I've no internet connection where I am at the moment so I've no idea when I last wrote anything. Anyway, it would be all doom and gloom so I've decided to ignore those days completely and act as if they didn't exist. I had thought of writing something with a funereal black border just to brighten things up a bit. Or I could issue a warming, "Please don't read it you are already depressed."
I'm continuing to flop and I'm getting quite used to it. I spent two night in Battambang but I didn't do any moving around to see people; instead, please people came to see me. I saw Chamnan and his daughter Tin Tin and he ate with us. He gave her a large plate of rice and then he put a small amount in a bowl with a few bits of other foods. I asked if that was all he wanted and he said, "It's for my wife; she comes and has a meal with me every day." He misses her deeply and in a way I'm glad he's working seven days a week as it keeps his mind occupied. It's hard on Tin Tin too as she has to spent her free weekend days at the university where her dad works.
I was on the bus to Siem Reap on Saturday and it took over 4 hours. The driver was in no hurry and I never saw his speedometer needle go over 50kph. All those sitting by the window had closed the curtains so it was a bit like riding in a tunnel. I was sitting just two rows back behind the driver so I could see through the windscreen. Unfortunately, in my line of view was a young European lady who scrolled up and down her iPhone for the entire four hours. It drove me nuts. She never looked through the windows, never spoke to her boyfriend. Why she's here I've no idea.
Syden always makes my life complicated when I arrive in Siem Reap. This time he told me to get off at a gas station and he'd pick me up. He said he knew all of them so it didn't matter which one I chose. I eventually got up and asked the driver to stop but he wouldn't as he said he was only three kms from the bus station. In the end it was Rina, Syden's brother, who picked me up. I took him for a meal and decided to order a pizza. It cost only $8 whereas a pizza at a pizza restaurant can cost over $20. I was therefore shocked when it arrived and it was enormous. I had one slice and gave the rest to Rina to take home. That was the only food I'd had all day. I normally "eat to live" but this is getting ridiculous.
Sunday I set off for Kampong Thom to be with Boroith and his family and that's where I am now. Across the road from their home they have a small restaurant where people can sit in small areas with hammocks overlooking the river; it's so peaceful and quiet. The family start life at 5.30am when the two boys get up to prepare for school, and their day ends around 8pm when people stop coming for snacks. I arrived in the early afternoon and my arrival always follows a routine. My bag is taken up stairs and I'm told to change and relax. The family give up their bed for me which is always an embarrassment. The bed is piled high with pillows of every shape and size and there's a garland of jasmine flowers to make the room smell nicely. Later on I'll be told to sit down and have nails cut - which is another one of my must do activities whilst I'm here.
It's now Monday. At the moment, Seyneth, Boroith's wife, is preparing the vegetables for the snacks. A huge bucket of oyster mushrooms, large bags of cucumbers and the purple flower of the water hyacinth. It's a noxious weed that clogs up all the waterways, and nothing eats it - except humans who like the flowers. People come for bread fried in a tamarind sauce, or baby egg - the eggs that have a fertilised duckling inside. I can eat them if everything stays inside the shell and I can just scoop it out but, if they pour it out onto the plate, I'm finished - it just looks too awful to eat. They eat it with a tiny mint-like leaf that mother and daughter will spend ages removing from the stem. Everything here takes time but people act as if they have all day. The clientele are mostly young folk who've been coming for years; I'm sure many use it as a place to avoid school. Some call to buy the odd cigarette and have a chat.
I didn't feel like eating so I was happy when Boroith suggested an orange. Now, if you want a delicious orange you have to come here. He peeled one, broke it into segments and came back with it in a bowl. I took one bite and nearly threw up - he'd brought it back Cambodian style covered in salt. They can't eat their fruit without salt and chilli; I told him he had to give me another one and to leave it alone this time.
I have a watch that needs no battery because it operates from the movement of my wrist. It has stopped. I can't be moving enough. I'm told I'm skinny, which should be a compliment, but my skin is too ancient to deal with the flesh reduction. I'm started to look like those people who've gone through liposuction with all that skin dangling around. I think I'm going to have to visit a local pagoda. They all have statues representing the four stages of life so I'm going to take a look at the third stage to remind me what it's supposed to be like. I'll skip the final stage for now.
