The Countdown Begins

One of my favourite Christmas traditions is the advent calendar.  Before I joined Pinterest all I knew were the cardboard ones from CNA with a chocolate hidden behind each little door.  Part of the challenge was to stick to only 1 chocolate a day until the grand prize on the 24th, an extra big, Father Christmas shaped choc if I remember correctly.

Now I know that advent calendars come in all shapes and sizes and this year there will be no daily chocolate, but instead a daily activity.  Every day, from today until the 21st December my housemate and I will open an envelope, inside which will be an activity.

DAY 1:

We chose one Christmas episode from How I Met Your Mother and from New Girl.  Both were hilarious and a good end to the weekend as well as a great start to our advent fun.

Play Penh Festivities

We have a real live tree in our house..

 All covered up with ornaments and lights it almost looks like a real fir tree.  Time to crack out the Christmas tunes, Christmas season is upon us.  As with transporting most things in Cambodia, a moto (scooter) was employed.  After picking out our tree at the nursery, my friend sat as far forward on her moto as possible, back ramrod straight and elbows bent.  I then climbed on and sat as far back as possible, feeling a little precarious on the edge of my seat.  With the help of the nursery staff we positioned the tree between us and off we went.  My friend gamely put up with the rather stiff, sharp leaves poking her in the back while I held on for dear life with one hand as we picked our way between a few strategically placed potholes.  We arrived home triumphantly, all 3 of us intact.

I love the festive season, what fun:)

Sunrise

Living on the 6th floor has it's perks..

• I get to ride in an elevator a few times a day
• When the electricity goes out I get to climb hundreds of little stairs
• It's fun being on the highest floor, kind of like "King of the Castle" but permanently
• The neighbourhood sounds of loud engines, honking buses, discordant karaoke, yowling cats and barking dogs are marginally muffled

but mostly..
our balcony and fantastic views.

One of my favourite things to do at home is to sit on my balcony and take in the view, especially in the early morning and late evening..

In the pre dawn cool, cup of coffee in hand, the sunrises continue to amaze me with their varied and fleeting hues.

Start dancing lessons... check.

image credit

This year has been full of firsts.. countries, friends, jobs.  Not to mention new experiences such as eating crickets and frogs and joining the ranks of the moto driving populace.  Lately however, the excitement has worn off as I've gotten into the routine of working and not everything is new anymore.  I've been feeling like a I need a new challenge, something out of the ordinary to do.

I have an extensive bucket list which is ever growing in length and scope.  Ever the optimist, it includes things like, watch the migration ove the Serengeti from a hot air balloon. (However, earlier drafts have been modified e.g. "Do the Dusi".. ya.. never going to happen).  

For years I've wanted to learn to dance and after discovering that Phnom Penh has salsa classes on offer and at the invitation of my friend Katie, I finally went to a class last Wednesday.  I had 2 major concerns:

1) whether or not I would get the steps

2) my lack of a partner

Katie gave me a quick crash course before the class started which helped immensely and despite a few false starts, it didn't take long to catch on.  Regarding the partners, to my surprise the ratio of men to women was hopeful and we rotated partners so that avoided the angst of hoping someone will pick you!  My partners were a motley crue:

1 guy was so tall that my shoulder started cramping

1 had flamboyant movements that totally threw me off and I kept losing count

1 was as clueless as me and so we kept peering over at the instructor to figure out how exactly we were both supposed to spin at the same time without letting go of each other's hands

1 was slightly self deprecating which made him the nicest to dance with

They were all great and it wasn't intimidating at all.  I can't wait to go back next week.  A few changes will be made however.. I wil not wear slops, I will introduce myself to my partner before we take hold of each other and start dancing and I will keep a beady eye out for potentially foot impaling heels.. 

Beauty in the Walking

I like walking.  I like the slowed down pace; the funny signs, interesting people and spontaneous moments that you wouldn't notice or appreciate were you using a faster mode of transport. I like the head clearing that happens, the perspective that returns, the smiles.

Last Friday night I took a walk along Sisowath Quay aka The Riverside.  It's a feast for the senses.  Aromas wafting out of the countless and varied restaurants, tuk-tuk drivers calling out, amateur and professional photo shoots, boats lazily gliding up and down the river, young guys playing a version of hacky-sack with a shuttlecock and large groups of people doing aerobics and/or synchronised dance moves.

By Sunday evening I'd had an unexpectedly full weekend and was anticipating a quiet night in to recupe, but I was swayed, very easily I might add, to join friends for a drink at the riverside.  The traffic was obscene so we parked our moto's and walked, an altogether more pleasant affair than battling car fumes and other harried drivers while inching forward painfully slowly.  We went to a rooftop bar at a hotel named The Quay and the view is exquisite, as is the mercifully cool breeze so high up.  After great conversation and a delicious, although unwise cocktail (Espresso at 7 o'clock meant I couldn't sleep until after midnight) we meandered back up the promenade and had a delightful ride home on much quieter roads.  I felt buoyed by the walks I'd taken over the weekend, like a sharp wind had blown away the cobwebs and bought perspective to my mind and peace to my heart.

