Tuesday 31 March 2009
Monday 23 March 2009
Spiders for dinner
MORE PHOTOS HERE (From my friend's blog)
It's 9:30 on Sunday morning and I'm sat on the balcony just having finished a big bowl of noodles and tofu for breakfast. It's really hot already.
Yesterday I went out for a really long walk around Phnom Penh and then in the late afternoon I met with about 15 people from work and we hired a a boat to cruise around the Tonle Sap, Meekong and what ever the other two rivers are caled that converge in Phnom Penh. The Cambodian contingent were asked to bring the snacks. Imagine our delight as they produced whole deep fried finches (I think), silkworms and tarantulas!!! I munched a tarantula's foot (that's a sentence I never thought I would write!). Actually, I'm not sure that they really have feet as such. Maybe an ankle. Or hoof? It tasted pretty much like barbequed salmon skin. The taste itself really is not a problem, it's just the psychological aspect (even James Bond is scared of tarantulas). I was told by my friend that with the silkworms the problem is not just psychological - they really do taste awful. The boat trip descended into a bizaree Kareoke, freak-dance-off. With everyone making proper idiots of themselves. In a good way.
It's 9:30 on Sunday morning and I'm sat on the balcony just having finished a big bowl of noodles and tofu for breakfast. It's really hot already.
Yesterday I went out for a really long walk around Phnom Penh and then in the late afternoon I met with about 15 people from work and we hired a a boat to cruise around the Tonle Sap, Meekong and what ever the other two rivers are caled that converge in Phnom Penh. The Cambodian contingent were asked to bring the snacks. Imagine our delight as they produced whole deep fried finches (I think), silkworms and tarantulas!!! I munched a tarantula's foot (that's a sentence I never thought I would write!). Actually, I'm not sure that they really have feet as such. Maybe an ankle. Or hoof? It tasted pretty much like barbequed salmon skin. The taste itself really is not a problem, it's just the psychological aspect (even James Bond is scared of tarantulas). I was told by my friend that with the silkworms the problem is not just psychological - they really do taste awful. The boat trip descended into a bizaree Kareoke, freak-dance-off. With everyone making proper idiots of themselves. In a good way.
Monday 16 March 2009
The place to be?
By the time I had walked 200 metres down my street today I had been asked 7 times if I wanted a motobike taxi, two times if I wanted a tuk tuk taxi, I was offered drugs twice and offered my choice of either Cambodian, Vietnamese or Thai girls.
Later I went to the western style supermarket and while in the tuk tuk in a traffic jam I got hit by two street kids (lightly I hasten to add).
Phnom Penh is an interesting place to be. It's an experience. I don't think may people would claim that it's a pleasant place to be.
Later I went to the western style supermarket and while in the tuk tuk in a traffic jam I got hit by two street kids (lightly I hasten to add).
Phnom Penh is an interesting place to be. It's an experience. I don't think may people would claim that it's a pleasant place to be.
Thursday 12 March 2009
The sweaty spirit of compromise
I just practiced my negotiation skills in order to get the aircon turned down from 30c to 24c.... yep, it's hot today.
Wednesday 11 March 2009
Party Khmer Style!
Last night I had the great privilege to attend the birthday party of the son of the nephew of my friend Toro. Down some backstreets by the entrance to a garment factory, the small house looked out onto narrow streets lined with corrugated iron houses. There were perhaps 20 people in attendance, plus lots of children running in and out. The men sat at one table and the women and children at the other. The women made and served the food while the men drank Angkor beer and ate frog soup and roasted fish.
Every time we wanted to drink out beer we had to raise our bottles and chink them with everyone elses. That's a lot of chinking. "Why?" I asked.
"You have five senses. You can see the beer, you can smell the beer, you can taste the beer and you can feel the beer in your hand. But you cannot hear the beer. To use all five sense we must hit our bottles togther."
Every time we wanted to drink out beer we had to raise our bottles and chink them with everyone elses. That's a lot of chinking. "Why?" I asked.
"You have five senses. You can see the beer, you can smell the beer, you can taste the beer and you can feel the beer in your hand. But you cannot hear the beer. To use all five sense we must hit our bottles togther."
My friend Toro
Toro drives a cab for a living. Like almost everyone in Cambodia he has an interesting story. I only know the story from the point that he was conscripted to fight the Khmer Rouge. He spent two years living and fighting in the forest, eating whatever he could find. Pythons apparently were regular fodder. Initially the fighting was fierce, but eventually Toro's fellow soldiers and adverseries called an unofficial truce to stop the exhausting violence. Toro finally escaped to Thailand and became a fisherman ("we worked so hard, so hard you wouldn't believe") before returning after the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime.
Toro asked me recently why I had so many Jewish colleages where I work. I said that I guessed there may be an element of shared experience - Hitler's extermination of the jews and Pol Pot's extermination of so many Khmers. Toro replied, "Yes, but it makes me so sad that my country did it to itself."
