A catch-up day.

Yesterday evening I read that I'd live a lot longer if I didn't use an alarm clock; the reason being that abrupt sounds can give us a heart attack in old age.  Seeing as I didn't have a deadline on Sunday I decided to switch mine off.

It was still a bit dark when a loud noise came from my phone.  I first of all thought I'd not switched the alarm off properly but then I realised it was my phone ringing.  It was Vuth, inviting me to spend the day with him and the family in Takeo Province.  I didn't fully understand what it involved but it was something to do with a religious ceremony and then a time of eating and drinking.  I felt badly saying I preferred to stay home.  "But you'll be alone," he said.  I didn't tell him that I'd been 'alone' most of my life.

I enjoyed the day.  I did lots of little things.  I made space in drawers and cupboards for the students who arrive in May.  I took a photograph of my electricity meter so that Thornin can pay my monthly bill.  I repaired the long sleeved shirt I always wear when I travel; most of my shirts are short sleeved and I often find airports a bit on the nippy side.  I made a bean salad which I hope will last me for the three days I'm in Cambodia.  I didn't do my morning walking because Vuth's call was at 6am and I staggered back to bed and stayed there a bit too long - until 8am.  I can't face exercising at that time as it means having breakfast around 10am.  I did wash my floor though.

It was the day for the power to be on for the morning.  I therefore prepared my lunch for 11.30am so I could cook something.  The power didn't go off; it was a mini miracle as it stayed on all day.  I kept doing things, just in case the power went off, but I needn't have bothered.

At 4pm I decided it was time to go outside to do a bit of shopping and to get my walking exercise.  I enjoyed walking along the riverside but I was a bit disappointed with the flags that fly along the promenade.  Normally, they are flags of many nations but this time the city have changed them to just the Cambodian flag, the Buddhist one and another one I can't figure out.  The sky was quite dark and then the wind got up.  It really upset the pigeons and tens of thousands of them flew up into the air.  I felt sorry for the poor folk who were trying to sell corn seeds for people to feed them.  All these pigeons worry me as I often wonder if it's possible for them to carry Bird Flu; if they can, then it would be disastrous here as there are so many people, especially children, playing amongst them.  Pigeons always look the same to me so I often wonder how the males pick out the females.  The wind was terrible and I thought it would start to rain and so I headed back home.  Once I left the riverside, and entered the built up streets, the wind died down and it was as if I was in another world.  

I came home and decided I should cook the various things I've got stored in the deep freeze - a bag of what are described as Bratwurst sausages which really look more like fat weiners.  I've also got some chicken wings and legs.  I made a marinade of fish sauce, garlic and soya sauce and marinaded them for a few hours and then cooked them; I also dealt with the sausage.  Now I can simply cook vegetables and warm up the meat and I have a prepared meal.  

I got cracking with my emails and I now owe absolutely no one a reply.  There'll be more tomorrow but for tonight I can sleep knowing that everyone single person has had a reply from me.  Yofrina, from Indonesia, sent an email with a short report of a school visit.  I couldn't be bothered getting off the sofa, where I was lounging, so I one finger plonked and checked her report.  I've never done that before; it's good to know it's possible.  I thought I'd done everything but then I realised I hadn't done my blog, so here it is and goodnight.  

A dining out day

I did my morning exercise and left Ponleu sleeping for a while while I paced up and down.  He came out of the bedroom, looking groggy.  Suddenly, the BBC programme changed to really bad music.  I knew what had happened - Ponleu had picked up my phone and was playing a game.  I pounced on him; he knows I don't like him playing games here - he does enough of that in his own home.

The power went off before we had chance for breakfast so we had to have glasses of something cold plus a sandwich.  Ponleu always wants toast.  I offered milk but he said it was bland - he's got attached to my sour cherry juice.  I enjoy his company as he's a smart lad and very warm hearted.  There wasn't much he could do as he knew he couldn't play games.  He ended up using the lego bricks for a while which I thought was good as he got them out without my having to pressure him.  Later on I took him home and I was asked to stay for lunch.  I couldn't as I was dining out.

At noon Luc and Sokha arrived.  I told him we could park the car and walk down the road to a place we'd been to before.  Luc thought of another place so we set off in the car.  There's always construction or renovation going on so parking's a nightmare.  Luc and I went inside and left Sokha to sort things out.  I pointed out that this particular restaurant is the twin of the place I'd mentioned - even the menu was the same.  I ordered a chicken dish which turned out to be a couple of boneless pieces with a cheese and mushroom sauce, along with fries and a bit of a salad - it was very good.  I was enjoying chatting when they saw Sotheary walking along the road - they shouted at her.  She rents a room at Peaceful Children's Home where Luc is based.

They got up and chased after her and brought her back.  She sat with us while we ate and she talked and talked in a rather loud and excitable voice.  I noticed a man at the next table.  He kept ordering a drink in a small glass, which he quickly downed.  He'd also got a glass with a slice of lime in it.  It seemed to me that he was having a gin and tonic but the gin went down separately and very quickly.  I think he eventually got fed up of listening to Sotheary so he moved to another table.  

She went on about the road that's planned to go through the land where the children's home is located and how Soubert should stand up and fight.  He knows everyone who is anyone in the country but he's a gentleman and doesn't like getting his hands dirty; he'd told me earlier that people were looking after it for him.  It's a serious situation as the road is six lanes wide and the children will have to cross it to go to school.  The huge stupa to his father will end up on the other side of the road, half the football field will disappear and some of the buildings.  A house is being built for Soubert by some of the boys he raised and, if the road is completed, he'll be in an isolated situation as the children will be moved to another home they have in Battambang.  Now the news is that someone has started an archeological dig on the land owned by Soubert; they've found parts of a 7th century structure.  So now that may help to detour the road.  I wouldn't mind seeing a dig, so I'll keep it in mind for when I return to Cambodia.  

