Chantry's Baptism

On Sunday 22 August we had another baptism here in Cambodia – the third in as many weeks. As the date had already been earmarked for an ecclesial social activity, it was decided that the baptism would take place on Koh Dach Island in the middle of the Mekong River.

Don't worry: we took Care ourselves and we didn't pay any parrks

So a contingent of 40 or so ended up travelling out to the island, either by moto or tuk tuk, negotiating a ferry across the Mekong River in the process. In our tuktuk were Kerren , , Michael and David and I, and we set off on the hour’s ride to get there. It seemed that Dike hadn’t been informed which ferry crossing we should take, as he took us down side roads to what seemed to be just about every landing site on that stretch of the Mekong. Every landing site seemed to be located next door to a wat – perhaps for good luck on the river crossing? Eventually we got to the correct ferry crossing, and met the other tuktuk that had been waiting for us. A 10 minute ride, and we disembark on the opposite bank. We walked up the slope, while the two tuktuks had to be pushed up, as did a very overloaded moto. A kilometre or two down the road there was a checkpoint at which all foreigners had to pay 50c to purchase a “Tichket” (sic) to enter the “Koh Dach Resort”. We continued on and eventually found the place, which was quite full, including all the dormers who had been waiting for us for quite some time.

Once there it didn't take long to get the baptism under way. Brother Vanny and Brother Michael baptised Chantry in the very placid Mekong. Chantry seemed to be wearing an appropriate t-shirt for the occasion (take note of the photos)! We all then sang “This is the day”. We sat down on a slope and had the Memorial meeting amidst the hawkers wandering around trying to sell things, the roosters crowing, other people swimming and someone’s radio playing in the background. Aside from that it was a lovely meeting, and we welcomed in our new Sister Chantry and our new Brother Sokun (who was baptised last Sunday evening). Meanwhile there was thunder began rumbling in the distance and some very dark rainclouds came closer and closer.

No sooner had we finished the meeting and pulled out the afternoon tea, than SPLUSH... down came the rain. And it was heavy too! So here we were sheltering in the little huts that were there, trying in vain to keep dry! This was a fruitless exercise as there was more hole than roof in some places, and even where the roof looked to be intact water still dropped in. Seeing the futility of trying to keep dry most of us gave up and went swimming in the Mekong River.

Pretending to stay dry

Swimming in the rain

Eventually the rain subsided a little so we all decided to leave and head for home. Well that was the idea anyway! Easier said than done. The slope down to the beach was comprised entirely of clay/mud and as it had rained, it now resembled less a road than a slippery slide! So here was the interesting bit... all the motos, tuktuks, and people needed to shifted to the top of the slope! A few brave/foolhardy first attempts showed us how difficult it was going to be. Motos and people where slipping over everywhere. Sarah managed to accomplish a particularly gymnastic somersault into the mud. I gingerly made my way up the hill holding on to the few shelters that there were, and then came to a gap where there was nothing to hold onto, and attempting to keep walking, I began to slip. Then out-of-seemingly-nowhere Brother Vitou came sailing down in the mud and grabbed my hand and managed to pull me and himself up the last part of the slope. I really don't know how he managed it.

Motos hauled by human chain

It was eventually decided that the only way to haul all the motos up would be by forming a human chain! Dan was the anchor-man at the top of the slope, and a chain of hands linked up until the last lad at the bottom got a grip on a moto. Then the whole chain would be hauled up by those at the top who had sufficient flat ground and traction to make some progress, and eventually a moto would appear. Then the chain would move back down for the next moto... Once all were up we commenced our slippery ride home. Most of the motos went on ahead of us. We hadn’t got far before coming across Brothers Vitou and Dan picking themselves and their moto up out of the mud. We then continued on our way with Michael and David walking/running alongside to lighten the load on the tuktuk, and then came across Sisters Dany and Deb who had got themselves stuck at rather an awkward angle, but (this time) not actually fallen off! We helped them out and then kept on going to find Socheat and Brother Kosal in the mud. In their case it was a performance

that was repeated about every 100 metres so we took Kosal in the tuktuk with us. Even so Socheat kept falling off even without Kosal on the back... we found out later that it was because his front tyre was entirely bald!

Mud-skiing by moto

Eventually we got to the ferry crossing and had to wait for the ferry that had just docked on the other side. We waited, dripping wet, in the rain and wind, and all of us began to get really cold. For some reason it never occurred to us that biting cold would be a sensation we would experience at a tropical island resort. After quite some time the ferry came back and we commenced our descent to the boat. Our tuktuk gingerly edged its way down the hill and then needed some help to get on the boat as there was so much mud to contend with. We all walked on and sat there in the wind and rain for about 15 minutes until eventually we got underway. We got safely to the other side and then we watched as the tuktuk was pushed up the hill, before continuing on our way back to BEC. This was a very cold trip, even if the temperature was actually a balmy 28 degrees or so.

We got back to the BEC and looked forward to a hot shower – yes even in Cambodia! But... having just got into the shower... the lights went out, and a second or two later, the shower ran cold! Eventually we found that the switch on the street had been turned off, as all the other houses around us still had their power on!

So that was the day that Chantry was baptised – and we all will remember it for a long while to come.

AFTER : dampened in body but not in spirit

BEFORE