oNe PhOtO a DaY mArCh 2018

THE PROMPTS FOR THE MONTH

THURSDAY 1st TWO: little monks cooperatively trying to complete a Khmer alphabet puzzle after today’s English class

FRIDAY 2nd COFFEE: About once a month we have a shopping day in Kampot. The main reason is to stock up on coffee but there are always plenty of other treats to be had. Today was already set for that exact purpose so I present Rumble Fish Coffee- blended and roasted locally from regionally selected beans. It’s worth the bus run every time

SATURDAY 3rd FOOD: After our big day out in Kampot, where the best regional market is located yesterday, today has been mostly about cooking up the treats we brought home. We both love to cook so we were doing turn about in our tiny kitchen. Tonight’s fusion dinner is savoury muffins, green mango salad, Beijing salad and lotus root salad. Since we didn’t invite the whole neighbourhood in for dinner, there will be a few more meals containing those salads too

SUNDAY 4th SHADOW: The blinds we bought cast interesting shadows on the smooth tiled surface of the floor in the bedroom, but also let in much more light than we anticipated. I spent this afternoon hand stitching thick cloth to back the very one which cast this shadow too early this morning

MONDAY 5th LOUD: This is a female Asian Koel and we are woken up by its loud cries every morning. The male and female have distinctly different calls and they are very talkative. We hear them all day everyday but at twilight when this was taken they are most vociferous and loudest

TUESDAY 6th SILENT: Living in a place that perfectly fits Rudyard Kipling’s quote “with Asian indifference to mere noise”, we are thankful for the silent sanctuary of the magnificent garden which surrounds the pool where we swim three times a week. Snapped this quiet corner after a refreshing dip late this afternoon

WEDNESDAY 7th BEGINS WITH B:  Buddha. Images and statues of Buddha abound in Kep, but I love this one at the entrance to Veranda Resort on the periphery of Kep National Park

THURSDAY 8th DIFFERENT: After 38 years as a teacher, the thing I am most sure of is, the reality is every child is different and the only thing you really hope is that you make a difference. Each photo was taken by me at the time I was teaching those children and they are but a small snapshot of the many individuals who clearly stand out in my mind

FRIDAY 9th PEEP: An archive shot of the moon peeping through the palms and trees in our front yard a few days after the super blood blue moon. I so loved the quality of silhouette in this I had to use it for today’s prompt

SATURDAY 10th SAVOURY: My signature dish Beijing Salad, which I am now able to get all the ingredients for locally, so it makes regular appearances on our menu. It is an original adaptation of my own based on a street food we often ate in Beijing in the 1990s- hence the name

Above is the cooked and cooled portion, which is prepared separately and then the raw and blanched veggies are added in to create an “eat a rainbow” delicacy

SUNDAY 11th ICONIC: Cambodia just has to be Angkor Wat. An archive shot from our last visit there

MONDAY 12th PASTEL: skies at twilight over Kep Bay

TUESDAY 13th HA!: Considering coffee is just about the only thing I am truly addicted to, this sign in our fave coffee shop in Kampot struck a chord

WEDNESDAY 14th CLOUDS: The morning clouds over the beach after a very hazy start to the day in Kep

THURSDAY 15th BLUE & WHITE: A small selection of the Japanese blue and white crockery we have purchased from the recycle shop in Kampot over the last few months. In my opinion no one does blue and white better than the Japanese when it comes to crockery, around which a whole movement is based and the yukata on which it is standing has been in my possession since leaving Japan more than 15 years ago

FRIDAY 16th MONEY: Here in Cambodia two currencies are used. Both American Dollars and Cambodian Riel are available in ATMs and most transactions require both. No coins are used and the riel are always the small change with 4000 to the dollar. Certainly improves your mental arithmetic and the locals are whizzes at the calculations. My tired old non- math brain needs to calculate transaction before approaching the counter

SATURDAY 17th GREEN: Today we left the green palms and beach scene of Kep behind. We are headed for the mountains in Mondulkiri but not before a bit of rest and respite in the capital

SUNDAY 18th BREAD: Alfresco breakfast on the balcony of our guesthouse in Phnom Penh this morning consisted of fresh bread still warm from the market and a pineapple. When you travel with a jar of Vegemite, a knife and coffee, picnic style breakfasts are the go

