed we were served the parts of the chicken that we don't eat. Best to eat small bites and be prepared to remove any offending joints or cartilage. Or we could just eat less often and be happy to eat every morsel. Our flight to Cambodia wasn't till noon so we got a good long night's sleep.
We're off again on another adventure…and another chance to experience yet again another part of the world. I love that part…getting the chance to step into other cultures and spend time with the people in their own homes. I know it's a small window it greatly expands my vision and love of this world and the people in it!
Day 1…that last a looong time:
After carefully checking off our packing list & listening to the weather forecast, we asked Ben to take us to an airport hotel so we'd avoid problems in the morning. We got up before 6 and were at the gate by 7:30. Our flight to Chicago was delayed but fortunately, we made our connecting flight to Istanbul. Ten hours got us there—the ancient city once called Constantinople. Mosque everywhere. Gorgeous, humongous and with minarets reaching to the sky, many surrounded by tombs honoring sultans. We heard there are 81,000+ mosque in Turkey. We took the subway to the downtown area, we could walk to see the Blue Mosque, Haifa Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Bosporus Strait that separates Asia from Europe. We ate sharma at a small street restaurant and when we got tired of trying to navigate the crowded sidewalks—many of them uneven stone-we got on a Hop On Hop Off bus & rode around getting a good view of the city. We hit the wall about 4 pm ( 26 hours since we'd left our hotel in Detroit) and went to a hotel for a long rest. Up at 12:30 am & headed to the airport to catch our 3 am flight. Another 10 hours filled with more movies, uncomfortable naps, airplane food and landed in Ho Chi Minh City where we just wanted to go to our hotel. But since line to get through customs was so long, our ride had long gone, we ended up maneuvering the walk to the hotel, dodging motorcycles thick as a swarm of mosquitoes. But we made it. We ate chicken skewers and sweet sticky rice cake at the restaurant on the top floor of our hotel. Nice location and excellent service. Also quite cheap at a bit under 400,000 dong!
We were reminded of a meal in Thailand where it seemed we were served the parts of the chicken that we don't eat. Best to eat small bites and be prepared to remove any offending joints or cartilage. Or we could just eat less often and be happy to eat every morsel. Our flight to Cambodia wasn't till noon so we got a good long night's sleep.
Thursday, January 4, 2024
Testing
Since we leave in less than a week, I'm doing my test to see if I have email addresses correct and to give you the opportunity to say, please remove me!!! Truly, I mean it. I totally want you to say remove me if you don't want my deluge of long updates as we travel around Cambodia and Vietnam.
Either way, stay healthy and enjoy!
Jane and Roger
Either way, stay healthy and enjoy!
Jane and Roger
Sunday, April 30, 2023
Update #33- Final Thoughts
First, I fell amazingly blessed to have the time, resources & a husband willing to do a trip like this. I am so privileged to live the life I do. Such a rich, comfortable and exciting life! There's no comparison to the life of most Gambians. It makes me feel guilty even though I thought most Gambians I met seemed happy. I wish I'd been able to spend more time getting below the surface & really know how they felt about their lives. Language was a barrier. I wish I could see a brighter future for them. I wish I could have done more for them.
Morocco was just fun especially our day with Mariame and the desert was stunning. Portugal was so amazingly full of history, culture & remarkable buildings. Overall, we had a fabulous trip with few hiccups and we're anxious to be home again with our family & friends. It's so true that absence makes the heart fonder!
Here's Roger's final thoughts:
Traveling with a purpose
The last month in Morocco and Portugal has reminded us that we still truly enjoy volunteering when we travel. Our interactions with the locals in these countries were often the result of us needing something, or someone thinking that we should buy something they had to offer.
We did see and briefly connect with other travelers at times, but it was just not the same as our experience in Gambia where we were able to work with many people in several locations…the bike shop, the school, My Farm, even at the prison! The richness of our experience there came from enjoying longer term connections and working together to accomplish shared goals.
We had anticipated that the schedule, the work, or other issues would eventually lead us to decide to stop volunteering. While it's true that we are definitely less energetic than we were 15 years ago when we took our first long winter trip, our efforts are still truly appreciated. We hope that we might "travel to volunteer" again!
