I awake early and buy a few rolls from the woman across the street and start walking to the SM waterfall. After I get about two thirds of the way there I see one of my students (he is actually a pastor at a local church who started attending my classes a few weeks ago) driving towards me on his moto. Once he sees me he pulls alongside and asks where I am going - he looks concerned like I am lost. I tell him the waterfall and he insists on driving me - fine by me! The 20 minutes he saves me is greatly appreciated!
Upon arrival I see that Brian is already there with one of Andy's sons (Andy is Brian's boss and runs an English language school - Andy is Cambodian). The son's name is Tanic. When I ask Brian what it means he says that is short for Titanic - Andy and his wife loved the movie so much they named their son Titanic. Thank God my parents didn't choose my name that way or I may have been called Gauntlet (Dirty Harry movie) or Death Wish (Charles Bronson movie)!! LOL.
Brian has already started picking up trash with Tanic and I grab a burlap bag and start doing the same. Once the bag is full (about 15 minutes) we then bring it behind Rain's stall and empty it into a pile where he burns his trash. Burning plastic is done here all the time - and when it is happening you can smell it! After about an hour I notice the place is getting busier as more tourists are slowly arriving (most of these tourists are Cambodians). Eventually two little girls (maybe 5 and 7 years old) start bringing me trash and wanting to drop it in my bag. I notice they are from the stall behind Rain's - their parents seem to run that stall. I walk up and decide to clean up around their stall. Yes it is strange to be picking up trash around someone's business but it just isn't something they do in this culture. Brian and Gina have both told me they are trying to teach schoolchildren to start picking up trash - hopefully it catches on.
After a while the elephants are both giving rides to numerous tourists and lots of people are taking photos of them. We continue to pick up trash. They need to have more garbage cans here otherwise this will all be for nothing. I actually suggest to Brian that they should make barang (meaning white or western) tourists pay a small entrance fee and that money be use to pay someone to pickup the trash (they do this at Bousra waterfall and the place is spotless). Brian agrees and will try to communicate it to Rain - seems Rain is the man is charge here. I eventually see several older Cambodians start bringing trash to Brian and I - not sure if they understand the concept of not littering or they just don't want to right in front of us. The little girls who have been helping me seem to think it is a big game and love helping! Wish everyone had their enthusiasm.
Brian eventually meets a Cambodian girl from Phnom Penh who walks up to him and starts talking to him in English. She is an English teacher in PP and is here on holiday with her family. Her name is Nary and her sister is Sreynin. They talk with us for maybe 20 minutes and then decide to ride the elephants. When the elephants come back from their 15 minute walk I take a few photos of the girls sitting atop the elephants. We continue to clean up and then Nary asks if we can take a picture of her and her sister with her cellphone. Brian takes a shot and then I offer to take a picture of her whole family with my camera. She tells her parents and they all straighten their clothes and gather together. I take a few pictures and show them the results - they seem happy. I actually tell Nary I can email her the pictures if she sends me her email address. I give her my business card and write my local phone number on it as well (Bill insisted on getting me a cellphone so he can reach me if necessary). She thanks me and invites Brian and I to visit her and her school in PP whenever we are there. Brian says he may be going there in a few weeks - me not until late May or the first few days of June. Either way she was very nice to talk to and spoke excellent English.
Brian actually invites me to a BBQ at Andy's neighbor's house this afternoon. Seems it is not unusual to bring a guest (or in my case a stranger) to a party, wedding, etc. I ask him what time and he says we should be there around 1pm - there will be a pig roast, music, dancing, etc. I ask if I can bring a few people (keeping in the spirit as the Cambodians do) and he says sure. So I call Heng and my friend Simon and invite them. We leave the waterfall around 11am so we have time to go and change - we are rather filthy from picking up trash.
Brian has a moto but I want to be dropped off at the local Bunong handicraft stall along the road on the way back to town. They have some scarves, bags, and simple jewelry. I like the place and they offer many things Bill doesn't carry at our shop. I actually pick up one bag/purse and walk back the rest of the way to town.
