Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

English speakers traveling the world have long delighted in spying funny, odd, or just plain wrong written English in the countries they visit.  Here's a sample of my favorites from Cambodia: 

I don't actually understand this sign (above) or what it's for.  I think it's for a public toilet in the downtown area.  Which is not a funny thing, especially since it would be the only public toilet I'm aware of in Phnom Penh.  But the funny part is written at the bottom:

"Mr. Toilet Public - Funded by the World Toilet Association"  

For many months I had assumed this sign (above) for the "Ministry of Cult and Religion" was a misprint and that it meant to read Ministry of Culture and Religion.  But I later found out that the true English name of this government institution matches the sign.  Clearly, Cambodians use the word cult differently and don't attach all the negative connotations to it that we do.

We saw this sign (above) on the highway while taking a road trip.  The statement "Think - Accident Bring Tears, Safety Brings Cheers" is completely true and accurate, despite a slight grammatical error.  But the sentiment is so cute and unlikely to be used on American highways, it brought a grin to my face.

This sign (above) is my favorite!  It was on a fence put up at a construction site near the Royal Palace, whose roof you can see in the background.  It read "No task banned" but I am sure it meant to say "Notice banned" as in no posting any signs on the fence.  But the combination of the mixup of similar sounds (no task = notice, close enough, right?) with the result of the sign stating the exact opposite of its intention (if no task is banned, then posting notices is okay!) still makes me laugh every time I think about it!

Motos, and Vans, and Chickens...Oh My!

A favorite pastime among expats in Phnom Penh is to talk about the crazy things we see on the roads.  Not only the unsafe driving habits, but the creative ways that Cambodians transport people and cargo.

One endlessly fascinating thing is the number of items that Cambodians can fit on a vehicle. Most Americans would probably only put two people maximum on a motorcycle.  Seeing three or more people on a moto in Phnom Penh is commonplace.  Jeremy says he saw seven once - one adult, two teenagers, and four children - but there is no photographic evidence to back up this claim.

Moto with four passengers - three adults and one child

A similar principle applies to cars here.  Again, Americans would normally count how many seats they have and only fill their car with that many people.  In Cambodia, any available space is fair game.  Including opening up the trunk of a van so that people can hang out the back or putting people on the roof!  Here's such a vehicle we saw employing both ideas at once.  And this was not on a side street on a quick jaunt across town.  This was on a highway connecting two cities. Looks comfy!

There's always room for one - or five - more

There also doesn't seem to be a limit on how much cargo you can pile onto a moto.  This moto driver has side baskets to give him more hauling space.  He's loaded both of them higher than his own head.  I can't imagine how difficult it was to balance that moto, let alone take a turn without tipping over!

2 side baskets provides 4 times as much space!  Great math!

The other amazing thing is the type of cargo seen on vehicles.  Again, the moto is king and Cambodians can fit anything on a moto.  Furniture?  Ladder?  Windshield?  No problem!  It'll work!

Moto transporting furniture

Animals on motos are also commonplace, especially once you get out of the city.  This moto has a pig strapped to the back, and the passenger is actually sitting on top of the pig!

Pig mobile

Chickens are normally tied to the moto by their feet, which leaves them hanging upside down.  A friend of mine saw such a chicken moto once when she was driving to work.  She was horrified to watch as one of the poor upside down chickens vomited.  She didn't eat chicken for days after that!  I have no idea if the chickens I've seen on motos were alive or dead, but given that story, I guess I have to assume they were alive.  

Moto with dozens of chickens

So that I don't end this post by ruining your dinner, I'll finish on a more positive note.  Not all animals on motos are destined for the slaughterhouse.  I've seen many people with their pet dogs on motos.  One day, these two ladies were stopped next to us at a busy intersection.  We had just enough time to find out this cool dog's name - Lucky - and snap a photo before traffic started moving again!

Coolest dog in Phnom Penh - Lucky!

