A Cambodian Christmas

Well, Matt and I enjoyed a lovely 6 days in Cambodia.  We had a great time on our trip to the wildlife center outside of Phnom Penh, and were also able to visit the S-21 prison before we left town. It was sobering and disturbing, as any genocide museum should be.  We headed north to Siem Reap on a boat, which turned out to be a very interesting and windy journey, though not wholly unpleasant.  It offered great views into Cambodian life and a mild sunburn. 

In Siem Reap we took a cooking class that was very fun and delicious, and surprisingly inexpensive.  We also hoped on bikes one evening and rode south of town where a 14 year old boy rode up along side us, tried to chat with us in English, and invited himself along when we stopped along the river for a drink at a small "bar" which was really just a house on stilts that would give us a beverage to drink and a place to sit, watching the sun set over the rice fields.  It was beautiful, completely off the tourist track, and we loved it.  Our second day we rose early to catch Angkor Wat at sunrise (I was quite excited by the cool morning and chance to be COLD for a short bit) and then pedal around to a few other temples until we got tired and returned to town.  Matt got the World's Crappiest Bike which was tough to ride and his sandals broke part way through the morning, making for a less than ideal day, but I hope he enjoyed it anyway.

We got a great guesthouse recommendation from a friend and had a great pool to splash around in each evening after the hot days.  We also ate incredibly well the entire time we were in the country. We celebrated Christmas Eve with a nice Italian dinner and a bottle of wine before heading back to Phnom Penh on Christmas Day.  Being our last night in PP, we returned for my favorite Happy Hour $2 mojito as a predecessor to a Vietnamese Christmas dinner.  On our final day we headed to the Killing Fields, which was an extremely well done memorial to the victims of the genocide and highly recommended for anyone visiting Cambodia. 

We enjoyed great shopping and fantastic food and left the country with $8 between us :) 

S-21 prison- as a former school, is eerily like ICS

Life along the river

Making Lok Lak

Sunset at the rice fields

Bayon @ Angkor

Matt at Ta Prohm, bah, can't rotate here

Having a Wild Time

Oh man I wish I could post some pics for you from today!  I would right now, except that I'm actually at the hotel computer transferring today's pictures from the camera onto a USB drive so that we can keep taking pictures :) 

Matt and I had a smooth flight from Bangkok to Phnom Penh yesterday afternoon and a great dinner of traditional Khmer food at a great restaurant by the riverfront.  Today hired a tuk-tuk for the day and headed out of town to a wildlife rescue center that is kind of like a zoo, except it's nothing like anything you've ever seen.  There weren't many visitors and we had free reign to walk right up to the animal habitats, a bit too close for comfort at a few of them (primarily the tigers, whom Matt seemed to think could just maul through the chain link fence at any moment, especially when the kind of half growled at me).  My favorite were some monkeys, one of whom had a very tiny baby with her, who looked a bit like a little alien Golum baby.  The monkeys were hilarious and amazing to watch.  Matt got to feed an elephant as well, which was really funny when he ran out of food! 

After the animals we went to S-21, the former Khmer Rouge prison (that was formerly a school) that was turned into a museum of the genocide.  It was quite sobering, though well worth the stop. 

Okay, pics just transferred, so here's a sneak peak:

Again for the first time.

Enjoying the time with my brother here greatly, though we've had a few "well, this is Thailand" moments.  Mostly it's been pretty smooth.  It's been fun to "see Thailand again for the first time" through his eyes.  And as I've been reflecting on Advent this week it has kind of made me with that I could "hear the Christmas story again for the first time" and really catch the wonder of it all.  I feel like in many ways I've heard it and seen it interpreted in so many ways for so many years that I don't fully catch its staggering wonder anymore. 

I am wrapping up the semester with some babysitting, I mean, class parties, this morning and then we head to Cambodia this afternoon.  We're taking lots of pictures that I will post eventually. 

Nak Suu Christmas

Today, in lieu of our usual rugby practice and English lesson, we had a huge Christmas party at Nak Suu.  Games, skits, stories, dancing, cake, presents, and lunch- a fun time was had by all.  I took advantage of the fact that I wasn't teaching to take a few pictures of the beautiful children I get to work with every Saturday!  

"Pass the parcel" game- like hot potato with a present that's been wrapped a dozen times.  When the music stops you take off a layer of paper. 

One of the teams waiting for the next game.

Eating "Happy Birthday Jesus" cupcakes.

