Cambodia Trip - Arrivals

I had a very good flight. I do like flying with Air France! They must be the only airline of whom it can be honestly said that the meals are delicious! And accompanied by a neat little bottle of red wine!

Sitting next to me was the cutest little four year old you could ever hope to meet. She was incredibly well behaved too. I have to admit that I was quite astonished – when I first saw who would be sitting next to me, I thought I was in for a busy and disruptive flight! Instead, she slept most of the time, and watched a movie for the rest.

I arrived an hour late in Bangkok, and was concerned that my pre-arranged Taxi might have thought I wasn’t coming. But no, there he was, waiting, sign saying ‘Cathering Koetsier’ uplifted in his hand. He was as relieved to see me as I was to see him! I don’t speak much Thai, and couldn’t even remember how to say ‘Hello’. And his English was limited to ‘Hello’! So our conversation was governed by a lot of expressive actions. You learn, rather quickly, not to be a recluse when you travel! It is a matter of survival!

The 4 hour drive to the border went by quickly; probably because I was asleep for most of the journey. It is a bit intimidating when you arrive at the border, and I was very glad to have done the whole procedure once before... it was not quite a case of setting out into the great unknown, although it felt like it. The problem is that the taxi becomes one’s new security, and the driver the one familiar face in all the world. So when you realise that you now have to get out of that taxi, hand over your money and take your (huge and heavy) suitcase all by yourself and walk to the border post, you feel decidedly vulnerable! Lugging my heavy case, I wondered all over again whether I really needed to bring so much stuff (the truth is that more than half the contents of the case are toys and sweets for the children and gifts for CHO and XP friends). As I walked, I suddenly realised that I had come all this way without a very important item – my sunhat! I never forget my hat, but now, coming to one of the hottest climates in the world, I had forgotten it. So I found a stall selling various items and successfully managed to communicate my desire to purchase a hat, and bought a funny cotton item that will probably only survive this particular trip.

That done, it was time to face the border officials. Through the Thailand border post, with a very authoritarian and unsmiling official who spent a long time scrutinising my passport before he finally stamped it. And then the long walk (it’s not actually long, but it feels like it when you are lugging a heavy suitcase and it seems like everyone is staring at you in curiosity) through no-man’s land (casinos on either side and probably the most Western looking part of Western Cambodia, so not as dismal as the description sounds). Every step takes you further into poverty... or this is the feeling; Thailand is a land of wealth and opportunity in comparison with Cambodia, and this is noticeable at the border. Finally you reach the Cambodia border post and queue for ages. By now sweat is literally  dripping off your forehead and you have lost whatever English decorum you might ever have had.

Once again my passport – and my face - was scrutinised for ages. I wondered why? Maybe it was because there are now a lot of stamps in my passport? Maybe it was because I had visited just 6 months ago and the officials wondered why on earth I was back again so soon? Maybe it was because of the Brazilian stamps in my passport? (I had been shocked and dismayed to discover that Thailand would not permit the entry of a visitor who had been in Brazil recently unless they had proof of Yellow Fever vaccinations – I didn’t have this all important proof, but I was arriving ONE day after the mandatory ban period of 7 days). Needless to say I felt very relieved when I got the second stamp of approval in my passport and was allowed to pass into Cambodia. Imagine coming all this way only to be turned back!

It was amusing to realise that I was really happy to be back in Poipet. The city is tremendously poor and scruffy. And hot! Garbage lies everywhere. And the smell that pervades everything takes more than a while to get used to. But even while my senses were in revolt against the choice I had made to be here, my heart was leaping about in joy.

Trudging along towards the roundabout I was gathering my courage for the motorbike trip I now had to face. Sure enough, smiling faces greeted me and I was invited to deposit myself plus my suitcase on the back of a bike. No thanks! One again this was more than I had courage for. So my suitcase went on one bike, and I went on the other. My momentary relief turned to dismay when I realised that I had set off but that my suitcase did not seem to be following... I wondered whether it would actually arrive at the hotel. Oh well, my camera, laptop and passport were safely in my backpack; I suppose I could make do without the rest. But no, the second bike arrived safely just moments after my arrival. We had both survived. You may wonder why I am making such a fuss about such a small think as a pleasant motorbike ride through a city. This is because you have not yet experienced it! You wear no helmet, and neither does your motorcyclist! The main road through the city – you may remember from my previous blogs – is a maelstrom of trucks, cars, motorbikes, cyclists and pedestrians, all of whom seem to be doing exactly as they please and driving anywhere they wish. There is order of sorts I suppose, but it is certainly not evident to my British trained eyes.

I handed over the 200 Baht transport fee with gratitude and relief and escaped into the lobby of the hotel. Familiar ground! In my room I stripped off my sticky clothes and stood under a cold shower. What a relief. And then I collapsed on my bed and slept, deeply, for two hours.

At 17h00 I headed off to Destiny Cafe to meet the team... where I was greeted by Bart and his grandsons. What a delight! Bart and his wife, Kim, became particular favourites of ours when we spent time with them in Poipet and Pattaya in May. It was great to see Bart again. Supper turned out to be at Hope & Health, a little way down the road from the hotel. It was good to negotiate that dreaded road with Bart’s 11 year old grandson, Jeremiah, who saw the whole thing as a big adventure.

Of course supper was wonderful. Not just for the familiarity of rice and vegetables (for all the taste buds complain about it, the body seems to prefer eating this way), but also for the familiar faces. Andrea, Malina, Ken, Sophy... and a whole lot of new people. The team had already been here for a week, and there were only two of us joining them. So there was already a very good sense of cohesiveness and unity and focus. It is surprising in some ways, the variety of people that choose to do these trips. 

Perhaps one would expect a particular sort of person, some sort of prototype. Truth is there are people from all walks of life, from many nations and cultures. Some are young and some are older, men and women, and even children. Some are couples, some are single. The one thing we all share in common is a heart for justice, and a longing to see people loved and restored to dignity.

After supper we all went off to the XP centre where we had a great time talking with each other, worshipping God and praying for the city and the people of Poipet.