Our plan on Friday was to get out of the city in the morning and go see the zoo. It is about an hour and a half drive from Phnom Penh in a lovely forested area. Families enjoy going there to spend time together, see the animals and enjoy the surroundings.
When Bandol arrived to pick me up, she was with her mother, grandfather, aunt and uncle. They had just had breakfast together and wanted to see my hotel and view the riverfront. They would have liked to have seen the water festival from there but had plans for a family gathering that night so wouldn't be able to make it back. As we drove them back to their home, Bandol's mother asked if my teeth were real because they are so white. Bandol explained that it was very difficult to get dental care after the Khmer Rouge because most of the dentists were killed. Bandol's mother made her and all of her siblings brush their teeth with salt. As a result, they have nice teeth!
Bandol's mother is a lovely elegant woman. She is two years younger than me and I can only imagine the horrors that she witnessed during the Pol Pot regime. Despite the war, she raised 5 wonderful children, 4 girls and a boy. She had to fight with her husband to allow her daughters to go to university and they all did. She spent months working on a needlepoint picture of Angkor Wat to donate to CLEW to raise money for other girls to attend university.
We had a brief visit at Bandol's parents house which is a beautiful new home about a half an hour from downtown (depending on traffic). Her father grows fruit trees and grapes in the front yard.
When Bandol arrived to pick me up, she was with her mother, grandfather, aunt and uncle. They had just had breakfast together and wanted to see my hotel and view the riverfront. They would have liked to have seen the water festival from there but had plans for a family gathering that night so wouldn't be able to make it back. As we drove them back to their home, Bandol's mother asked if my teeth were real because they are so white. Bandol explained that it was very difficult to get dental care after the Khmer Rouge because most of the dentists were killed. Bandol's mother made her and all of her siblings brush their teeth with salt. As a result, they have nice teeth!
Bandol's mother is a lovely elegant woman. She is two years younger than me and I can only imagine the horrors that she witnessed during the Pol Pot regime. Despite the war, she raised 5 wonderful children, 4 girls and a boy. She had to fight with her husband to allow her daughters to go to university and they all did. She spent months working on a needlepoint picture of Angkor Wat to donate to CLEW to raise money for other girls to attend university.
We had a brief visit at Bandol's parents house which is a beautiful new home about a half an hour from downtown (depending on traffic). Her father grows fruit trees and grapes in the front yard.
After having lunch at a nice Thai restaurant, we went to the zoo. Bandol's brother, Dararith, drove and her two sons aged 14 & 12 joined us. As we got close to the zoo, there were a number of stalls along the road selling something orange on sticks. As it turned out they were frogs, stuffed with pork & spices then grilled like a shish kebab. Not something I ever want to try but Bandol's sons did!
The zoo is a huge park that you can drive through and/or walk through. Some of the animals are in cages while others roam in open areas. There was a huge exhibit of bears sponsored by the NGO "Freethebears". Cambodian bears are like small black bears and apparently there are over 100 different types. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a good picture of one. I was also impressed with the massive area set up for the elephants. The monkeys were everywhere so I was glad to know that Michelle and Emily had visited here this past summer to see them. (To those who don't know, monkeys have always been Michelle's favourite and many a family trip was spent looking for monkeys!)
There were also lions, tigers and bears as well as crocodiles, pythons and numerous birds among other animals but we didn't have time to see everything. However, I found the people watching just as interesting as the animals. There were tons of families and large groups traveling by motorbike, car, tuk tuk, minibus or open truck with people piled in the back. Just about every vehicle was overcrowded with children, adults and babies. On our way home we were traveling along and passed a motorcycle that had a man & woman on it but then I could see a baby's feet sticking out between them. As it turned out, the woman was breastfeeding her baby as she sat on the back of the bike going about 30 kph!
On our way home, the original plan was for me to join Bandol's family for a BBQ. Unfortunately, the traffic was so crazy it was way too late for me to go there and we couldn't get near my hotel for all the people and road closures. I was going to have to walk back to my hotel but Bandol wouldn't let me walk alone so her brother & sons waited in a coffee shop while she escorted me back to the Himawari. We had a great view of the fireworks again as we walked by the Prime Minister's residence. The fireworks were set off each night of the Water Festival and one night at both 7 pm and midnight.
It was quite a day!!