jimmie50

Well, regarding the mystery meat...I learned when visiting the family of my ex in Taiwan that he (and his family) would get terribly annoyed with me always asking what something was or what was inside. As a result of that experience, I take a bite. If it tastes okay and the texture is acceptable, I simply eat it, enjoy it and don't ask. I am probably better off not knowing what it is anyway. Texture was the big thing for me over taste. As for salad, Cam brought back something yesterday that he called salad and I swear to you parts of it were still moving. Just could not bring myself to sample that. I honestly believe it was full of these tiny little worms. Pass. In high school, I traveled two different summers with the youth group on a work mission to remote areas of Belize. The first year our group leaders either shipped ahead or took with us a selection of American foods...things like jars of peanut butter and cans of spam. That turned into a fiasco because the ladies in the village where we stayed were responsible for preparing our meals and they had no clue what to do with the American foods. I recall spaghetti was one of the items. Not knowing how to cook the noodles, they came out as one very large, gummy and inedible mess. The next year they just let the village ladies plan the menu and purchase the food locally.

Apologies for starting a new thread. Did not realize one was already going and this topic had already been discussed. Kind of out of the loop, especially while at Cam's parents, so have only been checking the Gay Cambodia forum. Should have checked more carefully first.

Well, my mission is not to try and change the culture...either within Cam's family or in a more general sense. I learned a long time ago you cannot go into any type of relationship with the mindset that you will change the other person...or at least change the things you don't like about the person. The relationship is doomed to failure if that is your mindset from the very beginning. I might not be crazy about the excessive drinking, but I certainly know well enough to keep my mouth shut. Cam knows my history with drinking...from growing up in a house where smoking and drinking were strictly forbidden to my wild college days. He understands that I don't drink now primarily because of medication...nothing to do with abstinence or sobriety. When we are not around friends or family, he can go several days without having a single drink. And if he does have something, at the most it might l three beers. I cannot speak for the rest of his family and their drinking habits at home. But there is definitely something about that group dynamic...the pressure...whether family or friends. That is not uniquely Cambodian, by the way. Anyway, I am not there to make or remake their lives into something more western. I am not here for some intervention for what westerners consider the ills of Cambodia culture and society. I am here to primarily focus on building a relationship together with Cam which will require a blending of both of our cultures and beliefs...merging them into something we both feel positive about without either one dominating the other.

After going and talking about it when we got back to the Airbnb, he actually enjoyed it very much. We even talked about at some point visiting Siem Reap again with some of his family and taking them to see the circus. I will need to check it out in Battambang. Not sure if they offer shows there, or just have the school. As for English lessons, this is something I will need to be careful about as the Cambodian government considers even volunteering as work and requires a permit. I really don't want to deal with the work permit or do anything that will jeopardize the retirement visa. That seems to be easy and straightforward at the moment.

Yes, this adventure was not part of the original plan...that is for sure. Roughing it is putting it mildly. I am very careful about what I eat. If it cannot be peeled or isn't cooked, I avoid it at all cost.

