Movin' and Shakin'

Busy Busy Busy!

Did you know that Cambodia boasts over 25 national holidays every year?
Last weekend, Cambodia celebrated the King's (Preah Karuna Preah Bat Sâmdech Preah Bâromneath Norodom Sihamoni Nai Preah Reacheanachakr Kampuchea; Yes, that's his full title + name) birthday. I took advantage of the time off by taking a small road trip (on my new motorcycle) to the quiet coastal towns of Kep and Kampot, you can find a small compendium of my photographs from said trip HERE

Kampot is a wonderfully quiet and breezy riverside town, the perfect getaway from the heat pollution of Phnom Penh. We stayed at Bodhi Villa, an low-key hangout guest house, featuring au naturel rooms with only fans and mosquito nets. Bodhi Villa is conveniently located on a river (which nobody seems to know the name of), making it the perfect place for a swim. It also features a high jumping plank. Delicious cocktails, western food, and stoned foreigners abound.

Kep, a slumberous beach town. During its hayday, Kep was the getaway for rich Cambodians and French colonials. Kep was devastated by the Khmer Rouge. Today, Kep feels more like a ghost town: eerily beautiful abandoned villas, quiet beaches, large empty fields with colorful flags, distant islands, and large verdant hills. In the future, it seems that Kep is poised to become another tourist monstrosity. Imagine littered beaches, massive Chinese style hotels, tik-wood filled mansions etc...

As such, I feel very fortunate to have seen Kep the way it is now (cheap, natural, empty, beautiful), before the inevitable changes start to set in. If you have the chance, I recommend you stop by.

After my trip, I returned to the office to find a pretty decent pile of 'To-Dos', no surprise there. On top of this, the Burmese crew and I are moving to a apartment (featuring two bedrooms and two bathrooms!!!). I've been running back and forth between the office, my old apartment (which is located on the 5th floor[imagine me climbing up there 10 times in a row in 40 degree heat]), and my new apartment. Not a moment to spare, but that's the way I like it, which segues nicely into my next post...

Readership

For month's I've been struggling to write in my blog due to concerns over readership. Any posts targeted towards my family and friends abroad seemed flatten my experience into a simplified hyperbolic account. On the other hands, when trying to convey the nuances of my lived experience and inner mental life, I risked shunning readers at home, who wouldn't see what I was writing in context. As such I've decided to start targeting this blog solely to my loved ones at home (loosely defined as wherever people I care about reside).

Happy hallmark card day!

Valentines here in Phnom Penh!

As of right now I'm not doing much to celebrate the holiday, just relaxing inside my air-conditioned office. It's interesting to discuss valentine's day with Cambodians. Some have a very typical commercial view (a day to buy chocolate, roses, expensive foods), others see it as a day for sex (based on a conversation with a couple of young guys). A third group see it as a genuine holiday on which to appreciate those we care about (friends,family,lovers...).

Valentines days and Chinese New Year happen to be on the same weekend this year. There are many Chinese businessmen here, and many Khmer with Chinese ancestry who enjoy celebrating the holiday. I saw an excellent 'dancing lion' show at Chinese House last night, very well done!
I wrote an article in The Post's weekly lifestyle magazine 7Days about Chinese New Year's food, and their supposed lucky properties!

I look forward to moving into my new apartment in couple of weeks. Its on the 5th floor of a building overlooking a massive school yard. It only has two (big) rooms, but there are tons of windows with good views, which will be a nice contrast from my current apartment (The Cave). I will make sure to post a bunch of pictures when I move in!

Recent News:

I have been offered another year long contract with The Phnom Penh Post, and I will definitely be accepting it. I've been enjoying my work here, it is challenging but not too rough. My biggest difficulty is staying focused when working on multiple projects (I've never been good at 'shifting gears'). I was also offered a modest pay increase, which should allow me to move out of my less-than-ok appartment to somewhere a little nicer!

I also just got my top two wisdom teeth removed. Did you know that Cambodia is an excellent place to get dental work? Its cheap, and most of the clinics seem very competent (i.e clean).

Nightlife in Phnom Penh is pretty fun. On weekends, I have the opportunity to do any number of the following:


going on photography trips
Karaoke!
Eating out
Boat trips on the Tonlesap River (or other rivers/lakes)
Dancing @ bars/clubs
Live music: [Phnom Penh is beginning to grow as a stop-over venue for big name bands doing Asia tours; still local bands are the name of the game.The picture above features a really funky band which has been making a big splash in Cambodia. They are called The Cambodian Space Project, they play a very soulful blend of jazz-funk and 50's Khmer rock!]
Visiting one of my Khmer friend's villages
Lounging at one of the local swimming pools
Shooting AK-47's at the local shooting range (I haven't done this, and probably never will)
Temple visiting
There are only a couple of decent galleries here, but there is an interesting exhibition from time to time.


Once I sign my contract, I will have the opportunity to plan some vacation time...
Possible vacation destinations:
Return to India
Thailand
Hong Kong
Singapore
Malaysia
Indonesia


Any suggestions?

New year, new me....

The last month has been just fantastic!
First, I was graced by fun guests: Thom Stead & company came to visit Cambodia! Although I'm a newbie here, i felt knowledgeable showing them around Phnom Penh... I was really impressed by Thom's accounts of Indonesia, and I hope that I have the opportunity to take a trip there in the near future!

Soon after, my parents and Melissa arrived. Despite some jetlag and tummie issues, their visit here was phenomenal. It was really wonderful being able to spend time with them on vacation, where they really had time to relax (unlike their habitual hectic Larchmont/Tufts life). I managed to take out my parents for some dancing on New Years, their energy and rhythms were to be applauded! I guess Gage/Macdougalls are just good at dancing! I also had the opportunity to leave Phnom Penh for two weekends to travel with them to Siem Reap and Kep!

All things considered, life is going very well. I've been frustrated at my lack of regular exercise, so I'm starting my first Khmer boxing lesson today!

My last posts were very long, so I'll keep this one short and sweet!

More visitors Please!!