Happy Hump Day*

Naturally, the girls and I started a Wednesday (hump day) tradition of going out to dinner. This is our third week doing this so it's a habit now (you need to do something three times in a row for it to become a habit - that's what they say anyways). Our first week was Friends Restaurant, last week was Cantina's for Mexican food, and this week we went to Ko Ko Ro, a Japanese Restaurant for sushi! 

At Ko Ko Ro restaurant after we finished our meal - no judging the amount of plate*

We decided to spice things up a bit this week and went to Toto's for dessert. This might have been the best gelato I have had in my life - and I've been to Italy! I went for the double chocolate (melty awesome goodness mixed with a chocolate cake) and longan fruit flavour (a popular fruit here in Cambodia that is delicious!!!!) 

At Toto loving our lives and eating amazing gelato*

Needless to say, life is pretty great here!

Some topics of discussion*

Cambodia and I will be celebrating our one month anniversary this weekend!!! Being here as a student and not just as a tourist makes me feel as though I need to critically analyze my daily surroundings. I have compiled a very short list of social issues that I feel are the most significant and evident in the Cambodian society I have gotten to know and love. 

Poverty:

Cambodia’s poor people predominantly include subsistence farmers, members of poor fishing communities, rural youth, as well as internally displaced persons and landmine victims. Tribal peoples and women are generally the most disadvantaged. Women in particular do not have equal access to education, paid employment and land ownership and other property rights. For many women, reproductive health services are inadequate or non-existent and domestic violence is very commoan.

Cambodia's poorest people are isolated, living in remote villages far from basic social services and facilities. Many have to travel more than 5km to reach a health clinic, and many live more than 5km from the nearest road. Because of a lack of education and skills training, people have inadequate employment opportunities and low capabilities. Poor health, lack of education, poor infrastructure and low productivity lead to deeper poverty. Economic growth has been limited primarily to urban areas such as Phnom Penh, creating a large income gap. Income disparity within the city is very apparent as well. Well-off individuals always work for the government and can be easily spotted driving around in their Lexus SUV's and honking at the motor bikes to get out of the way. 

Corruption: 

Corruption is everywhere and takes a variety of forms: bribery, nepotism, patronage, theft of state assets, evasion of taxes, diversion of revenue and electoral fraud (what I’m working on to prevent!).Citizens routinely have to make informal payments to access public services such as medical care, school grades, court verdicts, alleged traffic violations and birth and marriage certificates. 

After the judiciary, the police forces are one of the most corrupt sectors in Cambodia. I’m surprised it took this long (to be honest I was never really looking for it) but this morning on my way to work I saw traffic police demanding bribes from motorcyclists. As we sat at the red light for the first time instead of trotting through, a group of traffic cops were engaged in deep conversation with a distinctly unhappy-looking motorcyclist. Trying not to draw attention to my whiteness (because white skin means money), I pulled down the tinted screen on my helmet. This also meant I could stare without them actually knowing. After we passed the intersection, Kay told me about a time he had been pulled over and was asked to pay a bribe of 5,000 riels ($1.25US).

Policemen have to pay a percentage of their unofficial income to higher ranking police officers in cash or in goods. It is also apparently routine practice for police officers to pay bribes to secure a promotion. People are underpaid, with salaries typically less than 20 % of the living wage. Bribes and corruption have become a vital survival strategy and part of everyday life.

Street Children: 

In Phnom Penh alone, there are over 20,000 children living and/or working on the streets according to ChildSafe International. Tourism is constantly increasing with about 1 million people visiting each year right now. Every day I see westerners unknowingly increase the vulnerability of street children. Giving money and food to begging and poor children only encourages parents to send their children out to beg. Contributions and gifts from foreigners add to existing problems and can create an environment where children are kept in vulnerable and dangerous situations.

Tourist attractions such as orphanages or slum tours make my blood boil! Not only do they exploit children's vulnerabilities for financial gain but an orphanage is a child's home, a place that should be safe and where his/her right to privacy and dignity should be respected.