Update #32
Side note: There are still cigarette vending machines here! We've seen lots of smokers and many vaping as well. It seems especially odd that we've seen many serious bikers, stop for a break & pull out their cigarettes!
Next morning we were back on the fast train to Lisbon. It was actually our least favorite train ride as our assigned seats were facing the opposite way the train was going, our window was dirty & besides we were going so fast, it was nauseating to try to see what we were going by. But we did get to Lisbon quickly. Took us a little while to find the room we'd booked which turned out to be a dump. We'd been so lucky so far! So instead of being miserable, we called it a loss & walked down a block & luckily found a nice room available! After a couple glasses of cold water & an orange, we felt ready to go to the aquarium. It had a humongous center tank divided with clear walls into 4 sections…one for each of the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian & Arctic Oceans. We saw several species we'd never seen before. It was very well done and included a film about some of the outreach projects they are involved in both working with other aquariums & environmentalists. We got back to our room about 8 ready for a good night's sleep.
Our last full day here, we took the subway to the Jeronimos Monestery. After waiting in line for this #1 Lisbon attraction, we had to admit that though it was beautiful, it wasn't the best we'd seen. Jaded is the word to describe us. From there we took the train to Cascais, a town on the Atlantic where the waves were huge and the beach was full of sun lovers & football games. I enjoyed soaking up some of that sun! We walked the streets admiring unique & well kept homes & along the ocean walkway which gave us views of lots of sailboats & yachts. When we got back to Lisbon, we had a delicious steak dinner & headed back to our hotel.
We both woke up our last day of this 10+ week trip feeling very much like we were ready to be home. We kind of bummed around just riding the trolley that we happened to get off at near St. Anthony's Church which had an attached museum that supposedly was the spot he was born. The museum was filled with a huge variety of statues of him. Since St. Anthony is the saint of lost things, it was a lucky find. He was also the one my mother prayed to the most as she was always losing things! We packed up & moved to a hotel close to the airport around 3. Played cards, had a pizza & tried to get to bed early as our flight leaves at 6:15 am. We'll fly 3 hours to Munich, then 9 to Toronto & the final 1 and a half to Detroit.
Well—that changed! And this is not an April Fool's joke!
We missed our connection to Detroit as our flight to Toronto landed late so they booked us for a later flight which got us almost to Detroit before turning around due to bad weather and taking us back to Toronto. They did give us a voucher for the airport hotel and we crashed around midnight. We'd been up 26 hours by then. So here we are in Toronto hoping to get on the flight scheduled at 3 pm to day! We can only laugh and realize this is part of traveling too!
If all goes well, Dick & Nell will pick us up, we'll go out to dinner, pick up a few groceries and be home around 8 pm tonight…April 1st. Ben & Bek's family will be coming home from their spring break trips today also.
So that'll end this jam-packed trip to Gambia, Morocco & Portugal!
Next morning we were back on the fast train to Lisbon. It was actually our least favorite train ride as our assigned seats were facing the opposite way the train was going, our window was dirty & besides we were going so fast, it was nauseating to try to see what we were going by. But we did get to Lisbon quickly. Took us a little while to find the room we'd booked which turned out to be a dump. We'd been so lucky so far! So instead of being miserable, we called it a loss & walked down a block & luckily found a nice room available! After a couple glasses of cold water & an orange, we felt ready to go to the aquarium. It had a humongous center tank divided with clear walls into 4 sections…one for each of the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian & Arctic Oceans. We saw several species we'd never seen before. It was very well done and included a film about some of the outreach projects they are involved in both working with other aquariums & environmentalists. We got back to our room about 8 ready for a good night's sleep.
Our last full day here, we took the subway to the Jeronimos Monestery. After waiting in line for this #1 Lisbon attraction, we had to admit that though it was beautiful, it wasn't the best we'd seen. Jaded is the word to describe us. From there we took the train to Cascais, a town on the Atlantic where the waves were huge and the beach was full of sun lovers & football games. I enjoyed soaking up some of that sun! We walked the streets admiring unique & well kept homes & along the ocean walkway which gave us views of lots of sailboats & yachts. When we got back to Lisbon, we had a delicious steak dinner & headed back to our hotel.