Marine Ball

The United States Marine Corps was created on November 10, 1775 and since 1921 the Commandant of the Marine Corps has directed all Marines around the world to commemorate that date as the Marine Corps Birthday.  At Embassy Phnom Penh's 2014 Marine Corps Ball, Guest Speaker Brigadier General Paul J. Kennedy joked that the other branches of the armed services think that the entire Marine Corps takes off the whole month of November to throw itself a birthday party.  And at U.S. embassies around the world, there's a bit of a joke that the Ball is simply an excuse for an embassy prom.  There may be a kernel of truth to both these jokes, but the Marine Ball offers a perfect opportunity to remember the sacrifices that Marines make and to appreciate the Marine Security Guards assigned to our embassy.

Because the Marine Ball is a formal occasion, I decided to go all out.  In Cambodia, weddings are often the occasion when ladies get all dolled up.  It is common for ladies to go to the salon for fancy hairdos and layers of makeup.  I chose to follow suit.  I went to my neighborhood salon, Windsor, and got the full package - makeup, false eyelashes, and hair reminiscent of an 80s punk band!

My funky 'do!

Although my hair  made quite a statement, it was actually Jeremy's shoes that stole the show. He wore fabulous silver shoes that transformed him into a god on the dance floor, complete with Michael Jackson sound effects and scene-stealing moves.

Erica's red shoes outshone by Jeremy's silver ones

When the DJ played "Summer Nights" from Grease, it turned into a battle of the sexes on the dance floor, with Jeremy dropping to his knees proclaiming his devotion to the ladies.

The dueling sexes sing "Summer Nights"

It was a great night - a wonderful excuse to get dressed up, dance until we couldn't dance anymore, and party with our Marines!

Erica and Jeremy

Erica with the Embassy Phnom Penh Marine Security Guards

Cambodian Water Festival

Last week, Cambodia celebrated Water Festival for the first time in four years.  Water Festival is normally an annual event, but the festival hasn't been held since 2010 when over 350 died in a stampede on a bridge.  Since then, Water Festival has been cancelled for various official reasons, some legitimate, others questionable.  However, since the announcement that the festival would go on this year, the city has been abuzz, both in excited anticipation of the celebrations and in trepidation of a possible repeat of tragedy.

On the first night of the festival, Jeremy and I went to check things out.  Although Water Festival is centered on the waterfront, every public plaza we passed along the way was packed with people, lined with vendors selling food and goods, and filled with stages for entertainers.  Normally it takes us 30 minutes to walk to the waterfront, but this time it took an hour to make it through the crowded streets.  

Arriving at the waterfront, we were greeted with one of the primary attractions of Water Festival: the illuminated boats!  Those of you familiar with my love of Christmas lights can imagine my excitement at seeing these colorful displays on the water!  Each boat was also playing traditional music.  Lights AND music - I was in heaven!  

My favorite boat:  Ministry of Commerce's map of Cambodia

The boats made such a pretty sight lighting up the dark river.

I also love that the Royal Palace was lit up for the festival.

The next day, I went to see the other principal feature of Water Festival:  the boat races.  Teams around the country have been competing for months to qualify for participation.  I was not prepared for how long these boats would be!  Each boat had at least 75 rowers in it, and sometimes I could see a boat bouncing in the water as the rowers moved in unison to propel it forward.  The races seemed continual, without any fanfare as each race ended and the next one began.  But spectators were clearly cheering on specific teams and having a good time.

Long boat race

Although only three hours out of the three-day festival was enough for me, the excitement was palpable in the air and I definitely caught some of it.  I'm so glad that I had the chance to participate in this unique Cambodian experience. 

Fun Temples of Chiang Mai

Last weekend, Jeremy and I visited Chiang Mai in Thailand.  Visitors to Chiang Mai essentially have three main options for activities:  1) tour the many temples in the city, 2) visit animal attractions to do things like feed elephants, or 3) travel outside the city for sporty activities such as ziplining.  Not having the energy for a sporty vacation or an interest in animals after our many great safaris in Kenya, we chose the temple route.  We discovered that Chiang Mai has several quirky temple features!

Directly in front of Wat Ket Karam was a dog fountain.  Most of the dogs were spitting water out of their mouths, but one was shown lifting its leg and peeing!  Another one was laying flat on its belly with his legs sticking straight out behind him.  We wondered if this was the "dog temple" because in addition to the fountain, we saw lots of dog statues scattered around the complex.  Very interesting!