Recent Highlights

I recently finished my 2 month teaching stint and, with the onset of Summer holidays, am relishing working afternoons only.  Holidays started 10 days ago, with what will go down as one of my favourite weekends in Phnom Penh.

First up was dinner at the river side and then a long anticipated trip to Dreamland, an amusement park. The combining factors of growing up on a farm in a small town and being an avid reader meant certain things were formed in my imagination as a child that have had a hold on me ever since.  Things like circuses, hot air balloons, Brownies and Girl Scouts, and amusement parks to name a few.

Imagine my delight at visiting a bonafide theme park.. Besides the Royal Show in Pietermaritzburg and some other rides in East London, I'v never been to an amusement park!

First up was the bumper cars, during which I felt my spine disconnect and hang in mid air on 2 occassions after being rammed from the side.  As they say, it is better to ram than to be rammed and so my goal became to avoid getting hit, a moderately successful endeavour.  In among taking various posed shots with statues of Batman, Superman and newlyweds we made our way to Jack's Ice Cream.  Ordering ice cream proves to be the greatest challenge of the night as the lady behind the counter had lightning fast movements and before a sentence was complete had handed over an ice cream holding the flavours you may or may not have been attempting to ask for.  Coke floats, unexpectedly flavoured ice cream found it's way into a few hands before we got the hang of it..  The trick was to get your request out really fast but also be watching carefully and halt her mid scoop if she was putting on the wrong flavour.  Nevertheless the ice cream was delicious!

Next up was the Ferris Wheel.  The company was good, the breeze was cool and the city lights provided a romantic view.  I loved it.  Unfortunately we had arrived quite late and so the park closed before we could go on any other rides but I've sussed it out and next time there shall be whirling tea cups, a carousel, swings and maybe even some ride where you get strapped in and flung around and around..maybe..

• Making an awesome new friend
• Madagascar 3 in 3D (watch this awesome preview if you're not yet convinced you should see it)
• Getting whatsapp - making communication with faraway friends much easier.
• Chancing upon a great read, "Peace Like A River" by Leif Enger.  It's a captivating story of fierce, unconditional love and redemption and is a lyrical and evocatively written book
• Having time to myself 
• Devotions on a quiet beach in Sihanoukville
• Those moments in conversation where your heart soars with the resonance of another's words
• Discovering fresh strawberry smoothies at the market near my house

The Benefits of Unemployment

I recently started working again, after just over 3 months of unemployment. Over the last 3 months I have run the gamut of emotions over the situation from elation to despondency to dreaming to excitement to fear to insecurity to security to worry to hope to peace and so on.  I have also had a lot of time to think about what kind of work I would like to do and how I would like to do it.  Considering that we spend the majority of our waking hours at work, we’d best believe that what we’re doing is important and derive some satisfaction from it.

In the interim, I decided to come up with some benefits of being unemployed, to remind myself to be content and make the most of my situation.

This is my list so far..

• you can enjoy early mornings without having to rush off, clutching bag, keys, half eaten breakfast and hairbrush..
• early morning bike rides where it doesn’t matter if you get lost and have to dodge piles of fruit and vegetables while keeping an eye out for big trucks
• you discover new interests such as short animated films e.g.  "Invention of Love" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTdzCAGH3lU 
• there is more time to explore in a meandering, unhurried way
• there is more time to dream, ponder, take photos and write
• there is plenty of time to connect with people and arrange spontaneous visits
• being the only unemployed person you know means spending great deals of time alone which leads to many fascinating conversations with strangers and fortunately, a few new friends along the way!

Besides owning your own car or scooter, there are a number of ways to get around in Phnom Penh, all with inherent pros and cons.

You can walk: you'll arrive looking like a hot mess (literally) but it's a great way to take in the varied smells, sounds and sights of the city as well as become better acquainted with the layout.

You can ride a bicycle: again, you'll arrive looking like a hot mess with helmet plastered hair but the landscape is very flat so it's not a very strenuous ride.  At least, unless you land up on a bustling street during morning rush hour and have to dodge piles of fruit and vegetables, fresh produce sellers, dogs and rumbling trucks.

You can take a tuk tuk, which can get expensive if used frequently but is an enjoyable way to get around, especially when the owner has kitted it out with flashing lights and tinny music.

You can take a cyclo which is similar to a rickshaw but is a chair attached to the front of an elevated bicycle.  A number of guidebooks and people will suggest it as a slower means to get around, allowing for picture taking.  i however haven't ridden in one yet, mostly 'cos I feel I little uncomfortable about someone having to exert so much energy to get me around.

