JUNE 1st A SINGLE FLOWER: A frangipani flower resting on a palm frond in the bustling inner-city zone. I spotted it returning home from our early morning walk today and decided to take it home for the small altar in our entrance
JUNE 2nd YOUR FAVOURITE BOOK: I don’t really have a favourite but I can certainly say this is the book I have bought the most copies of in my life. It holds a special place in my heart as a result of the years I spent living in Hiroshima city. I have gifted it to children, left class sets in Tanzania, and copies in three school libraries in Bhutan and taught countless children and teenagers to fold paper cranes
JUNE 3rd EMPTY PARK BENCH: Not one but two very unusual, concrete, empty benches in a shady courtyard. I spotted them yesterday, in the late afternoon when the cool breeze brings people outdoors. At that time there are very rarely empty benches as the demand usually outweighs the supply in downtown Phnom Penh
JUNE 4th PATTERNS IN NATURE: The beautiful lace-like pattern in this fallen leaf caught my attention strolling home yesterday. Even the destruction of insects leaves behind a pattern of intricate beauty
JUNE 5th CHILDHOOD TOYS: This is the gift I selected and bought to send to a friend in Chile who has just recently had her first child. I thought it was perfect for an Aussie living in Cambodia. Syd the Sleepy Koala made by Beebee + Bongo a social enterprise teaching knitting and crocheting skills to provide fair and flexible employment to marginalised communities in and near Phnom Penh. A childhood toy embracing two of the cultures we love
JUNE 6th CLOUD FORMATIONS: The dark, dramatic, gloomy cloud formations of the monsoon season roll in mid to late afternoon in Phnom Penh and the often-torrential rain that follows is a relief from the heat and clears the air and dusty streets
JUNE 7th DOORWAY OR ENTRANCE: A new business in our neighbourhood has recently painted their entrance with this Khmer warrior image. I believe it’s a restaurant but it wasn’t open yet when we strolled by and I snapped this shot
*Just for the record we now know its a Spa
JUNE 8th REFLECTIONS IN WATER: Walking along riverside this morning a puddle provided the only reflection visible as the river was mostly rippling with the current in the overcast conditions or dappled by the drizzle. The monsoon moods continue but the break from the sweltering heat and intense sunshine is a relief
JUNE 9th VINTAGE OBJECTS: abound and are still very much in everyday use here. I love the basketry which is still handmade and readily available. We saw this mobile vendor early this morning near the market and I was delighted to realise that there are at least three of his wares in regular use in our home
JUNE 10th FRUITS & VEGETABLES: A sample of the fruits and vegetables we have in stock to see us through the weekend and well beyond considering today is a celebratory occasion and we are going on a date night
JUNE 11th EVERYDAY OBJECTS IN BLACK AND WHITE: A selection of the books set in this region from our shelves. I read every day and consider it a pleasure and a privilege to have the time for it
JUNE 12th A LONE TREE: flowering on the corner of our street and providing much sought after shade in this busy downtown zone
JUNE 13th ABSTRACT CLOSE-UP: taken inside our apartment and such a surprise that it looked like this close up. You’ll never guess what it is?
JUNE 14th A FOOD DISH OR MEAL: Tonight’s dinner is build your own Buddha Bowls with a base of chilled soba noodles, a rainbow platter of vegetables and a sesame, coconut peanut sauce. An Asian fusion dish I love to make and eat
*This one was selected for the fab grid on Instagram
JUNE 15th MORNING COFFEE: The plans to have a morning coffee in a new to us venue this morning, have gone by the wayside, while we wait for our Mt Fix-it to resolve a plumbing issue. The usual spot on the terrace with breakfast is the regular morning coffee routine and now the monthly selfie, albeit a sleepy face selfie, is done too. I’m never awake until the first cup of coffee is consumed and here is the evidence
JUNE 16th A PET SUCH AS DOG OR CAT: A pampered pet traveling in style on the streets of Phnom Penh
JUNE 17th STAIRS OR ESCALATORS: The alleys and laneways of Phnom Penh reveal the stairs that provide access to the maze and labyrinth of tiny, old apartments that are concealed behind the modern, street side shopfronts. It’s a world from a bygone era and a community we are happy to reside within
JUNE 18th FOOD INGREDIENTS: All that’s required to make my signature dish - Lotus Root Salad
JUNE 19th LAUNDRY HANGING TO DRY: inside Wat Ounalom compound is all orange monk robes and they are draped anywhere space allows
JUNE 20th GRAFFITI-COVERED WALLS: Here in PP some alleys are bustling with community activity, others are picturesque nostalgia of a bygone era and well… some are simply graffiti covered walls and strewn with garbage but all of them provide access to residences. The laneways and alleys absolutely fascinate me
*this one also got selected for the fab collection on Insta
JUNE 21st BIRDS IN FLIGHT: One of my favourite wall art discoveries, which is more treasured than ever now that the wall has been painted over and a bar and beer advertisement have replaced it. It’s somehow poignant and haunting due to the expression on the character’s face. Both the birds in flight and the person seem to be trying to escape…… but what?
JUNE 22nd A SINGLE CANDLE: in a ceramic container on the bedside table in the guest room
JUNE 23rd A COLOURFUL DOOR: In the art gallery we popped into yesterday this very colourful door led to the office area. Today has been spent on a bus heading to HCMC and now after checking in at the hotel and a long walk searching for doors it’s beer o’clock and time to holiday
JUNE 24th SUNRISE OR SUNSET: Not being a morning person, I knew it would be a sunset for me. Sunset view in HCMC yesterday while people watching. Vietnam is synonymous with motor scooter culture as is Cambodia but the orderliness of the traffic here was a change and surprise
JUNE 25th ARCHWAY OR BRIDGE: The back courtyard exit from the Fine Arts Museum in Ho Ch Minh City. The museum itself is a spectacular colonial building and it houses a huge collection by mostly Vietnamese artists and was well worth a second visit
*NB: eight hours on a bus and arriving in the dark in Da Lat made me grateful I had taken this yesterday
JUNE 27th CAR OR TRUCK IN THE STREET: Sitting in a cafe by the Hô Xuân Phong, which I assume is the name of the lake, it seemed fitting that a water truck should idle by and surprising that the passenger even noticed I was taking a shot and smiled and gave me a peace sign. I’ve only heard “Good morning Vietnam” once so far this trip when it was once a thousand times a day
JUNE 28th FRESHLY BAKED GOODS: Anyone who has visited Vietnam has enjoyed Banh Mi and it’s freshly baked bread like this that makes it possible to make those delicious sandwiches a staple for locals and tourists alike. We usually call this “air bread” but when in Rome…..
JUNE 29th A STACK OF BOOKS: Having walked in circles using google maps to find a bookstore to no avail this afternoon, all I’ve got is a stack containing our two passports and the information book in our hotel. It’s a bit of a stretch and it saddens my teacher’s heart to think we haven’t seen a single bookstore in the week we have spent in Vietnam. I can only hope we have been looking in all the wrong places
JUNE 30th A BUILDING WITH INTERESTING WINDOWS: I knew we would be on a bus for most of today, so I have a building with interesting, fretwork covered windows surrounding the door in a semicircle. We stumbled upon this yesterday in our wanderings around Da Lat and the weather worn wooden frames and door also appealed to me
*Post posting update: This one made the Fab Four too!
