Article about the Irrawaddy Dolphins

An interesting - and sad - article about the Irrawaddy Dolphins - a species living only in the Mekong River in Cambodia.

http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/news/?uNewsID=167001

Monsoon Season

Caroline is napping, and the two older ones went to visit some kids upstairs, so I am quickly taking advantage of this rare moment of silence and freedom to ease into my chair in front of the computer to work on a new post. Could it be this is already becoming an addiction? As a child and teenager, I used to keep a diary, but then as I got older, I let the habit slip, I guess I got too busy with other things – studies, then getting established as an interpreter, and finally having kids. Children have a tendency to just take over our lives, and if we aren’t careful they can run us down just like an 18-wheeler would. Well, maybe not literally, but the results can be just as devastating. Fred and I have never been good at making time for ourselves after we had children, and this got even worse when we moved to the Netherlands. We were grappling with having a newborn again, and we never really found any exciting places to go. Now, we are slowly rediscovering our freedom. But it is still very elusive. But I digress.

Monsoon season is a period of heavy rainfall in South East Asia lasting from June until September, and follows a hot and dry season in April and May. The summer monsoons are responsible for close to 80 percent of the total annual rainfall in Cambodia and other parts of the region. These rains are critical to agriculture here. This year, Cambodians were saying it was starting early, as we already experienced the first heavy rains only days after our arrival in Phnom Penh. But somehow, although the rain came early, it has not been abundant. Usually it rains at least once a day, often twice daily, but so far, the rain has been very sporadic. In fact, we’re lucky to have rainfall 3 times a week. I wonder if this has anything to do with climate change. I read an article stating that scientists were predicting a weakened monsoon season for Asian countries in the future due to rising temperatures. This would have a devastating effect on the region’s agriculture. But I suppose all of that can change in no time. Then I suppose we’ll be house-ridden, and will be looking for all sorts of indoor activities to keep us occupied.

Actually, as I was sitting here, I heard the distant roll of thunder, and the promise of rain is heavy in the air. While I’ve been philosophizing about parenthood and the loss of freedom, the day has gone dark. Heavy clouds are looming ominously above, the wind is picking up, and any minute the rain will be coming down in heavy sheets. As much as I loathed the rain in the Netherlands, I love it here. The sheer intensity of it thrills me. With the first drops of rain starting to fall and the sound of the thunder growing louder, Helena and Thomas reappear and Caroline awakes from her nap, so what else is there to do but pop some popcorn and curl up in the sofa together to watch a movie? If monsoon season means you have to drop what you’re doing instantly and enjoy life, I think I’m really going to like it!

Shopping in Phnom Penh

This morning, Fred and I took off on our weekly trip to the market, while the kids stayed home watching TV and playing computer games. We stopped at the Boeng Keng Kang market (our local neighborhood market) and bought some fresh fruit: mangosteen, $.80/kg; passion fruit, $1.25/kg; 1 pineapple, $ 0.50; 1 watermelon, $1. The people are lovely: always full of smiles and laughter. No one ever gets offended if you ask the price of something they’re selling, and then say you don’t want to buy it. Never any angry faces or comments (not that I would understand anyway!!), only helpful people trying to ease communication (and relieve you of some of your dollars). There is a sense of community here that I have never seen anywhere else. When one vendor doesn’t speak English, his neighbor will bend across his produce and try to translate. If a vendor doesn’t have passion fruit, he won’t just reply no, but he’ll point you in the direction of someone who does.
There is a section of the market that can best be described as a string of beauty salons where Khmer women go to get their hair done, or to get a pedicure or manicure. Out of curiosity, I asked the price of a pedicure. $1.50 with a single color varnish (no design). I suppose if I need a pedicure and I can’t afford to pay the $6 they charge at Lucky Salon, I can always head to the BKK market…
When we were done, found our tuk tuk (they wait for you on the street while you do your shopping), and asked the driver to take us to the Tuol Tompeng Market (AKA Russian Market). As we approached, the streets were teeming with people, and we realized that the market was closed, and all the people in the street were actually the vendors demonstrating. We couldn’t find out what they were demonstrating about, but we decided there was no sense in prolonging our stay there, so we asked the driver to take us to the Central Market. There, we picked up a pair of flip flops for Caroline ($2), some nice cotton materials that I have to take to a tailor to have some clothes made, and lastly 1kg of fresh shrimp for $6/kg ($3/lb). Since the Central Market is being renovated, much of the permanent structure is closed and the vendors have set up stalls under aluminum sheets, so it gets very hot, and the ground is often quite muddy, and trying to navigate through the vendors who all have something to sell you and the beggars who all hope you’ll give them a little something can be quite strenuous, and the heat quite overpowering, so it wasn’t too long until we made our way home, to the cool shade of the gardens and the refreshing water of the pool. On reading the newspaper by the pool, I discovered that the vendors at the Russian Market were protesting against plans to remodel the market. They fear it will lose its appeal with tourists and foreigners, and also that they will be unable to do business as usual, and they rely on their incomes to feed their families.