You can take a motodop, i.e. a scooter, which is what I use quite a bit.  It's cheaper than a tuk tuk and I thoroughly enjoy the experience of whizzing around (actually not whizzing, they go quite slowly) town. In my experience, the drivers are great and most of the time know the place I'm asking them to take me to.
However....
A problem I have encountered on a few occassions is a driver saying yes to my request and en route realising he has no idea where the place is, which has resulted in a few comical situations involving an exhange of apologies( "Sorry!!! Somtooh!" on repeat), stopping frequently to ask strangers for help and much broken Khmer from my side and broken English from his.

There are always a number of drivers wanting to transport you from the moment you step out your front door.  I don't really mind who I go with, as I said they're mostly great.  There is one driver who I now try to avoid though, with limited success.  He has one eye, which makes me a little doubtful of his depth perception, a key skill in busy traffic.  After getting horribly lost with him and learning of his poor track record in finding places, I vowed to avoid him.

Last Sunday I stepped outside, planning on visiting a church quite far away.  I was already running a bit late and waved over the first driver I saw.  With a sinking heart I realised it was the one eyed man who'd tricked me with his eager wave and cap partially obscuring his face.  As there were no other drivers in sight I resignedly asked him if he knew where a school called called Northbridge was, as the church was near there.  He confidently repeated my question and nodded vigorously.  So off we went.  When he took a left turn I thought, "I'm pretty sure it's straight but maybe he knows a shortcut." When he took another turn in the opposite direction thought, I started laughing and thought, a little desperately,  "I think we're lost but he seems really confident, maybe it's a different route."  He drove up to Hope School (nowhere near Northbridge) and the conversation that followed went like this:

One Eyed Moto Man (with a flourish of his arm and great pride in his voice): Northbridge!

Me: No, no, not Northbridge, Hope.

OEMM: (another flourish): Northbridge!

Me: No, I want to go to Northbridge.. uh.. Knom (I) uh.... tiw (go) uh... Northbridge.

OEMM: Northbridge!!

Needless to say I never made it to church and arrived back where I started a few minutes later, to the great amusement of the security guard!

Phnom Penh Timelapse

A few weeks before I moved to Phnom Penh I was floating around on You Tube, as one does and came across this Phnom Penh City timelapse.  Watching it made me even more excited for my impending move.  I rewatched it this afternoon and it's great recognising a few places but also reminded me of things I still want to do here, like aerobics in the park and a visit to Dreamland amusement park.  The video gives a pretty good overview of the city and was made to "represent the pace at which the city is changing."  If you follow the link to YouTube it'll tell you a bit more about the video.

Culinary Delights Part 1

One of the benefits of being unemployed is that no meal is ever rushed.  Consequently eating is even more more enjoyable than it usually is.  At a restaurant you can take your time slowly reading over the menu, imagining each item before making a choice, at the market you can choose the freshest looking fruit and vegetables, at the shops you can enjoy the air con while drifting up and down the aisles and at home you can relish the process of deciding what to cook and then chopping, stirring, experimenting.  Flavours, smells and textures are savoured and appreciated to the full.  

In my time here in Phnom Penh so far I have discovered some culinary delights which must be shared:

Dragon Fruit

Dragon fruit is actually a type of cactus and is full of nutrients.  It is sweet and crunchy and delicious.  It's flavour reminds me a little bit of a kiwi fruit. To my surprised relief, all those tiny little seeds don't get lodged in your teeth, always a bonus.

Iced Coffee 

This picture does absolutely no justice to the awesomeness of iced coffee 'cos I gulped it down before taking a picture.  Here's a picture of a full cup:
http://www.travelfish.org/blogs/phnompenh/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/IMG_1589.jpg

It's basically just black coffee with lots of ice and condensed milk and it's addictive properties go beyond the obvious abundance of sugar and caffeine. At 2000 riel (about R3,75), it's a great find!  I have never really like iced coffee until my friend Dan introduced me to the simple pleasure of a hot waffle and cold coffee on a Saturday morning.

Spring Roll Ingredients

My attempt at making a Spring Roll

While the picture above looks disturbingly like a larvae, it is in fact a spring roll, and a a delicious one at that.  The process of creating such a masterpiece goes something like this:

1. Look at all the delicious fillings (Picture 1)
2. Feel excited
3. Take 1 disc rice paper and dip in bowl of water
4. Attempt to lay soft, sticky rice paper on plate
5. Peel sticky rice paper off fingers and lay somewhat smoothly on plate
6. Put every filling available in centre of rice paper disc
7. Roll up, folding edges roughly towards the middle (Picture 2)
8. Dip in sauce while trying to catch escaping sprouts
9. Eat in one swift gulp OR
10. Try to bite and enjoy sensation of dipping sauce trickling down your arm while chicken makes one last bid for freedom.

Jaunts around town and the verandah

self explanatory

At one of the temples, which I thought was a palace!

A somewhat blurry night shot from the verandah

National Museum

Today's sunrise

Todays'sunrise 2

Today's sunrise 3