MONDAY 19th SEASON: Here in Cambodia it seems there are only really two seasons- hot and humid or hot and wet. At least the food is always fresh and a wide variety of fruit and vegetables are always in season. Although I know these as cold rolls they often appear as Spring Rolls on the menu here, so today’s lunch is a season

TUESDAY 20th A NOTE: We left Phnom Penh in a rather upmarket 14 seater van this morning. There were only 7 of us when we departed 20 minutes early after wrangling to get the seats we’d booked behind the driver. I noticed a note stuck to the steering wheel and I guess that’s how we managed to locate the other 5 passengers who joined us as we made our way out of the city

WEDNESDAY 21st OH NO!: another establishment that asks you to remove your shoes before entering. Don’t get me wrong having lived in Japan for many years I fully appreciate the value of being barefoot indoors. Here however so many of the places that post these signs have filthy floors and staff who are in footwear and they lead you to indoor/ outdoor spaces, which are almost never swept,  like the garden oasis mentioned. You leave struggling to put your shoes or sandals back on with dirty feet or socks and wonder what the point of asking you to remove your shoes really was. Pet peeve in foreigner cafes now successfully aired

THURSDAY 22nd LAST THING I BOUGHT: We are travelling so many tickets and meals have been bought and the last item I paid for was the tickets to a magnificent magical day at an elephant sanctuary today for my birthday. But the last actual thing I bought was this Buddha charm to replace the charm I lost over a month ago. It hangs in my ear

FRIDAY 23rd CANDY: or this case, sweets might be the better term. Ian’s Scottish mother used to always give us a tin like this when we set off on an overseas adventure and as a result whenever I see them I purchase them for our next trip. I found these in Kampot recently and resisted opening them until yesterday when we had already been travelling for almost a week. I no longer see the dual purpose of the empty tin being a portable ashtray as I once did since we long ago gave up smoking. But this is a candy/sweet that will forever remind me of dear Evelyn 

SATURDAY 24th PERSPECTIVE: A ‘peron’s eye view’ of this exotic looking bird. It was taken from the deck of our bungalow this morning when I wandered out to see who was making all that racket. I often wonder what a bird’s perspective of the world would be……..

SUNDAY 25th WHAT I DID TODAY: was travel the 196 kilometres from Sen Monorom to Kratie and then kick back and relax

MONDAY 26th I WISH: I had been able to get a better picture but in fact I am grateful to have seen these fresh water Irrawaddy dolphins with my own eyes for the second time in my life this morning. Being close enough to actually hear them breathe when they surfaced was amazing. We were in this exact same spot in 2013 and it was really gratifying to see the stretch of the Mekong where they hangout immaculately clean. The boatmen are still very respectful and in awe despite their daily sightings and even more dolphins were rocking around, splashing with their tails, rolling over and snorting as they surfaced than five years ago

TUESDAY 27th CUTE: kid on the footpath in Kratie, shouting ”hello” as happens with regularity all over Cambodia

WEDNESDAY 28th PATH: At 6:45am it’s difficult to pick a path around the central market area in Kratie with motorcycles, vendors and their wares and pedestrians all vying for the limited space.

THURSDAY 29th LEAVES: In a world so overrun with plastic, it makes my heart sing to see these local food items wrapped and displayed in leaves. It’s safe, hygienic and environmentally sound. Let’s ditch the plastic and return to former practices

FRIDAY 30th APPLE: This particular variety of apple is known as rose apple or water apple. They are currently in season and we see trees laden with them everywhere. Although I am very fussy about apples due to my father being in the packing and distribution business, I love this variety

SATURDAY 31st OH MY: after fifteen glorious day of travel the holiday is over and we head home to Kep today. As usual we have succumbed to the temptations of the capital and have had to purchase a few treats for us and more resources for our little monks. Now we have an extra piece of luggage to hold all the new items and feel like we are travelling like locals

OH MY second choice: This little coconut so wanted to grow- despite being wrapped in gold foil and no doubt being used as an altar decoration when it was tossed into the street it sprouted