We both woke up our last day of this 10+ week trip feeling very much like we were ready to be home. We kind of bummed around just riding the trolley that we happened to get off at near St. Anthony's Church which had an attached museum that supposedly was the spot he was born. The museum was filled with a huge variety of statues of him. Since St. Anthony is the saint of lost things, it was a lucky find. He was also the one my mother prayed to the most as she was always losing things! We packed up & moved to a hotel close to the airport around 3. Played cards, had a pizza & tried to get to bed early as our flight leaves at 6:15 am. We'll fly 3 hours to Munich, then 9 to Toronto & the final 1 and a half to Detroit.
Well—that changed! And this is not an April Fool's joke!
We missed our connection to Detroit as our flight to Toronto landed late so they booked us for a later flight which got us almost to Detroit before turning around due to bad weather and taking us back to Toronto. They did give us a voucher for the airport hotel and we crashed around midnight. We'd been up 26 hours by then. So here we are in Toronto hoping to get on the flight scheduled at 3 pm to day! We can only laugh and realize this is part of traveling too!
If all goes well, Dick & Nell will pick us up, we'll go out to dinner, pick up a few groceries and be home around 8 pm tonight…April 1st. Ben & Bek's family will be coming home from their spring break trips today also.
So that'll end this jam-packed trip to Gambia, Morocco & Portugal!
Update #31
Porto—a city built on the cliffs over looking the Douro River with more churches than even I could visit! More on that later. We got to Porto late afternoon so first we figured out the subway system, then went to a visitor center for maps & finally found a nice place & had a lasagna dinner & a port wine for Rog. I'm actually drinking regular Coke as they don't have Diet Coke …only Coke Lite…I found a few in Gambia but that's it. We had to laugh cause we finished off the water I had in my backpack & put the empty bottle on our table. The waitress had brought us de Natas which we thought was a nice touch but when we got the bill…we got charged for the de Natas & a bottle of water!! A sign was posted saying they charged for everything on the table. Live & learn! We then tracked down a Fado venue and were totally entertained by the Portuguese guitar, the base guitar & the singer. They told us no two shows were they same because as musicians, Fado tradition is to improvise according to how you feel at the time. A glass of port wine was part of the admission price…which meant two for Rog! Thanks Sue Ivey for encouraging us to go. It was a good way to spend the first night here!
As I mentioned, there's a lot of churches in Porto. I visited several and did get awed by the Se Cathedral where King John I married his Queen Philippa (Portuagal -England) which cemented their countries and their son, Henry the Navigator was baptized. Yup…Henry again. As expected, it was dripping with gold plated, intricate designs, statues and the ceiling reached high up showing off a stain glass window & huge organ pipes. Rog sat outside & listened to a violinist play beautifully. I also could hear it echoing through the Cathedral & the attached monastery. Such a perfect sound to hear there. We also managed to find the Sao Bento train station which was richly decorated with detailed blue/white tiles that showed much about the history of Porto. Next we got on a boat to take us on an hour cruise on the river admiring Porto from that viewpoint. It was quite a climb up to get to the Jardins de Palaciade Cristal where tulips, petunia, daisies and bougainvilea were in full bloom! That was enough for one day so we went back to our room to rest up before dinner at an Indian restaurant. I must confess, I had McD for lunch…first time in Portugal and though it was okay…it wasn't as good as USA. After dinner, Rog went to the train station to buy tickets for tomorrow. He has done a fabulous job of figuring out bus, trains & subways and all our really cheap & easy ways for us to travel. That said, Portugal is not a place for anyone who wasn't willing to go up & down uneven cobblestone sidewalks!
