Catching up.

Last weekend we went down to Kampot for a little R&R. Instead we got nonstop tropical storms the entire time. The trip was still great and it was nice to go into the countryside where it’s quiet enough you can hear the water buffalo rustling around out in the marsh, but we didn’t see the sun the entire time we were there. But we made the best of it. The bus brought us into Kampot and dropped us off in the city center around 8pm and from there we had to find a tuk tuk to take us to our villa. The villa was about 4km out of town and for about 2km of the way we traveled down a muddy road which at one point our driver was suggesting we get out and push. Yeah, that didn’t happen. Once we arrived at the villa we found out all the rooms were all booked up, our reservation was never noted, and we would be resorting to Plan B. Oh joy. Apparently the villa is run by a father and his sponger of a son, Frank. So Frank decided to put us up in his father’s weekend boathouse loft which is placed separately from the hotel right smack dab on the river. It turned out to be pretty awesome, aside from climbing the ladder every time we needed to go in and out to then cross a marshy swamp to get to the main villa. Oh yeah, and the fact that the roof was about 2 minutes away from being ripped off during the night time storms that rolled through each night. All in all it was a good time aside from a few set backs. We went out both nights for food and drinks and impressed all of the bar patrons with our amazing billiards skills. It’s a great little town and will definitely go back again.

I’ve heard the hikes in Bokor National Park are absolutely amazing, so that will be my goal for the next trip down to Kampot.

Back in Phnom Penh I’ve been attempting to take more photographs of motos. The amount of stuff Cambodians pile on their motos is truly amazing. I’ve seen people carrying armoires, panes of glass, chickens, pigs, and just about anything else you can think of. Bikes and motos are turned into mobile kitchens, stuffed animal venders, barber shops, and again, just about anything you can think of. It’s all really quite impressive.

This weekend a few of us went back out to Kandal Province to hang out with the students. We brought out poster board and paints for the kids to go wild with and their paintings turned out amazing. The heavy rain last weekend may have put a damper on our holiday trip to Kampot, but the rain this weekend while in Kandal was a highlight. Even though the ground turned to a muddy pool the kids never seized their game of football, in fact I think it made it more entertaining for them, and us for that matter. It was all I could do not to play with them in the rain and mud, but I knew the hour long tuk tuk ride back into the city covered in mud would have been smelly and miserable for the other 4 people I was riding in the tuk tuk with.

Neat-o

Today after work I decided to geek out on fruit. I love the crazy fruit here. It’s beautiful. It’s delicious. And it’s CHEAP!!! The fruit carts are in constant motion around the city and I am in constant motion chasing them down.

Bunch of Bananas = less than $1
Mango= 25 cents
Whole Pineapple= less than $1
Massive Dragon Fruit= 25-50 cents depending where you go.
Rambutan= I have no idea but I am sure they are cheap.

This picture was taken in a dark market and I couldn’t get a shot that wasn’t blurry. Forgive me.

Rambutan

These are pictures of Rambutan, Dragon Fruit, and I am not sure what the sea creature type fruit on the bottom is called. They are all scrumptious. Dragon fruit also comes in purple. It’s red on the outside like the one pictured below, but the inside is an insanely vibrant purple. I ate that one last night without thinking to take a picture of it.

I am still sorting pictures from my last trip but will post them soon. Enough about fruit for now.

I am taking Khmer lessons again. Currently it is just review and I’m amazed how much I know, but I’ve also forgotten a lot. After my Khmer class I head across the street to tutor two Korean guys who are just looking for somebody to practice their English with. Tomorrow morning I will be making cookies with my preschoolers. I’m preparing myself to be completely covered in cookie dough by the end of the morning.

Gotta run. Always on the run. This weekend will be spent relaxing by a pool and enjoying the sunshine. Picture from Tonle Sap River then.

This is not Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood

It’s the weekend and I should be sleeping in on Sat & Sundays, but my body clock won’t allow it. To kill time in the early morning before breakfast I decided to go for a walk and explore some more of the city before the heat of the day really sets in. The mornings here are by far my favorite time of the day. Motos are piled high with produce, chickens, monks, sugar cane and just about anything else you can think of as they move to and from the markets. Deep saffron colored wats illuminate in the hazy morning light and harassing tuk tuk drivers are to a minimum.

I really, really hate the fish market. It smells so bad. But it’s really fun to walk through if you can move fast enough to get through it in one breath. You can buy just about anything, fresh or dried, you name it they’ve got it. I’ve never seen sting rays sold to eat before, but from what I hear ray soup is a traditional Chinese dish and it sold at psar thmai.

I posted up on a bench this morning in hopes of capturing some of the ridiculous things that happen with motos but I wasn’t very successful. Things happen so fast it’s hard to get a good picture. These pictures aren’t amazing, or anything out of the ordinary, but felt like posting them anyway. I have actually never seen this particular road so empty before, again, another reason I love the mornings (crossing the road without fearing for my life).

Improvise

This is a long one, killing time before dinner…

Finally in Cambodia. It hardly seems real. The fourteen hour flight from JFK to Seoul wasn’t as bad as I thought and I slept the whole flight from Seoul to Phnom Penh.

After landing around 10:30pm, we were thrown into a disorganized line to apply for a Visa and then directed towards customs. My bags showed up right away which was incredibly comforting considering the clothes I was already wearing were already getting beaten up from the 24 hour journey. The next part was the scariest part…finding the guy who was supposed to take me to the Languagecorps villa. As soon as I exited the baggage claim area about 50 Khmer were lined up smiling and waving signs at me. My nervous and anxious reaction was laughter. There was nothing else I could do, it was so ridiculous and overwhelming that I couldn’t stop laughing. Luckily Mr Smith (or so he calls himself, definitely not a “Smith”) appeared from the crowd with my name on a piece of paper. We rode in Smith’s tuk tuk to the villa where he pointed me to my room and said, “goodnight, see you tomorrow at noon”. And that was that.

This morning, after sitting in my room deciding whether to starve or venture into the streets I decided to buck up and go outside. Luckily three others were just on their way out to explore to so I tagged along. It was a great morning, fantastic first impression of Cambodia. We meandered for a while attempting to stay out of the way of motos and tuk tuks and decided it was probably time to find a place to eat that looked safe enough. We found a busy little place where a wonderful Khmer woman named Jenny took fabulous care of us and sat to chat with us for a while once the place cleared from the morning rush. Breakfast consisted of noodles, broth and a bottle of coke.

Around noon we took a city tour with the whole group (around twelve of us I believe) and got to see the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. I will post pictures soon and let them speak for themselves.

The first day was great and it’s not even over yet. Classes start Monday morning and real life in Phnom Penh begins. It’s incredibly hot and humid, and keeping the sweat from running down my face is a serious challenge. Not complaining though, after 5 years of bitching about cold Seattle weather I am loving the heat.

h.
Current Book: Brothers Karamazov, The Alchemist
Current Tracks: Improvise- Jurassic 5, This Side of the Blue- Joanna Newsom, Nothing Can Change This Love- Sam Cooke