Phnom Pehn, Cambodia - 4/21/2001

I sadly left the little island of Ko Phi Phi yesterday. The diving was absolutely incredible! Iactually was able to (momentarily) overcome my fear of deep water and I did two dives in the area, one in an area called "Shark Reef" because it's frequented by many schools of leopard and reef sharks, which are really quite harmless. We didn't see any sharks, but I did get to see quite a few morrey eels, a lobster, many, many banner fish, clown fish, anemoea (?) fish, pufferfish, groupers, and all kinds of coral, soft and hard. The following day, we rented a local guide and his longtail-boat and went out to Ko Phi Phi Leh (where The Beach was filmed) and picniced and snorkeled there. Our guide, Gip, gave us some toast to feed to the fish. When I feed them, it was like a school of piranha! They actually nibbled the bread clean out of my fingers, sometime mistaking my fingers for food. Their little teeth tickled my hands and the mob, when you're with them underwater, was actually very intimidating. Like being in the middle of an attack from The Birds, only they were fish!

We explored the rest of the island by boat, motoring through exquisite bays of emerald green cliffs, turquoise blue water, and powder white sand. The average water temperature is about 86 degrees, which is actually refreshing from the 100 degree heat and decent humidity.

After landing in Phnom Pehn and going through a12-police person customs, we meet one of our host for the next three days. Today, we traveled with local literacy workers Jon and Sayan who help run theliteracy group for The Asia Foundation in Cambodia. We visited two different schools and discovered how their schools and libraries function here and interviewed some of the teachers, librarians and head masters. We showed them samples of some of the books which Books for Nepal ships and tried to assess if our group could help them in their efforts to provide their students with books to support their work.

I am still taking in a few tourist sites while I'm here. Last night, we went for drinks at the FCC (Foreign Correspondents' Club) which overlooks the Mekong River. They have many interesting photographs inside having to do with international news and wars of past. Later on today, we are going to the area dubbed The Killing Fields. I don't know much about this yet other than this is where much violence happen against any "suspected" intellectual. Sort of like the Salem Witch Trials, but only 20 years ago.

Tomorrow we start "work" again. Another organization, led by a guy named Bernie, has invited us to see some of the schools he has built in rural areas in Camodia. We are flying by helicopter north-west to a village called "Robib" near the Thai border. They have set up a school that has a solar-powered internet connection which the village uses not only for education, but the sale their local wares and handicrafts to the outside world. The profits go to help support their literacy program. Bernie has set up over 200 schools in Cambodia and John is very interested in his work. We are thinking of partnering with Bernie to provide books for some of the schools he's opened. We will stay overnight in the village and return by car Monday. It should prove an interesting outing.