Some general observations…Cam’s hometown is definitely very rural and much different from Siem Reap. Siem Reap was very different from Bangkok. Bangkok definitely has that big city vibe going on all the time. Things are new and modern. You have many more conveniences that western folks are accustomed to. Siem Reap strikes me as a large city by Cambodian standards but with a small town feeling. Things are more laid back there. There are some very nice and large hotels in Siem Reap, but when we would ride past you never saw any vehicles or customers. They always looked deserted. I wouldn’t say that Siem Reap itself was inundated with tourists. The larger and more popular temples were definitely busy, but the city itself was rather quiet. Even Pub Street area was more quiet that I expected. Probably the busiest of any place outside of the temples would be the night market along the river. When driving around Cam’s hometown…well, for that matter, anywhere in Cambodia…you pass by cart or stall after stall side by side and all of them selling exactly the same items. I am curious as to how any of them actually make any money. Given the fact there are so many with precisely the same goods, how does one even decide which stall provides the best food or price? I suppose people either have their favorite stall or perhaps go to one operated by a friend or family member. But to the general public passing by, there really is nothing to make one distinct from the other. Cam has certain places he goes for certain things. It certainly isn’t one stop shopping for him. If we are buying pork, we go to one specific stall. If we are buying beer, we go to one particular mini-market. If we are getting fruit, he has one particular stall in the market he prefers. Not really sure how he has determined which will be his favorite place to shop for certain things. Sometimes it is just better not to ask too many questions. lol. One more interesting thing about the stalls...especially since Cam wants to learn to be a barber as a skill and have his own shop. While driving around the countryside, we will see what is nothing more than a 3-sided shed with a roof that contains one lonely barber chair. These seem to dot the countryside just as the food stalls do. I have decided that regardless of where you are in Cambodia and what type of vehicle you drive, Cambodians do not know the purpose or how to use their side mirrors or rear view mirrors! They have no peripheral vision. LOL. Every vehicle, regardless of size or number of wheels, must come with a hammock. No exceptions to this rule. Going the opposite direction from the rest of traffic on the opposite is standard operating procedure. They have also never heard of the rule that pedestrians have the right away. I know the traffic and crossing streets in Thailand has been a topic in a number of posts, but in Thailand I never felt unsafe. I do not feel safe walking anywhere in Cambodia. In fact, I was literally run over by a remork in the local market. If there are traffic laws, I don’t believe anyone is aware of them. We were in a remork just the other day with his mother and there was a barricade indicating the road was closed. People simply went around the barricade as if it didn’t exist. Stop signs…must be for decoration. Traffic signals…look at the pretty lights. Pretty sure nobody has ever been issued a traffic ticket for a moving violation in Cambodia. If that were the case, anyone with access to a vehicle should have received at the minimum ten traffic tickets in their lifetime. Drivers on motorbikes and bicycles are supposed to wear helmets. It is not required for passengers. I would guess at least 50% of the drivers do not wear helmets…more so in rural areas. Cam doesn’t wear one at his parents, nor do any of the other guys. His mother and one sister will wear a helmet, but that is all. He does wear it when we were traveling long distance. I insisted he get a helmet for me, and I think he does try to be more careful when I am riding with him. The roads are pretty rough in some areas, but it wasn’t too bad riding on the back for an extended period of time. I did ask him to stop probably more often than he would normally just to give my back a rest. No idea what the road to Battambang from his hometown will be like, but I assume I will find out sometime next week.

Am posting some photos of the wire mesh panels being installed and the completed fence. They need to lay a row of brick under the door frame, but otherwise it is pretty much done. Next project is to tear down the old chicken coop and prepare that area for the relocation of the current house. Let me tell you a little about the current house. Initially it was approximately 2 feet off the ground, so slightly elevated, and about 10 square meters. It was built 40 years ago. 20 years ago they raised the house to the current level, probably around 10 feet above ground level and build a 10 square meter addition doubling their space. Keep in mind that this is the home where his parents raised five children. Cam just turned 29, so that means he would have been around 9 years old when they added the space. The kitchen is open air but located under the new addition. The bathroom is basically an outhouse. It has concrete walls and a door for privacy and the more traditional Asian squat toilet. Baths are from a large storage tank using a plastic bin and scooping water to get yourself wet and to rinse. His parents do not have indoor plumbing…even in the kitchen. There are many large clay pots behind the house that catch rainwater that is used for cooking, washing clothes, bathing, etc. So, once the chicken coop has been taken down and the area prepared for the current house, they will begin the process of dismantling the current house and reassembling it where the chicken coop once stood. If you recall, I mentioned that his mother consulted a fortune teller about the best day to begin construction of the new house. The date was December 8. As it turns out, according to their beliefs and customs, the moving of the current house is included within the construction period. That means they can take down the chicken coop in advance, but the actual dismantling and relocation of the current house begins with that December 8 date. In my mind, I assumed they would have everything moved and be ready to actually begin with the new house construction. Not how things work here. lol. On a positive note…not that anything has really been negative…the oldest grandchild is an exceptionally smart young lady who has worked very hard in her studies. She has learned not only Khmer but English and Chinese. We have been able to have some decent conversations allowing her to get some first-hand experience practicing her English skills and she has taught me a few phrases in Khmer. Keep in mind she is only 12 years old, so the conversations are just very casual. I think the oldest two grandkids are more aware and may ask their parents questions in private about their Uncle Cam and his American friend, but nothing is said out loud in front of either of us that I am aware of or that Cam has let on to me. In general, my experience at the farm and now staying more than one week with Cam’s parents brings back memories of my childhood when I would go to church camp or my family would go camping. That was the only way we could afford to take vacations when I was little, so cold showers and pit toilets were the norm. Also reminds me of high school days when we would travel with the youth group from church to remote areas of Belize on work missions. I might be older and prefer at least 3 star accommodations, but you learn to adjust your expectations based upon your situation. As if have said several times before…the things we do for love. lol Cam’s family has been very welcoming and gone out of their way to make sure I feel included. Cam remains very attentive and has no care or worry about family reactions when he gets touchy-feely with me. There also seems to be no reaction from them…it seems to be accepted as natural. What is said to him in Khmer in private may be altogether different, but I don’t think so. I have not picked up on any negative vibes whatsoever. In reality, they may have picked up on some negative vibes from me regarding the consumption of alcohol. The cases of beer consumed by this group over the course of 9 or 10 days is staggering. At least when around me Cam has been drinking less….5 or 6 cans instead of 10 or 12. That is in one sitting…not one day. I gave up trying to count how many cans in one day, because it happens at lunch, dinner, and karaoke time in the evening. Oh…regarding the ring, he proudly wears it on left hand ring finger and shows it off. Once he put it on he hasn’t taken it off. Following the advice of esteemed forum members, I have tried not to think too much into it but rather treat it as has been suggested…special gift from special friend…and leave it at that. I don’t ask him questions about its meaning. You are correct in that the entire family only gets together a couple of times each year for Cambodian New Year and for Pchum Ben. The beer is usually Cambodia or Hanuman. Have not seen them with Ganzberg or Krud. Cam will drink Angkor by the bottle sometimes when we are grabbing a bite to eat.

