Travelling to Cambodia and Work Begins

Yesterday Jamie and I awoke early and travelled by bicycle taxi to our waiting ferry which took us from the Vietnam port city of Chau Doc to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Though the distance from Chau Doc to our base in Cambodia was is not very far, the ferry trip was nonetheless 5 hours. Crossing the border by boat involves checking out of one country and into the other.

 

Speedboat to Vietnam

 We arrived in time for our team meeting and dinner but found ourselves exhausted to venture out into town.  We were ready for sleep as soon as the meal was finished. With little to report, I skipped a night of blogging. Apologies to anyone looking for an update yesterday.

Waking this morning at 5 am, we decided that our decision to go to sleep early was a good one. Today we travelled an hour outside the city to a village that we refer to as Chevanne's village. Chevanne works at the hotel that serves as our home base in Phnom Penh, Eureka Villas. He was very proud to bring us to his village, both for us to see his townspeople and also to be providing dental care to his people.

Michelle providing fluoride treatment

The small children in this town have teeth that are severely decayed. We have to be wise in choosing which teeths to remove. Excessive extractions will lead to very poor eruption of the adult teeth. And though many of the baby teeth have cavities, they are saving space for the permanent teeth. And most importantly, we must travel each day to another village making proper follow up very difficult. It is sad to have to practice this way but it is the reality of back country dentistry.

By the days end we had treated upwards of 200 children. Most of the younger ones requiring multiple extractions.

The talk today regarding the future of Cambodia revolved around a proposed dam which, if built, will severely hinder the Cambodians ability to produce enough food for its population. The dam which would lie in Laos will prevent the flooding which occurs yearly bringing nutrients from upriver into the Cambodian soil adjacent to the Mekong River. Though the prevention of flooding sounds good, the floods actually keep this soil fertile. As has been the case so many times before, in the worst case scenario, the rich will move away and the poor will starve. There is also great concern that the support from China will cease when Cambodia looses its ability to feed the Chinese.

Cambodia is a special place.  There is beauty in the scenery and the people which belies their difficult existence.