Settling down at Baray - Day 3

Setting off to Baray with Prof Chui & Prof Edmund, all of us was wondering how would the place be like that we're staying and is it hard to communicate and get along with the locals...

We went on a 3 hour bus ride to Baray... On the way, we stopped by for toilet break. Never we had expected to get to taste some exotic food! They are fried spiders and crickets. Fried spiders tasted just like soft shell crabs whereas crickets were like cereal prawns.

Arriving at Baray! The bus turned into a area where the fences are decorated with wheels and 'Khmer Life Homestay' is placed high up on the fence. We've reached! Receiving us is Auntie Esther and her team of staffs and pastors.

All of us will be staying in huts on stilts with mosquito netting surrounding the beds. The surroundings around the huts are beautified with plants, flowers, wooden tables and chairs, hammocks...We even had a man-made river with a bridge on it in the middle of the Homestay! After dinner and lunch, we could go to the hammocks to catch a wink. On the other hand, the tables and chairs served as a good gathering place to share our thoughts about the day activities and chit-chat. The serene and peaceful environment made us look forward on our days here!

Besides accomodation, our 3 meals will be settled in Khmer Homestay. The staffs helping out will be cooking for us. The food served was largely Asian style with a pinch of Cambodia flavour!

There was no washing machine in house. With that, we had to use our both hands to pump water out from the well to a large basin. Then, soak our dirty clothes in the soapy water...rub rub rub! Lastly, rinse again with a new batch of well water.

No heater like our halls or homes... We had to bathe with raw cool water from the tap. The toilets used 'manual flush' which means we used the water from the tap and poured down the drainage area.

Hmmm...Not forgetting the dress code! At all times, all of us were to be dressed with sleeved t-shirts and pants/shorts(must not go above knees!). The culture is pretty conversative so we must obey it as guests staying here.

Last point to take note and it is very important as newbies in Homestay! The generator will be switched at 10pm sharp so all of us had to carried our torchlights around. We had never expect how useful a simple torchlight can be! In Singapore, none of us had ever met with total blackout for more than 2 times. Over here, 'light-outs' were practised every night! Luckily, we had car battery in our huts to operated basic lightings and fan.

Overall, none of us had problems to settle down in Homestay!

See our baggages piling up at the back seats?
Half of those are the old clothes & bags!
Sight from the bus!
AHHH!!! Spiders!
And they are fried and went into our mouths
Fried crickets too!
Our HOME for 7 days!
Nice?
The bigger hut is the 9 men dormitory while the huts besides are 2/3/4 person-sharing dorm
One of the nice huts!
Our 'lobby' = dining area +where we can get help/assistance
The kitchen at the back and self-service counter for all our meals!
Basketball!
Swings!
See-saw? YES!
Our beds with thick mosquito netting surrounding
the guys room!
Using car battery to operate the fan and light at night
A little desk to put our stuffs
Mirror!
Unique open bathing experience by cycling to get the water pumped up to the shower head
Toilets!
Treehouse!
Manual pump water for washing clothes
No washing machine
We need to wash our own clothes
Hammocks below our huts
Writing diary on hammock is a totally relaxing and nice experience
studying about cambodia!
Don't see my NTU diarybook!
Reading?
Playing with the little visitors to the Homestay
Having our 1st lunch at Khmer Homestay
(5 LDPians + 2 alumnus)
Full & Satisfied!!
The town
(about 30 mins walk)
Beware!
This is everywhere along the walking paths/roads...!
Group Pic at Khmer Homestay!
'Sun-setting'

Community work briefing at Auntie Esther's house

Sherri