We'd decided we needed a less strenuous day, so we got on the train that took us through the Douro Valley. It was a great plan! Endless terraces filled with neat grapevine rows stepped down the steep mountain side giving us stunning scenic views as we followed the wide Douro River. Small villages snuggled at the base of some mountains hugging the shoreline. A few large home sat higher up & along…seemingly proud. We traveled about 2 hours enjoying the views & the company of a couple from Ireland…about 20 yrs younger but it was amazing how similar our views were on family, politics & the world situation. We got off at Peso do Régua where we walked the nice walkway along the river stopping often to take in the view. We brought sandwiches with us to eat & Rog enjoyed a glass of wine…of course. We went by an area with about 20 motor homes parked & hooked up. Several people sat in lawn chairs out front & others were getting on/off bikes. We'd only seen 2 motor homes since we left in January. After we tired of walking, we went to a museums. It was quite nice and had several videos about the history, culture & religion of the area. Strong faith in God & appreciation for the good things in their lives were strong themes. Cave drawings have recently been discovered near here that they think are 50,000+ years old! Around 5, we headed back to Porto enjoying the 2 hour ride seeing views going the other direction. When we got to Porto, it was dinner time. Rog braved eating the famed Porto dish: francesinha sandwich. I had to divert my eyes as he discovered what was in it: bread, ham, sausage, roast & cheese with a thick spicy tomato sauce poured over it and a fried egg on top. He was up for the challenge! I had ordered a baked potato which turned out to be boiled potatoes. I ate some bread & cheese packets the waiter had put on our table and put some of the butter on my potatoes. Guess we hadn't learned our lesson because our bill included the bread, cheese packets & even the butter packets.
At least we didn't get charged for the salt I used!
As I mentioned, there's a lot of churches in Porto. I visited several and did get awed by the Se Cathedral where King John I married his Queen Philippa (Portuagal -England) which cemented their countries and their son, Henry the Navigator was baptized. Yup…Henry again. As expected, it was dripping with gold plated, intricate designs, statues and the ceiling reached high up showing off a stain glass window & huge organ pipes. Rog sat outside & listened to a violinist play beautifully. I also could hear it echoing through the Cathedral & the attached monastery. Such a perfect sound to hear there. We also managed to find the Sao Bento train station which was richly decorated with detailed blue/white tiles that showed much about the history of Porto. Next we got on a boat to take us on an hour cruise on the river admiring Porto from that viewpoint. It was quite a climb up to get to the Jardins de Palaciade Cristal where tulips, petunia, daisies and bougainvilea were in full bloom! That was enough for one day so we went back to our room to rest up before dinner at an Indian restaurant. I must confess, I had McD for lunch…first time in Portugal and though it was okay…it wasn't as good as USA. After dinner, Rog went to the train station to buy tickets for tomorrow. He has done a fabulous job of figuring out bus, trains & subways and all our really cheap & easy ways for us to travel. That said, Portugal is not a place for anyone who wasn't willing to go up & down uneven cobblestone sidewalks!
We'd decided we needed a less strenuous day, so we got on the train that took us through the Douro Valley. It was a great plan! Endless terraces filled with neat grapevine rows stepped down the steep mountain side giving us stunning scenic views as we followed the wide Douro River. Small villages snuggled at the base of some mountains hugging the shoreline. A few large home sat higher up & along…seemingly proud. We traveled about 2 hours enjoying the views & the company of a couple from Ireland…about 20 yrs younger but it was amazing how similar our views were on family, politics & the world situation. We got off at Peso do Régua where we walked the nice walkway along the river stopping often to take in the view. We brought sandwiches with us to eat & Rog enjoyed a glass of wine…of course. We went by an area with about 20 motor homes parked & hooked up. Several people sat in lawn chairs out front & others were getting on/off bikes. We'd only seen 2 motor homes since we left in January. After we tired of walking, we went to a museums. It was quite nice and had several videos about the history, culture & religion of the area. Strong faith in God & appreciation for the good things in their lives were strong themes. Cave drawings have recently been discovered near here that they think are 50,000+ years old! Around 5, we headed back to Porto enjoying the 2 hour ride seeing views going the other direction. When we got to Porto, it was dinner time. Rog braved eating the famed Porto dish: francesinha sandwich. I had to divert my eyes as he discovered what was in it: bread, ham, sausage, roast & cheese with a thick spicy tomato sauce poured over it and a fried egg on top. He was up for the challenge! I had ordered a baked potato which turned out to be boiled potatoes. I ate some bread & cheese packets the waiter had put on our table and put some of the butter on my potatoes. Guess we hadn't learned our lesson because our bill included the bread, cheese packets & even the butter packets.
