Crabs anyone?

Kep, Cambodia is the home of crabs

Given how close the crab bamboo baskets are from shore, it has made us very trepidatious about swimming in the sea.  The (mainly) girls who run into the water to retrieve the baskets wear stockings & thongs or sandals to provide a little protection from these imposing claws-not a great fashion statement but a necessary part of the crab-basket-retrievers risk mitigation strategy I suspect.

Kep is tiny.  We are thankfully staying in a lovely resort & using this time to slow down (not sure how much slower we can get) & relax in the resort.  We have wonderful privacy & have convinced ourselves that we have planned this ultimate indulgence.  We feel a bit guilty that we have an entire staff waiting on us but that's the challenge of low season for places like this which are not necessarily on the standard tourist trail.

The crab boats go out morning, mid-morning & evening.  They are busy people & the boats seem tiny in the sea.  The crab markets are a competitive place, you think the crabs have claws ...

We have eaten crabs with peppercorns, crab with noodles, crab with rice, crab with vegetables, crab with pepper sauce, crab with an undisclosed sauce.  Delicious as it is, it's a bit of work to get to the gold so we may have had our fill.

Top 5

1. We are thankful that we have jobs where the claws can figuratively rather than literally come out
2. The passion of the crab sellers is admirable.  They are harsh, competitive, focused when it comes to a prospective sale but can still have a laugh with the customers & their colleagues between times
3. New experiences can be found on the road less travelled
4. Sometimes, too much of a good thing is too much
5. The benefits of planned relaxation and occasional indulgence are innumerate

Funny, strange & true

Inner wear as outer wear

Before Madonna made it a thing, the Cambodian women in Kampot were blending inner wear & outerwear.  We have seen bank workers, market sellers, housewives wearing pyjamas to go about their business.  Fluffy slippers also seems derigeur

The humble bucket...

The humble bucket has so many uses.  We have seen a clothes washing being done in Inle Lake from floating houses & longboats; in the sea; in rivers while tourist boats pass to see the sunset.  We have also seen lots of examples of where the footpath is an extension of the kitchen bench to behead & pluck a chicken (below); pluck herbs; & cut & deliver ice (given the number & ferocity of the tools at play it really was an "Ice man cometh" moment.

New friends in new lands

Our family together & individually have been the subject of many, many photographs.  It has been a nice way to meet local people.  We always hunt out parks & play centres to provide an opportunity for C to meet little friends.  It's amazing how much enjoyment can be achieved without a shared vocabulary.  Adults & children alike have been equally curious, about all of us but especially about her.

Top 5

1. Our experience on this trip is that people are universally attracted & intrigued by difference.
2. A smile, a wave or a word can do a lot to create shared warmth and friendship.
3. Kids at play are great teachers. There may be some initial wariness or hesitancy but it is quickly overcome.  C has giggled for an hour playing tag with some kids in Phnom Penh; playing in a park with a very articulate girl in a Hong Kong park; playing in temples in Myanmar & Cambodia with kids.
4. We've yet to meet anyone who is shy about giving my arm a squeeze or my belly a poke.
5. Engaging with new kids in new environments has allowed C to contrast playing at home & playing with her friends.  Each time she has played with someone, she has also then reflected later that she would love to have some of her friends here.  Mummy & Daddy aren't quite enough sometimes. Sophie, Connar, Millie, Bethy, Iris, Alice, Karolina, Jett, Zachery & many others are often mentioned.

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you

Our big girl has turned 5.

Her primary birthday wish was to be 'the boss' for the day. We had to do whatever she said all day (it obviously didn't last long as some of the requests were questionable).  Here she is in her birthday chair (pink & purple tinsel covered chair from the Russian market in Phnom Penh) with an enormous birthday cake made by Kampot Pie & Ice-creamery.  They were so considerate, providing plates, spoons & a large plastic knife to cut the cake for our little party.




Although we didn't plan on lots of presents, there ended up being quite a few, including this gorgeous Cambodian wedding dress which was a gift from the woman who runs The Tiny pillow shop in Kampot.  I think I was her best (ever) customer so she threw it in much to my delight.  They sell tiny pillows (?) & make beautifully embroidered tablecloths etc.  She made one for me while I waited.


C chose a new place for breakfast & to go there by tuk-tuk rather than walking.  We then returned to the hotel to have our cake & play in the pool all day with an enormous blow-up dog.  It was good fun.

Miss C's second wish for the day was a grand indulgence - to go on every single one of the 4 rides at the night market (& one of them twice). She had been on one of the rides the day before so was most enamoured of a longer return journey. The rides cost between 25c & 75c so were absolutely affordable.  One of the rides was a tad hairy as little Cambodian children seemed to be climbing all over the structure while the ride was going.  We finished the ride early, imposing our own OH&S standards & also because both participants looked petrified.  We had a lovely, relaxed & memorable day with our beautiful girl.  She was delighted to receive several telephone calls, emails & texts with good wishes, including a beautiful photo of all of her kinder friends and a photo of a Happy birthday cake painted by Alice.

The only wrinkle in the day was C's disgruntlement that she hadn't grown or changed as she is convinced that there is a meaningful & observable transformation every birthday.  We spent a fun time trying to explain that there is a tad more subtlety to growth & maturity. She wasn't convinced!

Top 5 for a big birthday

1. Enjoying every moment - we certainly did this today
2. Marking the day & being aware of the growth & change that a new day & a new age offers
3. Realising that whatever you need when travelling (& in life?) will be there & is available to you eg the provision of the tools to celebrate & enjoy the cake; the most generous gift of the wedding dress which is the thing I had first admired on entering the store
4. Time marches on - where did these last years go?
5. Resolution that this trip has been such a good decision - this will be a birthday & an adventure for the memory books

Driving in SE Asia is like childbirth...

