Bad News....

i received this email from friendly house....



Mol was involved in an accident on New Year's Day in her village, almost two weeks ago. I have not written until now, as information has been sketchy, contradictory, and unreliable. At this time, it appears she is recovering. The nature of her condition and prognosis are still unknown from direct contact.

An American friend who has lived here for 4 years told me that there will be five fantastic stories before you learn the true facts. Indeed. She has been reported to have suffered severe head injuries, blinded, massive internal injuries, broken back, and a 20% chance to live. Then, there is a report that she went to temple where she met a healer and is better now!

The hardest part for me is the lack of concern or responsiveness to seeing her, attending to her or her family - what? Someone came to tell Veasna she had been taken to a hospital here, but did not say which one (nor was he asked!). I asked for a search, but nothing. We finally went to a clinic a week later, and reportedly she had been brought there, but taken to a hospital. Then, she was sent to hospital in PP. And so on.

The accident involved a truckload of revelers going to Kulen Mountain, and on the way back, the driver, probably drunk, took a curve too fast and rolled the truck. First report was that 3 boys (her brothers?) had died; later that one had, maybe her neighbor.



hopefully,this is one of those "fantastic stories"
please meditate, chant, pray or do whatever you do for her!
update as it comes available

night call

the night call

ring ring, awakened
crying, stressed, help - baby

dark, moto speeds, warm smiles

as word gets around there are western doctors and pas in town, you get busier and busier!

in a nutshell here is a depiction of the cambodian healthcare system. if you have no money you go to the provincal hospital, if you have some money you go to a private clinic and the rich go to Vietnam or Thailand. the provincial hospital is poorly funded with few western volunteers, pain meds, and antibioitics. the private clinics will drain your pocketbook. for the rich, ex-pats, and tourists soon there will be a "nice" hospital in PP(funded by the thais) but the cambodians once again will be left out. there is so much to write and tell but that is for another time.

asleep in my bed, dreaming, the phone rings. ..
"help" cries the voice. it's kim! "my sister's baby can't breath, she is choking, there is a cut in her mouth! i went to the children's hospital they are not interested in helping the cambodian people (which is NOT true). i will be there in 5 on my moto."

my eyes barely open, i stumble and manage to pull on pants and a shirt. 1:45. once dressed, i ask the doc and the "nurse" if they want to come, doc, "no this one you take care of" but the "nurse" is game.

he's crying.... i try to understand the broken english.
"bbbbaby hurt. choking... help.... dinner, cut mouth on a pencil.. hospital didn't look at her. hhhhelp."

the three of us climb on the chinese moto bike that is barely big enough for one let alone three. the "nurse" is on plavix. the rode is potholed. he speeds. it starts raining. stray dogs bark and chase the moto. the road is getting slippery. it changes from dirt to large bricks. the nurse and i have to get off. the road is too bumpy! can't control the bike with three on board.

the moto drives off... he left us.... the dogs are barking louder... my mind goes straight to the dog bites we see at the hospital. it is dark, we are alone. it is pitch black, no electricity in this neighborhood. growling and barking become more threatening! the nurse says, "another fine mess you got me into."

after what seems to be a lifetime, we hear footsteps and out of the depths of darkness he returns with an umbrella. we arrive safely.

a few minutes later we arrive at a typical wooden cambodian dwelling, an open shed, with one large room divided by a torn curtain to give the young family privacy. no door, unshuttered window, dirt floor, and beds with palm mats lining the walls.

the grandmother greets us and thanks us for coming. it's obvious the family is stressed and worried. the child is fine. cute, chubby, smiling! small cut in the mouth. kim was frightened because she was not nursing. assured them it was only a minor abrasion and she would be better in the morning.
everyone is relieved.

hop back on the moto, this time we take a dirt road and the rain has stopped. we run the gauntlet of menacing dogs and somehow end up on a main road. as we pull into our driveway the moto slowly stops, no gas! its now 3.30. kim will deal with the gas and be back at work at 7

we return to the hotel and sleep the rest of the night.

update

one vote for...

Ayumi Hamasaki

more Food...

unfortunately, i was recovering from eating too many crickets the night before...
....and missed out on the LP market!on the list for next time:
bat, rat, and water buffalo tail & hooves!

Help!!

Who is She!?!

Luang Prabang

This recent NYT article on Luang Prabang describes exactly why i want to travel SE Asia and travel it now. Beautiful and peaceful are just two of thousands of words used to described this area. Besides Cuba, i have never traveled to an area that has affected my soul as much. Although, i went to LP in the low season without the hoards of people and loudspeakers, i could still feel the culture being sucked out of the laotians and replaced with the drive for american dollars. In fact, my friend Jack, is just one of "those monks" who left the monastery to become a guide, even though, his father's death bed wish was for him to become a monk. Jack now drives a souped up honda moto, has the flashiest mobile, and favors designer jeans.

