2012, Day 333 - Light at the end

Tonight I share an image from our tomb raiding at Beng Mealea.  At seventy seven kilometers from Siem Reap it may be one of the temples furthest from the heart of the Angkor complex but it is now well visited.  It is only second in size to Angkor Wat and combines Hindu and Buddhist iconography in the carvings.  The construction of this temple is a bit different from many of the others, the overbuilding that was so common is lacking here as was observed by Araceli, an engineer and one of my traveling companions.  The result is that the jungle's attack of this structure has been more devastating than at the other jungle temples.

Below you can see one of the few intact hallways.  We had to slither down through rubble and squeeze past an obstructed but intact doorway to get to this section.  A tree's roots have broken through at the corner of the hall but it hasn't yet demolished the structure.  In time it would no doubt reduce this area to match the rest of the grounds but with careful tending it will be allowed to thrive in harmony with what is left of the temple.

If you were able to look through the window on the left you would find a small courtyard.  Inside there are a couple of trees and surrounding those trees are large sandstone blocks that have been ripped from adjacent rooms and hallways.  A thin carpet of lush green moss covers the stones and small flowering plants have taken root in the meager accumulated soil.

Canon 1D X, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f5.6, HDR layers of 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, and 4 sec @ 400 ISO

2012, Day 332 - Adieu Cambodia

Today was, sadly, our last day in Cambodia.  We arrived over three weeks ago and managed to make our way though a good part of the country.  The people have been amazing, kind and generous despite their turbulent past.  I am in awe of this country and while there are some issues remaining in the arena of human rights to be address they have made so much progress in a relatively short amount of time.

But more about today.  We awoke with no real plan and the only thing that I had on my list that we had not managed to check off was the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.  Tuol Sleng was a high school but under the Khmer Rouge it was turned into a prison.  Barbed wire was strung along the walkways to keep the inmates from committing suicide and classrooms became cells housing dozens of people at a time.  Almost twenty thousand people were imprisoned at Tuol Sleng where they were tortured into making absurd confessions after which they were sent to Choeung Ek, the "killing fields," for extermination.

In the beginning Tuol Sleng was used to house those defeated by the Khmer Rouge during the civil war but soon they were arresting academics, teachers, students, doctors, monks, and intellectuals of all kinds.  Anyone capable of free thinking was a threat and had to be eliminated.  I suppose it is only fitting that they used a school to eradicate the educated from around the country.  Eventually the paranoia of the Khmer Rouge leadership reached new heights and they began to imprison, interrogate, and execute their own members.

Of course the confessions elicited were almost always fabrications but that didn't matter to the leaders of the Khmer Rouge, it suited their purposes and fueled their paranoia so they felt they were justified.  In the meantime the forced people out of the cities and into an agricultural existence. Many of them died in the fields and laboring on public works projects.  Despite this movement of the population from the cities to the county and the new focus of agriculture many Cambodians were starving and in the end the Khmer Rouge's legacy was the death of millions of Cambodians.

Only seven people are believed to have survived Tuol Sleng.  They were spared because they were believed to possess skills deemed valuable.  It was here that the phrase, the "banality of evil" as employed by Hannah Arendt when talking about the actions of the Holocaust, came to mind.  I was amazed that the irony of using a school as a prison didn't occur to the leaders of the Khmer Rouge.  Surprised that the Pol Pot, an educated man, learned nothing from the Nazis and instead employed the same kind of perverse and detailed record-keeping in what were essentially death camps separated only by time and geography.  It was systematic, almost like an assembly line of death.  Nothing was learned from the prisoners and, ultimately, the Khmer Rouge accomplished none of their goals.  Their grand ideas were so flawed that the only succeeded in killing the people best qualified to help them realized their vision for Cambodia.  It was sad, such a glaring waste of human life, energy, and potential.  Still, it reinforced my admiration for the Cambodian people, they have come so far and have managed to keep such beautiful souls despite their appalling history.