I receive a travel newsletter via email that I subscribe to and in the most recent issue there was a link with information about possible new tourist fees under consideration by the Thai government. Wasn't sure if anyone was aware of this or had heard something similar. Here is the link to the article: No Work All TravelNew Tourism Fees for Thailand Coming Soon? - No Work All...With the possibility of two new tourism fees for Thailand, your trip to the most visited country in SE Asia might get a bit more costly.

Quick update…still in Cam’s hometown. As I suspected, nothing has gone according to plan…at least my plan. lol. There are so many things to unpack and report on here that it will probably take several days for me to gather my thoughts and post something. I am still alive, although I am about reaching my limit of family time. lol. Growing up in a small family, I have not had the experience of so many people for an extended period of time in very close quarters. Five siblings, three spouses, two parents, and 14 children ranging in age from 8 months up to 12 years old. Keep in mind the house is small and elevated. The inside is primarily for sleeping at night. Because it is so small, mostly the females and children sleep there…plus me and Cam. When I say wall to wall people…I mean that literally. The males are sleeping in hammocks hanging from the rafters below the house. This is also the hang out area during the day, the area where we eat and drink…and speaking of drinking, I have come to believe the entire family is a bunch of alcoholics. I have never seen people go through so many cases of beer in one day. Without stopping to think, they finish one can and immediately open another. No pause or hesitation whatsoever. Needless to say, Cam and I have had a couple of conversations about the excessive drinking among all of the adults and he has tried to refrain or limit his consumption…at least when I am looking. lol. Please don’t misunderstand…I am not a teatotaler and have had my share of alcohol over the years. I do not drink now due to medication I take for my heart and both my primary doctor and the cardiologist have warned me not to drink because of the medication. Even in my college days, I never consumed alcohol like these people have the last week. We are talking 10 or 12 cans at lunch time alone per person. I am surprised they don’t all pass out within a couple of hours, but by dinner time it starts all over again and then with karaoke in the evening. Since Pchum Ben is a Buddhist holiday, I assumed it would be more mellow and reserved…religious in nature. Yes, we go to temple every day. Yes we make food offerings to the monks. But once we return to the house from the temple or pagoda as they call it, it is like the gates of hell have opened up and swallowed everyone. Even though the official public holiday is three days (October 10-12), Cam’s entire family is here for an entire week. I expected them all to return to their respective homes on Monday, the last official day of the public holiday, and then we would travel to Battambang on Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. I also expected the holiday to be much more conservative as a Buddhist holiday, but this place is really party central. I have no clue if other families celebrate in the same manner. Since this is my first time to be in Cambodia or experience this holiday, I have no comparison. If nothing else, with the entire family here for one week the males have been able to complete the fence project. It actually turned out quite nice. I had my doubts initially, and was not very sure how they planned to use the rolls of wire mesh. As it turns out, they built frames…sort of like a picture window frame…and stretched the wire mesh around the steel frame to make a panel. Then they installed the panel on the upper portion of the brick wall and between the concrete posts. Using the steel they also made a door frame and a framed wire mesh door that will open, close and lock on the very back wall. I can tell Cam’s mother enjoys having the family here, but she is very tired. His sister’s all help with meal preparation, as does the brother’s wife, but it is still a lot of extra work for his mother. Her health is not the best, so I do worry about her doing too much. I said something to Cam a couple of times, and he, too has noticed how tired she is the longer everyone is here. I don’t know if he has quietly said something to his siblings or not. Yesterday he said to me she was not well. When I asked him this morning he only said better. The two oldest grandchildren help out some as well. The others are more in the way than anything. They are too little to notice what is happening. I guess since all of the siblings except the seamstress have their own business they are able to simply close up for the week. In fact, many businesses are closed over the official three days. It was quite strange going to the local market to find many stalls closed.