Orphanages should be a last resort for children in need! Jenny and Cathy who currently work in orphanages say most of the children have families in the village, they just can’t afford to provide for them. NGO’s that promote the reintegration of children in their homes and NGO’s who provide social services to vulnerable children and their families is where foreign money should be invested. NGO’s supporting families, youth and organizations who work with marginalized people can provide vocational training and integrate community initiatives such as income generating activities, to create financial stability for families and to generate social resources and support.

WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene): 

Washrooms in general are absolutely disgusting and very unsanitary. It is also not uncommon for them to be flooded. Toilet paper doesn`t exists in bathrooms. Instead, there is a hose (or a bucket of water) beside every toilet to clean yourself after going to the bathroom. Therefore, it is also not uncommon to walk into a bathroom that is soaking wet from top to bottom. Proper hand soap and hand washing is also not commonly practised. Most bathrooms do not even have a hand washing station. Hand sanitizer and kleenex has become my best friend. 

One thing Cambodia is not lacking is access to water. What Cambodia is definitely lacking is access to clean, drinkable water. The water source is very unreliable and quite dangerous to drink. Because of the heat, it is common practise to shower 2-3 times a day: once in the morning, once at lunch during your two hour lunch break, and once before bed. For a country that is so unsanitary when it comes to washrooms, they sure are concerned with not smelling!

There is some sort of garbage disposal system in Cambodia because I have seen garbage trucks, but I have never seen a garbage can in public. Even at the places I live and work, the garbage bins are hardly used. Where do people put their garbage? Depending on which area of the city you are in, I would probably say the street or in the fire.  

With all the motorcyclists, inadequate garbage disposal and the added heat factor, Phnom Penh can sometimes stink. For this reason, scarves come in handy for so many different reasons :)

Back seat bandits protecting our nostrils and lungs from the dirt, exhaust, and stink*

Flooding: 

As I am sure you have heard on the news, Bangkok and other parts of Thailand are completely flooded right now. Unfortunately, Cambodia is in the same position. Cambodia is currently experiencing the worst flooding in more than a decade. 247 people have died mainly from drowning and more than 100,000 families have been displaced. Thankfully, Phnom Penh has been okay and the worst I have experienced the flooding was my time in Siem Reap.

A major concern is food security. Now and in the longer-term there’s the risk of severe food shortages due to rice fields being submerged, grain stores swept away and the December harvest being lost. Provincial authorities estimate that up to 60 per cent of the rice crops may have been destroyed.

Already thousands of homes and usually safe places such as open patches of high ground, schools and pagodas have been flooded. Nearly three-quarters of the country is thought to have been affected, and it’s the poorest who have been hit the hardest. Most of the communities affected by the floods are in rural areas which are still difficult to access, where people are largely dependent on subsistence agriculture, mainly rice farming and fishing, for survival. Another major concern is sanitation, many people do not have access to safe drinking water and many wells are contaminated with flood water.

Aid is currently being provided from the France, US, China and Singapore governments, and Oxfam and Plan in terms of NGOs but I'm sure there are many more. 

"Baby you can drive my car" - The Beatles

Comfrel, where I work, is about a 10-15 minute drive from where I am living. Getting around on a tuk tuk isn't always the quickest way to get places (as you can probably imagine) so I opt to take a motor bike taxi back and forth. It gets me a few extra minutes of sleep each morning, saves me a few dollars each week, and it’s WAY more fun! I have a driver, Kay, who takes me back and forth each day in the most safe and harmless way possible on the streets of Phnom Penh. He speaks English very well so we attempt to have little conversations as he weaves through the chaotic streets and sensibly runs red lights... but that's the norm! Don't worry, I wear the world’s coolest helmet!

This weekend I also had the opportunity to drive a tuk tuk. Okay, it was only for a few metres, but the driver ACTUALLY let me drive it. I was more scared then he was.

Move over bitches, I'm coming! Also, apparently I can't flip my pictures on blogspots because I have a Canon camera. Sorry! 

