CAMP BANG MEALEA
CAMPS International – an award winning Expedition Company that has successfully planned ethical journeys for students and adults around the world. With the objective to enhance the students way of life, CAMPS International provides an opportunity to open their eyes to the larger world apart from their own home experience. This is a great boost to either their university of future career application. We thank CAMPS International for giving us the opportunity to participate in the recent Familiarization (FAM) Camp in Cambodia. Eight very excited teachers from the Cambridge A Levels (CAL) travelled to Camp Beng Mealea in early April this year. For many including myself it was our first trip to Cambodia. The camp was built in 2010 and is located in Siem Reap. Our main reason for the visit was to explore opportunities for the CAL community to become more globally, socially, and environmentally aware. This trip was an eye-opener and at the same time it was striking and harsh to see first-hand the hardships of daily life as it is across the whole country. They say that it is these very hardships which make the people more endearing and genuine, opening-up with grins and smiles at the slightest provocation, and all of this in spite of their all too tragic recent history.
As we arrived at the camp, we were greeted very warmly by Rory Hall, the Director of CAMPS International Asia and the Camp Manager, Hans. The weather was extremely hot, with temperatures rising up to almost 40 degrees. It was a perfect moment when we were served fresh coconut water to quench our thirst. Rory continued to provide us with the insights on how CAMPS International operates and their objective. Later, we visited the Beng Mealea School which is just a walking distance. While the school is government run, it is seriously under-funded and resourced despite its near 700 students. Recently the school added two more blocks to make room for the growing population however they were nothing more than rough shacks. Hopefully, the classrooms will be reconstructed once they manage to raise sufficient funds.
Beng Mealea School
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| Classroom |
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| Classroom |
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| Beng Mealea School |
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| Classroom |
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| Pond water use for drinking |
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| Field kitchen use for cooking for hundreds of students |
Beng Mealea Camp
We stayed overnight at the camp to experience remote camping. We were all given individual sleeping units which had a mattress, pillow, blanket and mosquito netting. The power provided by the generator is only for three hours daily from 6pm to 9pm. The camp has two units of composting toilets and few shower areas.
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| Accommodation |
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| Sleeping tents |
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| Dining area |
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| Kitchen |
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| Shower areas |
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| Composition toilets |
Beng Mealea School
Meal Preparation
We went back to the school the next day and we saw how the young kids were preparing their meal for a class party. These brave kids were actually catching the chickens with their bare hands, plucking the feathers and removing the innards. The hardships have definitely made the kids grew-up faster and feel older than their age.
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| Cleaning and |
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| Plucking feathers |
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| Young school girls cutting vegetables |
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| Meal - almost ready to eat |
Playing Games
We played some games to entertain the kids. They were a little shy at the beginning but soon the children got over it and were very keen to participate in all the games. I think they enjoyed it. Since they didn’t speak English, we gave them instructions in sign language and they understood what they were required to do after a while.
CAMPS International – Short Discovery Trips
The wonderful thing about CAMPS International is that you can trust them to deliver the best responsible travel experiences in the world. Check-out below for short discovery trips to their camps in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Borneo, Cambodia, and Ecuador and sign-up today:
8 Days Borneo Discovery
8 - 12 pax: $895
13 - 20 pax: $775
20 upwards: $695
8 Days North Vietnam Discovery
8 - 12 pax: $650
13 - 20 pax: $600
20 upwards: $565
5 Days South Vietnam Discovery
8 - 12 pax: $675
13 - 20 pax: $585
20 upwards: $540
8 Days Cambodia Discovery
8 - 12 pax: $630
13 - 20 pax: $565
20 upwards: $495
5 Days Beng Mealea
8 - 12 pax: $420
13 - 20 pax: $385
20 upwards: $345
8 Days Kenya Discovery
(TSAVO/MAKONGENI/SDX)
8 - 12 pax: $730
13 - 20 pax: $650
20 upwards: $580
8 Days Tanzania Discovery
8 - 12 pax: $745
13 - 20 pax: $690
20 upwards: $645
8 Days Uganda Discovery
13 - 20 pax: $690
20 upwards: $ 645
Siem-Reap
The trip included exploring the temples of Angkor City and we got to see the largest Hindu monument in the world, Angkor-Wat which was built in the ancient Khmer empire. One of the other temples we visited was the Angkor-Thom and it’s just so amazing to see the tree roots growing through the temple. This location was featured in the famous Angelia Jolie movie Tomb Raider.