Wat Ket Karam Dog Fountain

Located on a mountain just outside the city, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is one of Chiang Mai's most popular temples.  It required a 15-minute taxi ride up a windy, motion-sickness-inducing road.  My stomach was able to settle itself along the 300-step staircase to the temple.  Just inside, we were greeted with this fabulous shrine of Buddha statues wrapped in leopard and tiger prints!

Tiger Buddha at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Around the back of the temple was another puzzling display of statues.   I think most were Buddhas, wearing extra adornments such as caps and eyeglasses.  Communing with the Buddhas were some deer and a turtle.  The whole scene reminded me of garden gnomes and the over-the-top lawn displays that can be found sprinkled across America.

Garden Gnome Gathering at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

After this trip, I can say that I am officially templed-out.  I've gone temple touring in three countries - Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand - and also seen temples in Vietnam and Malaysia. Perhaps I should take an offering to the local wat to earn enough merits not to have to visit another temple again!

Just Stay Still and Look at the Green Light

I have now joined the ranks of people who have had lasik surgery.  I got a great deal from this back-alley surgeon in Phnom Penh.  Just kidding!  I traveled to Bangkok to the well-respected TRSC International Lasik Centre.  

I've been thinking about lasik for a couple months, after an embassy colleague said they had the surgery in Bangkok.  In August, I went for the mandatory pre-operative eye examination.  I had two hours of exams including multiple measurements of my eyes and and several tests of my vision.  Then I watched a video about the surgical procedure and all the things that can go wrong.  After the doctors confirmed I was a candidate for surgery, I returned to Cambodia with six weeks to think about all the complications that could possibly ensue.

To make matters worse, I started talking to other people who had had lasik.  One person told me that during the surgery, he noticed a slight odor...which was actually from the laser cutting into his eye.  Great!  Another person told me that it was very important to listen to the doctor's instructions carefully and focus your eyes exactly as directed.  She had a friend who couldn't keep her eyes still and it messed up the surgery.  Even better!

So I returned to TRSC last Monday very nervous.  But this place had their procedure down pat.  First they gave me a valium to calm my nerves.  Then they gave me dozens of numbing eye drops.  My Patient Counselor, Haruna, even held my hand as the procedure started.

As promised, the surgery was quick and painless.  I felt only slight pressure but no pain.  I did smell a slight, brief odor.  I was easily able to keep my eyes focused and still.  After the surgery, I had to wear these hockey-mask-like eye shields.  I'm sure I was quite a sight at the hotel restaurant for dinner!  When I returned to TRSC the next day and the eye shields were taken off, I could see!  My eyes are still adjusting and still feel like they have a grain of sand in them, but that will get better as the days go on.  I'm really excited about my glasses-free life and don't know why I didn't do this sooner!

Patient Counselor Haruna with me in my stylish eye shields after surgery.

Senteurs d'Angkor

One of my very favorite stores in Cambodia is Senteurs d'Angkor.  At their workshop location, I took a tour to see how their products are made.

First was my favorite:  candles.  Senteurs makes candles of all shapes, scents, and sizes, from small floating candles to large pillar ones.  These rows of candles are sitting and waiting to be fully set.

Going beyond scents, Senteurs sells a variety of Cambodian spices and seasonings.  This display shows the six spices that combine to make Amok seasoning.  Fish Amok is a quintessential Cambodian dish that any visitor must try.

Senteurs d'Angkor also has a range of personal care products, including scented soaps, lotions, and massage oils.  In the drying room, shelves and shelves of soaps spend hours drying before they are ready for packaging. 

Speaking of packaging, Senteurs makes their own.  They take the leaves of the sugar palm plant, dye them, and weave them into beautiful boxes.  These ladies are at the final weaving stage.

Of course, I couldn't leave without making some purchases.  I bought lemongrass, coconut, and jasmine candles, all in their beautiful sugar palm leaf boxes.