On Sunday night after our long day of being tourists in Phnom Penh, we decided to go for dinner along the riverside and check out the night market. There was an amazing selection of Cambodian handicrafts silks, art, jewelry, clothing and souvenirs. There was a huge stage set up in the middle of the market with a western cover band playing - they played Journey so you know they were awesome! There was also a western man that had set up a nutella crape stand!!! The Cambodian's were fascinated by this and just thought it was the funniest thing. 

Nutella crapes aka melting chocolate goodness!

Being along the riverfront and doing a little shopping was an excellent way to end the weekend :)

Cambodia's Horrific Past*

On Sunday we decided to venture to the outskirts of town to visit the Choeug Ek Genocidal Centre (The Killing Field). The Killing Fields are a number of sites in Cambodia where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the Khmer Rouge regime during its rule of the country from 1975 to 1979, immediately after the end of the Cambodian Civil War (1970-1975).

Pol Pot (leader of the Khmer Rouge) became the leader of Cambodia in mid 1975 and set about establishing a new civilisation by forcing city dwellers to leave their homes and live in remote countryside locations in forced slavery. He closed banks so there was no monetary system, he closed all schools and universities so there were no educated people and closed all buddist monestaries so there was no religion. He then set about killing all scholars, doctors, train engineers and teachers so that his new civilation could start. On the audio tour we took at Choeug Eks, it stated that 1 in 4 people in Cambodia were murdered by the Khmer Rouge.

Heart shaped leaves on the killing fields*

Choeug Ek is a heart wrenching tribute to the victims of the Khmer Rouge. Dozens of mass graves are visible above ground, several which have not been excavated yet. It is not uncommon for bones and clothing to surface after heavy rainfalls due to the extremely large number of bodies still buried in the area... it's just awful. A Stupor (a buddist building honouring the dead) has been built and houses skulls, bones and clothes of the people who were exhumed after the fall of Pol Pots government in 1979.

The Stupor honouring the dead. 

After this we went to the Tuol Sleng (also known as Security Prison 21 or S-21) Genocide Museum in the city. This was a high school that was turned into a detention, interrogation and torture center. The classrooms have all been converted to various forms of torture and holding cells. Out of an estimated 17,000 people imprisoned at Tuol Sleng, there were only seven known survivors. The buildings at Tuol Sleng have been preserved as they were left when the Khmer Rouge were driven out in 1979. The regime kept extensive records, including thousands of photographs. Several rooms of the museum are now lined, floor to ceiling, with black and white photographs of some of the prisoners who passed through the prison.

As difficult as this day was, it is important to see and learn in order to have a better understanding and respect for the Khmer culture and people. I was really moved and affected by this experience and amazed at how humble the Cambodian people are with such a violent and horrific past just 32 years ago. As I walk through the streets of Phnom Penh and look into the faces of the older people, I can't help but wonder what they have seen in their lifetime.

Hat's off to the chef*

After landing in Phnom Penh 3 weeks ago, I finally spent my first weekend trotting around the city. To be honest, I sort of felt like a tourist in my home town. I have very quickly adjusted to the streets, noise, people and pollution of the city and almost love it as if it were my own. On Saturday a small group of us decided to take a Khmer cooking class. We had read about this great restaurant (Frizz) in Lonely Planet that had excellent reviews so we paid our $23 and went for the full day course. We all met at Frizz restaurant where we were quickly packed into tuk tuk’s and taken to the local Market for a tour. We got a walking tour of the different “departments” of the market that are much like a grocery store –  sea food section, the hot counter, fruits and veggies, meat, etc… 

The "hot food" section of the market 

Everything that we would be using that day to cook was pointed out to us. We saw the usual bean sprouts, herbs and noodles, but (as to be expected) there was also an awesome assortment of  pig’s tongues, fish heads, frog kabobs, etc... I also must mention that in the seafood section they had whole fish displayed on tables that were still flopping around…bah! Going to the market is always an enjoyable and exciting experience, even if just for the people watching and diverse food spotting.

 The fruits and veggies section of the market.