Some of the older boys had a dance they performed.

Christmas drama: Mary, Joeseph and Jesus

Stable animals

The shepherds and animals came to see the baby. The audience was quiet into it and crept closer and closer as it went on.

The wise men came as well.

Listening to the Christmas story.

Craft time!

The kids were pretty excited about getting their gift bags! 

One of the kids wanted to take my picture.  Not too bad!

Got to spend quite a bit of time with this guy today, and really enjoyed it.

December in Bangkok

The 'not-quite-as-hot' season has arrived in Bangkok, which means that I don't always have to run my air.  My mother recently sent me a picture of the fireplace at my Grampa's house, all cozy with a roaring fire, asking me if I missed winter.  Miss winter? No, not really.  Maybe by next year, with 24 straight months of summer.  Maybe.

My brother arrives in four days and if I were friends with me, I would want to punch me in the face and tell me to shut up about it already.  I can't help it- if I'm excited about something, I talk about it!  And just a little over two weeks until my mom is here too!  Having visitors is just a big excuse to eat great food and get lots of massages.

And the last greatest development in life recently, aside from the weather and family visiting, is something that I haven't managed to do in the last 13 months: I lost my ATM card. Again (see here for story). But this time I am ten thousand times smarter.  I found a different branch to go to, one without the same lady to lecture me, and one that is open on holidays and evenings.  So it was a lot less traumatic, though I must say, when I first discovered it I wanted to just sit down right there and cry.  I didn't. 

And with that, I have just 3.5 days of work left until break!  I'm taking Monday and Tuesday off after Matt gets here, and at lunch time next Thursday we are free!  3.5 days and 4 alarm clocks? I think I can handle that :)

The short end of things

A number of years ago (like, maybe, 10), I swore off shorts.  Skirts and capris would be the only things for me.  I was tired of every pair of shorts I ever owned or tried on spending their entire time on me up my butt in a little wedgie-making-machine. For real. The only thing harder to fit than jeans are shorts.  Maybe it's just me and the fact that I'm a little wide in the butthigh region and little narrower in the waist.  Who knows. 

The No Shorts rule was all well and good when I lived in Michigan, and even in Buenos Aires, but after 18 months of living in the tropics (I know, I catch on quick) I have learned that I need to give in and wear shorts if I have any hope of survival.  I own some running shorts and a lay-around-the-house pair of shorts, but have discovered that life and travel will be a lot more comfortable if I don the wedgie makers from time to time.  Also, my brother is coming to visit so a slightly newer and better pair of lounging and sleeping shorts is required. 

So today, on the king's birthday (and my glorious day off) I went to the mall and tackled the challenge of finding inexpensive shorts that were light weight, not too short, fit for curves and not for Asians, and most importantly, did not cause instant wedgie.  I came home with three pairs in the $5-7 range, all of which are a reasonable length and none of which, so far, have made me feel the need to pull them out of my bum.  So far so good.  One of the pairs are great little lounge shorts which I wouldn't be completely embarrassed to be seen in, so that's a bonus as well. 

Here's to hoping that life will be a little more comfortable on casual occasions! 

Thai Massage

It occurred to me today that I have neglected to blog about a very important aspect of Thai culture:  the Thai massage.  Massage is huge here. I mean, HUGE.  Practically every block in Bangkok has a massage place. You can get a "regular" oil massage or a foot massage, but tonight I went for the traditional Thai massage.  Unless you're going somewhere really fancy, if you're paying more than $10 for an hour massage, you're paying too much.  Every time I go I ask myself why I don't do this every week.  Perhaps for a New Year's resolution...

I like a good Thai massage in some ways it's part massage and part really good stretch.  You wear little jammies that are like scrubs, which is nice on so many levels.  Not only are you just more comfortable, it also makes it something you can do with friends.  You lay on a small mattress on the floor while the masseuse massages, stretches, pulls, presses, sits and generally contorts you in a variety of wonderful ways. 

Today I was feeling particularly tight all over, waaaay too tight and stressed in the shoulders for it to only be Monday, so I felt a massage was in order.  Now wanting to make things any more stressful and complicated than they already were, I opted to just go to the massage place here at my apartment complex.  Better places exist, but it's a good little spot and quite convenient, and today I got the World's Hardest Massage, which was just what the doctor ordered. 

And now to sit back with my tea and Christmas carols by the light of my tree and advent wreath...