Boat race training

Work has been a little busy this past week. Thursday I left the office at 23:00. I made a promise to myself that I would not do work work this weekend.

Saturday morning I went with a group of VSO volunteers to photograph their practice for the boat race during the water festival in November. VSO took two pickups full of volunteers to the training location. They were practicing with a village that has one of the long boats. When we arrived one of the volunteers remarked how dusty I was. In Cambodia during the rainy season roads are either sticky mud or dry and dusty. Today was dry and dusty.

The whole village got into the act. The children watched as the volunteers were trained in the proper technique of paddling (done on dry ground.)

About lunch time the complete village gatherer around the boat (about 15 meters long) and tipped it upright, then moved it out of its house and into the water.

I watched as the villagers handed paddles and bailing pans to the kids in the boat. I asked one of the volunteers if they would be bailing and she seemed quite surprised that the boat leaked.

As the boat was parked five children took a small boat out and showed off their speed and maneuvering.

The volunteers loaded and off they went. I did not stay; I needed to get back to town to run several errands. 

 I hope they made it back.