Hey, I'm Walkin' Here!

On Saturday, I participated in a 10K charity walkathon for Nokor Tep to raise funds for a women's health facility that can treat all Cambodian women regardless of their ability to pay.

The day started with a ferry ride across the Mekong to the village where the walk was taking place.  Here is a picture of me with some of my walking buddies on the ferry:

The walk was very well-organized, especially compared to a half-marathon Jeremy did in Nairobi!  All participants received a red baseball hat (see above picture) and a small metal cup (similar to a tin camping cup) on a lanyard.  The cups were for use at the water stations that were spaced about every 1K along the route.  Here is one of the water stations, clearly identifiable by the large pink umbrella and the friendly volunteers in red shirts:  

The route had lots of interesting things to see along the way.  We passed several temples, some run down and abandoned, others beautiful and in use.  We also passed a cemetery, schools, farms...and this fabulous statue:

We walked by many homes, some very elaborate, many very basic.  This picture is representative of much of the housing we saw:

And we also saw many children.  Some quietly stared at us as we went by.  Others cheerfully waved and yelled "hello!"  None of them were at all shy about having their picture taken.

It was a great experience, but I was glad to reach the finish line, where we were welcomed with a package of crackers, a cup of ramen noodles, and well-deserved chairs set in the shade!

Home Sweet Home

We were able to move into our apartment last week!  The overall apartment is a good size, but has some odd layout features.  We have a walk-in closet, but a smallish kitchen with limited cabinet space.  The master bathroom and guest bathroom have air vents connecting the two, meaning that all sounds easily travel from one to the other!  (Keep this in mind if you come visit!)  On the plus side, we have two balconies to look down on the activity below us, including the building's swimming pool.  I snapped this sunset from the balcony on our first night.

Our building is called The Hamptons and it's smack in the middle of a neighborhood filled with restaurants and shops.  We have a 24-hour mini-mart directly across from us where we can pick up our milk, laundry detergent, and chicken-flavored peanuts any time of day or night.  Jeremy also got some pretty good pizza from the neighborhood Italian joint.  It's good to finally be home.                                                         

A Parade Fit For a King

On Friday, Phnom Penh held a funeral procession for the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk.  Although Sihanouk passed away in October 2012 at the age of 89, his body has been lying in state at the Royal Palace for over three months so the Cambodian people could pay their respects to their former king. Monuments to Sihanouk, such as this one, have also been erected all over the city:

Sihanouk has been an important political figure in Cambodia since the 1940s.  He was the King of Cambodia from 1941-1955 and again from 1993-2004.  In between, he was prime minister, president, and maintained a complicated association with the Khmer Rouge and its murderous leader Pol Pot.  But he also gained Cambodia's independence from France in 1953 and led peace talks that pulled Cambodia out of two decades (1970-1990) of civil war, dictatorship, and occupation.  Sihanouk abdicated the throne in 2004 in favor of his son, current King Norodom Sihamoni.  Although the King Father's legacy is complex, he is much beloved by the people of Cambodia.

The funeral procession departed the Royal Palace at 8:00 am on Friday and wound its way around the city center before returning to the Royal Palace at 12:00 pm.  Luckily, the hotel where I'm staying was just one block from the procession's route, so I was easily able to walk over and see the whole thing.

Float with King Father's portrait

Float with assorted important people I don't know

Very odd float of plaster animals

Float with Buddha statue

Carriage carrying King Father's casket

Himawari Hotel

Since our apartment is not yet available, the Embassy has placed us temporarily in the Himawari Hotel.

Not your standard hotel, the Himawari features 1-3 bedroom apartments with kitchenettes and daily housekeeping service.  The Himawari is also fabulously located on the Mekong River.  We have been lucky enough to get an apartment overlooking the river, where we captured this shot of the sunrise:

The other great feature of the Himawari is the daily breakfast buffet, which is included with our room rate.  The breakfast has standard Western fare such as cereal, toast, and bacon, as well as local options including miso soup and fish porridge.  At the cook-to-order station, you can get eggs or kyteow, a rice noodle soup.

In addition to overlooking the river, our room also looks down on the back courtyard, which hosts daily events.  Last night, Nestle held a corporate function complete with a band and a smoke machine.  At the moment, the hotel staff is setting up a stage surrounded by at least 50 tables, so I'm quite intrigued to see what happens tonight!

First Night in Phnom Penh

On our first night in Phnom Penh, we took a cruise on the Mekong River. The Mekong is usually associated with Vietnam in the minds of Americans, but the river actually runs through the length of Cambodia before turning into Vietnam and fanning out into the well-known Mekong Delta.

After my first day of work, we left with several of my new colleagues to meet our boat on the waterfront. A group of Embassy staff had rented the boat as part of a farewell party for the person I was replacing (Shirley), and they graciously included Jeremy and me in the celebration.

The table on the top deck was laden with food – pizza, roasted chicken, peanuts, chicken skewers, fried dumplings, burgers, and spring rolls – and drink – beer, wine, and soda. We introduced ourselves around the boat and then dug into the grub. The group kept teasing Shirley to try some of the chicken, which was a whole bird complete with head and feet. Shirley, who is a vegetarian, grimaced in disgust.

Jeremy and I were entranced by the picturesque views of Phnom Penh, which included the Royal Palace and multiple Buddhist temples. We were also treated to a beautiful sunset.

As the night drew on and the alcohol kept flowing, we moved down to the middle deck for some karaoke. My new boss entertained us with a Spanish number, and then Jeremy took over the mic for an 80’s hit. The rest of us obliged by dancing along.

By that time, the boat had returned to the dock and we said our goodbyes. Jeremy and I chuckled all the way home thinking about this fabulous introduction to Phnom Penh and the fun we would have with this group of people over the next two years.

Update:
Although I didn't have my camera, I was able to get these pictures from someone else:

Great Expectations

While we were recently visiting the US, a lot of friends asked us what we expect life to be like in Cambodia. We hadn’t actually given it much thought, besides very basic generalities such as climate and cost of living. So, during our many hours of travel across the Pacific, we chewed on it a bit more and came up with the following:

• Jeremy will have to expand his heat tolerance for a climate where the “cold season” is 80 degrees.
• The Cambodian people will be friendly, yet reserved.
• The capital city of Phnom Penh will be pretty, and green with lots of trees and vegetation.
• We will feel safe despite the level of crime in Phnom Penh.
• Phnom Penh will not be an exciting city with lots to do, but we will make our own fun and have a good time.
• We will enjoy good food that is different from any other Asian cuisine we have eaten in the US.
• We will have several bouts of tummy trouble in our first few months. We’ve been warned that everyone goes through this as they adjust to the food.
• One of us will have to go to Bangkok for medical treatment at least once. The healthcare system in Cambodia is extremely basic and unable to handle anything beyond very routine medical needs. For more complicated concerns, we would need to go to Bangkok.
• Jeremy will have a difficult time with the language barrier. Jeremy believes he isn’t good with languages.
• The Embassy community will be more tight-knit than in Nairobi.
• The Embassy workload will be more relaxed than in Nairobi.
• Clothing and custom-made tailoring will be inexpensive.
• We will learn more about Buddhism.
• Our previously indoor/outdoor cats will not enjoy living in an apartment with no yard.
• Jeremy will learn to drive a motorbike.
• We will sing lots of karaoke.

Stay tuned to our blog as we find out how many of these expectations come true over the next two years!