Disclaimer...I captured this photo from their Facebook page. I did not take it myself.

Interesting comment, as these are statements I hear from Cam often. Had no clue where this was coming from until this trip, nor how indoctrinated it is into the Cambodian culture. As I have said before, I tread softly when it comes to things like this. I let him vent, listen intently and nod, but rarely comment.

So many things to report about…where to begin. First of all, today is Cam’s birthday. Birthday boy turned 29 today. Fast approaching the big 30. lol. I tease him a little and tell him once he hits 30 it is all downhill from there. He always claims that birthdays and anniversaries are no big deal in his family and nothing is really done to celebrate. Either he wasn’t being completely honest about that, or his family made an exception this year because all of his siblings sent him birthday messages, and we even did video chat with his parents and the youngest sister. He also heard from a couple of his childhood friends. I knew his birthday was coming up and have repeatedly asked if there was anything he would like, want or need…always adding the phrase within reason. Of course, his idea of within reason and mine could be very far apart. I knew I was potentially opening a can of worms with that one. His reply was always that he didn’t want anything…or his standard response of ‘I don’t know’. For several days now I have been telling him to be thinking about it because after we finished the temple tours today and returned to the Airbnb we would go shopping. Last evening he actually showed me photos of several items he was interested in…he had obviously been thinking about this and done some research. Surprising to me, though, all of the items were pieces of jewelry. This kind of threw me a curve ball, because I have never seen him wear any type of jewelry before. Not prayer beads, not any type of necklace or chain, he doesn’t eve wear a watch. I know he has this piece of wood he keeps in a velvet type bag that one day he hopes to have carved into a Buddhist symbol to wear around his neck. It is a special type of wood found in Cambodia that has special significance in the Buddhist faith. He has showed that to me before. To make a long story short, we went to several different shops in the central market that sell jewelry. We had passed by this place yesterday. I am always skeptical of these places and have always doubted both the quality and the authenticity of their jewelry. Not a place I would go to buy such an item, but seems to be very common place in Asian countries. Saw many similar places in Taiwan and Thailand. After looking at several items, Cam selected a ring…not just any ring, though, but what I would consider to be a wedding band. This would be the case in the US, at least, but not sure about Cambodia. No idea if men wear wedding bands, and no idea if there is any special significance in Cam’s mind. I did comment to him when we were looking at the rings that they are just like male wedding bands in the US. And we did not purchase matching bands. That was not suggested by either of us to the other…not that I wouldn’t be open to that. This entire process just caught me completely off guard. So, I ended up spending $316 USD…initially I was prepared to spend around $200 on his gift, so I didn’t really mind going a little over. He doesn’t ask for any money, nor has his family. The first time he ever asked was to see if I wanted to participate in the family gift to his parents. It was about including me versus expecting me to contribute. We will go out somewhere for a nice dinner this evening. Would appreciate any comments or thoughts you wise forum members have regarding the ring purchase. Still unsure what to think about it. While doing video chat with his parents and sister, it was decided (not that a vote was taken that included me…lol) that his parents will travel to Battambang with us on Tuesday or Wednesday to visit relatives. As I said previously, I am learning to just go with the flow. Plans are constantly changing…if there are even plans made in advance…especially when family gets involved. I guess a big lunch is being planned for tomorrow when we arrive. I had told Cam we should buy food already prepared so his mother isn’t cooking for everyone, but that idea was quickly shot down. Evidently his mother has already started preparing…with the help of his youngest sister. That is why she was there on the video chat. No idea if the parents will stay with the relatives, or are planning on staying with us in the Airbnb. I doubt I will find out in advance. The Airbnb is only one bedroom, so this could be very interesting if they are staying with us. Parents may be in the bedroom while me and Cam are on the floor. Visited three temples today…very remote and travel time between them was quite long. Very isolated and rural areas we have not been to before today. Cam had no idea where he was. Temples today were a lot smaller than some of the previous ones, so they were not crowded and not as much walking. No climbing involved, either. I cannot say much for the quality of the roads getting there, though. We passed two different work crews out filling potholes after all of the torrential rains. It was interesting to watch, as they basically had a small pick up filled with gravel. There were four or five workers. One was the driver, two had baskets shaped like the head of a shovel they would use to scoop the gravel out of the back of the truck and place it into the pothole. The other two had some sort of device they would tamp the gravel down. No tar, no asphalt, no rollers…everything done by hand, basically. Passed by many roadside stands selling some sort of cake I would like to go back and try…steamed, I believe, with some type of cream inside. Also saw lots of pork being roasted…also want to try that. Unfortunately, there is no time now to go back on our own. Cam said we can find similar things in his hometown. I do need to ‘take back’ something I said in an earlier post that the sales people are not that aggressive. That was true in the market areas of Siem Reap, but not so much at the stalls located at many of the temples. The vendors at the temples were quite pushy indeed…so much so I was tempted to have a t-shirt made that said ‘no money’ in Khmer hoping that would fend them off. lol. This seems to me a contradiction of the Code of Conduct posted at all of the temple sites we visited to have these shopping stalls on the site as well. Most had several stalls, but they all have the same exact merchandise for sale. Probably my last post until we get to Battambang.

