January 22, 2006

The Reality of Men

Lakeside Welcome
It was not even 2 hours back in Phnom Penh when asked by a couple of sketchy drunk men from India to marry him and sleep with him...right there on the door step of the guesthouse he was staying in. I sent a complaint to the owner as did Jacquie. In French, she communicated with the owner how these men were bad news. The owner says she tells the police a lot about these men and that they are under watchful eye! Why? Because these creeps are showing up more and more to do 'business' with women , even if they are white. Anycase, I am only staying here for four days then I head back to Siem Reap. Probably best too, since there is quite a bit of tension with the senator election, human rights advocacy in the streets, and now the dodgy men that live on Lakeside street.

Local Cuisine
On a lighter note - really light - I enjoyed the flavor of not one but two delicious crickets the other night. I ended up coughing up a leg, but it honestly tasted like super crisp chicken wings, yes, the good old, "tastes like chicken" line. I also enjoyed the taste of pig skin as well. Not the kind you can get at home in the superstore, but fresh and tasty. Jacquie is still traveling with me, so I guess it's not that repulsive. I had the pig skin in the company of good honest NGO workers, foreign and Khmer. It was a 100 day celebration of a past funeral which happens after anyone dies. It's a lot of chanting with monks, burning of incense, and good food. The music could go, but when accompanied with unlimited beer and whisky, anything goes.

Not that bad
Now that I've had the chance to meet some really down to earth locals, being swarmed at the bus station by moto and tuktuk drivers isn't so bad. They're just trying to make a dollar and are pretty friendly as well; not to be mistaken with trustworthy.
This week, Leigh from Siem Reap is coming down to Phnom Penh and we'll be going to the landfill; I'll be using this area in my footage.

Rainwater
I will be joining Hueng Ly on Tuesday to assess a new village in partnership with World Vision. The village has been selected as new beneficiaries for the rain water system.

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