Cookin’ with gas in the Penh
While popping a batch of popcorn for a lunchtime snack and with a dinner party at our home only hours away, I make the startling discovery that we were really, […]
» Read moreTag: Cambodia
Languid lolling on Lazy Beach
Paradise with insects – that’s how Lonely Planet’s Guide to Cambodia describes Lazy Beach. This glib characterization from the usually credible travel bible horrifically overstates the presence of winged annoyances while even more appallingly unde…
» Read moreTwice a target of random acts of kindness
A broken zipper pull on my overused backpack sent me to the Russian Market in search of a quick repair. What I got – along with handily repaired backpack – was a double dose of random Cambodian kindness. I searched the rows of shops for someone se…
» Read moreWords of hope from the streets of Phnom Penh
Hailed by a tuk tuk driver as I waited outside his hotel for our new friend Kevin to join me for a bike ride into the provinces, I used my favorite strategy to turn away Cambodians’ attempts to sell me something: I spoke Khmer to him.Greeting him …
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Recreation of a recent “customer service” phone call
Recreation of a recent “customer service” phone call I received on my mobile from Metfone, our internet service provider at home in Phnom Penh. This is fairly typical of the process-oriented, chase-your-tail conversations we have nearly every day,…
» Read moreComfort factor: 10%. Experience factor: 100%
There are two moments that stand out in my mind from my trip to Siem Reap province last week with DPA (the NGO where I work). The first was during a meeting with a group of villagers inside a wooden hut on stilts, where I sat on a hard wood floor …
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