Okay, everyone, just a heads up...we meet our tour guide in about one hour. I may not post again today if I am too tired. Leaving at 8am tomorrow morning for his parents place to celebrate the holiday. Connection is always an issue there, plus the use of electricity. Combine that with a houseful of people...14 of which are children...and I may not be posting for several days. As of this moment, the plan is still to go to Battambang on Tuesday. That may be the next time I am online.

We have only gone to the Pub Street area a couple of times...I needed my caffeine fix and zoned in on Starbucks almost immediately. lol. Walked around the market area, which as you said, everything is geared towards tourists. I prefer exploring areas outside of the normal touristy stuff, so appreciate the recommendations. Cam has been to Siem Reap around five times before...beginning when he was a young boy, so he doesn't know much about the area at all. The comment about the foreign chains was not a complaint. Just an observation. Even if they were readily available, I would not visit them. I prefer local establishments.

Situations sound very similar. Cam was 16 when he went with his father and brother to work construction. He did not stay at that time, but returned home when his family did. When they returned after he was 18, he did stay behind on his own and has worked many different jobs. He has one Cambodian friend who I believe is from Battambang who worked at Hotmale and persuaded Cam to start working there. To be honest, his friend had tried to get him to work there many times but Cam always refused. Whatever the reason was that changed his mind, I suppose I should be grateful as otherwise we probably would have never met. Cam is the youngest and has no family. I don't know that the rest of the family expects him to care for his parents...but Cam definitely has that sense of responsibility. Large family with five siblings, but the rest are all married and have families to take care of and full time employment. The family is close and I am sure they all help his parents as needed, but I think Cam feels the responsibility is mainly his now.

Didn’t post anything yesterday. We had a full day of temple tours and I was exhausted by the time we got back to the Airbnb. Six temples in one day was just a bit too much for me. @vinapu is correct that the 7 day pass does not need to be within 7 consecutive days or even within one week. You have 30 days in which to use the pass. However, we have the time constraint of going back to his hometown for Pchum Ben and then on to Battambang after the holiday. Not sure if we will return to Siem Reap before my departure date. I thought I was in reasonably decent shape for a 75 year old. I go to exercise class at the senior center where I live and also walk regularly on the days there is no class. However, there is way more walking and climbing than I anticipated with these temples. There are so many layers to the temples and they go on forever. After number six, I told Cam that I was finished for the day. No more temples. I was ‘templed out’. lol. We were both tired last night and neither one of us felt like cooking. We went to the Space restaurant/bar in Pub Street area. It was a Monday evening, which traditionally in the US is the slowest day of the week for restaurants. Everyone goes out over the weekend, so nobody goes out Mondays. This was around 7:30pm and the ground floor was completely empty. We requested a table upstairs since they had live music and we thought there might be a few more people. We were the only customers on the top floor. After we had placed our order and were waiting on our food, two older caucasian gentlemen came in, followed by a party of four Asians (two couples). This is a huge restaurant, so this was very surprising to me…even though it is the end of low season and also still raining. We have one more tour scheduled tomorrow and then will leave Thursday morning for his parents. The plan is to stay there through the holiday and head to Battambang probably sometime Tuesday. Not holding my breath, as things are always subject to change…especially when family gets involved. The plan didn’t even form until he spoke with two of his sisters at some point yesterday. Trying to coordinate such a large family gets complicated. Speaking of Pchum Ben, we collectively contributed $400 USD to the money pool for his parents. $250 was from Cam and $150 was from me. That way I wasn’t this crazy American coming in and flashing around a lot of cash outdoing the other family members. I think it allows everyone to ‘save face’ as the expression goes. This afternoon we will go shopping at Angkor Supermarket for some toys to give the nieces and nephews. Cam didn’t like the idea of giving money to the children. I am surprised there are not many chain restaurants in Siem Reap, especially with so many tourists passing through this area. I have seen one Burger King, one KFC, one Dairy Queen and two Starbucks. There seems to be many places called Pasta Corner, but I am not familiar with that chain. Perhaps Phnom Penh has more of a selection. We have tried both of the Starbucks for an iced drink, and the one near Pub Street is noticeably different (in a good way) with service and quality of drinks. Cam and I both agreed on that and both noticed the difference. The other location is in Heritage Walk Mall, as previously reported. I try very hard not to compare Cambodia to Thailand or Siem Reap to Bangkok. It is interesting to me that Cam does not think very highly of Thailand or Thai people in general. Yet, he has traveled there to work in numerous jobs with other family members and alone at times since he was 18. He would always make comments when we were together in Thailand about how they always copy everything from Cambodia. Nothing is original. As a result, I try very hard not to make comments where I am comparing something between the two cities or the two countries. On the flip side, he doesn’t mind me making comparisons to things I am accustomed to in America versus here. Just one of those quirky things I have learned to work around. Visa update…passport arrived back in Siem Reap yesterday and we picked it up today. Not a huge problem, but unfortunately they only approved the six month ER visa rather than one year. That will suffice for my return trip in February/March, but I will need to apply for the one year extension at that time with a new US passport. While my current US passport has approximately one year left before it expires, if they gave me the one year visa now the passport would expire before the visa would expire. Department of General Immigration said I needed to apply for the new US passport once I return home and then submit the application for one year ER visa with the new passport when I return in early 2027. Surprisingly, that makes sense. Otherwise, the entire process was easy and painless. The visa service I used, Cam Smile Visa Service, was highly recommended by the Expat group on Facebook as well as several travel sites and Youtube videos. I will definitely use them again when I return in February/March. They are well respected and can be trusted with your documents. They are also very cheap. I originally paid $293…which is $290 to the government for the visa extension and just $3 to Cam Smile. They gave me a refund since I only received the six month ER visa, so it ended up costing me just $163…again, $160 to Immigration and $3 to Cam Smile. Address is: Taphul Road, Group 11, Svaydangkum District, Siem Reap City, Cambodia. Phone is: +855 99 313 093 Email is: camsmile168@gmail.com. They have a Facebook page but no website. They use WhatsApp and Telegram for communication. Telegram seems to be more popular in Cambodia than Line. Anyway…5 stars from my experience.