I had promised the three boys I'd take them for a fruit shake by the river.  When I went to pick them up their parents and youngest daughter, Cheata, also came along.  We settle down to order the drinks and then Samnang (14) decided to order a pizza, Oudom and Ponleu a burger, mother Cina another pizza and Cheata a crispy bun with some meat inside - all of the dishes had loads of chips and salad.  I stuck to what I'd planned in the first place which was a 75 cents glass of draft beer - nice and cold.  I was being watched!  Oudom pointed upwards and I saw one of the cooks, on an upper floor, looking down on me.  I waved and he smiled.  Later on I waved at him to say goodbye.  

I'd only planned on having a drink but I was told I had to have some of the two pizzas; Oudom made me try some of his burger.  After eating we set off for the riverside.  Samnang raced ahead and we knew he'd go home on his own.  The rest of us sauntered along and went to the exercise area where we enjoyed using the equipment for a while.  It's always busy in the evenings so we had to wait for people to leave before we could use something.  It was a good way to end the evening.

Robots and biology lesson.

In Japan they are using robots to help take care of old people in care centres as there aren't enough people willing to do the job.  It was a bit creepy, and sad, listening to elderly people playing with a robot that's like a seal and a dog.  They talk to them as if they are human and it's weird hearing the robots respond.  In Singapore the kids in pre school are working with robots so we humans are slowly but surely becoming redundant.  The 'expert' said, "Do you remember when we were young and we had to learn about Microsoft in school?"  I couldn't help laughing; when I was young we had a pencil, paper and a pen we dipped into an ink well.  

I looked all over the place for my glasses.  I'm a creature of habit so I know they have to be in certain places but they weren't.  I forgot to check around my neck - it's an old age thing.  It's also a heat problem.  I don't mind having 38C outside but 35C inside the apartment is a bit too much.  I don't have AC in the living part of the apartment so I depend on a fan that just moves the hot air around a bit.

Makara and his wife, Sreypov, came for lunch.  The power was off so they bought lunch outside and brought it here.  I dragged the furniture into the living room so we could sit near the open door on the north side and get some fresh air.  Sreypov has just done two months of nursing upgrading in Japan as she works here in a Japanese hospital.  She was there for two months and, just before she was ready to return here, she had a bout of morning sickness - she discovered she was pregnant.  A few days earlier she'd been invited to a Disneyland fun park.  Fortunately, her Japanese friends were too afraid to go on the rollercoaster so she didn't either - it could have had disastrous effects on her child.  Cambodians cannot buy one dessert so I ended up with five. They aren't desserts as Western people know them but instead they are made of vegetables and fruit with coconut milk etc.  We also had slices of sour mango which we dipped into a sauce made of fish sauce, sugar and chillies.  The thought of it made  me cringe but it was actually quite tasty and it definitely helped to sweeten the sour mango.  They left me some Japanese chocolates.  Fortunately, there's only four in the box so they won't last long.  

Friends went to the border with Thailand to visit the temples; the famous one is Preh Vihear which is older than Angkor Wat.  In the past the border with Thailand was changed and I cannot fathom why the powers that be decided it should run right in front of the main entrance to the temple.  In fact, the front entrance is right on the border so it can only be entered from the Thai side.  There's a sort of a mini war going on there all the time as the Thais want to push the border further into Cambodia.  Meanwhile the village people on both sides speak the same language and go back and forth for school, shopping, hospital etc.  The Cambodian soldiers are not cared for by the government so my friends donated $250 so they could buy supplies.

Romanians are the second biggest group of 'foreigners' living in the UK - the Poles are the biggest.  One of those interviewed said it was difficult leaving one's country.  It reminded me of when I left Yorkshire to move to Canada.  In the early 60s there was no hugging in my family so I just got in the taxi and set off for the railway station.  I was heading for Liverpool and I had to change trains in Sheffield.  The train trip to Sheffield took about half an hour and during that time I wrote a homesickness letter home and posted it on the station platform.  I felt terrible, as if I'd betrayed the family.  So I definitely knew what she meant.

I had a phone call in the evening from Ponleu.  "Can I come over for the night?"  I agreed so off I went to collect him.  He chatters non-stop and asks so many questions.  The first one he asked this evening was, "How do married people not have children?"  He's 9 years old!  Then he said, "I think I'm adopted; my mother said I was mucky when she got me."  I'm going to have to have words with his parents.  He is adopted, along with his two brothers - his mother is the sister of their father.  I don't know where the idea of being mucky came from as he definitely wasn't.

It's going to be a long evening.

I’m going to have to learn to measure properly.

I'm going to have to alter my alarm.  Today I finished my exercise time and my other daily jobs - washing the floor and having a shower, and then the power went off for the morning.  So that meant no hot cup of tea for breakfast and no toast.  I had a sandwich instead but the word "sandwich" at 8am does not have the same emotional baggage as "toast".  

My sofa has decided to fall apart - one arm of it anyway.  I mentioned it to grandpa across the road so he came with his plastic bag of tools.  Earlier, I'd been playing my weekly game of Skip-Bo with Srun instead of our regular English class.  I get fed up teaching and I'm sure they get fed up with learning.  We always have a good time but once a week we play cards and chat.  I'm always fascinated by the attitude of people in this part of the world to things breaking down.  In the West we generally think, "Now where's the phone book so I can call someone to fix it."  Here, the people get out whatever tools they have and attack the problem.

Grandpa brought an enormous Bosch drill with a jar of bits, a few screws, a screwdriver and a hammer.  The hammer is definitely basic - it's a chunk of metal fixed to a piece of wood.  A discussion took place between grandpa and Srun and then the drilling started.  The wood is so hard they managed to break three bits.  I was fretting about my lovely, perfect sofa but then I decided to heck with it - the sofa's not mine anyway and, as I've been told many times, "Only God is Perfect."  I decided to relax and watch the fun.  It took them nearly an hour to drill a hole about 6 cms deep and another 15 minutes to put in the screw.  Then they applied a gooey, sticky type of glue to the hole and lo and behold I have a sofa arm that will stay put for the rest of my life time.  