Livin' It Up in Kuala Lumpur

Since arriving in Cambodia, people have been telling me I must visit Kuala Lumpur before leaving Southeast Asia.  Over Labor Day weekend, I finally followed that advice.  Jeremy had to stay in Phnom Penh for work, so it became a girls weekend with my friend Roxanne.

One of the things we were most excited about was the food.  Expats in Cambodia do not eat street food because you're likely to spend the next day on the toilet (if you're lucky) or in the hospital (if you're not so lucky).  But Kuala Lumpur (or KL) has a thriving street food scene that tastes great and doesn't kill your stomach.  Our very first stop was Lot 10, a food court that was a never-ending rabbit warren of food options.  I tried a traditional Malaysian dish and Roxanne was in heaven eating Chinese dumplings.

Roxanne enjoying her meal at Lot 10

We also saw many vendors selling durian or durian-flavored products.  For the uninitiated, durian is an Asian fruit known for having such a strong smell that it's actually banned from some locations such as planes and hotels.  I decided this was the weekend to finally try durian.  We found a stall with a very nice lady selling durian pancakes - thin slices of durian wrapped in a pancake with whipped cream.  I took a bite and tasted...onion and garlic!  Not what I was expecting!  But I had the pleasure of continuing to taste it while it lingered in the back of my throat for much of the afternoon.  I don't think I'll be eating durian again!

Erica getting her first bite of durian

To go along with all the food, KL has lots of shopping malls.  Although I did not do any shopping (I swear!), I went into at least four malls.  It was literally impossible to avoid shopping malls as we strolled through central KL.

Pavilion Mall in KL's Golden Triangle District

We also fit in a bit of sightseeing between the food and the malls.  Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country, so a stop at a mosque is practically obligatory.

Masjid Jamek Mosque

Even with Islam's dominance, Hinduism has strong roots in the country and is widely practiced.  I'd never seen a Hindu temple before and loved all the bright colors and carvings.

Sri Mahamariamman Hindu Temple

With a 25% Chinese population, Chinese temples also abound.  This temple displays a mix of Buddhist and Taoist influences.

Thean Hou Temple

And, of course, no visit to KL would be complete without seeing the famous Petronas Towers. Instead of climbing the towers, we found a bar with a nice view of them!

Roxanne and Erica with Petronas Towers

Everyone who said I should visit KL was absolutely right.  It was a small taste of modernity compared to Phnom Penh.  The people were incredibly friendly and excited to help us experience their city.  It was a perfect weekend getaway!

Exercise Row

Since arriving in Phnom Penh, I have wanted to try the exercise machines.  Along the very open and very public waterfront, there is a row of a dozen exercise machines.  Within my first week here, I noticed they were all occupied during my morning commute.  Cambodians enjoy exercise, and generally work out in the early morning and late afternoons when it's slightly cooler than the hot, humid mid-day.  I soon looked forward every day to passing the machines - I call them Exercise Row - and became fascinated that people felt comfortable working out in such a public fashion.  Some of the machines do not place your body parts in the most flattering positions, but Cambodians either don't mind or don't care!

  

Erica at Exercise Row

This past weekend, I finally set out to visit Exercise Row and check it out up-close.  After taking ample time to stroll and shop along the waterfront, it was 11:00 by the time we arrived.  For once, it was a ghost town.  There was not a single other person there.  Which was perfect, because Laura and I had the place to ourselves to try every machine!

Laura using the leg swing machine

Erica on the elliptical

Laura on the what-is-this-thing-and-what-body-part-does-it-work-out?

We quickly discovered why no one else was at Exercise Row.  Besides the strong sun and the humid air, the metal equipment was crazy hot.  In fact, I could barely hold myself up on the parallel bars long enough for the below photo without burning my hands!  But I made it through every machine and can now say: "Exercise Row - check!"
 

Erica struggling not to burn her hands on the parallel bars

Moto City

Every expat car driver and pedestrian in Phnom Penh has cursed moto drivers zipping in and out of traffic and speeding down any open pathway regardless of road rules or common sense.  We deplore their lack of caution and lack of helmets.  However, the moto is indisputably the fastest way to travel through the city's narrow, congested streets.  Therefore, it was no surprise that it only took Jeremy three months to buy a moto after arriving in Cambodia.