Really hate to be negative, but if you are looking for a shopping experience in Siem Reap...don't go to the Heritage Walk Shopping Mall. It is downright depressing. It is an open air shopping center, not enclosed, so don't go expecting to avoid the heat. There are two basement levels for parking, ground level, then four floors above. There are literally no shops on floors 1 thru 4. Only empty store fronts. The first floor has a Starbucks, Dairy Queen, a Japanese style BBQ, and a local restaurant. The second floor has a pizza restaurant. That is it for food establishments. Ground level has a Japanese store similar to Daiso, a very small toy store, several free standing stalls in the courtyard selling trinkets, but customers were few and far between. Compared to the shopping malls in Bangkok, this was very disappointing. Nothing that would bring me back here again. So much for shopping for the nieces and nephews. The Angkor Supermarket actually has a good and large selection of toys. I will probably end up getting some things there. I suppose another option is to just give them each a $5 bill. Perhaps that is too much...but a $1 bill seems so small and insignificant. The oldest ones might appreciate the money more, but not sure about the really young ones under 5 years old. I have not run that idea by Cam just yet. Only thought of it while typing this post. With 14 nieces and nephews...that would run me close to 10,000 Baht between the parents and the children. Anyway...I digress...don't waste your time visiting the Heritage Walk Shopping Mall.

Even though Cam suggested the Angkor National Museum as a place to explore, I don't think he anticipated I would want to read all of the posted information and watch the various videos available in each gallery. He has been before, so I do believe he was bored to tears by the time I was ready to leave. We probably stayed around 3 hours. It is amazing to me that so many pieces have actually survived such a long period of time as well as all of the looting that has taken place over the years. I was reading where one of the statues actually had been headless until it was discovered in the US and returned. Somehow they managed to reattach the head and you are unable to tell it was ever missing. In advance of my trip I had read quite a bit about the history. I wish I knew and understood more about Buddhism to really appreciate it all. We are going to do a little shopping this afternoon at the Heritage Walk shopping mall to see if I can pick up some things for the nieces and nephews. This should be interesting...hopefully Cam will provide more assistance other than 'I don't know'. lol. The museum admission is $12 USD for me and $3 for Cam. They do take credit cards. Also, be aware you are not allowed to take in any bags or backpacks. They will make you check them before even purchasing a ticket. Not sure if it is possible to purchase tickets in advance online. Did not try that. If you want the audio recording to accompany your visit, it is an additional $5. I do recommend allowing at least 2 hours and appreciated the recording. The museum was not busy at all. The few visitors were mainly Chinese. Actually, there seem to be a large number of Chinese present in this area at the moment. It was very noticeable yesterday at the temples. Perhaps there is some holiday in China.