I went to the pharmacy to get something for jet lag - I thought I'd buy it here rather than in Canada.  The tablets would have been on prescription in Canada but here it's over the counter.  I told the lady I'd take the whole box and I paid $4.50.  Back home I saw I had 100 tablets so that should do me for the rest of my travelling days.  I bought some vegetables so that Samnang could do some cooking tomorrow evening but then I realised the power would be off.  Such is life.

I decided to buy a pair of trousers for travelling.  The lady measured me and announced "36".  I've never been 36 in my life so I insisted on 34".  When I bought them she said, "How much?"  I said, "You tell me!"  They were $13.  I was very proud of my ability to purchase on my own but then, when I got home, I discovered I was going to have a challenge buttoning them up.  I think there's a different way of measuring here.  I remembered she'd measured my hips when she said 36" so maybe that's how trousers are labelled here, rather than the measurement being for the waist.  In fact, the younger generation wear pants that start at the hip.  I think I'm going to have to move the button!

It was Oudom's birthday today; he's 13.  The family had purchased a very nice chocolate and cream cake and it was shared with all the family and also the staff.  Oudom gave me the first slice and it was enormous so I didn't feel like having any dinner when I got back home.  

I've almost finished packing.  I am travelling premium economy from Taipei to Vancouver so I'm entitled to two bags.  I came with two because one of them contained 20+kg of Lego.  I've got all the clothing I need here, plus toiletries and other sundry items so I could really travel with an empty bag.  Fortunately, the smaller case will fit into the big one.  

Prejudices.

I suppose it's sad but I couldn't help laughing while listening to the BBC this morning.  A famous UK singer (whom I'd never heard of) has died in his 50s.  The news reader said people would remember him for his well known song, "Mirror in the bathroom."  I thought, "If the song's anything like the way I look in the mirror first thing in the morning, then it's going to be a pretty morbid song.  The "Arts Hour" was from London.  It's a public programme with an audience and a panel and they talk about the arts scene in London and other cities around the world.  They always have singers and song writers on the programme but today it was like listening to something from another planet.  They talked about all sorts of music styles that I'd never heard of - Grime, MC etc.  When I listened to some of it I decided I was glad I lived on another planet.

It's interesting how we can be dead against something.  In the 60s I was dead against beards.  I used to think that the beard was hiding something - maybe a weak chin.  Now I'm dead against tattoos.  In my early days it was only service men who had a mother, girlfriend or wife tattooed on an arm.  Now they crawl all over the place.  A couple of years ago I was in Pattaya in Thailand and I couldn't enjoy the beach because of all the bare skin that was covered with enormous tattoos.  Here, the older Khmer men sometimes have tattoos but they are delicate, filigreed things based on protection by spirits.  Some of the younger city boys have them but it's nothing compared to the foreign population who are lathered with them.  I met a Cambodian lad who had a rather big tattoo and he said it cost $100 and took 7 hours.  A Canadian friend said it would have cost $700 in Canada.  People must be walking around with a fortune on their bodies.  Anyway, it's not my body and it's not my money so I should stop harping on about it.

With the three lads across the road being hooked on gaming I've also decided to take a negative attitude towards the pastime - or job in some cases.  Today my attitude changed a tiddly bit when I listened to a Norwegian man talk about his son who had a very rare muscular disease that eventually killed him in his early 20s.  The boy got into a game called World of Warcraft and spent most of his time playing the game alone in his room.  His parents thought he wasn't having a life as he was in a wheelchair and couldn't do much for himself.  When he died, hundreds of people came to the funeral and he got even more emails from those who couldn't be there.  Apparently, the lad had developed all these friendships playing the game.  He'd created a hero character that was kind, compassionate etc and he was loved by so many people.  I'm still fearful of gaming for young people but I can now see it has a good side.

I couldn't think of what to do today, with there being no power, so I typed some of my Nigerian diary.  It's fascinating re-living the old days.  I'm glad that I remember a lot of it.  Today I typed a list of the Canadians, who came to Nigeria with World University Service of Canada in the early 1980s and what was happening to them; the list had over twenty names and the people had all left for various reasons.  Some people couldn't stand Nigeria while some were kicked out.  One teacher from Saskatchewan was giving out Bibles in a Muslim school.  This was in 1982 so I am impressed with myself as I managed to survive until 1984 and then I left on my own accord.  The problems we faced with corruption, cheating, disappearing teachers etc are amazing and also how we managed to enjoy being there - at least I did.  

This morning I plugged in my phone and iPad and I was glad I did as the power went off part way through our English class.  It was funny because the three of us suddenly felt hot and we all looked up at the non-whirring fan at the same time.  The lads were obviously suffering, wafting themselves with their exercise books, so I sent them back to the office.  Phearak's lucky as he's a messenger and is often out on his motorbike delivering travel documents.  He stayed awake today; it was interesting because he came before he had lunch.

It was about 35C inside the apartment so I decided to plonk myself in a chair on the balcony.  It was 37C there but it faces north so the heat didn't feel too bad.  I kept looking into the living room to see if the fan was moving and it finally came on at 6pm.  Just in time to heat up some dinner.  

Oh for some rain and electricity

I was very happy this morning as I had finished my exercise and washed the floor before 8.30am.  I plugged in the kettle but it wouldn't work.  I've had it fixed three times by grandpa across the road so I decided to heat water for tea in the microwave.  I put the bread in the toaster but it too wasn't working.  "Well, I suppose I can go across the road with two gadgets instead of one."  When I went to the fridge - no light - the power was off yet again.  So no toast and no tea for breakfast.