In total we made four delicious Cambodian/Khmer dishes:

1. Fried Cambodian Spring Rolls - always a delicious favourite of mine. We also made sweat and sour dipping sauce to go along with these beauties! 

2. Fish Amok - Amok is a Cambodian curry which is steamed instead of boiled. We were told the secret to any good amok is the "kroeung", or Khmer herb paste. I will take this opportunity to brag about the amazing banana leaf cup I made for the Amok to be steamed in. Yes, not only did I make the Amok, but I also made the banana leaf cup with two tooth picks holding it all in place! 

(I can't figure out how to flip this picture, sorry!)

3. Banana Blossom Salad with Chicken - I had no idea the flowers that hold the banana's were edible, or that they were so delicious!

4. Sweet Rice and Mango - Rice for dessert, YES PLEASE! This dish was amazing and incredibly simple to make. Sweet rice, caramel sauce, coconut and mango!

Our teacher was really great and friendly but would definitely tell you if you were doing something wrong! The class was very fun and I learned a lot about Cambodian cooking. This is definitely recommended :)

Photo evidence of Angkor Wat*

Here are a few pictures I stole from Jenny!

Angkor Wat*

Me and Cathy in front of Angkor Wat*

Doing a little posing with Cathy*

 My favourite Temple, Bayon*

 Climbing through the Jungle*

 Jenny standing in a flooded street*

Bar Street*

Angkor Wat*

Traveling 101: Lesson # 1 – DO NOT leave your camera battery at home. Unfortunately this was my fate. Yes, I went to the world’s largest religious building and Cambodia’s prime tourist hot spot (it’s even on their flag) sans working camera. Luckily I have amazing travel buddies (Cathy and Jenny) who took lots of pictures so they will be coming soon. ALSO… for those of you who do not know, Matthew Pereira is COMING TO THAILAND IN DECEMBER FOR 3 WEEKS!!!! While he is here, we are going to take a side trip to Siem Reap so he can see the magnificence of it all, and so I can take pictures of my own!

Cathy, Jenny and I decided to take the night bus to Siem Reap to save on accommodation and time. The actual sleeper bus was full so we opted for the half-sleeper bus which greatly resembled full length lawn chairs. The sound of this is much more comfortable than it actually was… particularly because the ride was incredibly bumpy, the roads were flooded, it was pouring rain, and you were lying/indoor sun bathing beside complete strangers for 7 hours through the night. It was an experience, that’s for sure!

Nevertheless, Angkor Wat was one of the most magical places I have been in my life. The temples were breathtakingly beautiful and different from anything I have seen before. Our first stop was the main Angkor Wat Temple that was created in the early-mid 12^th century. It is a massive three-tiered pyramid with five lotus-like towers rising 65 meters from ground. As you pass through the outer gate and get your first glimpse, its size and architecture make it look like a giant postcard photo against the sky. After you cross through the gate and get closer to the temple it slowly gains depth and complexity. The first level of the temple is artistically beautiful with carvings of the mythological Battle of Kuru on the west wall. The historical march of the army of Suryavarman II (builder of Angkor Wat) against the Cham, followed by scenes from Heaven and Hell decorate the south wall and the ‘Churning of the Ocean Milk’ is on the east wall. 

Next we went to Angkor Thom, a walled and moated royal city and the last capital of the Angkorian Empire. There we saw Baphuon, Phimeanakas, and my all-time favourite Temple Bayon with all the faces! There are five entrances (gates) to the city, one for each cardinal point, and each gate is crowned with 4 giant faces.

Other beautiful Temples we saw were Ta Keo, Pre Rup, Banteay Kdei, Banteay Srey and of course the Temple Angolina Jolie made famous in Tomb Raider, Ta Prohm.

We also visited the river of 1000 lingas’ at Phnom Kulen. The river consists of a series of stone carvings along the river bed and along the side. The carvings at the bottom look like neatly arranged bumps but they are the Hindu phallic image of the god Siva (I later learned that lingas actually are his penis but I haven’t had time to google this yet). Along the side of the water there are various Hindu mythological designs of the gods Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Lakshmi, Rama and Hanuman, as well as animal carvings such as cows, frogs, crocodiles, and snakes.