At least we didn't get charged for the salt I used!
Update #30
We found our hotel in Coombes quickly. Roger has been able to locate hotels close to train/bus stations which makes it a short walk. We got things situated in our room & then walked around the squares nearby. Quaint narrow passage ways with no traffic make it fun to walk. Next we headed up to the University area. It's in the former palace and quite impressive. We saw students wearing long black capes walking around—like Harry Potter! The Science Museum & Cabinets of Curiosity filled the rest of the day. We brought the bus back which ended up taking us all over town…cheap tour. It was raining when we got up the next morning so I stayed in bed & Rog took the umbrella & went for coffee and a sweet pastry. Speaking of sweet pastry, they are on every corner & every street. I think they should rename Portugal to Pastryville. After the weather cleared up around 11, we took off to find the bus to Conimbriga where there were Roman ruins. Those Roman knew how to build things to last! Here 300 BC, about 10,000 lived for almost 500 years. Most amazing were the tile floors still looking pretty good. We had quite a wait for the return bus but it was sunny & we just enjoyed the down time. We've done what we'd hoped to do here in Coimbra so off to Porto we go!
Side story: We've been seeing rooster images on so many things here: signs, table clothes, aprons & even on top of churches. I decided to find out why. According the legend, a village had been the site of a terrible crime. A stranger happen to be passing through so they accused him, convicted him & sentenced him to hang. He claimed he was innocent & ask to see the judge who happen to be just sitting down to a dinner of roasted rooster. The stranger pleaded his case but the judge refused to change the sentence. So the stranger told him that the cooked rooster on his table would crow at the time of the hanging. The judge decided not to eat the rooster & brought it to the hanging where most of the villagers had turned out. All were laughing & enjoying the story. But sure enough, just as they were ready to hang the stranger, the rooster crowed. The stranger lived and the rooster is now considered Good Luck & Long Life!
Side story: We've been seeing rooster images on so many things here: signs, table clothes, aprons & even on top of churches. I decided to find out why. According the legend, a village had been the site of a terrible crime. A stranger happen to be passing through so they accused him, convicted him & sentenced him to hang. He claimed he was innocent & ask to see the judge who happen to be just sitting down to a dinner of roasted rooster. The stranger pleaded his case but the judge refused to change the sentence. So the stranger told him that the cooked rooster on his table would crow at the time of the hanging. The judge decided not to eat the rooster & brought it to the hanging where most of the villagers had turned out. All were laughing & enjoying the story. But sure enough, just as they were ready to hang the stranger, the rooster crowed. The stranger lived and the rooster is now considered Good Luck & Long Life!
Update #29
Next morning off to another day of sightseeing in Tomar. We walked by a cemetery which always pulls me in to see how it's done in other countries. Most were slabs with pictures attached to the fancy headstones and lots of fake flowers. There were also many family vaults and some you could see inside & count the caskets piled inside. One had 8…two of them just mall caskets. We headed to the Convento of St. Iria (Irene) only to find it completely under construction. St Iria's story is a love story where she gets killed & thrown into the river & her body is found days later in perfect condition. At least we got to learn her story. We walked the river walk until we got to the old Templar mills newly refurbished to house offices & a museum full of early generators & iron work machinery. I slid into one more church on the way back. Then we got on the bus again headed to Batalha & later to Alcobaco, both of them on the map for their monasteries. The first was built after a small Portugal army defeated a huge Castile army. The commander had prayed to Mary & promised to build it if he won. He did and he did build a magnificent Santa Maria de Victoria church with flying buttresses, describe pinnacles and detailed arches with the high test vaulted interior in all of Portugal. Even today. The king & queen (shown holding hands) tombs are here. Their marriage cemented the bond between Portugal & England. Their son, Henry the Navigator is also buried here. Seems we've followed him around: first in the Maritime Museum in Liston, then in Timor where he lived & here where he is buried. Later we'll go to Porto where he was born!). A somber plain monastery is next to it and just outside you come to a roofless octagonal shaped chapel that though never finished, it's beauty is intensified by the blue sky & light shining in. The 15m doorway in itself is a master piece of architecture. A taxi took us to the next monastery, de Santa Maria. Founded by the first kind of Portugal again because of a vow made to the Blessed Mother for winning a battle. Though not as decadent as the one in Batalha, it's monastery rooms were rich in history: a narrow door which determined if monks had to go on a diet, the grand kitchen with a water channel built to divert fresh fish & a room full of statues of kings and most interesting, the graves of King Don Pedro & his lover who became queen after she was killed thanks to Pedro's father. Don Pedro had her body dug us, put in a throne & crowned. Their tombs are situated so their feet face each other so that when they rise from the dead, the first thing they see is each other. How romantic! We caught the bus back to our nice bnb in Tomar. Tomorrow we leave but we're glad we stayed an extra day in this extra nice hotel & town.
