PHNOM PENDING and well we did go to Battambang too

 

29/10

I LOVE the area we live in. Tonight, after having had a great day wandering mostly, we were sitting on the terrace and suddenly there were fireworks. Of course, we both then remembered that it’s the Anniversary of King Norodom Sihamoni’s coronation day tomorrow. Thanks for that insight Dale.

 

Because the streets are lively, and the fireworks added further excitement, we were gazing into the street scenes. An elderly very drunk man was staggering along and stumbling in the middle of traffic. Cars slowed, motos veered he wove and wobbled and almost fell but remained upright due to his stick. He still clutched his empty bottle and proceeded tentatively. At a much busier intersection I feared he would be injured and in my western way wished someone would just offer to assist him safely across the street, but no, he made it and continued along his way unharmed.

 

8/11

It’s Water Festival but for the third consecutive year there is no dragon boat racing. It didn’t change the fact that some crews continued training and we were lucky enough to see them.

However right now the streets, markets, river and even households are slowed down, more relaxed and light-hearted than is usual. It is still a public holiday and the ASEAN Summits are happening.

 

It’s more than ever lovely to wander the streets to walk to most of the places we need to go to. The sound and sight of helicopters is not unheard of on any day but I’m guessing it will become more prevalent over the coming days.

 

The local kids are running, scootering, rollerblading and playing with balls on the flat surfaces of the less crowded streets. They are also screaming and they like the howling dogs seem to set each other off. Mostly it’s pure pleasure with the kids at least. The dogs I see less often than I hear, so I’m not so sure.

 

 

9 /11

ASEAN got fireworks tonight and we had the same vantage point as last time. This view of the fireworks displays was certainly not anything I expected or even considered when we chose the Aerie. Living in the moment and counting the blessings!

Ian's fabulous shot with the iconic Central market in the foreground 

As suspected the helicopters flying above have increased in number significantly in the past few days as PMs, presidents, foreign ministers and military commanders start pouring in from across the region and well beyond. While we actually enjoy the visuals, I can’t help but wonder if it is triggering for many of the locals for whom that sound and sight bears the trauma of a not so distant history.

 

11/11

Since returning from beautiful Battambang we have delighted in cooking together and availing of the fresh produce which abounds in the market.

 

Battambang was just exactly the recovery break we so needed. It always impresses me that the character of the old town has been preserved and that the governance seems to display a forward-thinking attitude. Billboards and giant electronic screens for advertising have been banned so that the riverside can maintain that old world, colonial charm that I find so aesthetically appealing.

We selected it with the intention to swim and walk the quaint, traditional streets in the old quarter daily and did exactly that. We thoroughly enjoyed the museum’s well documented collection despite having seen it before and even discovered a photographic gallery and found the studio gallery of a local artist who I have long admired.

 

Every visit in the past I have purchased postcards of Loeum Lorn's work and finally after reading reviews that his gallery was temporarily closed and the Google maps pin being wrongly located, we stumbled upon it quite by accident and found the artist himself happy to discuss his work.

The Tep Kao Sol gallery is a collection of watercolours of smiling Cambodian children, wrinkled, elderly, rural women, monks in saffron robes strolling past the yellow facades of French colonial buildings, landscapes and Apsara dancers with mysterious expressions. These images are not only enormously appealing to travellers but that very reality is disappearing fast in this era of development. Of course, we could not resist purchasing but also not an original just a reproduction of it on canvas.

 

Since returning we have vowed that regular trips to Battambang will quite definitely be a part of our policy of continuing to enjoy a simple, slow, secure and sustainable life and being able to take the train there through beautiful rural landscapes and enjoy the subtle changes of the season and environment as we wend our way west, is a big part of the reason why.

 

Holding not just casual gatherings but also actual sit-down dinner parties is another thing we both love to do and today’s reflection was supposed to be about exactly that but somehow, I got waylaid. What’s new eh?

 

So, to return to the topic after a fun few hours zipping around Phnom Penh by tuk tuk and still managing to clock up almost seven kilometres on foot with incredible shopper Amyssie, we had dinner on the terrace.

 

Another fireworks display timed itself absolutely perfectly with the moment. No sooner had the meal been placed on the table than the first huge boom rang out and light filled the sky. Perfect.

It was great to relax, catch up and philosophise with dear friends, whose ideas and plans give me hope for more justice and equality in our current world.

 

I also need to add that the helicopters continue to fly overhead and the night scenes are significantly better lit and reflect the festivities. I’m grateful I didn’t flee to the provinces as some residents have and miss the atmosphere and energy of this special period in Phnom Penh.

 

Therefore, I shall end as I began:

 

“I LOVE living where we do.”