Not much to report today. While we did not get up and out early enough for the sunrise at Angkor Wat, we have pretty much spent the entire day (app. 8 hours) at the historical site visiting five different temples. We arranged for a guide and transport through the reception desk at the Airbnb where we are staying. Cam is able to visit any and all sites for free. I purchased the 7-day ticket online in advance of today. This was recommended by the receptionist. While I knew from there would be lots of walking and climbing from information I had read and also from videos online, it was actually a lot larger than I anticipated. Five temples was almost more than I could handle in one day. Don't believe I will be able to muster up any energy tonight for extra-curricular fun. lol. Will probably crash early instead. We have two more days scheduled with the same guide. Thank goodness I did not schedule the days back to back but put one day in between each visit to allow for rest. I think tomorrow we will either go to the Angkor National Museum or APOPO to see and learn about the trained rats. Next temple tours will be on Monday. Yes, we have extended our stay in Siem Reap for a few more days, which is why the 7-day ticket was purchased. We decided it was better to stay here and wait on the return of my passport from Phnom Penh rather than go to Battambang and then return a few days later. We will travel from Siem Reap later in the week back to his hometown for Pchum Ben, and then on to Battambang from there. Will need to do some shopping this week to purchase something for all of the nieces and nephews. Hope Cam is able to make some suggestions as to exactly what would be appropriate. His usual response when I ask him a question like that is 'I don't know'. Typical spousal avoidance reply. LOL.

As I said, I really don't know anything about rules or regulations in Cambodia regarding the barber profession...if they even exist. To be honest, that isn't a question I have asked Cam, but probably should. In fact, let me ask him now...okay...there is no requirements for education, no license or certification in Cambodia. If he opens his own shop, depending on where it is located he would need to follow the local business license requirements...that is all. There are actually a couple of barber/cosmetology schools in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, but no standardized curriculum or requirement to attend any school. Once the new house is finished and I am here full time, I don't know that Cam will be as available to help out his sisters with their businesses...especially if he is learning to be a barber and then has his own shop or is working in a shop on a regular basis. He may still do some construction work for his brother. The venture with goats and turtles will involve his father as well. Turtles won't require too much work. His father used to have 100 chickens on the property. They sold them for meat and also sold the eggs. The goats will definitely require more attention. Not sure how all of this will eventually play out...more trial by error situation I think. Volunteering in Cambodia is still considered a form of work, so you would need the proper visa (Business) and work permit. The retirement visa...which I have applied for...would not qualify even for volunteer work. I plan to do language exchange with interested persons and also need to learn how to do Khmer cooking. Again, I will just need to see how things play out once I am here on a full time basis.

Well, the rain has returned. Woke up around 4:30am to the sound of heavy rains, wind and thunder. Made a mad dash out of bed to the back porch area where the washing machine is located to rescue the laundry from the drying rack before it could blow away or get drenched. Cam slept through the entire thing. Had no idea it was raining and didn’t realize I had left the bedroom. Assumed I had just gotten up to go to the bathroom. lol. At least the rain will cool things off a little bit today. Currently stopped, but forecast is for scattered thunderstorms on and off all day. Guess we will be hanging close to the apartment today. Rain also seems to affect internet connection. Slow or spotty at best today. At least one time every day the electricity goes out…sometimes for just a few minutes and other times it can last one hour. Not sure if it is just this particular neighborhood in Siem Reap or just how widespread the outage is…but definitely annoying. For those of you familiar with Costco (warehouse shopping for members only), they have their own brand called Kirkland. Yesterday when we were shopping at Angkor Supermarket I was surprised to see Kirkland brand products on the shelves. While Costco does have international locations, I don’t believe there are any in Cambodia or Thailand. Both countries do have Makro which provides a similar type shopping experience. Curious how Angkor Supermarket manages to sell Kirkland brand products. I suppose they could have buyers that purchase from one of the Costco locations in China, Japan, Taiwan or South Korea and ship the items to Cambodia. Surely there are other local brands available that would be less costly to carry in house. Even though the worst of the heavy rains have moved through and flood waters have started to recede, some places are just now starting to experience flooding as the waters move south through the country. Unfortunately, this is the case for Cam’s hometown. While they did have heavy rains, they were spared the initial flooding. However, within the last two days the streets have been flooding as the flowing water passes through. They are still passable as long as you use caution so as not to stall out the engine. His sister sent a video she took while driving on her motorbike. Probably not the safest thing to be doing, but that doesn’t seem to faze anyone here. Cam called to check on his parents this morning as there is a small stream or creek (my term, not his) that runs through the property directly behind their house. So far they have not experienced any flooding in their yard or neighborhood. His mother sent a photo of her standing in the backyard after she returned home from the pagoda. She also sent photos from inside the pagoda with other women from the neighborhood saying prayers and offering food gifts to the monks for the holiday Pchum Ben. Everything was still wet from the rains, but no signs of flooding as of now…fingers crossed it stays that way.