The train north to Caimbra pulled out at 10:10 am. It's a pleasant way to travel! We had to make one switch but no problem. We passed lots of large fields of spring green crops & saw tractors working in other fields getting them ready to plant. After a while, hills & rocky soil were more common. Housing appears less well-to-do but still nice. A fun sight was a power tower with about 10 stork nest in it & mama storks flying all around it! We have seen lots of stork nest.
The train north to Caimbra pulled out at 10:10 am. It's a pleasant way to travel! We had to make one switch but no problem. We passed lots of large fields of spring green crops & saw tractors working in other fields getting them ready to plant. After a while, hills & rocky soil were more common. Housing appears less well-to-do but still nice. A fun sight was a power tower with about 10 stork nest in it & mama storks flying all around it! We have seen lots of stork nest.
Update #28
Early the next morning, I woke up, gathered lots of really dirty clothes & headed to a laundry mat I saw yesterday. We've been gone 9 weeks and washing things by hand…it was time! A dark load & a light color load and $15 later…we had clean clothes! By 9 I was done. Rog spent the time doing logistic work. We had to catch a train…which we barely made…to Lisbon…where we had to switch train…which we barely made. But we did and off to Tomar we headed. At first the flat fields were spring green with wheat growing, then rolling grapevine or small tree covered hills. We passed huge fields of solar panels and about 15 windmills. Most houses are painted white & have clay tile roofing. Many have grape vines & lemon or orange trees in their well kept yards.
We arrived in Tomar and only had a few steps to our bnb as it's part of the train station. It's newly remodeled and our host is a cheery girl who use to be a lawyer in Paris. She's loving her new life. After we'd put our bags in our nice room, we walked around the square right in front which included an old church. While I walked around the church, I saw a statue with electric candles. I put my 20 E in and another candle lit up. Modern! We caught an electric bus to take us to the top of the hill to the Convento de Christo and the Knights of the Temblar castle. The castle had tall, crumbling walls that we could walk. Unfortunately, the convent was under construction so we headed back to town where we attempted to go inside several other churches…all closed or under construction. It's Monday. Did find out that the convent was actually open—the entrance had been moved. You'd think they'd put a sign about that at the old entrance! We decided we should stay another day in Tomar…we had a nice room, we had lots to do around here and it was a quiet town to chill in.
Next morning, our host served us a bountiful breakfast which we packed a bit away for lunch. Then off we went determined to see Convento de Christo…and it was worth the second time. The circular church was incredible…said to be built round so that the knights could attend on horseback. The hallways had so many small bedrooms for the nuns. The courtyards had altars & shires in every corner. Made me think those nuns lived a pretty good life. We ate our lunch of left-over breakfast & then got on a bus to Fatima. Fatima—very old memories can be back to me of the St. Joe's grotto and the stone in the archway with a plague saying it was from Fatima. Each time I walked under that archway, I'd touch that stone & make the sign of the cross. I thought of the new blue dress & blue anklets I wore as I watched Brigid (my best friend and later Maid of Honor) climb a ladder to place a crown of flowers on the Blessed Mother statue that was cradled in the stone grotto. the holiness and devotion to the Blessed Mother flooded my mind as I walked around the church built on the site where the 3 young children saw Mary several times. We watched a video that showed photos of the children and the crowd of supposedly 70,000 that stood in the pouring rain and witnessed the dancing sun on Oct 13, 1917. The church was massive with side chapel surrounding a replica of the tiny first church & and area where people were lighting huge candles. Lots of them! A humongous new modern church stood across the enormous middle square. But I was looking for the stone grotto which wasn't there…not even in the video. Only in Dexter. Later I wrote to Brigid, Bev & Mary Ann about my time at Fatima and all wrote back they too had lots of memories. We still had lots of time before our bus, so we went to the rosary exhibit and a Fatima museum. It had a several rooms filled with items gifted to the church: golden roses, challises, jewelry,medals, wedding dresses, army uniforms, swords and even aa bicycle ridden by an 82 year old on his pilgrimage to Fatima. Inside one of the crowns they placed the bullet that hit Pope John Paul II. To be totally honest, I was overwhelmed with the decadence and felt that the wealth would feed & house so many poor and/or be used to help in our fight of global warming that is causing so much pain & devastation in our world today. It was a sobering though & just thinking it brought back my Catholic guilt.
