cambodia

siem reap...
it does not feel like over a year since i have been here - the hot sun, the arid landscape, the vivid reds & oranges that pepper the landscape.

just as i exit the terminal, i run into my old guide, kean. it’s good to see a familiar face.


kean grew up under the khmer rouge and tells the stories of his childhood like they happened yesterday. in a matter of fact way, he relates the story of his friend fishing with a found grenade and losing a limb because he did not let go of it fast enough. with all the hardships he has endured, kean doesn’t let the past haunt him. instead, he embraces it. this makes him a little crazy but an awesome guide – even though he almost killed me last year in a nighttime boating accident (not a good idea to be on a boat without running lights). i noticed he wasn’t wearing his yellow guide shirt, but wore a crisp blue pullover instead. he explains he has a new job
maybe he was just a little too crazy to be a guide.


after checking into the hotel, i was dying for lunch and knew just where to go - I b-lined it for Khmer Kitchen!!! this place rocks! i ordered the most delicious spicy chicken, eggplant, & veggie sour soup (tastes like tom yum soup but better) and a huge bottle of angkor beer. it did not disappoint!!!

move over pho, i have a new favorite broth!

To digest - a stroll through the market.
seam reap has a small central market that has clothing on the periphery, then veggie, fish, and meat stands in the center. it was busy with people shopping, getting haircuts, eating lunching and of course drinking beer to celebrating the chinese new year.