Like good tourists, we researched this excursion in our Lonely Planet books to make sure we were properly equipped and mentally prepared. We read that this excursion takes approximately half an hour to get there and requires a moderately easy 45-minute uphill walk through the woods. What they didn’t mention was it takes an hour and a half to get there, you rock climb up cliffs, trek in clay in the middle of the jungle, and it takes over an hour to just climb up. BUT, it was an amazing experience that ended in lots of laughs and no wipe outs, despite many (and I mean many) close calls. 

We spent our nights exploring Siem Reap’s night market and Bar St (it’s actually called Bar street!). We spent a lot of time at Temple Restaurant/Bar where they had traditional Cambodian dancer’s performing every night. We could also order buckets of mixed drinks for super cheap and got a free t-shirt with it. When we first got there we decided that we need to drink at least three buckets so we each got a t-shirt. I won't say how many t-shirts we left with. They also had a drink called "Tomb Raider" so we drank lots of this, just because we could. We also treated ourselves to half hour body massages for $3. I know a $3 massage sounds sketchy but it was amazing and needed after climbing through the jungle!

There was a lot of flooding while we were there but for the most part the Temples were fine. A few of them had been shut down completely but the main ones were still accessible if you don’t mind getting your feet wet in dirty water. The streets of Siem Reap had water about knee deep... yes, knee deep! I think I walked barefoot for most of our nights out. This probably wasn’t the most sanitary thing to do but it sure beats sifting through water in flip flops. Taking tuk tuk’s (taxi’s) was absolutely hilarious with all the splashing and flying water. There were some parts on the road where the tuk tuk’s would get stuck so you had to walk through the mud in knee deep water while they drove through. There were Korean tourists everywhere… everywhere! It was scorching hot at some points but the women still covered themselves completely from head to toe to keep their skin white. They wouldn’t get out of the tuk tuk’s if they got stuck so we had to push them out while they still sat in them. Messy, messy but what an experience! The Korean tourists were also taking my picture non-stop. They liked the colour of my hair and had never really seen it before. At first they were trying to be subtle, but then I started posing, and then they started asking me to pose with them. I hope I'm in their family photo album. 

Overall everything was amazing and seeing the Temples of Angkor Wat was an extraordinary experience. I can’t wait to go back with Matt to do it all over again!

Friends*

Last night a small group of us went to a restaurant called Friends. This delightful little place is run by the Mith Samlanh Friends NGO. It's staffed by street youth training for the hospitality industry and has healthy international dishes and delicious fruit cocktails.

We all shared tapas and they were soooo delicious!!! I suppose it was a bit pricier then other places in Phnom Penh but all proceeds go towards helping street youth. I loved the atmosphere, loved the waiters, and loved the fancy drinks! If you are ever in Phnom Penh, you MUST go here. 

The restaurant is also affiliated with a store next door which has great souvenirs made completely from recycled materials. This is probably where my Christmas presents for you will come from.. just saying!

Oh my Buddha, I found paradise*

Sihnoukville was paradise to say the least. We really gambled with the weather going during the rainy season (especially when it was calling for rain) but we decided to take a chance anyways. The weather gods took pity on us and it was absolutely exceptional!!! Not a cloud in the sky all weekend and it was hot hot hot!

From left to right: Jenny from Buffalo, Catherine from Belfast, meeee, Jaclyn from Long Island

When we hit the beach we were instantly greated with a small crowd of kids trying to get us to buy their bracelets and buy their fruit. This sounds annoying and to many people this is, but these kids were genious. They remembered your name every time they saw you.. they could calculate to the cent the conversion rates between US dollars and riel.. they used guilt and manipulation to get you to buy things. It was incredible the lines they used, "open your heart, open your wallet," "if you dont buy this you dont support Cambodia," "dont think too much, it makes you look older," and my all-time favourite for the cute factor was "oh my Buddha." We became friends with these kids and built a good relationship with them and they started to watch out for us on the beach a bit -  telling us to close our purses and making sure we didnt leave anything in the open for taking. They would go through our magazines and books picking out pictures of their wannabe boyfriends and would give us all the ugly ones. They were such a riot and I really enjoyed my time laughing with them.