We got back to our room about 8 and actually watched an old movie, My Friend's Wedding.
We arrived in Tomar and only had a few steps to our bnb as it's part of the train station. It's newly remodeled and our host is a cheery girl who use to be a lawyer in Paris. She's loving her new life. After we'd put our bags in our nice room, we walked around the square right in front which included an old church. While I walked around the church, I saw a statue with electric candles. I put my 20 E in and another candle lit up. Modern! We caught an electric bus to take us to the top of the hill to the Convento de Christo and the Knights of the Temblar castle. The castle had tall, crumbling walls that we could walk. Unfortunately, the convent was under construction so we headed back to town where we attempted to go inside several other churches…all closed or under construction. It's Monday. Did find out that the convent was actually open—the entrance had been moved. You'd think they'd put a sign about that at the old entrance! We decided we should stay another day in Tomar…we had a nice room, we had lots to do around here and it was a quiet town to chill in.
Next morning, our host served us a bountiful breakfast which we packed a bit away for lunch. Then off we went determined to see Convento de Christo…and it was worth the second time. The circular church was incredible…said to be built round so that the knights could attend on horseback. The hallways had so many small bedrooms for the nuns. The courtyards had altars & shires in every corner. Made me think those nuns lived a pretty good life. We ate our lunch of left-over breakfast & then got on a bus to Fatima. Fatima—very old memories can be back to me of the St. Joe's grotto and the stone in the archway with a plague saying it was from Fatima. Each time I walked under that archway, I'd touch that stone & make the sign of the cross. I thought of the new blue dress & blue anklets I wore as I watched Brigid (my best friend and later Maid of Honor) climb a ladder to place a crown of flowers on the Blessed Mother statue that was cradled in the stone grotto. the holiness and devotion to the Blessed Mother flooded my mind as I walked around the church built on the site where the 3 young children saw Mary several times. We watched a video that showed photos of the children and the crowd of supposedly 70,000 that stood in the pouring rain and witnessed the dancing sun on Oct 13, 1917. The church was massive with side chapel surrounding a replica of the tiny first church & and area where people were lighting huge candles. Lots of them! A humongous new modern church stood across the enormous middle square. But I was looking for the stone grotto which wasn't there…not even in the video. Only in Dexter. Later I wrote to Brigid, Bev & Mary Ann about my time at Fatima and all wrote back they too had lots of memories. We still had lots of time before our bus, so we went to the rosary exhibit and a Fatima museum. It had a several rooms filled with items gifted to the church: golden roses, challises, jewelry,medals, wedding dresses, army uniforms, swords and even aa bicycle ridden by an 82 year old on his pilgrimage to Fatima. Inside one of the crowns they placed the bullet that hit Pope John Paul II. To be totally honest, I was overwhelmed with the decadence and felt that the wealth would feed & house so many poor and/or be used to help in our fight of global warming that is causing so much pain & devastation in our world today. It was a sobering though & just thinking it brought back my Catholic guilt.
We got back to our room about 8 and actually watched an old movie, My Friend's Wedding.
