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Kouk Chak

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    • Lombok 2023
      Day 5

      Siem Reap

      April 3, 2023 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

      Das war ein langer Tag bisher, aber wir sind dann nach dem kurzen Flug von Bangkok gut in Siem Reap angekommen.
      Der Besitzer hat uns vom Flughafen abgeholt. Sehr schnell war klar, warum alle den Service so loben. Ist schon genial. Alle sind extrem freundlich aber nicht aufdringlich.
      Unser Zimmer, die ganze kleine Anlage ist wunderbar. Hier kann man es aushalten.
      Tempel gibt es dann morgen …      Read more

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    • TravelerSE Asia 2024
      11
      Day 13

      APOPO Demining Visitor Centre

      March 17 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

      After the Botanical Garden, it was a 2-minute ride to the home of the Hero Rats. They had some very educational and moving exhibits in an airconditioned environment and a 45 minute tour. Our guide was very entertaining and referred to the Hero Rats as "being in Commando Training". Nancy asked about the local people we see with missing limbs. He told the group that as a 3rd world country Cambodia has no social safety net for the disabled at all. There is support for missing limb prosthetics and rehab as part of the program but there is no help beyond that. People have to survive on their own. He said it is best if we can support local people by buying a book or whatever they are selling rather than if they are begging...one wonders how realistic this is when one is missing two hands. This is testament to the proud and self sufficient nature of the Cambodian people Very moving and sad to think that as we visit, Russia has laid down innumerable land mines in the Ukraine conflict currently dragging on.
      APOPO is an Belgian NGO that started operations in Africa 25 years ago and trains rats and dogs to scent out land mines and unexploded bombs. They operate in over a dozen countries, including Cambodia which is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world with over 6 million mines having been placed and that have killed and maimed thousands of innocent civilians, mainly children, long after the wars they were used in ended.
      There are 6 teams with a total of 43 rats, each of which costs $10,000 dollars just to train who currently work in Cambodia. Further expansion of the program is limited by funds. The admission ($10 US) supports the mission and we bought a couple of coasters to use as a "rat" instead of a mouse for our computers.      Read more

    • TravelerSE Asia 2024
      1
      Day 13

      Angkor Botanical Garden

      March 17 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

      Tuk Tuk driver Mr. Po Lo was assigned to us by the pleasant Mr. Ko Koa at the hotel to get us to our first stop of the morning: the Angkor Botanical Garden. He was keen to be our "driver" for the day so we decided to do so although we didn't have far to go until the next stop. This Botanical Garden was opened in 2018 and admission is by donation. We had a coffee and pastry in the cafe and strolled about, fed some Koi and enjoyed the surroundings although there was a lack of details to what we were seeing. 90 minutes was plenty of time as the park is not that large. We think it is the cicadas that make the intense "Jungle Song" although we never could see any.Read more

    • TravelerZuid-Oost Azië
      13
      Day 22

      Angkor Wat - dag 2

      November 15, 2018 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

      Deze ochtend om kwart voor 4 opgestaan, say whaaaat? We wouden de zonsopgang bij Angkor Wat meemaken, iets wat iedereen ons had aangeraden. Dus wij om 4u15 met ons fietsje in de pikkedonker naar daar. Maar toen we aankwamen, bleek dat iedereen precies dezelfde tip had gekregen. Om 5 uur mochten we naar binnen en volgende we mooi de mensenmassa in het donker. Na eventjes gestapt te hebben stopte iedereen voor een meertje. Het was nog steeds donker dus we wisten niet juist waar we stonden en wat te verwachten. Na wat wachten kwam er nog volk toe dat achter ons kwam staan. We waren blij dat we vroeger waren gekomen en op de "eerste rij" stonden. Stilletjes aan begonnen er vormen zichtbaar te worden in de verte. Ondertussen kwam er nog steeds volk bij. Uiteindelijk begonnen we echt de hoofdtempel te zien in de verte. De locatie was echt goed, want we zagen de tempel gereflecteerd in het water, echt heel mooi. We hadden wel verwacht dat de zonsopgang wat spectaculairder ging zijn met wat meer kleuren, maar het was nog steeds de moeite.