Amnesia on a Friday Night

After a long week at work for Fred, we decided to go out for a drink after supper at home with the kids. We left the children in the care of the security guards at the apartments, and headed out into the soft, sultry heat so characteristic of evenings in Phnom Penh (it reminds me a lot of Louisiana). We made our way through the eager cries of “tuk tuk, sir?” just outside Embassy Place, and strolled unhurriedly around the corner and down the street to Flavor’s Restaurant, a street café that we have taken a particular liking to, mainly because of a drink they serve called “Amnesia”. It is made with Tequila, Cointreau, Grenadine and fresh passion fruit. Tonight, this was just what we needed to unwind! It was only 7.00pm, but the night swathed us in its veil of warm darkness. In the shadows, beyond the branches of a tree we could hear some muffled voices, and as our eyes adjusted to the dark we could distinguish several figures – three, maybe four – sitting on the balustrade of a balcony. There were also several people sitting on the sidewalks and leaning up against the walls. Cambodians spend most of their time outdoors, grabbing a seat wherever they can; on the edge of the sidewalk, on the street, or napping in a hammock that they attach between any two objects that will carry their weight. We emerged from the dark, quiet street, to the slightly busier street 51, and crossed it and found a couple of seats at the bar. The contrast was, once again, startling. Flavor’s is a favorite with the expat community, and the clientele is exclusively made up of foreigners who, just like us, seek out places like this. Why do we go here, and not mingle with the locals? I don’t know. Maybe because they don’t make Amnesias in places for locals. Or maybe because it’s reassuring to be in a place that is vaguely reminiscent of the places back home. One can only handle so much culture shock.

Markets in Phnom Penh

Here is another link to some pictures we took when we visited some of the most well-known markets in Phnom Penh on Saturday.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lecocqsincambodia/MarketsInPhnomPenh#slideshow/5345579584057952562

The Streets of Phnom Penh

I thought that instead of writing so much, it might be interesting if I just posted some pictures of what we see on our daily tuk tuk ride. Easier said than done. I am no computer wiz, and now I've been sitting here all morning trying to upload pictures to my blog. I tried to upload another slide show, but even though I had no problems last time, this time the programs just won't cooperate. So, I tried to upload some pictures directly into my posting, but only managed to upload one so far, even though it tells me that the upload was successful. Grrr! This was supposed to be a way of keeping in touch with many without it taking too long! I've got quite a few neat shots, too. I suppose I shall have to paste the link to my picasa web album, so that you can go there and have a look. I hope you enjoy, and that you're not too shocked by some of the pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lecocqsincambodia/StreetsOfPhnomPenh

Easy Like a Sunday Morning

On Sunday, since it was overcast and slightly cooler than usual, we decided to have breakfast out, and then go for a walk in the riverside area. Since we're not quite ready for a Khmer breakfast (which generally consists of rice or noodles), we broke our fast with melt-in-your-mouth crepes, French toast, fresh fruit and juices at a restaurant called the Bopha Titanic, which overlooks the river. As we sat there, we observed all the traffic on the river, and many locals out on their fishing boats casting their nets in the hopes of getting a catch. Once breakfast was consumed, we started out on our walk, which took us past some quite trendy cafes and restaurants which are adjacent to an odd assortment of shops, kiosks, pirated DVD/CD stores and photocopy and translation services. Suddenly, on the sidewalk up ahead, we saw several monkeys, just hanging out, nibbling on something. Turns out we were approaching the main post office which is their favorite hangout. As we got closer, they very nonchalantly started climbing up the gate in front of the main door, and then grabbed on to some wires that took them up to the top of the wall where they very nimbly passed through the barbed wire and onto the roof. We continued down the street and came to a great playground which was packed, mainly with little Khmer kids. Caroline had a ball, until we all got too hot and decided to head for the shade of the trees surrounding Wat Phnom. One of the most important pagodas in Phnom Penh, it is also the tallest religious structure of the city. Dating back to 1373, the original pagoda has gone through numerous changes but remains a popular place for locals to come and pray for good fortune. It is reached by a winding staircase that is guarded by statues of lions and serpents. You have to make your way through a horde of vendors and beggars but it’s worth it to check out this true slice of local life. The trees around Wat Phnom are filled with monkeys, but locals warned us to be careful and carry Caroline, as the monkeys are prone to be aggressive, and can attack. Someone was going on an elephant ride, and that was a fun sight. We’re leaving that experience for cooler days to come. From Wat Phnom, we started in the direction of home, and soon stopped in a little boutique selling crafts hand made by disabled people, a way of helping them make a living despite their disability. That’s where Caroline picked up her little puppet. I’m sure we’ll be going back there once we settle; they had some nice things in there. We decided to take a tuk tuk home, because Caroline was getting tired, and it had gotten hot, and we found a tuk tuk driver who kinda looked like a Khmer version of Julek! At home we all jumped in the pool to cool off.