                                     
Children on the serendipity beach selling bracelets and fruit 

We spent all day Saturday on Serendipity beach which was a 5 minute walk from our hotel. We also splurged for a hotel that had hot water.. this is definitely somethnig I have missed!!!! There is a beautiful walkway along the beach with hundreds of beach chairs and umbrella's set up infront of dozens of restaurants and bars. To sit in the chairs along the beach you need to buy drinks at the corresponding restaurant - this wasn't an issue for us. We sat infront of this family run restaurant all day and they made us this delicious grilled seafood dinner with shrimp, squid and baracuda.

Restaurant owner and her nephew's making us dinner

Without getting into too much detail, the bars are open 24hrs! 

On Serendipity beach watching the sun set 

On Sunday we did an island boat tour, went snorkelling in a coral reef, and then spent the afternoon on Bamboo Island.

 Snorkelling around Bamboo Island

The island, the water, the breeze, the jungle, the fish... it was paradise... the most beautiful place I have ever been. No picture could capture the beauty and perfectness of this place.

The boats tied along the shore of Bamboo Island

 Doing a little reading and a lot of loving life!

Later that night we took a bus back to Phnom Penh and I had a delicious chicken curry thanksgiving dinner with three wonderful ladies!!! There is no place like home but this weekend was absolutely perfect :)

Happy Thanksgiving*

HAPPY EARLY THANKSGIVING! 

This weekend I am off to the beach city of Sihanoukville with some friends to swim in the Gulf of Thailand!!!! Not only do I LOVE the beach and LOVE swimming, but I get to be IN THE OCEAN!!! We are taking a bus from our guesthouse after work today which will take about 4 hours for $7 US. It’s a tough life I’m living here :P

Another little lesson I have learned in Phnom Penh…. washrooms are absolutely, positively, ridiculously DISGUSTING! Do not use them – take your chances in a bush... trust me! If you absolutely must use the bathroom, never (and I mean NEVER EVER EVER!) use a bathroom at a market. My friend Catherine and I made this mistake and let’s just say we were squatting over a hole in the ground while sifting through two inches of water. It was a great learning experience for me and now I am sharing this knowledge so you never have to experience this. Always carry toilet paper with you as well. Their toilet paper is so soft and so cheap ($0.80 for 6 rolls) but no public bathrooms have it.

My placement is going great so far. It started off slow with doing a lot of reading but it has picked up and I am now helping out with reports for donors. The people in the office were having trouble saying my name and kept asking if I have a nickname. I finally came up with Giul (or I guess Jewel) and they seem much happier with this. This is now what I’m known as J

I am very thankful for the opportunity to be here in Cambodia safe and sound. I am thankful for my amazing family and friends who I love very much. I am also thankful to have created such a great group of friends after being here for just one week.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS! 

I MISS YOU ALL VERY MUCH XOXO

Lost in translation*

I think something was lost in translation here :) 

This was in the menu at a restaurant two blocks away from my workplace. I ordered this dish and it was amazing! There was also no gluten, just rice.. for the record! 

My internship at Comfrel*

Soooo as much as I love exploring the city and eating food.. I am here with a purpose. I am here in Cambodia because I am completing my internship for Humber. I am currently working at the Committee for Fair and Free Elections in Cambodia (Comfrel). Comfrel works to promote human rights and democracy through its mission “to empower local civil actors and observers to respond and react to the governance of elected official and promote citizens insights of the elected official performance throughout the electoral cycle”. They are currently running their projects in three year increments and are predominantly funded by the European Union. Comfrel has also recently formed a gender team to monitor policy implementation and to prepare how gender integration into programme activities can take place. 


