On the edge of the flood

These kids live in these houses on the edge of the flood. Can you see the other houses down in the water? The water is almost up to the floor of the houses. If the kids lived there, they would have to take a boat to get home. Do you see the boats between the houses and behind the kids?

The flood has turned now and will slowly run out. But the water will stay high for a long time.

love from your Grandad who still has wet feet in Cambodia

Flood in your yard

These kids think that having a flood is pretty cool because it's like having a swimming pool in your yard. Even the chickens seem to like it. Can you see them at the bottom of the picture?

See the boat near the house? Before the flood goes down they will have to take the boat back to the river and will have to go a long way to get to it from their house.

Do you like the houses?

love from your Grandpa who still has wet feet in Cambodia

The flood

Do you remember the photo I showed you with the boy on the bridge? I told you that the flood was coming and the bridge would soon be under water.

Now the flood is here. The top photo shows you where the bridge was. If you look in the bridge photo, you will see some houses and some steps. Today's photo was taken from the top of the steps next to those houses. There is no bridge anymore. If I want to get across, I have to take a boat.

The second photo today shows the bottom of my street. I took it from the yard of a woman who makes tofu. I went to her house to buy some tofu. I had to ride my bike through water 30 cm deep. All the houses at the bottom of the street are in water.

Love from your Grandpa with wet feet in Cambodia

I discover dragons

There are not many dragons in Cambodia. However, I discovered that there is a Chinese temple in Kompong Chhnang. And I know that dragons like Chinese temples. So I went to the temple in search of dragons. First I saw four on the roof. There were two big ones guarding the front door and more inside. Altogether I counted 12 dragons. This picture shows one of the fierce ones. If you ever come to visit me in Cambodia I can show them to you.

love from your Grandad in Cambodia

Kong Ray mountain

There is a story in Cambodia about an ugly giant woman. She is magic. She changes herself into a beautiful human woman and a man marries her. He doesn't know that she is really an ugly giant.

At the end of the story the giant becomes a mountain. That mountain is on the other side of the Tonle Sap river from Kompong Chhnang, where I live. Now the river is flooded. Last Sunday, some of my friends took me in a boat to the mountain and we climbed up it. We climbed up the giant. Lucky she didn't wake up.

Half way up the mountain someone is making some statues of the story. Most of them are not finished. This one is. It is one of the characters in the story.

love from Grandpa John in Cambodia