What to do?  Everything in the house depends on electricity.  Thornin phoned to say their power was off at 6.30am.  They are lucky as they cook in the restaurant using propane and charcoal so they can still treat their customers to breakfast.  I have a book I can read but it's on my iPad and I was worried about the battery dying; the same with my phone.

I decided I might just as well sit on the balcony, relax and watch the world go by.  At 12.30pm the young men came for English class.  Well, Srun did; I think Phearak came to sleep.  He even got up and went to wash his face as he couldn't stay awake.  He'd had seven hours of sleep so it wasn't as if he'd been burning the candle at both ends.  I had some "Boost" tablets, left by the dental group, so I popped one in a glass and I told him he'd be full of vim and vigour.  He looked doubtful.  He's always sleepy but today he was beyond being sleepy.  I kid with him that he shouldn't eat lunch before class as he always eats a meat based lunch.

The power came back on around 1pm so now the fan is whirring away.  

I heard on the news today about the plane that was supposed to fly from London to Dusseldorf but ended up in Edinburgh by mistake.  It's all to do with the flight plan given to the pilots.  It almost seems that they don't know where they are going but depend on this plan.  Apparently, it was a plan from the day before.  It reminded me of a flight I took to Thunder Bay a couple of years ago.  Officially, it had a stop over in Winnipeg but my boarding passes mentioned Saskatoon.  On the tarmac in Edmonton there were three planes going to various places and we were told to go to the one we needed to take.  I boarded the flight and the stewardess looked at my boarding passes and said I was on the wrong plane.  "This flight is for Winnipeg," she said.  I told her I was going to Winnipeg via Saskatoon.  She had to check with the pilot before she'd let me on board.  So it seems to me that only the passengers really know where they are going.

It's amazing what the lack of power can do to a person's life.  At the moment my life seems to have gone into a state of hibernation with very little happening.  I did have 20 minutes of excitement in the evening when I went to the shop to buy some supplies.  On a whim I bought some McVitie chocolate whole wheat biscuits.  I made a cup of tea and sat down with the package to devour them one by one.  It didn't work.  I hadn't realised that the shop also had a power cut and so the chocolate had melted and the biscuits were stuck together in one big clump.  I still nibbled away.

Power’s off again

I wonder if we've had the rain we were promised?  We had some lightning and thunder in the late evening yesterday and a sprinkling of rain.  This morning the sky was dull so I'm hoping there's more to come.

It's amazing the thoughts that come into my head when I do a simple task I do most days.  Today it was removing the lid from the top of the toaster.  I presume it's to keep things out but what those things are I don't know.  Lifting it off today reminded me of way back in the 1960s when I lived in Calgary.  Friend Maureen worked for Agness Hammond who owned a large ranch and also kept hundreds of pedigree dogs.  Maureen had a small cottage on the property and one year her mother and others visited.  To say that Agness was overwhelmed by having so many dogs is an understatement.  They were well cared for, happy, successful in shows but they had taken over her life.  Her home was as messy as the kennels.  I remember her scrubbing the top of a stool with a Brillo pad because a dog had pooped on it.  Agness had been given two huge South American monkeys and one day Maureen saw one of the monkeys sitting and peeing on the toaster.  Later that day, Maureen brought over her mother and friends to visit with Agness.  It was afternoon tea time so Agness did the usual and asked them if they'd like some toasted raisin bread.  Mother was all for it but Maureen tried her best to dissuade her, saying she'd just eaten and maybe didn't need any more food - she lost.  Mother did survive as I met her a few years later.  

I was fascinated by the news that an American aeroplane manufacturing company is working on a totally electric plane for EasyJet.  Norway has decided that no solid fuel aircraft will be able to operate from that country or even fly over it by 2040.  So I have a feeling that things are moving along, even if we don't know about them.  

The morning went well; in other words it's been a day with nothing happening.  My suitcase is open on the spare bed and I pop things into it as I think about.  This morning I read about someone with swollen feet because she travelled to Greece and didn't wear compression stockings; that reminded me to get mine out.  

I've been looking at flights to the UK in case I have to make a trip; it's amazing to me that it's a bit cheaper to go from SE Asia than it is from Edmonton.  Maybe it's partly because of landing fees at Canadian airports but I'm sure it's also because there's a lack of competition in Canada when it comes to airlines.

When the two young men came over at 12.30 for their English lesson I put on a shirt so that I looked professional; today it was an elderly shirt made of nylon.  It was nice and cool when they arrived, with the ceiling fan whirring away.  After a while I started to feel a bit flushed and Phearak started to waft his exercise book in the air.  Srun looked up - no whirring fan, the power had gone off.  That's the second time in six months - what's the government playing at?  When I asked the men if the power goes off where they live they told me it went off for the entire day and many times during the week.  Apparently, the situation in the country is very bad because people are using more electricity with it being so hot.  The country is even buying electricity from Thailand which makes its use more expensive.  The first thing I did, when they left, was to remove my shirt and get back to normal.  Luckily, it's been a cloudy day so I was able to sit on the balcony.  

Lovely time on the back of a motorbike

I did finally get to sleep but it came after battling with Oudom for a while.  I keep forgetting that his arms and legs carry quite a punch when he flings them through the air.  I woke up at 6.30am and did some exercises.  Noch phoned to say he would be here at 9am so I stopped exercising at 8am to have breakfast.  I woke Oudom up but he decided to stay in bed until 8.40am and then he wanted breakfast.  I mentioned to Oudom that I was going to have a shower.  "You'll find some of the soap missing; not a lot of it, just a little bit."  I asked him what he'd been up to.  "I thought I'd put it in the microwave to see what happened."  I can now add soap to the list of other things he's microwaved, including chewing gum and styrofoam.  

Noch is so shy and reserved and his English isn't good so I always have a hard time understanding him.  He phoned and told me he was here; I couldn't see him at the front so I went to the back balcony and still couldn't see him.  I phoned him and he said he was at the back.  It turned out he'd been jitterbugging back and forth from front to back.  

