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It's funny how you look at a place so differently when you are visiting as a tourist. I think as a tourist you find the magic in everything. I remember when I first went to the Dominican Republic to work in a rural village the truck stopped to drop off the first group of volunteers. My work partner, Tom, said, "oh, this isn't so bad. This looks like a nice community." I said, "I'm glad you feel that way because this is our home for the next eight weeks." "Oh, shit, Tom replied, you gotta be kidding?" You just look through very different eyes when the expectations of home change your rose colored glasses to a microscope. Phnom Penh has sort of been like that. The smog doesn't feel so quaint and the election campaign that sounded like an all out revolution outside my guest house this morning didn't feel so welcoming and every single tuk tuk driver asking you if you need a ride doesn't feel friendly anymore. Doesn't anyone walk anywhere here?
But then there are the fun/funny moments. I went to a Khmer restaurant last night. It was one of those Chinese-like menus that has way too many choices and pages to count and just about everything was $3. Vegetarian food was only $2 and a Angkor beer was .75 cents. I was encouraged to order the "Cow with grass" dish. It sounded healthier than the morning glory with chicken livers but I'm betting the chicken livers wouldn't have given my jaw quite the workout. The meat was quite flavorful but I'd bet it was water buffalo. You ever have a mouthful of something that gets bigger the longer you chew it? I was praying to Buddha that someone in this place knew the Heimlich maneuver because I was almost certain to need one should my bottle of Angkor run dry. And then there is the Om Spa and Massage. If a one hour thai massage costs $8 why would you stop there when you can throw in an additional one hour foot massage for another 8 spot? All in all, it was a good evening. The city sort of sleeps early so after nine it's quite pleasant to go out and walk without breathing fumes. The temperature actually is tolerable at night.
I woke up finding myself a year older this morning--53 to be exact. I looked at my bags in the floor at the guesthouse and thought, "so it's come to this. I've worked my entire life for these two bags of clothes, half of them dirty from the last two weeks in Bangkok and Singapore, and not even a closet to put them in." Today, I would find a place to live. The wonderful man in the office next to me tells me of a great place accross the street from him for only $250 a month. We'll the price is right. On the way there he tells me stories of being a survivor of the Killing Fields. He was tortured and suffocated five times and left for dead. When the Vietnamese invaded in 1979 he fled to Thailand and lived in a refugee camp with 300,000 Cambodians for two years until he found a sponsor to come to the U.S. These stories are everywhere but he shared his much more generously than most. For many, it's just too painful to remember and when you can't make any sense of something you just lock it in a box and put it under the bed. I loved our drive over together and he has a wonderful spirit. He returned because he believes young people can heal the country. So we get to the appartment that was on a typical Phnom Penh street with noise everywhere, construction, dust, and every smell imaginable. We walk up four flight of a fire escape narrow steps into a sterile living space with a TV on a table and a long hallway leading back to a "kitchen" past two bedrooms. I wanted so much to like this place because the gentle man thought he'd found me something really special. I just couldn't.
I was feeling so discouraged. The President's assistant said he found another place five minute walk to the university down a quiet alley. I wasn't expecting much but when I got there I knew I'd found a home. Now, when I finally do post pictures you may not think much of it but trust me--this is the Ritz, comparitively speaking. I told the nice woman I would take the place because I am just weary from suitcase living. It comes with cable and water, I pay for wi-fi and electricity. There are no central airconditioners here. Everything is room A/C and you don't aircon your living area. The good part is I have a really fabulous balcony overlooking the quiet alley. There are orchids growing up the steps that are actually not made of steel but are really nice ceremic tile. I feel like I scored even if I'm paying ex-pat rates. My neighbors above me are Brits and Americans. I haven't met them yet but a possible social connection. I know you all want more pics so I'll do my best to accomodate tomorrow. Thanks for reading and staying interested. And, thanks for commenting on my posts. This one is longer than most. I'll try to keep them short. BTW, I have two bedrooms so I'm ready to host visitors.
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Congrats on your new digs!
Loved the entry and so glad you found home. It's so cool you're having the adventure of a lifetime as you've turned 53. Lucky guy, you! Had a HIP meeting yesterday and everyone misses you. You're making the organization grow through your absence -- what a gift! That's another way to look at it. :) CC