Good question. Since he returned to Cambodia, the main focus has been on replacing the fence around their home property with something more substantial. He always refers to that as work...even though he doesn't pay himself a salary. He has primarily paid for that project from money he saved out of his earnings in Bangkok. His brother has his own construction business and prior to the fence project, he would work construction with his brother. He plans to continue doing that, but also has some other plans for the future. He also will travel to Poipet occasionally when needed to help out in his sister's store...if they need a break, children are sick, etc...and she compensates him for that. Same for the sister with the food cart. He will fill in for her and whatever he makes for that day on the cart he keeps. The sister who is a seamstress sometimes needs help cutting out fabric and materials from a pattern. She will pay him to help with that occasionally. They all have families and things happen. Sometimes they just need a break or have other obligations and commitments. For example, his sister with the store in Poipet needed to take the baby to see the doctor in Siem Reap at the Children's Hospital. Cam traveled to Poipet to run the store for a couple of days. It is all about family supporting family for him. Once the new house is finished, he plans to raise goats. That is the reason for building the more substantial fence around the property. He also wants to raise turtles in the pond on the farm where the rice fields are located. He said both would be a good source of income. He also has a good friend in his hometown who has a barbershop/hair salon. Keep in mind I have no idea if this is legal or even something regulated by the government, but his friend teaches others how to be a barber and has offered to teach Cam. Cam has already purchased the equipment necessary to get started, but has not actually started lessons yet because of the fence project. He said that probably won't happen until after the new house is finished. He does not have enough time for that now. Once he has been trained, he could either open his own shop pretty much anywhere we might live, or work in an established shop. As I said, I have no idea if a license is required or any type of certificate.

Not sure what anyone else thinks, but I find the tuk-tuk’s and remorks in Siem Reap much easier to get in and out of. I always struggled with that in Thailand. Went to Angkor Market this morning to do a little shopping and went via remork. It doesn’t bother Cam, but I don’t like trying to carry two or three bags filled with supplies on his motorbike. Makes me nervous with him trying to juggle the bags plus me. lol. He has been very good about driving safely when we are on the motorbike together. I don’t want to do anything that would cause concern for either of us. Checked with the reception desk where we are staying and they actually arrange private tours of the temples. They have several options available…five to be exact. One includes TonLe Sap but because of the flooding and recent rains she did not recommend it…said it would be quite risky at this time. So, for now we will cross that off the list. Cam is interested in the Landmine Museum which they include on one of the packages. Since he specifically mentioned that, I want to be sure it is included in whatever tour we sign up for. We just need to decide what tours and what days and let her know. She will make the necessary arrangements. We also want to visit the Angkor National Museum. Cam has been before and said it is very interesting. That kind of surprised me…didn’t really think he would be a museum kind of guy. May also purchase tickets to Phare Cambodian Circus. Cam isn’t as interested in that as I am, but said he was willing to go with me. Cam prepared the black chicken for dinner last night. It was actually quite tasty. I thought it was milder and had a sweetness to it from what I am accustomed to. That could be because of the spices and seasoning he used when cooking it…not sure about that. It was definitely black all the way down to the bones. Have tried duck twice now in Cambodia and much prefer the duck I had in Bangkok. In Bangkok it tended to come boneless and just the breast meat. Here it comes on the bone and could be any part of the duck. Too much work for too little meat from my perspective. Cam says that is normal here and would be unusual to get it prepared in a similar manner to what we enjoyed in Bangkok. Oh well... As for Japanese cum vs. Asian cum, I am partial to Cambodian cum. LOL. Nothing sweeter than that for me.

I believe I have had this experience. lol...unintentionally I might add. My ex would get very annoyed with me when I would ask what something was before I would even try it. He wouldn't answer and just say 'eat it'. As a result, I learned a long time ago when we would visit his family in Taiwan to just try it. I take a bite. If the taste is ok as well as the texture, then I will eat more, enjoy, and don't ask questions. I am probably better off not knowing what it actually is, anyway. Texture is actually more important to me than taste. Anyway, when we were at Cam's parents there were a couple of different beef dishes and one in particular had that subtle crunch you mention. As for the frog, I have heard that it basically tastes like chicken...same for snake. I have not been brave enough to try either just yet. I think Cam told his mother when cooking to keep things simple and not too exotic. However, not sure what the upcoming holiday will bring in the way of food.