      Na de zonsopgang bezochten we de tempel zelf. Deze was vrij groot en mooi onderhouden. We begrepen wel waarom dit de topattractie is. Nadat we het gevoel hadden dat we ongeveer alles van de tempel hadden gezien (ook voldoende instagrammodellen...) gingen we verder om toch al eens een kijkje te nemen in Angkor Thom. Dit tempelcomplex bestaat uit verschillende tempels en is ook volledig ommuurd. De ommuring was enorm! We zijn direct doorgegaan naar de bekendste tempel, namelijk Bayon. Dit was echt een leuke tempel. Het bestond uit allemaal torentjes waarop langs elke zijde een gezicht van een God was afgebeeld. Maar de er is ook een gelijkenis met de koning die deze tempel heeft laten bouwen. Het wordt ook wel de tempel van de duizende gezichten genoemd. Spijtig genoeg was het er vrij druk. Maar ondertussen hadden we ook wel honger gekregen en dus reden we terug naar het hotel voor ons ontbijt. Na het ontbijt was het tijd om wat slaap in te halen ;)

      In de namiddag besloten we om de rest van Angkor Thom te bezoeken. Op weg er naartoe zijn we gestopt om wat aapjes te bewonderen. Deze liepen gewoon rond in het park. Waarschijnlijk zitten deze hier niet volledig natuurlijk, want we zagen toeristen ze eten geven. Maar toch het was leuk om ze eens van kortbij te bekijken.

      De volgende tempel was de Baphuon. Via ons kaartje dachten we dat deze vrij klein was, maar hij was toch ook indrukwekkend. We moesten hier wel vrij veel trappen beklimmen, maar het uitzicht was de moeite. Vervolgens zagen we nog Elephant terrace en Leper king terrace.

      Deze avond zijn we bij een lokaal restaurantje tegenover ons hotel gaan eten. We waren welkom, maar onverwachte klanten. De baas keek ons wat verbaasd aan en zei "no menu" en wees toen al lachend naar foto's die zich aan de voorkant bevonden. Een andere klant gaf ons wat beperkte info in het Engels en we bestelden maar iets. Ondertussen werd het tv-programma verandert naar Animal Planet zodat we er ook van konden genieten. Het eten was zeer lekker en spotgoedkoop. De uitbaters waren zeer vriendelijk en blij dat we gekomen waren.

      Morgen wordt een rustdag en Siem Reap zelf wat verkennen.      Read more

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    • TravelerSE Asia 2024
      Day 12

      Bike Tour of the Cambodian Countryside

      March 16 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

      We booked this through Klook. Arrived early at 0715 hrs to find we were the only guests, so off we went with our guide Sat Po. It was our first time using e bikes and we were glad we had them; not being avid bikers, there were aspects that were challenging when we were on road with bus/cars (thankfully that part did not last long), thick sand, bumps and stones and a hot 30 minutes back on the wide shoulder of a highway to get back. Despite all this, we enjoyed it and got a chance to walk through the market in Angkor that we had driven by the day before, stop to visit two local Cambodian country side families: rice noodle making and sampling sticky rice with mung beans packed into the hollow of bamboo and cooked over open fire. Local country people live extremely modestly and like they have for centuries likely: a house made of various materials on stilts (upper area of sleeping away from poisonous insects and animals, lower area during the dry season for activities, cooking is outside on charcoal, the bathroom is a privy, water purity through a clay filter and can not necessarily be trusted. Garbage is burned at the road side (sadly and expectedly we see the effects of plastic everywhere). The people we visited are actually on UNESCO sanctioned property; seems they are "squatters" even though they've lived there for years, what will happen to them in future seems uncertain. Sat Po who is likely in his late 40s has two children, a wife who works in retail sales for an electronics company, they live with her parents who (because his wife is the youngest daughter) they are now responsible for supporting who are in their 60s, both teachers. Sat Po was raised by his grandmother when his parents separated as father wanted the country and mother the city and both formed new families. His family was directly impacted by the Khmer Rouge with two uncles dying of starvation. He put himself through university with the help of several people from the sounds of things including doing chores including massaging of a monk. We stopped at a Buddhist temple and discussed further the role of spiritual thought for people who have endured much suffering. He hopes for better education and health care in Cambodia.Read more

    • TravelerVietnam und Kambodscha
      Day 14–16

      Tag 12 Angekommen in Siem Reap

      March 15 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

      Siem Reap ist eine Touristenstadt im nordwestlichen Teil Kambodschas und gilt als Tor zu den Ruinen von Angkor, die vom 9. bis 15. Jh. Sitz des Khmer-Königreichs waren. Die weitläufige Anlage umfasst aufwändig verzierte Steingebäude wie den Haupttempel Angkor Wat, der auf der Flagge Kambodschas abgebildet ist. Am Bayon-Tempel von Angkor Thom sind riesige, geheimnisvolle Gesichter in den Stein gemeißelt.Read more

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    • TravelerVietnam
      Day 27

      APOPO Hero Rats

      March 8 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

      We started our last day in Siem Reap learning more about the serious landmine situation in Cambodia and the broader world. I was shocked at the vast amount of territory that exists today that is still deemed hazardous from uncleared landmines and other unexploded devices. Today Cambodia has an estimated 4-6M land mines and other unexploded ordinances caused by over three decades of civil war and war with Vietnam.
      APOPO is a non-profit known for its use of African giant pouched rats, nicknamed "hero rats," in detecting landmines and tuberculosis. There are plenty of rats in Cambodia, and they are a stable of the diet here. However, their average lifespan is only 5 years old. These African rats are sourced and trained in Zimbabwe and live up to 9 to 10 years old. They are a better candidate for this job, as it takes 9 to 12 months to train them. They also train dogs, German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois primarily, but the rats are more lightweight and the primary focus of this project.