While I was sorting out Oudom and his breakfast, Noch tackled my dishes.  I can't stop him doing things.  Eventually, we sorted ourselves out and I took Oudom home.  I kept asking Noch where we were going.  Initially, he said, "To the Royal University of Fine Arts."  When I asked what I'd be doing there he said, "You can read a book."  I had no idea what was going on.  We set off on his motorbike and I enjoyed the ride, even though I can't stand wearing a helmet.  I'd not been inside this particular campus so I was surprised at the number of motorbikes in the parking area - there were many hundreds, and it was a Sunday.  Noch suggested walking around the small lake and I saw many students sitting on mats; some were studying others chatting and others checking their phones.   All of them looked at me as if I was something from another planet.  I suppose it was because I looked like them in that I had my backpack but there was a 60 years difference.  

After our walk we settled down in a cafeteria area and I was presented with an enormous tub of  chocolate and strawberry ice cream, a large plate of fries and a bottle of water.  There were students everywhere, mostly studying together.  It did my heart good to see them in this situation - and on a Sunday too.  Noch said he was going to study so I read my book on my iPhone.  Study for Noch meant reading his hand written notes for about half an hour.  I don't fully understand what is happening in Noch's life.  He graduated a couple of weeks ago with a Bachelor's degree and now he's studying for six more months; to do this he has to quit his job at the justice department but he's still on their books.  The six months of study are followed by six months doing something else and then he's posted to Kratie Province to work in the courts as a clerk of the court.  I'm sure he's moving up the ladder but I wish I fully understood.  He loses his salary while studying although he said something about being given around $25 a month but that wasn't definite.  I'm going to talk to Thornin and Vuth to see about releasing some of the Trust funds to help him.    We then did some more walking around the campus; two young men, sitting on the grass, looked up and smiled.  I wonder why?  

Noch said it was lunch time although I was still full from the food he'd bought.  We found Vitking House, which is a popular vegetarian restaurant.  It was packed so we waited about half an hour for our table and our meal.  It's scorching hot weather but I decided on the sizzler plate - a metal dish with noodles, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms, fried egg and some slices that look like meat but aren't.  It was the wrong dish to order on a hot day.

Noch was going to a wedding so he dropped me off and went home to get dressed up.  I decided to 'relax' and read a book, which meant falling asleep.  When it's hot I wake up so groggy I can hardly move.  I do wish it would rain.  We were promised 90 percent rain for Friday, Saturday and Sunday but so far nothing.  In Battambang the authorities have created an earth wall across the river in the downtown area to keep a depth of water for residents on one side of the wall.  It really does need to rain.  

Child Minding

One of these days, a day in Cambodia will end the way I thought it would.  Yesterday, I sent my diary off early because I thought that was the end of anything happening.  Then I got a call from Vuth; "Would you like to go out for a drink?"  I said I would so I went across to his office.  He decided to phone Tola who was happy to join us.  He hadn't eaten dinner so the walk to the riverside changed to a car drive.  We drove to the riverside and parked at a hotel I'd never visited before; Tola obviously had so we followed him into the elevator and up to the 3rd floor where we found a very nice sky bar.  It was on the edge of the river so there was no need for it to be very high.  The wind blew lustily so it was lovely and cool.  The tables had a glowing gadget rather than a light and so, looking at the menu was a challenge.  With the aid of the glow Tola ordered food.  When it came, Vuth said, "You didn't order anything for us!"  We'd both already eaten but Vuth said he couldn't have a drink without eating something and so we ended up with a plate of chicken wings, a plate of some sort of bbq'd meat on a stick and a plate of French fries.  

We stayed for a couple of hours, watching the world go by and then went back to the office.  I was saying hello to Cina when Ponleu came down the steps carrying a bag; he declared he was coming over to stay for the night - and thus my evening changed even more.  When we arrived home he said, "Let's find a movie!"  This time I watched almost two hours of Berenstain Bears.  I've mentioned them before because they are very gentle movies about families of bears.  They are full of learnings for children and very moral.  It beats me how Ponleu, and others, can love these movies and then switch to killing people with computer games.  We ended up watching the movies in bed as I was ready to flop.

When the lads are here for breakfast I have to put on my thinking cap.  Ponleu enjoys cheese on toast but it has to be paper thin and warmed in the microwave.  We sat on the balcony and I listened to his patter about various things and then he decided we needed story telling.  I told him it was too early so he said we should do riddles.  This meant sitting for an hour listening to a riddle and then being given three chances to solve them.  His last one would be difficult, he said, so I had ten chances.  "A girl stood on the side of a river.  She wanted to cross but the bridge was broken.  She closed her eyes and, when she opened them she was across the river."  I started to guess.  "You need to stop guessing and start to think," he told me.  

I had no clue and I finished my 10 chances.  "The bridge broke exactly in half so one half looked the same as the other half.  The bank on the other side was the same as on this side, so she thought she'd got across.  You only got two right but that's better than none at all," Ponleu said.

I took Ponleu home for lunch and arranged to take him and Oudom for a haircut and then for a fruit shake.  Oudom asked me how I liked his special sports shoes he'd bought in Bangkok.  "They cost nearly $100," he said.  I asked him why spend so much when he was still growing and he told me these were a size too big so he'd be wearing them for a long time.  I don't think I've even spent $50 on a pair of shoes and he's a 12 year old.  

Back home I had lunch and settled down on the bed to read my book.  There's AC in the bedroom and I thought it would be a relief from the heat.  Not long after settling down in the cool air the power decided to go off and two hours later it's still off.  I'm therefore going to be flexible; there's no point in going for a fruit shake or a haircut so I'll just wait.  We're supposed to have rain this weekend so maybe it's still on its way.  

