So decided I would spend the morning at the Sen Monorom waterfall, which is about 3 - 5 kilometers out of town (2 - 3 miles). Doesn't sound far but the first km is up a large hill and the final km is down a somewhat muddy road. I leave early after grabbing breakfast at my favorite market stall!
The walk takes you past one of the lakes in town. The lake is rather small - I'd actually call it a pond. Nobody seems to do anything on the lake - I have seen no boats or canoes, no people fishing and only a few children swimming in it as well as women washing clothes as well. I will find out later in the week than many people dump sewage into the lake - so maybe it's not ideal for boating! LOL.
As I get to the waterfall at maybe 8am it is just starting up. There are four stalls that sell drinks and food. One of the men who owns a stall, Rain (not sure how he spells it but that is how it is said), actually has two elephants who he has chained to a try. He gives tourists rides for $5 each. The stalls slowly unpack their stuff and I am one of the only tourists there. I follow the path to the bottom and find my way over to some rocks and have a seat. I have seen children and teenagers swim in this water but have been warned of all kinds of water borne illnesses I could get, so I merely put my feet in the water. I take out some donuts (more like munchkins) I bought at the market and a orange juice and open my book and start reading. It is incredibly peaceful here with the sound of the running water, the sound of birds chirping and not a moto to be heard anywhere.
After about an hour I notice it starts getting busier. I can look up at the top of the waterfall and see many tourists now standing up there taking pictures of us below. Eventually there are handfuls of people who are making their way down to the bottom where I am. Eventually several teenagers come over and sit a few feet from me and start eating a meal. I was told many people go to parks and waterfalls on the Cambodian New Year with their families - and they seem to be doing it today!
I eventually head up to the top and see my friend Brian at Rain's stall. I go over and talk with him. He says he has been coming the last couple of days to the SM waterfall and loves it there. He asks if I would be interested in coming one day to help pick up the trash. Seems Cambodians think nothing of their country and simply throw trash on the ground without a second thought. I have even been at restaurants and people will just throw napkins or cans on the floor instead of leaving them for the waitress to pick up. Even here at the waterfall there is tons of trash - mostly plastic bags, cans and bottles - all over the place. I tell him I would be willing to help. He says how about tomorrow? I agree to meet him here Wednesday morning.
I walk back to town and when I get to the air strip I see a rather large crowd there. I get closer and see that there are a few carnival games and some kiddie rides and many people in a large circle. I actually see a small band sitting on the ground playing some songs. I work my way up closer and see they are having games for children to play since it is a holiday. They have many of the same games we had as children: a sack race, carry an egg on a spoon and race, eat a dough ball suspended by a string above your head without using your hands - and it seems whoever wins each game gets a cash prize (12 cents for the loser all the way up to 50 cents for the winner (4 kids per game)). I actually see Veasna's girlfriend (Lina), sister, and two friends there. Hayna (his sister) and one of the friends actually participate in the egg race. Hayna is thrilled when she comes in second and wins 38 cents! The games are free and it seems local businesses and the carnival game people offer the prizes. Eventually I wander home - it is now the middle of the day and smoking hot, maybe 90 - 94 degrees. Thank God I'm not in Phnom Penh where the news said it was suppose to be 39 degrees (I think that's about 108 Fahrenheit)!
This night is Lakeana's last night here in Sen Monorom. Tomorrow she heads back to Phnom Penh and Thursday back to work. She has invited me to join her along with her friend Ratana (another female student Bill sponsors at university), Sokha (a local male tour guide who showed her the villages), my student Heng (who also went to the villages with her), and another guy who Ratana knows. The main person missing - well not person but... Mey Mong the monkey!!!
We walk up to the road along the air strip where there are many Cambodian restaurants and they find a nice roadside place. We can hear the music from the air strip playing as we eat. They do all the ordering. Seems to be rice (what else!), vegetables and some pork and beef skewers. We have a few beers to wash it all down. At the end they ask if I want to try a duck egg. I know what to expect this time. They seem shocked when I say OK. I carefully open the egg and sprinkle the salt-pepper-lemon seasoning into the opened egg and take a spoonful. Hard to describe the taste but not awful. I then notice that Lakeana has taken the "duck" from her egg and she only eats a small part of the yoke. She thinks that is the best part. It actually allowed me to get a picture of the baby duck - de-shelled - on a plate!
After eating we wander over to watch the rides which are mostly for youngsters. Heng is upset because she wants to dance and nobody is dancing. Also, other than the rides it is pitch black on the air strip - so dancing could be difficult and dangerous. I guess she loves to dance and when none of us offer to dance with her she announces she is ready to go home. Fair enough - it is after all around 930pm - kind of late for Sen Monorom!
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