I'm Actually a Bit Chilly in Southeast Asia...

(note - this post was written on Tuesday, but I didn't have internet until today - pretend the tenses work. Angkor Wat coverage will probably be a day late, too =)

It's breezy here, almost like fall in New England. In Siem Reap now - pretty exhausting bus ride from Phnom Pehn this morning (travel may be the most tiring thing we do). Yesterday we did some academic things, met a whole bunch of Cambodian environmental science students, had a big group lunch, went to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, the Russian Market, and street dancing with the college kids.

Some pictures to follow - I'm sorry that I don't have more pictures of us dancing, but I was busy dancing. Here's the scene - you're in one of the many parks in the city, you walk up to a guy standing between two huge speakers, and you follow the leader. It started off stupidly easy, and I wasn't quite sure where it was going. By the time the Korean pop songs started bumping (and damn they are fun), I thought I was watching the Backstreet Boys from backstage. Everyone there knows the dances because they are choreographed and taught weekly, and some really know how to throw down. Exhausting and incredibly fun.

Alright, a few pictures (I'm saving the photos of the fabric for when I get to the tailor...)

Khmer is gorgeous - it is derived from sanskrit and looks so cool on signs, Coke cans and menus.

Broing out at the Russian market. This place was the real deal. Touristy things yeah, but also dope restaurants and machine shops and anything a working market needs. And sweet Ray Bans.

The new crew after street dancing and before Lucky Seven, the Khmer Arby's.

 

 

Conrading

Shoutouts:

Parly - keep your nose clean there in London, you already got your souvenir scar.

Matt Rothenberg and Caitlin Allen - I think about you two a lot, I miss you and hope things are well, duh. Senior year will be - how do they say it in the US? - wicked cool.

Ian - you like?

Phnom Pehn is neat. There are lots of old French couples and cute Scandinavian girls on holiday, making it very different from our stay in Can Tho, where we were usually the only tourists around. English is very common in the NGO corner of the city, and since Cambodia has a dollarized economy, things are a bit more expensive. Angkor draft beer is a nice change of pace - still light but a little maltier. We went to the Killing Fields today by tuk tuk, which was pretty heavy.

More to come - Russian Market tomorrow, giving a presentation, and Angkor Wat on Wednesday... I'm scouting for a massage, too, because it has been way too long since my last one (4 days).

Adaams

This is a dope picture. Don't forget the other brand new post below...

Just Another Day in the Classroom

Get ready for some traveler-envy:

Damn it was good.

Outside with the homestay family - Dr. Khoa, Ne and Dai. It has been so much fun.

We're going to a wedding!

The very handsome groom.

The bride, her parents and the Americans dressed in traditional ao dais.

A very happy father in law.

Low tide outside the resort.

For Mimi (the John Denver playing over the supermarket speakers is for you, too).

Billards - it is tough. I didn't do so hot in Dal Molins class.

That is a guard house, 4 meters above the low tide line. They keep watch over the oysters and blood cockles.

Classroom for the day.

I loved these oysters. So fab. While they were great raw (which they only really do for Westerners...), the cooked oysters and pineapple has nudged out previous meals and moved into my Top 5 foods from Viet Nam. Holy cow.

Bloog cockles. I destroyed these.

The Spirited Away bathhouse at high tide.

Just another day in the classroom...

Crab in tamarind sauce. A SECOND new Top 5 meal. Hot damn.

The bathhouse at low tide.

Then, after I come home tired and ready to study Vietnamese for my final exam this morning, my homestay dad says, get your helmet, we're going to a party. So I end up at a cafe with nine university professors, eating dog spring rolls and a Chinese aphrodisiac salad, drinking brandy and Heineken, and learning how to say "I'm drunk" in Vietnamese. Pretty boss, even with the underlying current of "I should be studying". But even that was banished from my body by the masseuse that was waiting for me in my own bedroom. Yes, when we got home, I was told to shower up and get ready for my massage. I've never had one before, and this was the real deal. My "power was restored" and I think I did alright on the test this morning.