I went to get the boys and hammered on the door but nothing happened.  The bell wasn't working as the electricity decided to go off for a few hours.  I can't complain as it's the first time since coming last October.  I'm living near the National Bank and I presume, for security reasons, they always need electricity.  It went off this afternoon so maybe power isn't needed in the afternoon when employees aren't working.  It only takes me about 20 minutes to go over the road but it really gets my goat when my visit is wasted.  I have to change into street clothes and then out of them when I come back.  I saw one of the lads swinging in the hammock so I yelled across the road but got no response.  

I sent a tex message to Oudom saying I'd be over at 4.45pm and, if they weren't there, my invitation to fruit shake etc was cancelled.  At the appointed time I went over and rang the bell; it was working as the power was back on.  I rang again and again.  Finally Ponleu came to the door.  I went inside and he raced in front of me as fast as he could, back to his computer game.  Oudom was sitting there at a computer with his headset on.  I gave him heck for not answering the door.  "I only heard it once," he said.  Kids baffle me.  I did my usual count down from 10 and got them moving.  

We first of all went to the street barber.  He has a chair, table, mirror and umbrella.  Ponleu climbed a tree and sat in it for a while.  When he came down he hunted around on the ground for things of interest.  He's always so focused on the ground he often nearly gets knocked down by traffic.  This time he picked up some rubbish - it was bright purple and looked like a bit of a chimney sweep's brush.  He fiddled around with it until Oudom said it might be a toilet brush.  Two dollars later they left looking quite smart; I think I'll go to the man before I leave for Canada.

Oudom says I should consider getting Apple Ear Buds.  In amazon.ca they are around $275 but here they are US$159.  He said I had to think carefully why I needed or wanted them.  He gave me three things I had to think about - this is someone who's just got a $100 pair of shoes.  We decided to go to Surya Mall for our fruit shake and so he could look around for the ear buds.  We did see some so we know where to go.  He said I needed to be concerned if they were real or not but he'd come with me to make sure I wasn't cheated.  I had an avocado shake and the boys had passion fruit, which always tastes too tangy for my liking.

I took them home, had a couple of hours of peace and quiet and then Oudom came over for the night.  At bedtime I congratulated him on giving me a relatively quiet evening; normally he's full of questions about GDPs and national military strengths.  He's into a programme called "Choices" which allows you to choose characters and options for the story they are involved in.   I was also given a lesson on Australia and computer languages; it's a sobering thing feeling inferior to a 12 year old.  

Nothing to report

I don't know whether I should feel happy or sad; this has been a day of nothingness.

I did my morning exercises and then had a shower.  After that I decided to wash the floor and also tackle the 38 steps leading down to the ground.  I should have taken my shower after the floor washing exercise because I was ready for another shower at 10.30am.  It's quite depressing, looking under the downstairs neighbour's kitchen cabinets and seeing all the junk lying on the floor and the mouse dropping.  I just don't understand how they can take so much care with their personal hygiene but not with the home they live in.  Vuth's already decided, when they leave in October, he may not rent it again to other parties.  I've told him to keep the damage deposit until the mess is cleaned up.  I've gone past the kitchen many times a day since last October and I don't see anything moving - the broom, the mop, the waste bins always look the same.  On the other hand, plastic bags seem to be building up day by day.  I've never seen them taking rubbish out of the apartment; it's all very strange.  

I had a leisurely breakfast on the balcony which lasted until 10am.  It's not so hot at that time of day and the traffic has died down.  Life went by until lunch time when I decided to wait until after my English lesson - it never happened as the two men didn't show up.  It doesn't bother me whether they come or not but I wish they'd let me know as I dress up for their visit.  That means changing my shorts and putting on a clean shirt.

By the time I realised they were not coming, I couldn't be bothered with any lunch so I just had yogurt and banana.  Bananas ripen so quickly here; I bought mine on Tuesday and they already look miserable.  The afternoon went by.  I decided to lie on the sofa and read a book.  That's something I should never do because,  before long, the book is put down and I nod off.  I woke up around 3.30pm and read some more.  On a whim I checked messages and saw one from my nephew in England saying, "She'll be in at 9-ish."  He meant my sister Barbara whom I'd promised to phone.  I managed to have a 15 minute chat but had to say goodbye as I'd promised to take the three boys for a fruit-shake by the river.  I was told they'd be back from school at 4pm but they finally arrived at 5pm just as I was writing a note cancelling the idea.  We wouldn't have a leisurely time because I'd have to bring them back to get ready for Chinese class.  I had to laugh because dad suggested going and cancelling Chinese; not mother!  

While I was in the travel office I listened to a conversation between two visitors and Meakara.  He has the patience of Job.  The woman came from Spain and the man from China so questions on visas was so complicated.  They were talking for over half an hour, trying different routes to be able to get into various countries.  In the end they just walked out.  I think travel agents should be able to charge for giving advice as I've seen this happen so many times.  I wouldn't have the patience.

Back home I had my dinner on the balcony.  We've been promised rain today but now the weather people say it'll be tomorrow.  We do need a cooling down.  Today it's been 37C inside my apartment.  I am able to carry on and not worry about it but there's a heaviness in the air which is very depressing.  Maybe 10C in Alberta isn't such a bad idea

Pigeons and packing

I leave two weeks to today.  I've started packing.  I only have things to fill my small suitcase but, because I travel premium economy I'm allowed two suitcases.  I'll therefore put the small suitcase inside the big one and off I'll go.  

I feel like a celebrity.  A Cambodian friend put my photograph on his mobile phone as his screen saver.  I can't imagine anyone wanting to turn on his/her phone and to find my face staring at him.  The comment on the photo says, "Inspiration for the day."  I wrote and asked him if I was only an inspiration one day a year.  He hasn't replied yet so maybe he's still thinking.

