THE PROMPTS FOR THE
MONTH
MONDAY 1st I AM HERE: in
Kep National Park -Bopha Prasidh enjoying the splendour of nature and the relatively
cool weather. Making the most of the free time and beginning 2018 doing the
things we love together
TUESDAY 2nd YELLOW: One
yellow prayer flag from Bhutan flying in the living room in Kep
WEDNESDAY 3rd ON THE
FLOOR: of the ocean at Rabbit Island. Our first swim in the Gulf of Thailand
after hiking and a good deal of scrub bashing around the island
THURSDAY 4th PLAIN:
Artisan baguettes from the French bakery - simple, plain, delicious food. I
always say we have the French to thank for good coffee and good bread in Asia
FRIDAY 5th STACKED: The
fresh limes from the market this morning stacked in a favourite ‘bungchu’ from
Bhutan, with the last yellow passion fruit from the vine in our yard on top
SATURDAY 6th HAPPY
PLACE: Wherever you can hear the sound of the ocean and see blue skies is a
happy place for me
SUNDAY 7th LIGHT: The
late afternoon light on the ocean in Kep Bay
MONDAY 8th SPLENDID: To
a vegetarian nothing is quite so splendid as a haul of fresh produce from the
market. Plenty of colours and textures to ensure we eat a rainbow for lunch
today
TUESDAY 9th EVERYDAY
MOMENTS: This scene of village kids frantically calling “hello” and waving as
we cycle by is an everyday moment that I never tire of. No matter where we go
or how many times the kids have seen us before the response is always
enthusiastic waving and calling and if we respond, as we always do, there is a
ninety percent chance it will result in giggles and laughter all round. We were
on a track we had never been on before when this happened today so these
particular kids had never seen us before and were a little startled when I
stopped to take this shot but they stood their ground and continued confidently
with their usual behaviour. Adorable!!
WEDNESDAY 10th I LIKE
THIS: Making our lunches from fresh local ingredients on the two days a week
when we are going off to volunteer at Kep Gardens and I like it even better
when lunch time arrives and we get to eat it
THURSDAY 11th ME:
Learning to accept just being me- no makeup, no agenda just plain ole me.
At the end of a full day; visiting the market, practising mindfulness and
mediation, teaching the young monks and swimming I feel grateful for having the
time to do the things I love to do including relaxing over a beer at a local bar.
Life in the slow lane in Kep
FRIDAY 12th SWEET: My
first ever attempt at making muffins this morning, was a trial to see if this
would be a suitable sweet treat to take to the little monks we teach. Luckily
they were fresh out of the oven when the Immigration Police arrived to fill in
some paperwork about foreign residents in Kep, they got a sweet treat once the
business was accomplished. Always good to stay in sweet with the police
SATURDAY 13th FLORAL:
A still life with a floral “furushiki” or wrapping cloth. Anyone who has
spent time in Japan knows these versatile cloths can be tied to carry anything
in including bottles of wine to take to parties. Great system as you can just
pocket the folded cloth on arrival. I’m not one for pinks or floral but this
piece of recycled silk sari has been repurposed as a furushiki. It is one of
six I recently purchased to ecologically wrap gifts. One other pink
floral one already has a new home and this will be the next to go
SUNDAY 14th FACELESS
PORTRAIT: with a Peruvian Panama or is that an oxymoron?
MONDAY 15th NEW: This
morning’s little project to create some new flash cards to assist the monks to
understand plurals and answer “How many....?” questions correctly. Not being an
artist colouring in photocopies was the best I could manage
TUESDAY 16th WALL: The
abandoned colonial residences are something of an attraction here in Kep and
this one with absolute beach frontage has an artistic feature wall. Many
feature art and few will ever be restored to their former grandeur so invite
the artists in an make them more appealing I say
WEDNESDAY 17th
THOUGHTFUL: The most recent project at Kep Gardens was to put up bird feeders
in many of the trees. I’m sure the birds will appreciate this thoughtful
gesture when the cooler weather ends and the blistering heat returns
THURSDAY 18th COOL: We
think it is pretty cool that we can cool off in this pool anytime we choose and
most times it’s completely empty at twilight when we most like to be there
FRIDAY 19th PAPER: We print
hundreds of homemade paper resources for our sessions with the little monks.
Yesterday’s letter was “S” and it seems Gam is slowly transforming it into
something that more closely resembles the Cambodian script, which he also
doesn’t write BTW
SATURDAY 20th
REFLECTION: The reflection of the clouds in the pool late this afternoon
SUNDAY 21st DAY OFF: Plenty of time to cycle to the
beach and sit and contemplate the world while staring into the ocean on this
day off
MONDAY 22nd SCENIC:
sunset over Kep’s iconic crab
TUESDAY 23rd YUM: is the
perfect description for these delicious pyramids of sticky rice filled with
fresh coconut. These are available in the Kep market if you get there early
enough. They are just one of the many cheap, nutritious and delicious Khmer
foods made daily from local ingredients
WEDNESDAY 24th BEGINS
WITH S: Shell begins with S and this one has a near perfect yin-yang symbol at
the tip. I found it when beach-combing on Rabbit Island recently
THURSDAY 25th MY MORNING
VIEW: often includes this coastal view of Kep. This morning the Mackerel sky
and light playing on the water created a shimmering scene
FRIDAY 26th THANK YOU FOR:
the opportunity to interact and engage with these beautiful little souls.
Though they can try our patience at times, they bring meaning and joy to our
lives. Also thank you to Cambodia for the visa that allows us to live here and
contribute a little
SATURDAY 27th IN THE
NIGHT: as in during the day if we are at home then the front door is open. “Our
doors are always open, drop in anytime!” The outside lights are also
always on, if it’s dark, when we are home as is the Khmer way
SUNDAY 28th TEXT: This
simple text has a message to be mindful. As travellers our curiosity and
desire to help can sometimes not be in the best interest of the local
community. It impresses me that Cambodia is committed to child protection and
these signs and messages are prominently displayed in many tourist locations
and on tuk-tuks
MONDAY 29th MAGIC: We
had a magical day on a boat trip and wandering along the boardwalk getting up
close and personal with the mangroves in Kampot on Saturday, so I bring you a
little mangrove magic
TUESDAY 30th SECRET:
It’s no secret that I love teaching these little guys as we did today, but I do
wonder what secret thoughts, dreams, aspirations and desires run through their
heads
WEDNESDAY 31st LESS IS
MORE: Today’s lunchboxes of love- less rice and fewer chillies means more
vegetable salad for me