But really, what does it matter? We leave for Cambodia tomorrow. I start taking anti-malarials today, and I'll post when I can. 

Last Week In Can Tho

Globally: how is President Obama even doing this? As they say in Viet Nam: "Superman". And some people are (arguably wisely) trying to use all of the international distractions to get their way at home. I think it's cheap.

Locally: busy day yesterday. Vietnamese class, a meeting, fabric shopping and tailoring with Ai, visiting the dioxin orphanage, and having some good crab and a cold beer. Work on the ISP has begun and a rough draft is due Friday, which is also the day we leave for a 30 day trip to Cambodia and Northern Viet Nam.

At one of the tailors, getting a bathrobe made. I've been pretty bad with taking pictures lately, but you should have seen the fabric market. It was fun trying to speak some Vietnamese and picking out fabrics. The women there are barefoot and jump around on stacks of silk and cotton, pulling things out and modeling them before either dropping them to the floor or cutting off a few meters for sale.

This one was a laugher, for sure.

Group playtime with balloons and balls. We met a Dutch couple who were volunteering at the orphanage and teaching English - their accents were awesome.

This guy tackled me from behind - a goofball. The kids here usually have different physical or mental issues, and some are more sociable than others. We tried to play with those who wanted to play, and then just spend some time with others who needed somebody close by for a bit. It was fun, it was tough at times, and I'm glad we went.

Chicken wings and crab (on the table) and Hong and her friend from class - I didn't have his name written down and I'm positive that it wasn't spelled the same way it sounded, so... :)  We had a nice chat about exchange rates, traveling, snow, and we sang a bit. Can you guess who is the T. Swift fan?

 

 

 

 

Tram Chim

It is still very weird being out of the world news circuit. I'm getting anxious being in this bubble. I can get a few snippets from the NYT, but not enough to feel 'global'. Ian, keep a detailed report for me. We will have to pretend like I've been in a coma.


I may have helped Tram Chim to solve a park management problem. There is a large melaluca stand that has been permanently inundated with water held back by the dikes. The trees aren't normally flooded year round, and they need to drain the stand eventually, but the leaves collecting on the floor each year would cause a huge fire if allowed to burn all at once. I think that if we build temporary dikes that section off the stand, we could drain the sections one by one, reducing the risk of a huge fire. The park manager likes the idea and will take it to the board for consideration. Check back in 15 years...

Riding in boats, swimming in canals, eating rat (so delicious), and partying with the army. Photos below.

NOTE: running out of an internet cafe now, more captions to come, and Google the Sarus crane for yourself. We saw them but they were too far away - binoculars helped a bunch. They are gorgeous and rare.

Sting and ca phe sua da. Breakfast of champions. You get the slow drip Vietnamese coffee poured into sweetened condensed milk, which you stir and pour over ice... Wowzers.

Water buffalo poo.

It's the Circle of Life....

Another 'try to top the last one' hammock shot.

Permanently inundated melaluca forest - the roots grow up and help fires to jump into the canopy.

I will never get over houses on the rivers - life is hanging on the back porch.

A 'Mom' shot - pretty lotus flowers! Makes for good tea.

The boat driver didn't understand why the Americans were so interested in the buffalo. Well, we killed all of ours, so...

Vegetable-heavy lunch on the tarp - peaceful eating style. We had snake head fish here, too - utterly fantastic. Like swordfish, nice and steak-like. It is the most expensive fish you can buy here, and the invasive cousin currently overtaking Maryland, USA is considered a pest... To any Maryland residents, try catching one and eating it next time it crawls out of the water and is crossing the street. Not pictured here is the rat - delicious as well. Tiny muscles and fatty back meat in a sweet sauce, goes great with honeyed rice wine.

Children, fishermen and the army, all on the dike. My camera doesn't work at night, so I didn't get pictures from the 'cultural exchange' (i.e. heavy drinking and song), but we partied with the Vietnamese army. Every dude was cool, handsome and cut. The ladies on our trip were happy.

Right before I jumped in.