Local friends want to have a farewell dinner on the 3rd, which should be fun.  I'm wondering if it's connected with the Yorkshire expression, "We hate to lose you but we think you ought to go."  

A racing pigeon has been sold in the UK for around £1.25 million.  That makes it as valuable as a famous racehorse.  It's nice to know people still race pigeons.  In my younger days our neighbours raised pigeons and often I'd be at their home watching the birds return after a race.

I haven't seen the lads for English class for weeks.  One of them has decided to get application forms from the French Embassy to study for a Master's degree in France.  His English is minimal and his French zero so I doubt he's going to get beyond filling in the form.  A friend is now studying for her Master's in France - if you do your degree in French it's almost free.  It must hark back to the days when this part of the world was a French Protectorate - the French were brutal so maybe this is their way of saying 'sorry'.  Lily's in her first year; next year she'll do half the year in France and the other half somewhere in Quebec.

I waited for Samnang to appear so he could cook my soup; by 5pm I decided he wasn't coming so I cooked it myself.  He was miffed when he saw I'd done everything.  One supermarket puts together a meal package with vegetables and sometimes meat or fish.  It has the ingredients for a local dish.  I buy the vegetable package and turn it into a soup by adding potatoes, onions, carrots etc so it's a meal by the time I've finished.  

In the evening I went with Tola, Ratha and Vuth to a restaurant that specialises in Cambodian food.  By Cambodian standards it's not that expensive - around $7 a dish.  We ordered three dishes and shared.  We had a beef dish cooked with red ants, a salad that had lotus seeds in it - they are as big as nuts and very tasty; I have no clue what the third dish was.  Usually, when two or more Cambodians get together, they speak in their own language.  Today I decided to assert myself so the conversation was either in English or I had translation.  Looking around the room I saw that my friends were the only Cambodians there; the rest were foreigners.  I was told that parking is terrible so the locals don't go as they arrive in their own cars; tourists are dropped off by taxis.  

I went to the office with Vuth as it was still open and the family were sitting chatting.  They were eating roasted pumpkin seeds.  They are delicious but I don't have the patience to nibble the end and then crack them open to get the seed - I eat everything and they still takes good.  They want to give me a packet to take home but I'm not sure I can get them through customs.

Life is full of surprises

I went to bed early last night but, around 1am, I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep.  I contemplated reading and then the phone rang.  It was brother John in England; poor lad doesn't seem to fully understand time differences.  We had a great chat for nearly an hour and, when I said goodbye, I was so wound up I couldn't sleep.  I then read for an hour.  I'm thoroughly enjoying "The Shadow of the Wind", by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.  It's a translation from the Spanish and I'm loving the flow of the words and the story itself.  It's all based around a book and is a sort of detective story.

I got up around 6.30am and managed to do most of my 10,000 steps before the phone rang; it was Thornin asking if we could have coffee together before he returned to Battambang.  I did my Sir Galahad bit on the way for coffee.  An elderly man fell of his motorbike so I helped him get up.  Two other people came to help and one of them sounded quite angry so maybe he did something he shouldn't have done.  He wasn't hurt.  Coffee shop visits always end up being long, drawn out chats and so we stayed for 1 1/2 hours.  I happened to ask him a question about the market and he said he had to go there to buy gifts for me to carry to Canada and so off we went.  By the time we'd finished shopping, it was time for lunch and so off we went to the food court in the Surya Supermarket.  I normally wander around on my own to choose something but today I told him to get me the same as he got.  I told him I always noticed that his meals looked better than mine so it was better for me to get the same thing.  We had lunch and then he dropped me off at home.  I enjoyed my morning so much I forgot about English class.  Anyway, it was payback time as the lads didn't bother coming the day before.  

There was a mouse in the live trap this morning so I took it to the balcony and let it sail through the air with the greatest of ease.  How they land safely, and run off, after a jump from a 3rd floor balcony is beyond me.  It's also beyond me why they visit the trap when there's no food in it.  Curiosity not only killed the cat!   I had another balcony visitor - a sparrow.  It was pulling strands of the grasses from my broom, presumably to add to the nest.  

I was so droopy, with being up half the night, I decided to have a snooze.  Now there's no such word as 'snooze' in my vocabulary if it involves an afternoon nap - I end up sleeping and it's so hard for me to get moving again.  I thought I'd have a cold wake-up shower but, with the water tank being on the roof, it turned out to be a warm one which didn't have the same effect.  I do my best letter writing early in the day so I'm not so enthusiastic about computers in the late afternoon and evening and so none got done.  Then, in walked Samnang, who decided to stay as long as he could instead of going to Chinese class.  I told him about Google's new gaming programme so he searched on the internet and I then had a 1 1/2 hour lesson in gaming and its technicalities.  It's interesting being taught things I don't know by a 14 year old.  His mother normally phones to make sure he's left for class but this time she phoned to say he wasn't in class - she'd obviously phoned the teacher.  She knows the boys hate learning Chinese but she's determined they do.  I'm on the side of the boys as I'm sure I'd hate going every weekday evening, after school, for 2 solid hours.  

There was an interesting programme on the BBC this morning about the cures for malaria.  Mao Tse Tung ordered scientists to search old books for ancient Chinese herbal cures.  They found Sweet Worm, also known as Artemisia in a 4th century manuscript and that became the basis for research.  It was during the cultural revolution and the top scientist's husband was put into a labour camp and her children in care - so much for being a well respected, hard working lady.  Everything was top secret so their success was not shared with the West for many years.  They even had to test their discovery on themselves in the lab.  I wonder how much Artemisia is in the stuff we buy nowadays?

I enjoyed today

I was out of bed and marching up and down by 6.45am - I was quite proud of myself.  I had an early shower and set off to meet Vuth.  Together we went for noodle soup to a new place.  Cina likes it because they give customers a large bowl of bean sprouts rather than a few which happens in the other place where we go - that place is also more expensive.  Where we went was a more run down place but the service was fast, the place was packed and the food was good.  I had fish balls; they are made by scraping the meat from the fish and creating these balls.  What fascinates me is that they don't taste like fish when they are made into the balls.

