1979

Many things "started" in 1979 here.  For example, we played a guessing game on the age of this bike before Phea asked the seller lady when she got it.  She said it's a 1979 model, in daily commute and carrying service ever since.

Most Breakfasts's'ses

Most are Khmer rice noodle soup with tasty broth and beef or chicken, served very hot.  We're into the iced coffee and condensed milk too.

Cambodian winter, Temperature

It's hot here, by my standards anyway.  I don't have a thermometer, but I don't think it's ever been below 30C, and if it was, not by much.  When we sit in the shade, resting and having drinks, our arms and faces bead sweat.  I can barely tolerate just standing in the direct sun if I'm not biking for air movement.

For cycling clothes, I'm wearing cycling trim cut baggies over lycra and usually a shirt with a collar.  Tori is lycra with a "cycling dress" over top, dresses and/or longer shirts she's bought.

Sum (short for Sumivarimartavan or something along those lines), one of our temple guide guys who grew up trying not to let his dads cows walk over land mines then became a monk for over a decade, does cycling clothes different.  He wore a green sweater with white horizontal stripes and a collar, it could pass for a decently preppy item out of J Crew.  It's a thick sweater, something I'd wear in November on a weekend if I actually had a casual wardrobe.  For pants he had dark navy blue "dockers" equivalent.  The whole outfit said "weekend from Boston College" more than 35C in the direct sunlight cycling if you ask me (other than the standard issue flip flops).  But maybe heat is all in our heads anyway, even though it's mind boggling.

Phea was cold after leaving our restaurant one night.  He asked me thoughtfully if I was cold, so he could find some way to help.  I only have been cold under a haywire air conditioner one night, other than that I don't see how it's possible to get cold here (he had earlier recalled a time when he was younger and it got down to 20C for a few days.  Other than that, winter is 28C on the cooler days he says.  Then he asked me about home.  We started with the temperature of a fridge and a block of restaurant ice as reference points.  It's been a long time since I've talked to anyone who's world doesn't have freezing in it.  He thought that even if he lived in his refridgerator's temperature he'd die for sure.  I said we don't wear flip flops at home when it's cold out. It can be explained, but it's a topic that doesn't sink in without experience I think.

There's a few Chevrolet (with the t pronounced) Avalanche trucks here.  We talked about what an avalanche was, which previously was totally beyond their vocabulary, probably still is in some ways. 

I've now switched back to wearing pants when we go out at night and a shirt with an undershirt.  And I can't bring myself to turning the AC at night to under 23C as we end up shivering and not sleeping well.  I can hardly believe it.

Kep

Kep is a seaside resort town.  Apparently it was big with the French and the leisure class, which by default meant Pol Pot wasn't too keen on it.  Nice hotels and villas, but also bombed out charred ones.  We're in a Belgian owned one that's swanky and relaxing.  The dinner table in the hut, and this beach table, are incredibly large chunks of wood.  Our room has convenient pool and beach access, like 15' to pool.  Tori likes the all stone and mortar construction.

Near Takeo

Lots of water for rice paddy flooding, fishing and snail collecting, water buffalo chillin' and mosquito making.

Palm tree make boat go fish watch buffalo.

Dinner in Takeo

Hammocks and rice paddies, with lizards on the hut catching grasshoppers - better than TV!

Cheung Ek - The Killing Fields

This is now a national monument, yet there's 43 mass graves that haven't been excavated.  The bones are in the big building, but even on the walk paths you walk on half buried bones and teeth - like gravel and roots in the soil.

This field took the "supply" of the Tuol Sleng torture prison.  People wanted to die so bad in Tuol Sleng that they put barbed wire mesh around so they couldn't jump off to commit suicide.  Torture was usually 2-4 months.  Bullets were expensive, so hoes, shovels, bamboo sticks, ox cart axles, hammers, hatchets, the sharp edge of a palm branch were used.  Infants and small kids were held by their feet and beaten against the trunk of a big tree.  Anyone educated, who wore glasses, spoke French or English basically. 

Here's a Christmas present, be thankful for living in Canada.  There's a reason all our guides are 28 or 29 and raised by single parents.  Our tour guide for this site was 17 in 1979, and lost both parents.  He put a strong personal statement on how stupid it all was (why eliminate the educated class?  the masses are easier to control.  why kill babies? so you eliminate those who would look for future revenge).