When we finished touring Tuol Sleng we returned to the apartment.  Francene ate some leftovers and labored over some work related issues.  Araceli, and I to a lesser extent, made some dressing for a green mango salad and for our own leftovers.  When we had eaten we decided to have a massage in preparation for our marathon travel days to come.  It was a Khmer massage which while invigorating was not especially good for working out the aches and pains accumulated in almost a month of travel.

When we finished our pampering Araceli and I sprang into action.  Francene had a call from Tim informing us he would be leaving work soon and we hoped to get most of our packing done before he got home.  Unfortunately we are such disasters that it didn't happen, we were only about half packed when Tim walked through the door and I think he was a little bummed to see us getting ready to leave.  We've all had a great time and really enjoyed each other's company.  It was still a while before we finished packing and by then we had worked up a real appetite.

Knowing we wouldn't be getting any decent food for a couple days I chose the type and Tim chose the restaurant.  Both Khmer and Indian food has been consistently good but I was ready for more of the latter before our trip, I didn't want any more fish for the time being.  Tim chose Shiva Shakti, a really great Indian eatery not far from the apartment.  I think my favorite part of the meal was the appetizer; chopped and spiced cashews sandwiched between paneer and fried.  It was amazing and the dipping sauces made it even better.

As dinner drew to a close I think we were all getting a little melancholy.  It is just hard to accept that such a great trip with wonderful people has to end.  The first blow came when Brian and Nicole went home and now the rest of the team is about to split up.  Oh well, real life beckons.  So we returned to the apartment to shower and to finalize all our packing.  Tim sneaked out to try to find the crackers we like so well but had no luck.  It would have been nice if he found them but the effort alone was so incredibly sweet.

Soon our drive arrived and we were packing our stuff into the back of the car.  With a final check of our preparations from Papa Tim and a hug from our third musketeer, Ms. Francene, we set out for the airport.  I type this now sitting at the terminal waiting for boarding to begin.  I am sure there will be a minor disruption to the regularity of my posting in the next couple of days but I should be able to get caught up quickly.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f2.8, 1/500 sec @ 100 ISO

2012, Day 331 - Rendezvous

Today was a slightly unusual day.  We started the day with a walk to the Boeng Keng Kang Market to look for an extra bag for all of our Cambodian treasures.  Although it was still early the day was quickly getting warm so we rushed straight without any hesitation.  We hadn't had a lot of time to explore the market and didn't really know what is sold there other than food.  I found clothes, shoes, bedding, and fashion accessories in addition to all the normal food items.  Araceli and Francene were feeling adventurous and wanted to try a Khmer breakfast.  I know that it isn't vegetarian safe so I kept wandering through the stalls and bought some mangosteens and jack fruit.  When I checked back in they were picking at their breakfast but I don't think it was what they envisioned.  Instead of a well seasoned bowl of rice porridge they got plain rice porridge with an assortment of unidentifiable things to be added.  Unfortunately, because they didn't know what was what in the unlabeled containers, they picked politely and we left.

Once we got out of the market we found people selling bags so I went from stall to stall looking for something relatively well made but kept coming up empty handed.  When I found something decent the price was absurd and often the bag was ugly.  Well, I did gravitate toward ugly bags because they would be easily identifiable.  At this point we were hungry and the prospect for success on the bag hunt were bleak so we decided it was time to wander aimlessly until we found somewhere to eat.

In the end we stumbled into a local breakfast place.  There were no foreigners there but lots of Cambodians, mostly men, enjoying their breakfast.  I knew I would be eating some kind of meat, it was inevitable, and because the menus weren't in English and the staff spoke little English as well we ordered by pointing.  They served us a chicken soup with vermicelli noodles; the obvious chunks of chicken I split between Araceli and Francene but I ate the broth anyway.  It was pretty good, especially with some hot chili paste added, then it had a nice bite.

With the heat beating us down we walked back towards the apartment.  On the way we stopped at the same curio shop that we went to yesterday.  Something caught my eye and I don't like to travel with regrets. In the end all of us did some shopping and we left with our bank balances significantly lightened.  Success!