I told Vuth I wanted to buy some brown bread so we went to a new shop that's in the Bred Bank building.  I bought two rye loaves and Vuth wanted a sourdough loaf.  A lady chatted with him and then she said in English, "I'll give you a 20% reduction."  It turned out that Bred employees get this deal if they shop there for snacks and coffee.   Vuth old her he had an account at the bank and so I got the deal.  I went back with him to Cina Travel and left the bread as I needed to stock up on supplies from Surya supermarket.  I got my vegetables,  I have cheese but I saw Double Gloucester, which I couldn't resist.  I bought fruity yogurt and Greek style and some bananas.  I picked up the bread on the way home, emptied the bag and then set off to E-mart to buy my sour cherry juice - none available!   All that walking meant I'd done nearly 16,000 so I'm quite chuffed.  Maybe they gave up on it as I've been away for two weeks.  I'll have to ask them to get it for me when I return in the autumn.  I also bought some fancy French pate in tins which will do me for snacks.  I had to visit two other shops to see if there was more brown bread available.  I need some square bread for the toaster.

For lunch I made a batch of bean salad and had bread, cheese and pate with a yogurt and some juice and then I settled into writing letters.  Vuth phoned to ask me if I'd like to go out for a coffee.  He said we'd go to an ordinary place rather than a trendy coffee shop, which meant it would be cheaper.  I had an iced coffee with milk and after we'd had our drink Vuth bought a 'pow' which is a large dumpling stuffed with meat and egg.  I was fascinated by one of the waitresses.  Each customer had a plate and a deep bowl for their soup.  When the table emptied the waitress started to stack the dishes to take them to the kitchen.  Now if it had been me, I'd have taken the plates and stacked them on top of each other and I'd have done the same with the bowls.  Not this lady; for some reason she thought it was easier to stack each plate and bowl combination on top of another plate and bowl.  She ended up with a stack about seven bowls high and then she marched off to the kitchen.  The young teenaged lads were just as interesting.  They would come from the kitchen, carrying about five glasses of iced coffee in one hand - no handles, just the glasses sitting on their not so big hands; how they did it I don't know.  It's cheap entertainment!  

When we got back to the office Vuth phoned a place to prepare snacks for the staff - sticky rice, stuffed with various things and wrapped in banana leaf.  He said I should stay but I told him I was already full and couldn't eat anything else.  The restaurant was super noisy but it was a happy noise of people talking; in the coffee shops the noise is from the coffee making machinery.  We paid $2.50 for the coffee and pow; it would have been more than $3.00 for a simple coffee in a coffee shop.  I said to Vuth the cheaper place most likely made more money as people come and go; in the coffee shops the people with a bit more money will order a coffee and then stay forever doing their computer stuff.  

I came home and tackled the floor again.  It's amazing how it looks clean but then proves it isn't.  I notice it when I go into the bathroom as the floor is always a bit wet and I leave dirty footprints.  I got my suitcase ready and started packing for my return to Canada.  I have to create space for when the UofA students come in May so I tackled the cupboards and sorted out my extra toothbrushes, soap, shaving stuff etc.  The wood looks a bit dismal so I did some polishing so now the place smells good.  I then settled down to the letter writing I'd started four hours ago before Vuth interrupted me.  

Back to Phnom Penh and I’m not moving any more.

I woke up at 4am when Boroith got up to go on his morning bike ride with friends.  I then woke up again at 6am when the boys went to school.  I finally crawled out of bed at 7.30am; 'crawled' is the right word because I end up moving from the mattress to the floor on my hands and knees.

The neighbourhood lads were already lounging in the hammocks, having a puff and a drink.  They come and they go; sometimes they relax in the picnic spaces and at other times they banter with mother and Seyneth.   The coconut delivery man came and there was more shouting from the ladies as they had a friendly bargaining banter over the price.  I think they should give him extra for carrying enormous bunches that are very heavy.  The lady street sweepers came by, brushing up the dead leaves, with (I think) a husband coming behind with the cart to pick things up.  Seyneth and mother shout at people going by on their motorbikes.  It's totally different to big city life.  Boroith came and then disappeared; I decided he'd gone back to work so I wouldn't see him again.  

The family asked what I'd like for lunch and they'd pack it for me.  I declined and said I'd have a late breakfast instead and so, at 9am, I was feasting on pumpkin cooked with minced meat and rice, a soup and dried beef.  At 10am Seyneth took me to the Arunras Hotel where I'd catch the Golden Bayon express van for Phnom Penh.  We really shouldn't search for information on the internet.  Earlier, I looked at this company on Trip Advisor and it said 78% thought they were a terrible company.  I decided there was no point worrying about it so I climbed into seat number 8 and found a space for my bag.  It turned out to be quite a pleasant ride back to the city; maybe that was because there wasn't a lot of traffic on the road so we were able to speed along without doing much in the way of overtaking.

I've always known there were brick factories on the highway to Phnom Penh but this time I decided to count them; I counted 22.  I've never seen a brick factory in Alberta; are there any?  The best thing about Golden Bayon is that their depot is just 10 minutes walk from my apartment so I was home very quickly and ready for a shower as it is so hot nowadays.  

I'd been away for a week so I knew I'd be facing dust.  I unpacked and then filled the bucket with water and tackled the floor; the water going down the toilet was black.  I sat on the balcony with some biscuits and cheese and a cup of lemon grass tea and caught up with life.

I've been thinking about blogs and diaries and I've decided they are two different things.  Sometimes I want to mutter about people and events but I feel that I can't in the blog as I might upset people.  Readers may not like my gossip but I'm wondering is it gossip if I'm just talking to myself in my diary?