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| Angkor-Wat |
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| Angkor-Thom |
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| Angkor-Wat |
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| Angkor-Thom |
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| Angkor-Wat |
Phnom-Penh
S-21
Our trip continued to Phnom Penh for the next two days. Here, we visited the gruesome regime of Pol Pot. Tuol Svay Pray once a High School was renamed S-21 by the Khmer Rouge and was made into a center for torturing, interrogating and executing. Some 14,000 people were known to have held captive in this center and history teaches us that only seven prisoners survived the agony and torture. S-21 has now been converted in the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.
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| Some of the victims skulls |
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| One of the torture rooms |
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| Prison cell |
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| Graves of the last 14 victims |
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| Photos of dead prisoners |
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| Rules of S21 prison |
The Killing Fields
The Killing Fields was similar nightmare. It's difficult to imagine and mortifying how human dignity could be thrown away in such a manner. More than 3 million of Cambodians were killed especially if they were doctors, engineers, teachers, or politicians.
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| Killing tree - children's head were smashed against |
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| Stupa of 5000 skulls |
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| Mass grave of victims |
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| Rags of victims clothes |
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| Pieces of victims bones |
The Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and The National Musuem
Next, we visited The Royal Palace, which was built over a century ago in 1866. The palace is known to have the most unique and complicated architecture. It is also a popular tourist attraction and is open to public to view.
The Silver Pagoda is located in the royal palace complex and is the official royal temple. There are a lot of national treasures such as gold and jeweled Buddha statues in the Pagoda.
The National Musuem which was built between 1917 and 1924 contains large collections of Khmer arts.
Summary:
Our trip to Cambodia truly marked an experience in each of us. Amazingly there is so much to see in this country which has gone through such tragic history. By travelling to Cambodia and participating in this project, I have been given a much greater appreciation of my country, what I have and how truly lucky I am to be a Malaysian.
Following are some of the team members that participated in the trip.
“……7 days of staying in Cambodia, I have learned more about Cambodia than I have learned about Malaysia in 5 years of history lessons in school. I also have learned more about myself, about tolerance, humility, to be more appreciative of what I have and lastly, to give back to society, even if our efforts may seem minute. Given the opportunity, I would definitely go there again and I would advise any one to do the same. Just remember to keep an open mind and an open heart!”
Elvira, Psychology lecturer experiencing fear factor while trying the local delicacies like silk worm, crickets, beetles, and tarantulas.
“A week of “Familiarization Trip” to Cambodia ……………really opened my eyes. It was an amazing place where I got to know the people, their culture, and the rich and powerful history of Cambodia. Throughout this trip, we saw the reality of poverty in Cambodia. Because of seeing the people in Cambodia (especially children), I believe, most of us now have a new perspective of life”.
Elaine, Mathematics lecturer
“It’s heartbreaking to see so many poor people in this country even in these modern times. The children don’t really have high priority on education probably because there are too few jobs. Can’t imagine how a family can live in a small shack looking house with just one room for cooking and sleeping. I feel incredibly privileged to have a warm bed to sleep, and tasteful meals everyday. Sometimes I just wonder if we will ever be able to solve the basic human problems in this world”.
Amarjeet, Programme Administrator
“Cambodia is a land that is imbued with stupendous architecture. It’s the perfect opportunity for photography, painting or just enjoying the view. The bliss of experience and the feel of benevolence in helping to improve the life of the children in Camp Ben Mealea are amplifies during my stay here. I left Cambodia with great reluctance only to start planning for the next trip”.
Sri, Chemistry lecture
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Faces of trust and hope for a better tomorrow,
Faces of trust and hope for a better tomorrow,
let’s make it work together!
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Amarjeet - CSR Advisor
Cambridge A Levels
Taylor's College Subang Jaya
MALAYSIA