Finally we went back to the apartment to relax and clean up a little bit for lunch.  We had a date with Tim and the Director of Budget for the Kingdom of Cambodia.  He wanted to talk about real estate and since Francene is a lender and and I am a real estate broker.  So we met at an unusual but tasty German restaurant in the government district and had a really nice conversation about how real estate transaction work in the United State, or rather, in the State of Oregon.  I think he found it informative and I found his interests intriguing insofar as what it would take to professionalize the real estate system in the country.  It sounds like there are going to be some interesting business opportunities in Cambodia as it works to join its neighbor on the international markets.

With lunch over we resumed the search for a decent checked bag.  Our new playground was the Central Market.  There we found a few people selling decent looking bags, not the sort of thing that I would be tempted to use much in the future but sturdy enough to get home without falling apart at the seams.  Plus we got a good price on it so that made me happy.  Araceli then decided to resume her weeks long search for baby clothes.  There was some and I think she finally found what she was looking for, baby Taco is going to have some styling new threads!

Flush with success we returned to the apartment to prepare a surprise.  On the flight out I told my travel companions how I had a long, non-work related, conversation with a support agent who works for my mobile carrier.  We got to talking about the holidays and I told her about my favorite cookies.  She was intrigued and asked for the recipe so I pointed her to the website where my sister originally found it.  As I told the story on the plane another passenger asked for the recipe so I gave her the web address as well.  With so much interest we decided to make Tim (and ourselves) salted oatmeal cookies.  We gathered all the ingredients and made only a small mess in the kitchen but by the time Tim got home from work the apartment smelled like cookies!

That meant we needed to leave almost immediately if we weren't going to ruin our appetites by gorging on cookies.  A quick meeting and we opted to go to a Thai place nearby.  The food was delivered quickly and it was tasty.  Unfortunately we got chewed on by mosquitoes so when the meal was done we beat a hasty retreat.  When we arrived back at the apartment we ate cookies and are now ready for bed under the heavenly effect of a cookie-induced sugar coma.

Canon 1D X, Canon 50/f1.2L
50mm, f2, 1/125 sec @ 250 ISO

2012, Day 330 - Deco Phnom Penh

Today we we decided to try something different so Francene booked us on a tour of architecturally significant homes of the 1960s in Phnom Penh.  We met at the old post office near the waterfront at eight thirty and set out in a van.  It was an eclectic group of people from Australia, France, and the United States as well as some Khmer students of architecture.  From what our guide told us it sounds like there is only one notable modern Cambodian architect, Vann Molyvann.  Recently there has been a push to preserve his works although there is very little in the way of resources, especially those financial in nature, to accomplish such a task.  Instead many of Vann Molyvann's works are used as residences by people who do not understand his importance and as such have fallen into disrepair.

The first stop on our tour was at the "One hundred houses" project; a project undertaken by Vann Molyvann for the National Bank of Cambodia in the mid-60s to provide low cost housing to their employees.  This is a series of traditionally styled Khmer homes built with more modern materials intended to increase efficiency and durability while lowering the costs.  A traditional Khmer home is has one large living room, a small bedroom, and a kitchen that is built of stilts and is only a single finished level.  These homes enjoyed the addition of an attached bathroom and had a concrete structure with louvered shutters as opposed to a wooden structure with solid shutters.  These modifications allowed for increased air circulation while requiring less maintenance.  In the 70s house 54 was used as the Khmer Rouge headquarters and since by the Vietnamese army and later by the Cambodian Air Force.  Today many of the homes are either derelict or so drastically changed as to be unrecognizable and construction throughout the neighborhood seems to be on the rise.  What's more, development in neighboring areas has required a great deal of fill to turn swamps or lakes into buildable lots and the result is that many of the lots of the homes that still exist as built are permanently flooded.