At 1230pm Simon and Heng meet me at my guesthouse. I walk over with Simon and we each buy $5 worth of beer (10 cans) to bring with us. We walk down to the house and go in. This house is huge - for Cambodia. Probably 4 families live in it, maybe 15 - 20 people. Seems the house owner was the former governor (or assistant to the governor - it isn't clear even after it was explained to me) of this province and it is his party. They actually had a small pig that looked like it was skinned and spread out on a platter with all four legs in different directions and a knife in its neck. Mind you this wasn't a pig roast like at home - it was the smallest pig I have ever seen - think of Babe the pig from the movies! Also it seemed to only be the hide - not lots of meat to this little guy. We sat down on the floor and joined the feast already in progress. There was dishes of fish, salads, rice, and veggies plus lots of beer. Several men were already drunk! I mean blitzed and it is only around 130pm! Same as our New Year's Eve/New Year's Day. After we ate the governor had his youngest daughter (he is in his mid 60's - she is around 10 - 12) get a remote controlled helicopter and he would fly it around the room. Everyone watched in amazement (well not me but I've seen my nephew use remote control vehicles before). After a short while Sy (spelling? A guy around 27 years old) comes in and says the music is ready. The women jump up and head downstairs and outside into the courtyard.
I sit on the deck and watch as Sy uses his laptop to play Cambodian hits from YouTube over some speakers while the women dance in a circle in the courtyard. There are probably 20 people currently here when this begins. Within an hour there will be over 40 people counting children. Seems once the music starts neighbors and friends start coming over joining the dancing and drinking. Heng is in her glory and starts dancing with a few of the women from the house. I know she is having fun now - she is smiling ear to ear. I sit in a plastic chair watching them dance - these are dances done in a circle to particular steps. Eventually one of the ladies motions for me to join them but I motion maybe later. I see Andy arrive with his family and I go over to greet them. He has two sons (Titanic is the oldest) and a daughter plus his wife.
Eventually the woman in blue finds me (I find out later this is the governor's wife) and takes my hand and drags me out to dance. The only other guy dancing is Andy's father-in-law named Rain (same name but not the same guy with the stall at the waterfall) who seems pretty drunk and having the time of his life. With him out there I can't dance that badly - he is all over the place. The woman tries to get me to follow her and Heng with the dance steps - I try but dancing is not my thing. After two songs I escape to hang out with some teenagers watching.
After about an hour there is a break in the music and the governor's youngest daughter sets up some nuts (like large chestnuts) on the ground in a large X formation. She then takes a plastic bag with dozens more of these nuts and walks back about 15 feet. Everyone grabs a few nuts and tosses them at the nuts in the X and tries to knock them over. Seems an odd game - they all just start throwing them all at once and keep doing it until all 5 on the ground are knocked over. Then the girl goes back and sets them up again. This continues for maybe 20 - 30 minutes without anyone keeping score - just happy they have knocked them all down. Bill tells me they only play this game at New Years.
The music starts up again and now there are probably about 20 - 30 people in the dance circle at any time. I'm not sure if it's because I've had 6 - 8 beers by now, or because I am a guest and keep getting invited to dance, or because I don't know any of these people but I keep dancing this time. Heng has not missed a single dance all day - she really does like dancing!
Around 530 pm I tell Heng that I would like to take pictures of the family who hosted the party. I plan on getting a copy developed and bringing it back as a gift to them. The family gathers and poses for a few shots. I also take a picture of Andy's family as well. Several other people who I interacted with I ask to take some photos of and they seem willing. After I take one of an older woman in red and her friend (or maybe her sister) she asks Heng something for a few minutes. Heng then comes to me and asks me if I would be willing to take a picture of this woman and her daughter. She has never had a picture taken with her daughter. This woman looks around 50 - 55 and her daughter looks to be about 16 - 21. Of course I agree and take a few of the two of them. When I show them the digital picture on the camera the woman gives me the huge smile. I make sure that Heng explains that I will make a copy and give it to the governor for her. She is thrilled.
Heng and I depart around 615pm or so, and walk back towards my guesthouse ....
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