The sun is a merciless geyser.
This is what a geyser looks like in Cambodia. Now this is a fantastic idea. Why use up electricity on something the sun can do for free. But here is where the merciless part comes in. This “geyser” is the sole source of water for the house, which means only one temperature available in every tap. The temperature is weather and time dependant. Early, early morning it is cold. But come 8am it’s blazing hot! – and the options are – shower and scald the skin or remain dirty.
Roads CAN be built in one day- with traffic on them.
Perhaps the most terrifying thing about traffic these days is the City’s plan to improve the roads. In one street you can see steam rollers, forklifts, chip spreaders and of course, motos, cars, bicycles, pedestrians and not me! That’s right, if you want- no one is going to stop you from driving up that half tarred road.
(Image by: thekellyseven.wordpress.com)
Eskom ain’t bad. No, no, no.
Now I know that losing the electricity for a couple of hours makes everyone a little cranky. The plus side to load shedding is you probably know if and when it will happen in your area and plan ahead. Alright now, let me walk you through one of the most hellish weeks of my life. It’s hot, about 44 degrees C real feel. There is a storm coming and the wind is picking up. I think, oh thank goodness! - The rain will cool us all down. The storm hits, its wild, I nearly get blown off my bike. What follows is a huge mess. Buildings have been damaged, trees have fallen down and everything gets really dark and really quiet. For five entire days we had neither electricity nor running water in the city. Thank goodness some hotels and my school have a generator. Since then, electricity has been an unpredictable luxury, and the tiniest breeze causes me to charge all electronics in fear.
Bamboo is a valid building material.
I don’t mean that houses are being made out of bamboo. I mean that it is used as scaffolding in construction. There is no denying it’s a tough material, but it still makes me inwardly cringe when I pass by one of these constructions.
(Image by: pinterest.com)
Building isn’t a man’s job, it’s a family affair.
I am really impressed by the sheer amount of woman on construction sites in Cambodia. After a little digging, I discovered it’s because construction is a family business and everyone has to pull their weight. Out of 10 builders about 4 are woman, covered head to toe with only their eyes showing from under a wide cap and carrying heavy loads of bricks. We watched (from our balcony) the next door neighbors extend their house and witnessed so much playfulness and fun while the building went up. It’s probably one of the only places in Cambodia where a woman is treated equally.
A train can be made from four wheels, a 50cc moto motor and a bamboo sheet.
In Battambang we had the privilege to catch a country train to nowhere in particular. It was a beautiful ride and fun to deconstruct the train every time we crossed paths with another. We also saw another bamboo train run off the rails in front of us and tourists go flying into the bushes.
It’s always a good time to build.
Every day is filled with the sound of clang! clang! clang! mreeeeeeeeeeee! zzzzzzzzzzzzuw! clang! bang! It’s the noise that greets me as I wake up every morning and the soundtrack I play while cooking dinner at night. Construction takes place seven days a week, 5am until the sun goes down. No such thing as a quiet Sunday morning in Cambodia. This leads me to the next sad point.
Finish one building. Party. Start a new one.
When we moved into our house, there was a hotel about half-way built behind us. "No problem!" we thought. It’s almost done and construction goes really quickly here. Just four months later, the building was complete. We were sure because there was a three-day-long party. With Monks in the morning, traditional music all day and whatever people call popular at night. It was loud big and loud and a very very very long three days. Day four we woke up to silence for the first time since moving in. It was special, and short-lived. That afternoon we noticed a couple of trees missing from another neighbor’s yard. The very next day foundations were being laid. My heart has never sunk so low in all my life. It’s been two months and that small construction is now complete, a shorter party this time. Of course, the family across the road has just decided to start an addition.* Big, fat, exhausted sigh.*
Motorbike helmets play a dual protection role.
It is very wise; though not law, to wear a bike helmet. Protect that pretty soft noggin in the case of an accident. But it’s also a great defense from rogue flying bricks. With houses going up at the speed that they do in Cambodia, you best believe those builders aren’t messing around passing bricks civilly. Beware the sky is falling.
This is the lesson.
The infrastructure system is not safe, it’s not regulated and it’s very slapdash. Many builders work seven days a week until the project is complete. They work without any guidance from site managers or inspectors. The road works are a mess and the completed roads don’t last very long. But people push on nonetheless. It can be funny to see and in all seriousness it can be tragic as well. I don’t know how many people would choose these conditions if they were truly given the option. Somewhere in here has to be a lesson about how resilient humans are. This doesn’t make it good but, life can go on, if you just get on with it.