Our next stop was at the former residence of Dr. Rath Kut.  Now a small medical facility it was built and scaled for film production but it seems that the doctor's dreams and reality didn't quite intersect.  It is an incredibly modern three story home with rooftop terrace designed by Vann Molyvann but the construction took place without his supervision.  Multiple wings branch off each level, on the main for the kitchen, on the second for the bedroom, and the third looks like it may have been for offices or staff quarters.  Grand cantilevers stairs take you gracefully to the top and the orientation of the windows, doors, and balconies allow for a really nice cross breeze.  Like the "one hundred houses" project the house has fallen into disrepair since being converted to a clinic.  Signs of moisture cover the ceilings on the upper floors, the paint is peeling, and the tile is faded by dirt that has been ground into it over the past forty years.  Even the grounds are now overgrown so while you might be able to imagine the former grandeur it is not at all apparent at first blush.

Finally we visited a house of unknown provenance.  It is a modern deco revival built in the late 60s or early 70s.  Unlike the previous two sites it is still almost completely original and while the owner doesn't live in the house it is rented to someone who obviously has great affection for the house and the era.  Entry to the house is through the formal living and dining room which flows nicely into the family room and informal dining area.  Two staircases lead to the second floor which is bedrooms and bathroom and the spiral staircase continues upward onto the rooftop terrace.  Beautiful tile is used throughout and there are massive windows on almost every wall.  Covered balconies and porches are available on the front and sides of the house while absent in the back due to proximity to the neighbors.  Almost every window has a decorative ironwork screen that continues the nouveau deco theme and the yard is heavily planted with fruit trees and infilled with ornamental plants.  The whole house is both beautiful and comfortable, it is just a shame that the architect was not more prolific as the design and execute is wonderful and even forty years on it still would meet the needs of any family.

Thus our tour ended and we learned a lot about the arts and architecture of the sixties and, looking around today, can see the enormously detrimental effect of the Khmer Rouge.  Their prosecution of artists and intellectuals has lead to a sort of design stagnation in Cambodia that is still evident today.  Fortunately there seems to be great interest in developing a new Cambodian aesthetic but I suspect that it will be some time in coming and in fifty years this will be considered the dark days of the arts in this country.

We were returned to the old post office and called Tim to see if he wanted to join us for lunch.  Plans weren't made then, we met with him back at the apartment and from there walked to a tasty Indian restaurant a few blocks away.  After lunch Tim suggested we go furniture shopping.  Well, as much as I would like to buy furniture at bargain prices in Cambodia the idea of having something shipped back just seems like too much work and expense.  Nevertheless I am always game so we stopped by one place that had really nice contemporary furniture made from sustainable tropical hardwoods.  Tim and Francene zeroed in on a nice long low entertainment cabinet that would make a nice replacement for the generic embassy-provided furniture in Tim's apartment.  But Tim is a cautious person by nature so he wanted to measure the cabinet before making a commitment; I might have taken the leap anyway, the price was great!

After the first furniture store we stopped by a gallery that happens to be right behind the apartment.  It is a three story house crammed with traditional Khmer arts from ceramic to textiles.  The prices here can be a little steep compared to what you might find that the markets but the quality is, for the most part, higher and their selection is really amazing.  In Cambodia it is illegal to take antiques out of the country unless it comes with paperwork showing a proper chain of custody.  The reality is that little leaves the country anymore but there are many skilled craftsmen who now have an incentive to hone their skills.  Apparently many experts have difficulty telling the difference between vintage pieces and modern reproductions, a scientific approach is almost always required.

Our last stop was at another furniture store where they sell either antique Indonesian furniture or contemporary furniture made from reclaimed tropical hardwoods from Indonesia.  It was an interesting place, the pieces I gravitated towards, for the most part, were new from salvaged woods.  Some of the carvings from around doorways were incredible but again, not practical.  I don't think Tim found anything worth measuring there but it was fun to explore.

Our window shopping done we returned to the refrigerator that is the apartment.  Tonight I had arranged to meet Yi for dinner.  I wanted him to know how much I appreciated his playing the part of our guide for a day when the Brian and Nicole were still around during the first part of the trip.  Plus I thought it wouldn't hurt for Tim to meet him as well because Yi seems like a great guy, he just graduated from college, and Tim is a well-connected person.  If nothing comes of it then it's no big deal but I thought Tim would like Yi and vice versa. It seems like they got along well although I will freely admit that I probably was a bit distracted by my food.

