sunday in phnom penh. our second full day.
we still havent really 'landed' as such when it comes to our sleep/eat patterns. the fact that nights are hot and noisy and food is a whole new game means that it will take a while for us to find our groove. this morning breakfast consisted of sweet rice with banana slices. a plate of fruit. (pineapple, banana, dragon fruit and apple). and a banana smoothie made with crushed ice and maple syrup. a definate winner.
none of us are really eating a real meal as such yet..we just sort of have a small amount a few times a day. whats happened a few times now is that one of us have ordered a meal...and then someone else realise they are hungry and we order another one..and so on. the kitchen staff must think we are pretty weird. we have yet to sit down as a family and order a joint meal for all.
we got in touch with a guy called billy that my sister had been recommened through a friends mother. he was keen to meet and told us it would suit him that we come along to the stadium at 2. he would be there watching his weekly soccer match since his knee was damaged.
after a tuktuk ride we arrived in an empty stadium...and sure enough...there was billy. we had a nice little chat with him. sort of a dutch sounding, almost cambodian looking crocodile dundee sort of guy. turns out he heads up some organisation for kids that finds foster style home for orphans. all local. we didnt get a chance to talk about too many details but he seems to be one of those good guys in the world. he invited us to join in the festivities after the game at a cafe somewhere in the city.
we got back on our tuktuk and headed to the palace we had seen yesterday with all the monkeys. figured it was a good way to spend the hour before meeting up with our new friend.
once again we caused quite a stir as there werent many western people around...and definately no western kids. i must admit that i found it somewhat unnerving having a crowd of people staring and pointing at us while we were two metres away from an elephant. surely we cant be THAT interesting.
we walked around until we found the monkeys who were super cute. especially the little ones. the kids loved it.
we also got to have our first public toilet experience which wasnt as bad as i had expected. it is kept cleaned by this mute boy who couldnt have been older than twelve. hard to know how much to pay for the service.
back in the tuktuk (yes, we all love the tuktuk) we headed off to find this random cafe by the night markets. of course steve didnt have many details of the place...and as it turned out the wrong numbers as well...and the kids were hungry and thirsty. so in order to avoid a mini domestic right there on the street corner i announced that we had walked far enough and we should just sit down and make sure the kids got something to drink. well..sure enough..as we sat there with our drinks the soccer team started arriving one by one. somehow we had managed to sit down in the exact cafe that we were meant to. (nice ego boost for veronica)
it was good to be amongst an international crowd again. complete with some guy from adelaide. unley at that. go figure! they were all really friendly and all that..but must say i hope we dont slide into the whole expat thing over here. i know it would be super easy..but its not what we are here for.
we had a quick look through the night markets which were a pretty organised affair really. lots and lots of crazy food...and a big area with mats for people to sit on and eat to their hearts content. cambodians well and truly love to eat. we wanted to find a little gift for the girls friend Lek. the one who paints their nails everytime they see her. she announced today that its her birthday tomorrow. silly me asked her how old she will be...she got a confused look on her face...thought some more...went and got her passport...did some counting and finally announced..27! i asked her to have a look..and sure enough...her passport claims she will be 26 - so yeah..thanks to me she is a year younger than she thought. anyways..we found her a little gift and headed back on the tuktuk to our guest house.
after a mini khmer lesson with Tay (the sweetest worker here) and a banana smoothie each, we headed up to our room...
showers and a bit more drawing from the big kids..and everyone into bed. another day ends.... although the noise from the street below continues.
for the record: we have already broken three of the sacred rules. not wearing shoes at all times outside. (hello parasites). not touching dogs at any cost. (hello rabies). and not making sure we had enough water with us for unexpected detours. (hello dehydration). BUT im pretty sure all the kids brushed their teeth before going to bed and thats new ground for us!
we still havent really 'landed' as such when it comes to our sleep/eat patterns. the fact that nights are hot and noisy and food is a whole new game means that it will take a while for us to find our groove. this morning breakfast consisted of sweet rice with banana slices. a plate of fruit. (pineapple, banana, dragon fruit and apple). and a banana smoothie made with crushed ice and maple syrup. a definate winner.
none of us are really eating a real meal as such yet..we just sort of have a small amount a few times a day. whats happened a few times now is that one of us have ordered a meal...and then someone else realise they are hungry and we order another one..and so on. the kitchen staff must think we are pretty weird. we have yet to sit down as a family and order a joint meal for all.
we got in touch with a guy called billy that my sister had been recommened through a friends mother. he was keen to meet and told us it would suit him that we come along to the stadium at 2. he would be there watching his weekly soccer match since his knee was damaged.
after a tuktuk ride we arrived in an empty stadium...and sure enough...there was billy. we had a nice little chat with him. sort of a dutch sounding, almost cambodian looking crocodile dundee sort of guy. turns out he heads up some organisation for kids that finds foster style home for orphans. all local. we didnt get a chance to talk about too many details but he seems to be one of those good guys in the world. he invited us to join in the festivities after the game at a cafe somewhere in the city.
we got back on our tuktuk and headed to the palace we had seen yesterday with all the monkeys. figured it was a good way to spend the hour before meeting up with our new friend.
once again we caused quite a stir as there werent many western people around...and definately no western kids. i must admit that i found it somewhat unnerving having a crowd of people staring and pointing at us while we were two metres away from an elephant. surely we cant be THAT interesting.
we walked around until we found the monkeys who were super cute. especially the little ones. the kids loved it.
we also got to have our first public toilet experience which wasnt as bad as i had expected. it is kept cleaned by this mute boy who couldnt have been older than twelve. hard to know how much to pay for the service.
back in the tuktuk (yes, we all love the tuktuk) we headed off to find this random cafe by the night markets. of course steve didnt have many details of the place...and as it turned out the wrong numbers as well...and the kids were hungry and thirsty. so in order to avoid a mini domestic right there on the street corner i announced that we had walked far enough and we should just sit down and make sure the kids got something to drink. well..sure enough..as we sat there with our drinks the soccer team started arriving one by one. somehow we had managed to sit down in the exact cafe that we were meant to. (nice ego boost for veronica)
it was good to be amongst an international crowd again. complete with some guy from adelaide. unley at that. go figure! they were all really friendly and all that..but must say i hope we dont slide into the whole expat thing over here. i know it would be super easy..but its not what we are here for.
we had a quick look through the night markets which were a pretty organised affair really. lots and lots of crazy food...and a big area with mats for people to sit on and eat to their hearts content. cambodians well and truly love to eat. we wanted to find a little gift for the girls friend Lek. the one who paints their nails everytime they see her. she announced today that its her birthday tomorrow. silly me asked her how old she will be...she got a confused look on her face...thought some more...went and got her passport...did some counting and finally announced..27! i asked her to have a look..and sure enough...her passport claims she will be 26 - so yeah..thanks to me she is a year younger than she thought. anyways..we found her a little gift and headed back on the tuktuk to our guest house.
after a mini khmer lesson with Tay (the sweetest worker here) and a banana smoothie each, we headed up to our room...
showers and a bit more drawing from the big kids..and everyone into bed. another day ends.... although the noise from the street below continues.
for the record: we have already broken three of the sacred rules. not wearing shoes at all times outside. (hello parasites). not touching dogs at any cost. (hello rabies). and not making sure we had enough water with us for unexpected detours. (hello dehydration). BUT im pretty sure all the kids brushed their teeth before going to bed and thats new ground for us!
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