Cambodian trip a real treat, but not tempted by roasted crickets

BOOTLE WI: For their September and October meetings Bootle WI travelled to Romania, Cambodia and Vietnam – vastly different places but all most interesting.

In September, member Sally Titmus and her husband, Mike, showed slides and talked about their many visits to Romania, with a charity based in Essex.

Since 1999 they have taken clothing, wheelchairs, shoes, artificial limbs, tools and a hand loom. Buildings are in a poor state of repair and the roads are full of potholes. The government is unable to improve things.

Schools are very good and the children are very keen to learn, attending on either morning or afternoon shifts. Pupils have to provide their own paper, pens and text books.

In hospitals, children are provided with food but adults have to be fed by their families.

There is no medical community care – perhaps a doctor will visit a village once a week.

The small church congregation has outgrown its premises, and they are now building a new larger church.

The old building has been converted into a DIY centre for handicapped children. Mike showed us some very moving pictures of the families they visited. Barbara Shaw thanked Sally and Mike for their talk and the slides, which have shown horrific conditions.

There were eight entries for “The Best Ankle” competition and the winners were Debbie Singleton, Winifred Craghill and Jean Phillips. Supper was served by the hostesses, Mesdames Bewley, Dunn and Irving.

The minutes of the August meeting were read and signed and the county letter was discussed.

Several members agreed to sing part of hymn at the Harvest Festival Service and names were taken of those wishing to attend Seascale WI party and the home economics meeting at Seascale Church Hall.

In October we journeyed to the Far East and spent a fascinating evening with Judy and John Hall on holiday in Vietnam and Cambodia, travelling most of the time on the Mekong River.

Angkor Wat was the capital of the Khmer Empire from the ninth century until it was abandoned in 1432.

The ruins of this wonderful city, which attracts more than one million visitors each year, is being restored by the French.

It was interesting to see beautiful stone carvings of Shiva, a Hindu God and the Buddha together. By contrast, Judy and John spent time in a village on the water. Houses are built on stilts and some houses have to be moved uphill in the rainy seasons.

They visited a school were young people learn to do intricate carving, then return to their village to teach others, enabling them to earn a living.

They decided not to try the roasted crickets which were being sold at a roadside stall.

In Phnom Penh, the capital, a very busy city, they visited an orphanage which is sponsored by the boat company they were travelling with. Next stop, Vietnam where everyone seemed very industrious, working in and around the paddy fields.

One large boat on the river was carrying rice husks which is used for fuel – nothing wasted!

On the way to Saigon they visited a beautiful temple and in the city went to the opera house and city hall, both built in the French design.

In the square there were people doing Tai Chi exercises.

We noted that the houses were all very narrow, and some were several storeys high. There is a planning rule that houses can only be four metres wide, but as high as you like.

Debbie Singleton thanked Judy and John for once again sharing their most interesting travels.The competition for a picture of a sunrise was won by Irene Irving, Winifred Craghill and Connie Temple.

The minutes of the September meeting were read, agreed and signed and the county letter was discussed.

Notice was given of the Gosforth Show 2008 WI Exhibit – “A leisurely lunch” and the Esk Group Carol Service to be held in Gosforth Church on Sunday, December 2.

A letter had been received from Jamie Reed, Copeland MP, in reply to our letter of concern about the future of community hospitals. Mr Reed said in the letter: “The future of community hospitals are not only secure and will be subject to exciting plans to develop and expand local services”.

The meeting ended with supper served by the hostesses, Mesdames Dunn, Harrison and Titherington.