Driving in South-East Asia is like childbirth-scary, horrific & mind-altering at the time but very soon forgotten.

We have been in several cars this trip in Myanmar & Cambodia.  So far, each trip has yielded several near-death experiences (none of our own making); a new appreciation of physics & what is possible in terms of space & matter eg 3, 4, 5 lanes of traffic created in a space for 2; & a deep admiration for the logistical prowess required to pack and then drive vehicles where the goods far outweigh what one would ordinarily believe to be possible or practical.

Huge black pigs on the backs of motorbikes, mini-vans with an entire garment factory aboard, trucks piled perilously high with people placed atop like figurines on a wedding cake all seek to entertain on a drive between destinations.

We have driven from Yangon to Bagan, Bagan to Inle Lake, Inle Lake to Yangon in Myanmar.
In Cambodia we have driven from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh & Phnom Penh to Sihonoukville.  All of these journeys have been challenging - & we have paid for the privilege.

So many animals...

Cordelia is keeping a virtual menagerie of the wild & wonderful insects & animals we are seeing:

- Ants - big, small, enormous, red, black, yellow, brown, so numerous & so organised.  They are truly amazing. 

- Bats - or Batageddon - bats are everywhere!  They swoop for a drink of pool water while we are swimming, flying really low & close, seemingly without any fear of us. On a couple of occasions it has been quite biblical

- Bumblebees - huge, bright yellow bees in Myanmar & enormous black bumblebees in Cambodia

- Cats - everywhere - especially in monastries. In the floating monastry in Inle Lake there are some cats that perform for treats. They used to be known as the dancing cats as the monks had trained them to perform for cash but that was considered unseemly so now they don't really dance, just move it bit. There are hundreds of cats slinking everywhere.

- Chameleons in a park in Siem Reap, changing colour as they moved out of bushes (green) to rubbish mounds (brown) to forage for food.  This has been amazing to see

- Cows, bulls, bullocks, sheep, goats - wandering all over the road at will in Myanmar & Cambodia. Bullocks are still used to pull ploughs in Myanmar & have fluorescent leads in Kampot as they are walked up & down the roads. 

- Dogs - mangy, barky, scary dogs roam streets everywhere.  

- Dragonflies - enormous & persistent. They buzz in droves.  

- Elephants - offering rides at the temples in Siem Reap - $20 for 15 minutes. There's lots of controversy about elephants in SE Asia with maltreatment an obvious issue.  Several conservation parks are being set up. It all comes down to money though, everyone is trying to make a dollar the best way they know how.

- Flamingos - beautiful & statuesque in a park in Hong Kong.  

- Geckos - everywhere. They are fast but also statues when eyeing their prey.  We love watching them.

- Horses - pulling carts in Myanmar & Cambodia; providing temple tours in Bagan (very uncomfortable but ye olde worldy); horses to pose upon at Angkor Wat

- Monkeys - on Mt Popa stealing food; in temples playing near Buddha; near Angkor Wat playing in the trees; in Phnom Penh sitting on electricity wires

- Waterboatmen - gorgoeus spiders gliding along the top of pools of water. These clever guys kept us entertained for ages in the Inle Lake Novotel pool

Rain, rain

What a surprise the rain has been. We haven't had much but each rainstorm has made a lasting impression.  Huge, soak-you-to-the-skin raindrops come from nowhere.  The thunder & lightning are terrifying & destructive.  Each of the rainstorms we have been caught in have resulted in enormous trees being felled, roads blocked, loss of electricity.  In Myanmar, our journey from Bagan to Inle Lake was delayed due to a detour through unmade back streets due to enormous trees falling across the road.  Our driver used his windscreen wipers intermittently; never used his lights despite the challenges to his visibility; & didn't let a lasting downpour slow him down at all.  

Our last day in Siem Reap was a gorgeous day with no hint of rain.  However, as we were approaching Angkor Wat for a good-bye visit, the heavens opened.  It made for a different view, kept some of the crowds away & engendered a shared siege spirit as we all huddled together between the entrance bridge & the outer terrace. It made for some nice shots....& then the most beautiful rainbow. 

Top 5

1. Travel can turn any minor mishap into an adventure. We shared a unique travel moment with lots (& lots) of people from Cambodia & around the world all enthralled by the almighty thunder & the drenching rain at Angkor Wat.

2. It's wonderful to be reminded of the beauty of sunsets.  Seeing the sunset (or rise) becomes an end objective.  In the normal course of a day, seeing a sunset may be an incidental occurrence.  We have resolved to see more. 

3. I love taking photos of monks - rain, hail or shine

4. Rainbows make everything more beautiful, even one of the most remarkable places in the world.  

5. Siem Reap infrastructure completely freaked out after one afternoon of rain.  Being a popular travel destination has its challenges.  

Time for new skills

Giving ourselves the gift of time & time to learn some new things.

Top 5 things we are going to learn

1. Cordelia is mastering chopsticks.  Clever Barb gave Cordelia some junior chopsticks which have made the process so smooth - thank you!

2. Penelope & Cordelia are learning chess

3. Penelope is going to start learning illustrator to add another dimension to powerpoint presentations

4. Robert is learning a new programming language - ocamal

5. All of us are learning a smattering of new words & phrases to use in each of the SE Asian countries that constitute our expedition