After saying goodbye to Yi when the table was picked clean we started walking back to the apartment.  Not unlike last night, we walked about a block and it started to rain.  Within two more blocks it was getting heavier and by the time we reached the apartment we were all a little wet.  So we tried off in the cool sanctuary and shortly thereafter we finished off our ice cream cake and I sat down to work on this blog.  Tomorrow we have lunch with the Cambodian Director of Finance so I better get my beauty sleep.

Canon 1D X, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f4, merged layers of 1/1250, 1/640, 1/320, and 1/160 sec @ 100 ISO

2012, Day 329 - Temptation

A few days ago, while sitting in a restaurant in Kep, we decided that when returned to Phnom Penh that we would take a second cooking class.  The first one was great, the instructor was excellent, and the food was incredible so, while waiting for our lunch, I called to see if we could attend the class today.  Francene missed the first one so it was definitely going to be the three of us and we thought maybe we could convince Tim to come with us.  While we were able to book the class Tim ended up with some last minute unexpected work obligations and felt that there wouldn't be enough time in the weekend to do everything and relax.  Sometimes I forget that we're not all here on vacation.

So when we finally got ourselves together the group of us stumbled out of the apartment and jumped in the tuk tuk with Sok at the helm.  First we dropped off Tim at work and then we were off to cooking class.  Our meeting point was the same as before, across the street from Phsar Som Nang Dap Pi.  That corner that we struggled to find before was blindingly obvious when you're looking for it and we found Linna waiting with a big smile.  The class took place much as before; we started with a tour of the market and plenty of tasting of local snacks, returned to the kitchen where Linna reviewed the recipes for the day, and instead of demonstrating and because there were only three of us, we jumped right into cooking under her supervision. I suspect that Francene got a little more attention from Linna than she wanted but because Linna recognize Araceli and me from a previous class she concentrated her efforts on the newcomer.  Plus she didn't have Brian to help along this time so she needed someone upon which to lavish her attention :)

Just like before we ended up with way too much food but unlike our previous class we brought storage containers to take our leftovers home.  So we plated our meals and put the rest into our not-so-little boxes and packed them away.  It was quite pleasant eating and chatting on the rooftop terrace of the cooking school.  There was a light breeze and Linna brought us cool scented towels to refresh ourselves with before eating.  When we finished eating we discovered that without the demonstration prior to instruction we were finished earlier than we thought so we called Sok for a pickup and when he arrived headed back to the apartment.

The next phase of our plan for the day was to do a little more shopping at the Russian Market, known locally as Psah Toul Tom Poung.  We all knew from experience how hot it can get inside with all the narrow walkways and low ceilings under the blazing sun so we all made our lists of what we were looking for before we arrived.  It was to be something of a planned market blitz, in and out quickly and efficiently, or as efficiently as one can be when you have to haggle.  First we did a little shopping in the stores that surrounded the market to give us time to acclimate to the heat and when we finished it was time to enter the belly of the beast.

The Russian Market has everything and I really mean that, everything!  Need a motorcycle tire?  No problem.  Paint or grout?  Got that too.  Farm fresh produce?  Easy.  A new outfit?  You can choose between casual or formal.  Hell, you can even get your hair and nails done while you wait for someone to alter the clothes you just bought.  When we entered we all agreed that we would meet outside in half an hour.  Araceli and I had a plan and when Tim and Francene got ahead of us we ducked down another row and were were off.  Our mission was to find a gift for Tim to thank him for his generosity.  In Siem Reap at one of the wood carving places we found a great crab that we wanted but the shop owner wouldn't bargain at all.  Not one little bit.  So we left it and now hoped to find it again in Phnom Penh.

