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| Jax, my last customer before lockdown |
APRIL UPDATE
What's been happening? Well, for the last two weeks three villages in my city (Siem Reap) have been on lockdown...and oh my god it's been amazing!
I haven't done ANYTHING for two weeks, can you imagine?! Just relaxing in the garden, cooking, a lil bit of studying- oh, and feeding my two dogs and two baby bats.
COVID UPDATE
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| defo not bored |
Recap: Some rich people had a big plan to skip quarantine after flying in from China on a private jet, went out clubbing, tried to sneak back into quarantine- got caught. It is now known as the February 20th outbreak.
Since then, we've had almost 10,000 cases and about 60 deaths (I think, go check yourselves it's updating every day) and considering in the whole of 2020 we had 500 and no deaths, shits getting real. 600 cases a day and the virus is in the markets, hospitals and factories. Luckily for us, the vaccine exists and the country is in a much better position than it would've been a month ago.
In the capital, and badly hit areas they have things called "Red Zones" which are strict lockdowns. I am currently in a lockdown zone, but not a "red zone". The whole thing isn't policed very well, they're too busy sitting in the shade playing cards, but it's enough to discourage most from leaving their houses which is better than nothing I guess...
Anyway, so we had about 20 cases (most are healed and no new ones) in Siem Reap so we're approaching the end of our lockdown but we still have a 8pm-5am curfew and an alcohol ban. The province boarders are now open again so I#m guessing it wont be too long before it starts again.
So yeah, been staying at home, exercising, cooking, studying Khmer, doing some "behind the scenes" work for Pet Care Cambodia. I almost don't want to go back to work... if only bills paid themselves...
WAIT- DID YOU SAY YOU HAD BATS?
Yeah, I did. Baby bats- well- baby MEGABATS. My pretty little pteropus'. The cutest little global pandemic starters ever. I have two (Buffy and Bruce)- soon to be six as the others await foster homes.
Basically, they fall out of trees for a number of reasons. Could be dehydration, could be just a mishap. So their Mama might come and pick them up off the floor. But it's a waiting game because they usually don't. Leaving a baby in the sun is just an appointment with death... if the ants don't eat them first. One of the doctors at the vets rescues them where they get fed four/five times a day on (goat) milk and fruit.
One person can only have so many bats, which is where I come in! With not much happening at work I've taken them on. They live in a box in my bathroom, with some twigs and leaves and a lil branch to hang upsidedown.
BUT BECCA- DONT THEY FLY AROUND YOUR HOUSE?
Nope. They can't fly yet. But they love having their heads stroked with toothbrushes.
In about two months they'll join a group enclosure where they will socialise, then all released to the wild.
They're so easy, you just feed em, wrap em up like lil burritos or they hang out. EASY! Look at their cute lil faces.
TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE DOGGOS
So my house is becoming a lil bit of a rescue at the moment. I haven't got any paying customers but I still have space and resources and time so I#m helping out one of the local charities.
This lil pup is called Acnah. An expat used to look after him, until one day he disappeared. A month later he came back- quite frankly- looking like shit. He was covered in mange, open wounds, hardly able to walk and a few hours from death.
She rushed him to the vets where he still couldn't walk for days and they would have to flip him to lay on the other side of his body every few hours. He was traumatised and so scared of people, SCREAMING every time he was touched.
The vets closed for the Khmer New Year holiday and he needed a place to recover so now he's with me. Hitting two weeks now! He's come on leaps and bounds with his recovery. He's able to eat and drink by himself now, get up and down, walk around. Almost completely independent. He has such a long way to go, but he absolutely adores me- like I do with him. He lets me cut his nails, give him a bath, clean his ears, check his teeth, put his cute lil T shirt on him (to stop him licking his wound he still has).
The lady who found him may be taking him back soon when she makes in into town, and I'll be devastated to see him go. Unfortaunyly my job here relies on me not having pets of my own. But Acnah will always be welcome at my house!
BUT BECCA- YOU SAID DOGS (PLURAL?!)
Yes, I also have baby girl Jedda. She was rescued from the Pagoda. She is the most sweetest and gentle dogs I've ever met in Cambodia. Anyone who meets her will instantly be in love!
Jen from Paw Patrol (an animal outreach project who feed the stray, pagoda and locally owned animals in Siem Reap) got a call that Jedda had killed a neighbours cat and the owner of the cat threw a piece of wood at her and now she's limping.
Her hip was broken.
That wasn't caused by someone throwing a piece of wood at her, it was a strike.
When the neighbours were asked who's cat it was, the cat ever existed. It turns out the owner did it to her. I saw photos and have now heard horrible stories of things he's done to his animals. I wont post here because you don't need to hear it. Needless to say- Jedda and her brother will not be returning to that home and have now found themselves forever homes with the landlady. They adore the dogs and have always fed them.
Despite all this Jedda is the loveliest girl and is pushing Acnah out of his comfort zone...I think Acnah might even like her!
She's with me another day or two (maybe a couple more), which I am loving.
We're due to be out of lockdown in the next couple days (it ends on the 28th, but we entered on a Friday, so surely it ends on Friday? Or is the 28th everything open, or is 29th everything open? but 2 weeks from Friday is Friday, or Saturday to open? WHO KNOWS. The Kindom where everything is as clear as mud).
That's about it. The rains have started, which I am LOVING. It does make me miss the island life where I would be in my little beach hut in a hammock watching the storms cross the ocean, but hey- I can't complain now I have a roof over my head. The roadworks are still ongoing and making the city a mess but at least it's not so dusty anymore.
Oh yeah, Jared is doing good, we've been using up some of our vouchers from raffles we've won with staycations and free dinners. He fell in love with the bats about 10 minutes after being like "I think they're creepy". It was his birthday the other day so I got him a couple of shirts (hoping they wouldn't fit so I could have them...you know me I love the Hawaiian beach theme!) but alas, he loves them and they fit. CURSES! 
I'm still alcohol-free, hitting about 2 months now. Don't feel much different than before, but nice saving money by not drinking (or am I...beer is 50c and a soda is $1-1.50 hmmm....)
Anyway, glad to see the UK is finally easing up and everyone is getting their vaccine. Stay safe y'all!
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| puppies I met when I helped at the vets |
