Another Week In Cambodia...

Khmer New Year was at the end of this week.  Many people left Phnom Penh at the beginning of the week because the closer the weekend came the higher the bus fair to the Provinces became. Friday and Saturday the streets were deserted and most of the shops were closed. The management and guards at our apartment were also working with a skeleton crew.  Tuk tuk drivers had no one to transport. We were of no help to them because we walk everywhere. The city of Phnom Penh is not that big. Some places are farther than we care to walk, but we can get to most places by foot.  When we have shopping items it is nice not to have to carry them. The heat at high noon is pretty draining. We loved the above parking sign and thought you would also.

 The picture to the left is for Kyle our oldest son.( Kyle,we thought you would appreciate how they sell their fuel tanks here.) Kyle works for US Welding in Grand Junction, Colorado. (Kyle, perhaps you would like to pack up your family and set up shop in Cambodia.What do you think of that idea Elise?)You have no idea of what dirt really is until you come to a place like this.When we arrived home from our walk my arms were filthy from the dust in the air. Many people wear face masks. I know I will need to use one the next time we travel by tuk tuk to Keans Vaay Branch. There is lots of road construction and the last time we went there I had problems afterwards.

As this picture shows the streets are deserted. This is so unusual for Phnom Penh. We discovered that we had to be cautious crossing the streets.The few people in town that are driving "put the pedal to the metal" through the streets. At one street the light had changed green for us to cross. We had made it three quarters of the way  when out of no where a motorcycle cut in front of me. Had I not jumped back it would have gone over me. I  feel safer dodging vehicles traveling at 20 miles per hour. Looking forward to our busy streets next week.

This street is at the side of one of the temples. It is an example of the litter that is scattered all throughout the city.With the Khmer New Year all the garbage pick up trucks are not in operation. The garbage accumulates rapidly around here. It is never totally cleaned up.

Above is one of several mounds of decomposing garbage that dot the streets. Our friends took a drive to locate the church building they were to go to on Sunday. They had to find a detour road because of a mountain of garbage that blocked the street they needed to be on. We'd love to share the true khmae experience with you but, sorry...no scratch and sniff photos are available. Amazingly we saw no rats. Of course they are night creatures and smart enough to dine in the cool of the evening.

These are the coolest garbage receptacles. They are made out of old car tubes. The lid, the handles, the legs..it is all tube rubber. For something so ugly I think these are really clever. I am really impressed with this great use of  what would be garbage in the eyes of many.


We discovered City Mall. Many of the stores in this mall were also closed. But as you can see below we also discovered "Lucky Burger". We have arrived in heaven. They have really good burgers with pickle, lettuce, tomato,onion and a special sauce. Their fries are good too. It cost $5.50 for two burgers, two fries and two medium soft drinks. I had sprite and Dale had Fanta Orange. What can I say...it was a great day!

We walked over to the Tonle Sap River again. All along the river bank area there are shops and play areas. We discovered an area where people were gathered with their families to feed the pigeons. We watched this cute little boy squealing with joy as the birds surrounded him.

Happiness is going to the park to feed the pigeons. There is happiness in this wonderful part of the world and he is about 2 1/2 feet tall, wears a red and white striped shirt and faded blue jeans

 Banana Girl

Loved this pose.

The final picture for this weeks blog is a close up of the wall in our bathroom. Notice the glittered centers to the flowers. Our family and closest friends know about our purple bathroom in Vancouver. The wall paper is a large floral pattern with shades of purple and beige and silver foil embossing. What can we say...it came with the house which was built in 1964 and we are real slow in doing remodeling. We've only owned our home since 1984. Don't want to rush these things. Well our bathroom in Cambodia makes us feel right at home. The sink and toilet are pink. The floor is a purple swirly something and to accent the whole look we have green glitter...

We spoke in the International Branch today. There were about 25 people in attendance including us. Dale presided over the meeting because he was the only High Priest in attendance. Elder Ott one of the young Elders conducted the meeting. Although we were few in numbers the meetings were good and well worth attending.

Dale is figuring out the software for the PEF program and because of this our job is beginning to run better. We have people coming from Hong Kong this week to discuss what responsibilities belong to the PEF department and institute department. We are looking forward to having a smooth running program that will serve the PEF loan recipients well. This week should be a busy productive  one. We are looking forward to positive days ahead.

Dale is doing "his thing" here in Cambodia.  He has been helping a couple who have only been here two weeks. Their lap top has been giving them problems.  Dale has been doing trouble shooting and has solved some of the glitches. It would be nice if all the glitches would be rectified. He will know in time as they work with their lap top.

Thanks for your comments on our blog page. We do read them and they make us happy.  Keep smiling in the USA and we will do the same here in Cambodia.