Araceli and I made our way through the maze of shops.  We knew from previous experience where we could find the wood carvings and soon found a shop packed to the rafter, literally.  If you show any interest an overly attentive person will start asking you if you are looking for something in particular.  We were and inquired after large crabs.  Our luck was in, she had one in the shop was it was a bit old and abused but she assured us she had another at home that was in good condition and if we could agree on a price her sister would bring it over.  It was what we wanted so we started to haggle.  Araceli and I had agreed to a price previously so we already knew what we were willing to pay.  It took a few minutes and some stubborn determination, but in the end our goal price was met and her sister was on her way.

The two of us were prepared to renew our haggling if it wasn't as promised but in the end it proved unnecessary.  We had our crab!  Afterwards Araceli and I split up as well to do a little separate shopping as time was ticking away quickly.  I bought a few more odds and ends and as I was finishing up Araceli found me so we left together to find Tim and Francene.  As luck would have it they sent us a text message and we found them enjoying a cool drink on the shaded patio of a nearby restaurant.  It was there we planned the next phase of our market adventure.

Tim told us that the Boeung Keng Kang Market, right by the apartment, has a good reputation but he admitted that in his three years in Phnom Penh he has never been, only heard about it from his colleagues.  One of them used to shop for Cambodian made clothes from well-known designers that were not export quality at this market.  We weren't really looking for clothes though, we forgot to buy fresh fruit at the Russian Market and that was what we were really after.  So we wandered through and found a lively group of shops, wide walkways, nice produce, and good light.  I think a return trip is in order but we bought our mangosteens and walked the short distance back to Tim's apartment triumphant.

For dinner we decided to eat at a new restaurant a couple blocks from the apartment called Deco.  Not surprisingly it is in a converted Art Deco home and decorated in a new Art Deco style.  It was very nice and I was a bit worried that I didn't have anything appropriate to wear but fortunately there were other people already seated that were just as much a mess as I was and am.  Dinner was delicious; snapper fillet, grilled eggplant, mashed potatoes, spinach, and couscous salads.  It wasn't cheap for Cambodia but it was a bargain compared to what we would have paid in the United States.  None of us went hungry and we walked slowly back to the apartment afterwards.  We probably should have walked a little more to aid our digestion but I think our day of running around had taken its toll so we retreated to the air-conditioned haven that is Tim's apartment.

I suppose I should take a shower and head to bed but I am fighting the impending food coma to write about the day.  Now that it is done I suppose it is safe to submit :)

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
70mm, f4, 1/160 sec @ 8000 ISO

2012, Day 328 - Divine fortune

This morning we got up, skipped breakfast, and went with Tim into work.  After we dropped him off in what can only be described as the diplomatic district we went on to visit Wat Phnom.  Even though we've seen a lot of temples already this is an icon of Phnom Penh and it seemed worth a visit.  When we arrived I was surprised to see how small it is, I expect something a little more grand but from the outside it looked no more impressive than many of the temples we had already visited.  However the grandeur of this temple is found within.  Beautiful paintings cover the walls, gold leaf abounds, and the statute of the Buddha at the far end is massive.  It was nice that we arrived early enough that there were almost no tourists, just locals coming to pray.

We took the long way down from the temple's hilltop location and walked a circuit around the grounds.  On one side we found the bat tree which is, as the name suggests, home to colony of bats.  Further on we found a large naga made of rattan woven around a welded metal frame.  Araceli felt compelled to investigate it more closely, I suspect it is the engineer in her whose curiosity cannot be suppressed; so she poked and prodded while we took pictures.

Having skipped breakfast we found Sok and asked for a recommendation.  Unfortunately his first choice of dining establishment was closed so we decided to redirect him to a place we passed earlier.  It was one of those places along the waterfront that had a number of people seated so we took that as a good night.  As it turned out they had a pretty decent breakfast buffet for $2.75 so we ate our fill and the coffee drinkers quickly became sufficiently caffeinated.