Update # 27
We took a walk along the riverfront before packing up and heading to Sintra via train & then bus. The bus route took us by Cabo de Rafa on the coast. The views were magnificent, the cliffs were massive, the curves were constant and our bus driver was terrifying! He'd speed up every little chance he got & then slam on the brakes when he met a vehicle, got behind a bicyclist or needed to take a sharp curve. Our knuckles were white & our nerves fried when we finally got to Sintra. One couple had pushed the stop button much earlier because their son was as what's as a sheet. We hailed a cab to our bnb and our host me us there. It's a cute little apartment with a tiny kitchen, bathroom, living room & 2 bedrooms. (We have roommates but only saw them a few minutes twice.). The place is way over decorated with old stuff that belonged to her mom & gma. The frig is a tiny one probably about 50 yrs old. We arrived hungry so the first thing was to find Lucy & then off to find the old city center where the Nat'l Palace was. We toured that immense and impressive palace with two cone shaped chimneys located in the kitchen. The Royal family lived here for 8 centuries. Then we walked around admiring the homes with fancy tile work, bright painted colors and spring flowers blooming in their yards. On our walk back to our bnb, we stopped for a de Nada & another Portuguese pastry, then a groc store to pick up some breakfast food. It was Sat night so we called the kids & heard their news. Always a treat.
Sun morning we took off to get train tickets for tomorrow & hop on/off bus tickets for today. We didn't have much luck & got a bit frustrated till we found the visitor center & got the info we needed. Then our day of visiting historic buildings began. First we went to the Moorish Castle which sat high above the city & was really a fort. Next we got to the Peña Palace. We got in a huge line & had to wait an hour to get in…luckily we had a shady spot to sit while we waited. The golden colored palace was humungous with lots of impressive carved ceilings. It was fully furnished with ornate furniture, wall hangings & even the dining room table was set for a royal dinner. Next stop was the Regaleira Palace…built like ones in fairy tales. We were hungry so we ordered sandwiches at a cafe with a fabulous view of the palace. Our bnb host had told us to be sure & get the audio so we did which gave us probably more than we wanted to know about the architecture. The chapel was especially beautiful. But it was the endless gardens with so many flowers blooming, water fountains & paths surrounding this palace that was really special. Loved it. Finally, we made it to the last on of the day, the Monserrate Palace. The two long golden hallways lined with pillars with intricate archways made this palace our favorite. There were two domes with red stained glass which cast a gorgeous glow over the main rooms. Also a billiard room, library, kitchen & huge banquet room reminded Rog of the game of Clue. We were shipped by the time we got on the bus back to the center of town. We'd been climbing up & down, in & outside of all the palaces. The walks were uneven & there'd been hundred of steps. We felt like we'd spent the day like mountains goats! Exhausting! Sintra is quite an amazing place. Why'd they build so many palaces in one area??? And why did we think we had to tour them all?!
Sun morning we took off to get train tickets for tomorrow & hop on/off bus tickets for today. We didn't have much luck & got a bit frustrated till we found the visitor center & got the info we needed. Then our day of visiting historic buildings began. First we went to the Moorish Castle which sat high above the city & was really a fort. Next we got to the Peña Palace. We got in a huge line & had to wait an hour to get in…luckily we had a shady spot to sit while we waited. The golden colored palace was humungous with lots of impressive carved ceilings. It was fully furnished with ornate furniture, wall hangings & even the dining room table was set for a royal dinner. Next stop was the Regaleira Palace…built like ones in fairy tales. We were hungry so we ordered sandwiches at a cafe with a fabulous view of the palace. Our bnb host had told us to be sure & get the audio so we did which gave us probably more than we wanted to know about the architecture. The chapel was especially beautiful. But it was the endless gardens with so many flowers blooming, water fountains & paths surrounding this palace that was really special. Loved it. Finally, we made it to the last on of the day, the Monserrate Palace. The two long golden hallways lined with pillars with intricate archways made this palace our favorite. There were two domes with red stained glass which cast a gorgeous glow over the main rooms. Also a billiard room, library, kitchen & huge banquet room reminded Rog of the game of Clue. We were shipped by the time we got on the bus back to the center of town. We'd been climbing up & down, in & outside of all the palaces. The walks were uneven & there'd been hundred of steps. We felt like we'd spent the day like mountains goats! Exhausting! Sintra is quite an amazing place. Why'd they build so many palaces in one area??? And why did we think we had to tour them all?!
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