      The story of APOPO began when Bart Weetjens, co-founder of the organization, developed a special relationship for the rodents he kept as childhood pets in Belgium. Years later, this relationship would yield more than just friendship: it would offer the opportunity to help change a world where landmines pose a threat to life and progress in 60 countries and where tuberculosis affects millions of lives across the world every year. APOPO was officially established as a Belgian NGO in 1997.

      These hero rats are highly trained to detect the scent of explosives. They are lightweight and able to safely traverse minefields without triggering the mines. Under the guidance of APOPO's expert trainers, the rats learn to scratch at the ground once they detect the presence of explosives, indicating to their human handlers where the mines are located. The handlers then work to safely deactivate or remove the mines.

      Hundreds of thousands of square meters of land have been made safe for local communities, allowing them to farm, build infrastructure, and live without fear. This has promoted economic growth and improved living conditions for the affected populations.

      Furthermore, APOPO's hero rats are also utilized in the detection of tuberculosis. TB is a significant global health issue, especially in resource-limited settings. The rats are trained to sniff sputum samples provided by clinics. They can identify the distinctive scent associated with TB, enabling rapid and accurate screening. This process is both cost-effective and faster than traditional laboratory methods, aiding in TB control efforts.

      The success of the APOPO hero rat program in Cambodia has resulted in its expansion to other countries facing similar challenges. Today, APOPO operates in countries such as Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Colombia, and the most recent conflict in Ukraine. By leveraging the rat's olfactory capabilities, APOPO continues to save lives, support local communities, and contribute to a safer and healthier world.      Read more

    • Kambodscha via Bangkok
      Day 6

      vom Mönch gsägnet

      November 2, 2022 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

      Hüt isch der erst Tag gsi womir mitem Studium si underwägs gsi. Am Morge heimir üs nachemne wahnsinns Zmorgebuffet mitder ganze Klass u üsere TukTuk-Karavane i wuselig Verchehr vo Siem Reap begä. Aus ersts simir Apopo ga aluege. Das isch es NGO wo Afrikanischi Riseratte zu "Herorats" usbiudet. Si chöi Landmine erschnüffle u hei so scho 1000 vo Läbe grettet. Dür das, dass die Ratte "nume" öppe 1,5 kg schwär wärde lösesi im Verglich zumene Hund d Mine nid us wesi drufstö. Die wärde nämlich "ersch" ab 4-5kg usglöst. Nachdäm üs d Sophea het vorgfüert wiesi TNT fingt u när gnüsslich ires Gudeli främslet heimir no d Dora dörfe hämpfele.

      Nach Apopo isches mit üsne private TukTukChauffeure witer zum Tempel Wat Svay Dongkum dert simir vomene Mönch für üses Seminar und d Reis gsägnet worde. Z Ritual isch für es pari chli befrömdlich gsi, für anderi sehr inspirierend. Nachdämnis üse Tourguide no d Gschicht vom 4. Buddha het verzeut, simir witer für im Haven ga Zmittag z ässe.

      Z Haven isch üses (Fabienne, Sophie und Maylea) Projekt für das Seminar. Mir hei gad d Sara u der Paul atroffe. Si si d Inhaber u Erfinder vom Restaurant und Trainingszentrum Haven. Zum Zmittag simir mit lokale Gricht verwöhnt worde. Nachemne intresannte Gspräch mitder Sara, em kennelehre vor Miss Marple und es par Video- u Fotoufnahme heimir üs wider ufe Wäg zrügg iz Hotel gmacht. Hie simir no chli a Pool gläge u heinis när hindere Laptop gsetzt für a üsem Seminarpapier z schaffe.      Read more

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    • Southeast Asia
      Day 68

      Cambodian Vietnamese War Memorial

      December 24, 2022 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

      On the way back to the hotel from the temples we stopped at a memorial to the Vietnamese soldiers who died in the war against the Khmer Rouge in 1975. The tiled structure in the background contains the names of the war victims.Read more

    • TravelerThailand Überwinterung 2022/23
      Day 63

      APOPO - RATTEN zur LANDMINENRÄUMUNG

      January 21, 2023 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

      Diese Ratten kommen aus Afrika und werden 3 Monate nach Ihrer Geburt 9 Monate darauf trainiert, Landminen aufzufinden. Für ein Feld mit der Größe eines Tennisplatzes, benötigt die Ratte 30 Minuten, ein Mensch mit Metalldetektor 4 Tage. Die Ratte spürt auch nur explosives Material auf und hat keinen Streuverlust ggü. normalem Metall. Hammer !!!

      https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apopo      Read more

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