Our rumbling stomachs left at the river we then moved on to the Royal Palace.  Sadly none of the palace could be viewed given the recent death of the king father so we were limited to the Silver Pagoda.  It is so named for the large solid silver tiles that covered the floor.  Each, we were told, weighs one kilogram and there are thousands in this temple.  Also housed within are icons of the Buddha wrought in precious metals and studded with gems.  There is one gold statue that weighs ninety kilograms and has almost one hundred carats of diamonds in three massive stones.  The temple is still used on holy days by the royal family and is of course closed to the public on such occasions.

The rest of the grounds were pretty with large animal-shaped topiary littering the courtyards and large pots filled with water lilies in bloom surrounding the many stupas.  The whole courtyard is surrounded by a massive walled gallery that is currently undergoing renovations to restore the painted murals to the original condition.  We also saw displays on the king's elephant stables and while the royal family no longer keeps elephants they have converted the building to a museum with all of the equipment and information about the capture and keeping of those magnificent animals.  After all their informational displays we wandered back onto the temple grounds but it wasn't long before they were shooing us out so that they could close for their extended lunch.  Oh well, we had seen pretty much everything we could so it wasn't a big loss.

I am sure we could have managed without the help if we had really tried but it was getting warm so we called Sok to pick us up and deliver us to the National Museum.  It is a beautiful building, based on traditional temple architecture but greatly enlarged, that opened in 1920 as Musee Albert Sarraut after the Governor-General of Indochina.  The museum features primarily stone sculptures and is divided into three parts; pre-Angkorian, Angkorian, and post-Angkorian.  Many of the pieces are the best examples of sculpture and art taken from the most significant temples throughout Cambodia.  We had a very sweet guide who answered many burning questions we had accumulated over our travels; the things we forgot to ask Mr. Mony when we had the chance.  It was fascinating to see the melding of Hindu and Buddhist themes in the statues and the evolution of art in Cambodia from over the last millennium.

After we finished at the National Museum Francene took us by the Royal University of Fine Art.  The students have something of a sculpture garden that includes traditional and contemporary sculptures in metal and ceramics.  It was interesting to see where art may be headed in Cambodia and the campus seemed pretty lively which I can only assume is a good thing.  It was getting hot so we decided to find Sok again and swing by the grocery store before going back to the apartment.

Pencil Supermarket was an interesting experience.  It is almost like a western supermarket but there are some odd difference.  First, if you want any fresh produce you have to take it to an attendant so they can price it out for the cashier.  Second, nothing is organized in any kind of logical order.  Toothpaste is in the same aisle as laundry detergent and cleaning supplies share an aisle with other personal care items.  Third, they had high end cosmetic counters each staffed by bored looking women with old faded boxes of products that have probably been sitting in the locked cases for years given the absurd prices.  But we bought snack foods, a case of water, and some other odds and ends to fill Tim's pantry.

The afternoon was one of relaxation in Tim's apartment where we could laze around and play on the internet.  I can't say that much of anything was accomplished but it seemed like in no time we were getting ready for dinner.  Tim suggested Fish, one of his favorite dinner places.  Francene and I shares a mixed Asian seafood platter and fish and chips because neither of us could resist such temptation.  Fortunately we were in good company because Tim and Araceli also ordered the fish and chips.  It was a large piece of flaky pacific dory covered in a nice batter served on a plate of spiced french fries.  The mixed Asian seafood platter included some nice seared tuna, a couple other types of fish that I didn't recognize but still enjoyed, calamari, and shrimp.  I still am not fond of water bugs despite enjoying the Kampot crab of a couple days ago so I left the shrimp for Fracene but everything else was really tasty.

When dinner was over I asked if we might go to the night market on the waterfront which was only half a block away.  Everyone graciously indulged me and we walked over but as soon as we stepped off the sidewalk it started to rain.  Well, we are mostly from Oregon and are highly optimistic about rain so we continued on to the market.  I think we barely made it through the gate and it started to rain in earnest.  Soon it was a deluge so we ran for cover at the information tent and waited there for about ten minutes until the rain lightened just long enough for us to seek shelter in Sok's tuk tuk.