His initial test drive was inauspicious.  Jeremy settled down on the seat, twisted the throttle, and the moto shot out from under him!  With only wounded pride, he gave it another go (more gently this time), and soon told the seller "I'll take it!"

Now, the moto is his regular mode of transport.  Jeremy rides it to and from work, footy practice, errands.  Basically, he rides it anytime he's going somewhere without me!  I have not taken to the moto so easily.  I finally agreed to ride as Jeremy's passenger for the first time just a few weeks ago.  I feel very nervous on the moto and incredibly vulnerable.  But after a year of refusals, I've now been his passenger three times.  I've even pledged to drive it at least once before we leave. Perhaps I'll become a moto convert yet.

Jeremy with his Yamaha Nuovo

Parade of Food

In the last fortnight, I have eaten a ton of food!  (I'm really psyched to use the word fortnight, which I don't think I've ever used before in writing or conversation!)

It started with going with our Marines to choose the dinner menu for the Marine Ball in November.  This involved sampling three soups, two salads, two starters, two entrées, and two desserts.  We also tasted five or six wines, but frankly, I lost count of exactly how many!  Even though the food was served in small, tasting-size portions, I left feeling very full, which wouldn't have been much of an issue, except...

That night, I headed to Samba Brazilian Churrascaria for a friend's birthday.  This is one of those restaurants where the servers walk around with skewers of meat and keep filling your plate until you tell them to stop.  Jeremy calls it "parade of meat."  It's impossible to eat light at one of these restaurants, especially because I wanted to try everything and get my fill of good steak, which is in rare supply in Cambodia.

A few days later, I went to afternoon tea for a girls outing at Sofitel hotel.  It's funny how the small tea sandwiches, scones, macaroons, and eclairs can fill you up!  In fact, we didn't finish it all and I took a doggy bag home to Jeremy!

Laura and Erica enjoy afternoon tea

Last weekend, Jeremy and I finally hosted the fondue dinner party that I'd been thinking of doing for ages.  I love fondue and, of course, needed to sample both of Jeremy's cheese and chocolate fondues with all the creative dippers our friends brought, which included sausage, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes for the cheese course and mangosteen fruit, peanut butter cookies, and pretzels for the chocolate course!

A couple days later, we ventured out to Common Tiger restaurant.  Common Tiger is known for its five-course tasting menu.  The tasting menu is a selection of creative dishes that the chef chooses and explains as he brings each course to the table.  The portions are small, but five courses - plus their bread with amazing onion marmalade - leave you with a full stomach.

Common Tiger entree featuring duck heart and deep-fried foie gras

Finally, today I went to the Sofitel lunch buffet, known for its array of high-end offerings.  I was most excited by the cheese board, which had nine cheeses to choose from.  Jeremy helped himself to two servings of oysters.  We also loaded up on sushi, seafood, and more steak.

Sushi boat at Sofitel Sunday lunch buffect

After all that, I'm swearing off restaurants for the next week.  Otherwise, I might need to detox with another raw food diet, which I'd rather avoid!

Fireflies in Kampot

I have fond childhood memories of catching fireflies on summer nights in Pennsylvania.  We even kept special firefly jars in our kitchen, with air holes punched into the lid in a vain attempt to capture and save their magical light.  As I recall, the trapped fireflies rarely survived the night.

While in Kampot, Cambodia this weekend, we learned that a popular activity is an evening firefly boat tour on the Kampong Bay River.  Intrigued by this idea, we reserved a boat and set off after sunset.  I don't think I've ever ridden a boat in such darkness.  Our own boat did not have its lights on.  Once we left the dock and passed a few river resorts, there was no more manmade light around us - only the dim, ambient light of the cloud-covered moon.  I prayed that the boat captain knew the river well enough not to run us aground!

