5/7
Luckily before leaving for Kep we decided to remove everything we could from the living room in the Aerie, thinking the work may have begun before we got back. Much to our delight that is exactly what happened and the work was started early. More commonly delays feature as the disasters of building or renovating so we were suitably impressed, yet again, with Phalla and his team. As it turns out, we discovered the hard way that painters here don’t use drop sheets.
The next three days involved a lot of clean up, but we were so happy to see what had been achieved in our absence and watch as the final stages were completed. And the clean up was certainly not all left to us to do.
This trip went even better than previous ones because we had Brian with us and he was a huge help carrying things up the stairs on day one. That’s for sure.
With the painters still in the apartment we were glad that he chose to stay nearby instead of accepting our hospitality. Even so, we had lots of time together.
The painting was completed that very day and we decided it was necessary to all go out to have a few drinks and eat.
6/7
Very luckily, Phalla and his team were working in the apartment when the water bill arrived with another very official document attached to it. He willingly not only translated and explained the additional charge but also that we had to go to the actual office to pay it in person, unlike the bill itself. That is exactly what we did immediately, as we have heard tales of woe about having the water cut off and the hassle of getting reconnected.
When we returned, he also said that at any time in the future we needed assistance with reading or understanding offical documents he would be happy to help.
no more down lights
That day he personally installed the lights we bought, put up a new blind on the terrace and he had already used one of the shutters to replace the blind in the “guest” room. It was fabulous for us to see our discussions and vague plans taking shape. What a lovely, honest, hardworking man he is!
repurposed exterior shutters
We passed right by the visa agent’s office on the way back to the Aerie from the water company and lucked out completely as our passports and visas had arrived that very day.
True to my word I had baked cookies while we were in Kep and returned to the office to deliver them to the agent, who provided us with such great service.
One of the reasons for rushing back this trip was to catch up with our Bhutanese friend and attend the beautiful reception she held to welcome her husband and daughter into the country for a brief trip.
The Bhutanese food was absolutely delicious and sent our thoughts and hearts flying back to that kingdom we love so much.
red rice and several of my favourite Bhutanese dishes
Dorji had kindly carried a gift to us from Lhendup and Thinley too. That was also most unexpected. No wonder I love these boys. The first thing to be hung on our newly painted walls will have to be the lovely scroll they sent us.
We spent a very pleasant evening on the opposite side of the river with Kezang, and her family and eclectic group of friends. The evening was so much fun and we pondered long and hard about the landmarks we should be looking for to locate the zone the Aerie is in, from that side.
We also tried fresh not dried dates for the first time and have now identified them in the local market. This is the season apparently.
8/7
A lot of frantic scraping of paint, sweeping, moping cleaning, and repeat was the order of most of the next day! However we also unpacked the latest contingent of boxes and spent the sunset observing hornbills with Brian before another delicious meal in our own hood.
We finally have a couple of places where we can go to eat with friends without having to force them to be vegetarian and it was lovely to be able to celebrate a little with Brian.
We were also thrilled to hear he intended to stay another night and that we might all also return to Kep together. That planted a seed!
8/7
We had been thinking that the trip back to Kep might be best done in a taxi. The monsoon rain being what it is right now and the ease and comfort of it, making it a very attractive option but this morning we thought a repeat of the train ride would be so much better, to say nothing of cheaper.
Missions of the day included strolling through not one but three market zones (because we can’t resist), a return to our now favourite bakery, the purchase of train tickets for tomorrow and after several non successful attempts, the purchase of a fan for the guest room and one more pan for the induction cooktop. Yes we are persisting with it and trying to make it work for the dishes we have in our current repertoire.
We don’t have aircon and don’t want it as we have not used it except in hotels in the now five years we have lived here. Therefore a fan for sleeping is absolutely essential. The fact that this space has access to air from both the balcony and the terrace and there are so many breather bricks in the design, means the air flow is great and so much community life is also visible and audible.
We are now thinking we have implemented our plan to make the kitchen our usual happy place and we need to look towards the welcome prospect of having our first international guest. We are hoping it will encourage and inspire others to do the same. Hopefully the stairs and lack of aircon won’t put people off. Many friends and family members have expressed an interest and now that travel is opening up we are optimistic about welcoming friends and family again.
Royal Palace
-only recently revealed after being wrapped
in scaffolds and tarps for over two years
Of course our own wanderlust has also been reignited and Bhutan is again in our sights if not our purse strings.
There are, without a doubt, still changes we wish to make but we can breathe now and take our time and be sure about what we want to do. Meanwhile we are thoroughly enjoying slowly getting better acquainted with our neighbours, the precinct and the apartment itself. There is no rush.
riverside district from a tuk tuk of course
So nice that our nearest neighbour, who is the former owner sent a message to us today to warn us and inform us about the water surcharge we received and paid on Wednesday - thanks again to Phalla. He didn’t have to do that but we really appreciated it.
One of our market visits today inspired us to cook at home at home tonight and prepare a lunchbox for the train very early tomorrow morning.
This four-night stay has simply flown by but the next one will be the end of our residence in Kep. New beginnings inevitably create sad, final farewells.
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