Saturday september 11th

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The penultimate day before I return to the land of Oz. We make an early morning trip into PP to have breakfast with Isabelle (heading off to Holland to spend a fortnight with her research sponsors) and Mike (fresh from Stanford and taking 12 months to choose his PhD subject - we wonder how do we get a gurnsey like that one!). We also have to make a return trip to the SOS international medical centre. Kirsten had an abscess come up under her arm (too much sweating) and it needed to be lanced - nasty stuff!!!

We had to get back in time to be collected by Bhupoan (Bhu being the local term for Uncle), our driver of recent weeks, who was hosting us for lunch. It was amazing. at least three lots of fish, rice, beer, vegetables - all in Khmer style, absolutely delicious. Bhupoan is a sunny man, keen for anything and when K was doing water sampling he pitched in and helped. The only dark clouds that we found that came across his disposition was when the topic of the Khmer Rouge years came up. Bhupoan does not have much education, directly as a result of those years (he is 46) and he has a nasty scar across his left leg. Of my generation, I wonder at the accident of birth and at the way my life would have been if born into this country.

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Photos

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Kirsten and Bhupoan - he started with his shirt on!

Comments

[Carolyn]

Spirits High
Hi Kirsten I am thinking of you keenly over there now John is back. I missed your call keep your chin up some results will always be better for your model than none! It looks like you are really making friends! I heard on the radio they have caught Pol Post 2nd 3rd and 4th in command but not sure what will happen now as many of the old Khmer Rouge generals now in the legal system in Cambodia - such a short time of hell and a long time to recover - if ever. I feel happy you can do something for the country with your predictions of arsenic great stuff take care Love Cxx