(I asked Toro's permission to write about his story. Like most Khmers he is keen that it is heard)
Toro asked me recently why I had so many Jewish colleages where I work. I said that I guessed there may be an element of shared experience - Hitler's extermination of the jews and Pol Pot's extermination of so many Khmers. Toro replied, "Yes, but it makes me so sad that my country did it to itself."
(I asked Toro's permission to write about his story. Like most Khmers he is keen that it is heard)
Monday 9 March 2009
Sunday 8 March 2009
Best weekend yet
This weekend has been the best yet. On Friday a friend showed me round some great little bars. On Saturday we went out on the motos to the riverside just outside Phnom Penh. There are loads of what are basically decks with lots of hammocks. We sat in the shade and had our fill of freshly cooked food - fish presumably from the river - and drank beer with as much ice as will fit in a glass. On the way back we went through villages where the children would run out to meet us, shouting "hello"!
Today we went about and hour out of town on the motos to Oudong mountain, on the top of which was a number of temple-type buildings. Truely incredible views for possibly 50 miles plus (it's a flat country!). I was laughed at by a large group of school girls, presumably because I am tall, or white (I was one of only two white people in our party) or because I have a beard/chest hair. Or all three perhaps. I think they're freaked out by me doing three steps in one stride! I can barely fit my white flappers on their little steps. Anyway, the place really was incredible.
Later we drove to a local village to another place similar to the hammock place and had fresh fish and a roast chicken. And beer with lots of ice :-) It costs us $6 each. Then we took back roads as far back as we could (avoiding the insanity of the main road). More amazing sights - villages, rice paddys, etc etc. It's the real deal, even a few miles out of the city, We happened, totally randomly to pass the house of a DDD employee, who saw us and flagged us down. We sat in his yard and he cut some coconuts down fro the tree and we drank coconut milk direct from the coconut itself.
We almost hit a cow on the way back. And a lizard.
There are weddings everywhere in Cambodia. Today we saw about 15. I was woken up by one this morning at 6am. It was verrryy load. My colleague told me his wedding had 700 guests. As I write he is at one with 1200 guests. Even at SE Asian prices that's expensive!
My friends have been snapping pics all weekend. My camera is currently kaput. I will steal their pics and post them here ASAP.
Kind of missing yoou all, but to be honest, it's pretty good here so it's easy to forget you all. Oh come on don't be so sensitive.
Today we went about and hour out of town on the motos to Oudong mountain, on the top of which was a number of temple-type buildings. Truely incredible views for possibly 50 miles plus (it's a flat country!). I was laughed at by a large group of school girls, presumably because I am tall, or white (I was one of only two white people in our party) or because I have a beard/chest hair. Or all three perhaps. I think they're freaked out by me doing three steps in one stride! I can barely fit my white flappers on their little steps. Anyway, the place really was incredible.
Later we drove to a local village to another place similar to the hammock place and had fresh fish and a roast chicken. And beer with lots of ice :-) It costs us $6 each. Then we took back roads as far back as we could (avoiding the insanity of the main road). More amazing sights - villages, rice paddys, etc etc. It's the real deal, even a few miles out of the city, We happened, totally randomly to pass the house of a DDD employee, who saw us and flagged us down. We sat in his yard and he cut some coconuts down fro the tree and we drank coconut milk direct from the coconut itself.
We almost hit a cow on the way back. And a lizard.
There are weddings everywhere in Cambodia. Today we saw about 15. I was woken up by one this morning at 6am. It was verrryy load. My colleague told me his wedding had 700 guests. As I write he is at one with 1200 guests. Even at SE Asian prices that's expensive!
My friends have been snapping pics all weekend. My camera is currently kaput. I will steal their pics and post them here ASAP.
Kind of missing yoou all, but to be honest, it's pretty good here so it's easy to forget you all. Oh come on don't be so sensitive.
Tuesday 3 March 2009
Sunday 1 March 2009
Lounging
Have spent most of my weekend on the balcony with the ghekkos in the cool shade, enjoying the view of the King's Palace, National Museum and the Mekong river (gloat, gloat!). Pics to follow when I can find a fast enough internet connection.
On Friday went to the Heart of Darkness club which had signs outside asking you to leave your firearms at home and was half full with prostitutes. Obviously this is right up my street, but as they won't let me bring in my AK47 I won't be returning.
I saw a monkey about 3 streets down from me. He was sat on a shop awning. It was a hell of a surprise!
Bought some $8 Birkenstocks and lunch and iced coffee for $3.
On Friday went to the Heart of Darkness club which had signs outside asking you to leave your firearms at home and was half full with prostitutes. Obviously this is right up my street, but as they won't let me bring in my AK47 I won't be returning.
I saw a monkey about 3 streets down from me. He was sat on a shop awning. It was a hell of a surprise!
Bought some $8 Birkenstocks and lunch and iced coffee for $3.
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