Luang Prabang

April 13th

Happy Khmer New Year!!!

k'nyom hao bai.

after the questions about the volunteering ends;
the next question always seems to be about the food....
more specifically about the "weird" or "gross" food i may have tried.

so here it goes...

i arrived in japan with the attitude that protein is protein and western food is no better than eastern and held this opinion throughout the journey. my ground rules--- try just about anything --- except dog and cat. asia became my new playground for food tasting!

my first adventurous meal was in jp. here i discovered yakitori! basicaly it is grilled chicken (any part your heart may fancy), served with beer, usually in some sort of beer hall.... it is also a favorite past time of japanese men, especially after a long day at work. sounds good to me!!! so masa and i started with asahi super dry. next masa took the intiative and ordered the yakitori; chicken skin, chicken heart, chicken cartilage, and bits and pieces of the whole bird with raw egg on top. it was all excellent --- oishii!!! yakitori compliments the cold, crisp beer perfectly. the chicken cartilage had a nice crunch. unfortunately, the skin was a little greasy for my palate but maybe the cook got carried away with the fryer. on my return trip to japan i made sure to stop at a yakitori restaurant!

next on to cambodia...
now the real adventure starts. love snake, half-hatched duck eggs, bugs & spiders, and anything else that may provide protein and nutrients. to get the "cambodian" experience i decided to eat meals at a few local restaurants where tourist do not venture. lucky for me i had many local friends willing to show me the ropes.


one of the more memorable experiences was eating at the local bbq!
loak kean and friends were very excited to treat me to a "special" dinner featuring different cuts of beef --- i never did find out what animal --cow, water buffalo, yak-- i was eating. in siem reap restaurants that serve beef are found clustered together on the outskirts of town. usually found on dark, dusty roads that gradually widen to allow the seats from the popular restaurants to overflow on the streets. due to lack of good refrigeration, the pungent smell of these streets hits you a mile away -- no kidding--the scent is something else. once we sit down the beef arrives quickly, unfortunately before one is sensitized to the smell. it is served on separate plastic plates, pretty much raw, with a side of lemon (lime), chili sauce, fish paste (yuk), and veggies on ice (forget about sticking with bottled water). i dig in. all the locals anxiously awaiting how the "white girl" will react.... interesting, smoky, not too chewy but very gamy .... not like the steak you get at peter lugers. after i sample a few of the plates, kean states "oh i am surprised you are eating that, aren't you afraid of getting sick?!" thanks kean! and thank you very much, i did not get sick. that night i tried beef flank and tongue and who knows what other parts of the cow or whatever it was. i also got to try some fresh water snails cause "grandpa" does not eat meat!... not so good -- ought ch'ngun.

another favorite past time of mine, was late night rice porridge.. so GOOD! and just the cure for a long night with an early morning wake up. it is a soupy rice broth. you can order a pork, fish, or quail version. I was addicted to the fish and never needed a reason to change. aarat tried quail and said it was like eating bone soup! you could add hot sauce, lemon (actually it is lime but they call it lemon), and sugar. i know rice porridge isn't too exciting but don't miss it if you are in cambodia.

my most adventurous and surprisingly good taste treat was found on the way to battambang. loak thy was tired of driving and getting hungry. so we stopped at a roadside market for some goodies ... dried bananas with sugar, crawl laan, mango with chilis and fried sparrow. well, baby sparrow is not dog or cat so i after a quick pic, i popped it in my mouth... crunchy... something sharp -- was that the beak?.... actually quite good ... next time i get mommy sparrow!

other cambodian treats i tasted and loved were fish eggs (not like roe), fresh water eel, and half hatched egg. on my list for next time is snake and spider.



next on to laos.
on my first day, i met jack. a nice laotian fellow who invited me to experience the real laos. he picked me up at 7.30 and after a long 15 minute motor bike ride out of town we arrived at a restaurant comprised of one large thatched hut perched over a river. we walked across a bridge and entered the hut. so many stares, i swear time stopped. after the initial shock of seeing a blond arriving locals began toasting, the guide book says proper etiquette is to concur. we finally sit down and order fish --great! laos is land locked with poor refrigeration, not another bbq experience-- and fried crickets! OMG... the crickets were delicious!! they just were so light and popped open in your mouth. i couldn't spoon them up fast enough ... i looked like a glutton! they were really GOOD!!


thailand was tame compared to other countries. all in all, i was disappointed by the food. in the north the operative word was FRIED. in the south it was bland. i did get to taste silk worms in the north and yes they were fried... very greasy. sort of like a bad cheetoh without the cheese.

next, back to jp where they have perfected the art of cooking! in the week i was there, i tried whatever my japanese friends ordered and it all tasted awesome.


more food blogging to come... including ganja soup and eating at the cambodian market.

no introductions needed....

there will be more kim to come.

first day in japan

as i have already posted....
masa and i spent a cold february day exploring tokyo.

we spent the morning in akihabara aka tokyo's electric town. here you can find any kind of electronic goods, spy equipment, anime, manga, video games and of course the maid cafes. ...

it was the first time for both of us and it didn't disappoint!

unfortunately, the maids were in charge - and - did not allow photos.
but masa and i were not going to give up - and - did manage to sneak a few!

besides sipping coffee and enjoying the squeaky voiced maids, we also found time to shop.
masa and i found the a special pair of underwear for the hippest michigan family i know

-- unfortunately, masa and i didn't do too well the gift was received with mixed reviews--

.back.

i am back with stories to tell and time to write!