Defeated by the weather we headed back to the apartment.  Fortunately we had purchased a surprise dessert earlier in the day.  We got it into our heads that a blizzard cake from Dairy Queen would be a funny surprise for Tim.  Our funny surprise turned into a tasty treat that I think everyone enjoyed.  I am coming down from my sugar high now so I will leave it there, until tomorrow!

A word about the photo below.  This was taken at Wat Phnom and I believe this man is a fortune teller.  You take the book and hold it atop your head and blindly select a page with a little bone bookmark attached.  He then reads you your fortune and in exchange for a small donation you will receive a blessing.  Often if you receive a bad fortune they will let you try up to three more times and if they are all bad, well, you better watch out...

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
70mm, f4, 1/60 sec @ 1250 ISO

2012, Day 327 - Sneak attack

Happy Thanksgiving!  Well, it is Thanksgiving in Cambodia and it should be Thanksgiving in the United States when this gets posted.  I am sorry my posts are coming at such random intervals, I have been writing them almost daily but internet access has been terrible out in the Kampot countryside.  Today we headed back to Phnom Penh for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, or as close as you can get in Cambodia, with Tim.  That meant getting up at our regular early hour and trying to get some basic packing done before ordering our breakfast.  We had been eating in the normal dining area but thought today we would eat in our family room because every time we set foot in the communal area we walk away with at least a dozen mosquito bites.  With breakfast ordered we tackled the last of our packing and by the time we had all of our belongings cleared out of the upper tower and brought down to our little family room.

When breakfast came we soon discovered a guest.  A lovely dog came trotting into the room and just lay down behind one of the chairs.  She napped while we ate and it was nice, reminiscent of home and it made me miss my boys again.  Our food was, as usual, excellent and after eating we paid our final bill and loaded our stuff into the SUV with Mr. Tech's assistance.  In no time we were bounding down the rough country road towards the highway and then we were blazing towards Phnom Penh.

As we entered the city our rapid progress came to a screeching halt.  With November being the height of wedding season there were all kinds of pavilions set up partially in the street obstructing traffic.  Then, to make matters worse, the Buddhist temples in Cambodia are hosting major events that will bring in the bulk of their donations for the year.  It is time for the elite to show off their vast financial resources by giving lavishly. All this added up to a lot of vehicles on the road coupled with a number of obstacles in our way so it probably added almost forty-five minutes to our trip.

Still, we arrived just before noon in Phnom Penh and unloaded our burdens.  After a few day without it was nice to experience air-conditioning again; the dehumidifying effect was quite refreshing.  With internet access restored we caught up with the world and whiled away the time until Tim got back from work.  Our Thanksgiving dinner was rapidly approaching so it was time to get cleaned up so that we were presentable.

Squeaky clean and feeling human again we went downstairs to find Sok waiting to take us to the Himawari, one of Phnom Penh's nicest hotels located right on the riverfront.  They weren't quite ready to seat us so we enjoyed the river view out back for about twenty minutes.  The clouds reflected pink as the sun set over the Mekong and a few boats went up and down the river as we sat watching.  Soon they were ready and we were invited to make the most of the buffet.  There were a few things the hotel did very well and some of the others were rather unexciting; basically it was typical hotel fare, safe, nourishing, but perhaps not totally exciting.  That lack of excitement didn't stop us from doing as all good Americans should on Thanksgiving, we ate until the idea of food made us sick.

Groaning around our table from eating too much we reached a consensus, we should go back to the apartment and get some sleep.  So here I sit, with everyone else having gone to bed, finishing the last installment of today's events.

Before I leave you I wanted to say a word about the photograph below.  This was taken outside our family room in Kampot this morning.  The butterflies in Cambodia are numerous and they always seem to be dancing through the air.  Having caught my eye, I grabbed my camera and started taking pictures.  It wasn't until this afternoon when I was reviewing them that I noticed a little white crab spider reaching out from under the flower to attack the butterfly.  Had I noticed I would have kept watching to see the outcome but this stealthy attack is typical of how these little ambush predators work.

Canon 1D X, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
20m, f2.8, 1/125 sec @ 100 ISO