We rode in the darkness for perhaps 10 minutes.  Occasionally we saw a single firefly flit by.  Then in the distance, we saw a couple firefly flickers.  The boat captain turned toward them and then cut the engine to let us drift closer.  I strained my eyes, seeing only a handful of firefly lights.  But when I relaxed, I could see a cloud of little lights ahead of us.  It was a bit like one of those optical illusion pictures where you have to let your eyes unfocus to see the image!  The captain pulled us right up to a small tree that was aglow with twinkling fireflies.  He reached up to a branch and caught one for me.  It was smaller than its North American cousin, but otherwise very similar to the fireflies in my memories.

We sat there for awhile, watching the fireflies twinkle and flit around, and catching ones that got close to us.  Curiously, the fireflies were all gathered on this one tree, despite the forest of trees that were on the shore.  The captain explained that the fireflies move trees every night, but always cluster together like this.  Just before leaving, he grabbed a low branch and shook it above us, creating a sprinkle of twinkling lights falling all around us.  It was like our own alive Christmas light show!  Magical indeed!

Say What?!

I have been taking Khmer (Cambodian) language classes for 15 months.  Some people say "Oh, you must be fluent now!"  Ha...if only that were the truth!

Khmer is the third foreign language I have studied (after French and Kiswahili).  However it is the first language I have studied that does not use the Latin alphabet.  I am a visual learner - I have to see it to understand it - so learning to speak a language when I can't read or write the words has been a new experience for me.  To manage, I developed my own phonetic system to write down how each new word sounds.  But it is an imperfect system and I frequently have to go back and change my spelling of a word when I realize I had the pronunciation wrong.  I originally hoped to learn to read and write Khmer, but now I know that will be impossible in my remaining time in Cambodia.  It is a beautiful written language, yet it will remain a series of meaningless squiggles to me!

Written Khmer:  The dinner menu of a wedding I attended

I try to speak Khmer as much as possible.  But usually when I say something in Khmer, the other person responds in English.  Or worse, they respond in Khmer...and I have absolutely no idea what they've said!  Having a conversation in the quiet confines of my classroom with a teacher who speaks slowly and clearly is worlds away from trying to communicate with a shopkeeper who speaks quickly and in slang over the din of the marketplace!

But I will continue to take lessons and continue to try to speak and understand.  For a little bit of fun, you can see and hear me trying to speak Khmer.  The Embassy put together this fun video of American staff saying Khmer tongue twisters.  I'm at minute 0:30.

Kep's Hidden Charms?

Jeremy and I spent Memorial Day relaxing in Kep, one of the beach towns of Cambodia.  Aside from the beach, pool, and afternoon cocktails (all of which were good!), a highlight of the trip was our hike in Kep National Park.  

The local Led Zep cafe and its expat staff have appointed themselves caretakers of the park. They have cleared trails, created a trail map, and marked the park with bright yellow signs to guide our way.  This was ingenious because all we had to see was a yellow sign or even a yellow dot of paint on a rock to know that we were still heading in the right direction.  If all your hiking has been in the western world, then clear trail signs might not seem like much, but in Cambodia, it's quite impressive!

Lep Zep's bright yellow trail signs 

After reviewing the map, we decided to take the "Stairway to Heaven" trail (why not, right?).  The trail started out with actual concrete stairs, but quickly moved to fun, switch-back trails through the jungle.

Jeremy at the "Stairway to Heaven"

As we climbed higher, we came upon a small cluster of houses.  I was surprised to find people living this far into park; my best guess is that they were the maintenance staff for the nearby cell phone towers.  We also saw a familiar face:  a poster of Britney Spears covering one of the windows!

Britney Spears poster in Kep National Park

Our trip on the "Stairway to Heaven" ended at Sunset Rock.  Although it was not sunset, it was a bit heavenly, with a beautiful view of Kep, including the well-known Crab Market, Kep Beach, and the Pacific Ocean.

View of Kep from Sunset Rock

After taking in the view, we explored around, following other short trails.  As we entered one clearing, I almost walked right into Jeremy as he stopped dead in his tracks.  I peered around him and saw the thick tail of a snake slither away, less than 10 meters from us.  Jeremy turned to me and said "That was a cobra!  It reared up and spread its hood at us!"  Suddenly aware of the danger of venomous snakes around us, we looked around at our feet, back up at each other, and quickly made our exit out of the park!