Here is a recent article about the Executive Director of Comfrel:


http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/255971/cambodian-winner-of-asia-nobel-pushes-forward-in-fight-for-fair-vote

Upon us all a little rain must fall*

The rain has picked up over the last day which is making our street walking adventures a bit more interesting. When we arent walking, we are riding around in their taxi service called a tuk tuk. You can get anywhere around the city for about $2-$3 US which is amazing... especially when you are splitting the cost. A tuk tuk is basically a motorbike pulling a cart. Same rules (or lack there of) apply to tuk tuk's as they do to motorbikes - U-turns into oncoming busy traffic, in the rain, at nighttime, are a very common occurance haha. 

Kim sitting in the back of a tuk tuk!

Just doing a little street walking... no big deal.  

Last night we went to this amazing Thai/Khmer restaurant that had THE BEST green curry I have ever had in my entire life!!!! We also had some deep fried frogs and they were absolutely delicious. Next on my list of foods to try is snake :)

 Our table of lovely ladies before our food was served!

Deep fried frog... absolutely amazing and definitely recommended!


.

Welcome to the Penh!

So I have officially survived my first few days in Phnom Penh. I landed in the Penh around 11pm on Saturday night and it was 29 degrees out. Im not 100% sure but by the amount I persperated it must have hit over 30 on Sunday! Out of pure coincidence I have two Canadian girls as my roommates! They are social work students at U of Vic who are here working at an orphanage for children with disabilities. The three of us are liked-minded individuals with similar interests.... (all pretty awesome people if you ask me)... and we are in the midst of planning weekend trips around the country :) My room is on the 3rd floor of a guesthouse/hostel with two tempermental outlets that are primarily used for fans because there is no air conditioning (although we have heard rumours some of the other rooms have AC!). There are 66 steps to our floor... yes, we counted!

So some lessons I have learned during my first two days here:


1. How to cross the street

There are motorbikes EVERYWHERE with very few streetlights and crosswalks. It might possibly be the most organized chaos I have ever seen. Traffic actually crosses diagonally across intersections but everybody just putts along on their bikes and goes with it. Its amazing to watch actually! It does make crossing the street quite frightening at first though because you have to walk a few steps but then stop so the motorbikes can go around you. There are also very few sidewalks and when there are they are usually taken up by vendors or randomly parked cars so you have to walk on the side of the road. It's amazing how normal this became after about 20 minutes of walking.

This picture doesnt really do it justice. I will post a better one soon!

2. Stay out of the rain

We are still in the rainy season until the end of the month so it has been overcast and spits quite often. We experienced our first monsoon rainfall though which was slightly terrifying at first. I couldnt believe how violent and aggressive it was. We were inside when it came down and it lasted for just over an hour - I don't think my umbrella would have stood a chance!

3. My math skills suck

Today we went to this huge market they call the Russian Market... not sure why its called that but I dont really ask questions... just go with it! They had anything and everything you could possible need. I bought lunch, a scarf, power adaptor, and sunglasses for under $10 US... I love Cambodia!!!  I also got to test out some Khmer phrases although most people speak English well. My terrible math skills are definitely being put to the test having to calculate the US/Riel conversion rate... and the fact that the locals can calculate it in about 0.5 seconds makes me feel even more stupid.

In the food section of the Russian Market.

4. A smile goes a long way

Overall this has been such a fun experience so far. The people are amazing and all it takes is a smile for someone to help you out :)

Arrived in Phnom Penh!!!!

I have arrived safe and sound in the Penh!!!! Pictures will come soon :)

En route to Phnom Penh!

I survived my 14 hour flight from Toronto to Seoul and now just sitting at the airport waiting for my flight to Phnom Penh! I had a window seat and the spot next to me was empty!! And as if that isn't awesome enough already, I watched Kung Fu Panda 2 and Rio (both excellent movies!). After my disastrous food choices on the plane, I have opted to stick with Starbucks at the airport. Sad, I know... but I can only handle a certain amount of change at a time :)

Now in the words of Po from KFP2 (Kung Fu Panda 2): The only thing that matters is what you choose to be now.