Cats, cats, everywhere

Okay, so these pictures are just random shots of Phnom Penh and nothing to do with cats. (Picture of yummy fried crickets and some of the finer PP architecture)

These wily creatures are hard to catch on film. However, they seem to be haunting me in all aspects of my day to day existence. Feral cats run rampant in Phnom Penh and most of them are missing a significant portion of their tail. I can only assume it is from some back alley, cut-throat tomcat rumble.
I'm not bothered by the missing tails so much as the ear-splittingly loud crys these suckers make on a regular basis. They seem to congregate in the trees outside my office and make such loud wails that it is hard to concentrate. I assume they are all in heat as cats do not get spayed in Cambodia, even the ones with good homes. Apparently it is very un-Buddhist to take away the opportunity to procreate, even in animals.

My office tried to take up a collection to spay the main offender who struts around our courtyard like she owns the place, but many of the Khmer staff were offended by the idea and refused to be a party to it. Who knew that spaying was so bad? What would Bob Barker say to this? Maybe he needs to get his retired ass over here to help with the feral cat problem.

Yesterday, while lying in shivasana (sp?) after a long day, and an intense 90 minutes of yoga, hoping for a quick cat nap (pun intended), our peaceful existence was shattered by such an intense wailing that you thought bloody murder was being committed. SE Asia can be quite an assault on the senses, usually smells and noises, but I never thought that I would be taunted and haunted by wailing cats.

Working internationally

Family and friends keep asking me what is it like to live and work in Cambodia? My initial response is always that it is a rollercoaster. Prior to moving to Cambodia, I have lived in a few countries for short stints, but now I’ve traded in my bathing suit for a business suit and moved from the diving board to the board room.

Working in an international office offers more challenges than the usual I dislike my boss issue or the they don’t appreciate me complaint or the typical water cooler drama. One big problem is not understanding what my coworkers are saying. Granted, English is the language of the office and I certainly cannot speak the local language, Khmer, but I am having a hard time adjusting to the local accent and word choice. I feel pretty stupid repeating my questions when the person with whom I’m speaking feels certain they’ve already answered my question.

Another challenge is that the laws I’m referencing in my day to day work have been translated at least once if not two or three times. To say something gets lost in translation is a definite understatement. Law school teaches you that every word is important and to be exact. Having a rough translation with many grammatical errors throws that learning out the window. Let’s add to the mix one of the newest legal systems around with many areas still not addressed by law, and no real precedent upon which to draw. It makes for interesting and frustrating days. Patience is my mantra.

Ants, luckily not in my pants

Ants seem to be a theme in my new life in Cambodia. They are with me everywhere I go - crawling on my arm while doing legal research in my office, being sold in the market in a big basket, and even on my dinner plate.

Now don't get me wrong, I certainly have nothing against the little critters. They actually taste pretty good, but can be a bit unsettling either stuck in your teeth or marching all over your legal documents. I guess the Buddhist way of life is to just let them be, which I'm trying to embrace.

Cambodians eat some crazy sh*t - to say they embrace the snout to hoof mentality is putting it lightly. No hormoned-up chicken breasts for them. Protein can be found in any nook and cranny - spiders, cockroaches, crickets. You can buy a bag at the market and munch on them just like popcorn. Cheap, filled with protein & low in calorie.

As it is the Holiday season is upon us, a good 'ole roasted turkey or honey baked ham or even a tofurkey is sorely missed by this somewhat homesick expat.

Weird SE Asian Sh*t

Here is a very incomplete list of some of the things we found somewhat peculiar in our travels...

~ Face whitening creme/powder on women to the point they look like Casper the friendly ghost
~ Golden Retriever on a motorbike with his family of four
~ Giant Buddhas all over the place
~ Basket of piglets on the back of a motorbike (quite common in Vietnam)
~ Scissors used in so many ways - cutting lawns, cutting hair, cutting lettuce
~ Luggage - never have we seen so much baggage accompanying people, sometimes it looks like it could be all their worldly belongings
~ Shrink-wrap machine - much of this luggage gets wrapped in plastic at the airport by a crazy spinning wrapping machine
~ "Small money" - the mantra of shopkeepers or anyone else who takes money as their job - no one ever has change, even if you are giving them the equivalent of $5 for something that costs $4.50
~ Smoking - they smoke like it is their job & it is done EVERYWHERE
~ Flip flops for all your footwear needs - hiking, at the office, working with heavy machinery
~ Food sitting in carts all day long - yum yum
~ No waiting in line - this is typically a combat situation where you get boxed out by little old ladies

Bothersome Bali

Sure, most people would kill for two weeks in Bali. Don't think we're not grateful to have spent time in this tropical pardise. However, nowhere in our four months in SE Asia have we been bothered more by hawkers trying to sell us things, especially the Kuta Beach area.

Of course, you might say that Bali is as touristy as it gets and we're white-waling ATM machines, so what do you expect? I get all that, but it was nonetheless over the top.

Example One - while walking down the street, we are both clearly sporting sunglasses & watches. It seems that we are somehow looking bereft of these common accessories because we only have one of each. In the course of walking one block toward the beach, we are stopped by no less than five people trying to sell us a watch or sunglasses or both.

Example Two - as we are less than 1/2 block from the beach carrying a surf board, towels & other assorted beach items, we areasked by at least four people if we need transport. From the direction we're walking, the items we're carrying, and our proximity to the beach, it seems fairly obvious to the casual observerthat we are not in need of a ride anywhere.

Example Three - as the guy next to us was getting a massage in his beach chaise-lounge, a roaming beach vendor taps his leg to get his attention to try to sell him a tatoo. "Cheap, cheap" was said multiple times.

Example Four - while sitting at the beach in my own chaise-lounge, I emphatically told a roving masseuse/manicurist/pedicurist that I didn't any of her services multiple times. She decided to sit down on my chair against my protestations, pick up my foot and make disapproving sounds about the state of my nails. "Need pedicure, yes, yes".

All of these attempted exchanges begin with something like, "Hello Mister", "Where do you go?", "Hello My Friend", "I remember you", or "I remember you". You have to hand it to these hawkers and roaming beach vendors because they are beating the pavement (or beach) enthusiastically every single day. We understand this is their job, we're in a developing country, etc., but it still gets old fast, especially when one of the more enthusiastice salesman actually grabs you as you are walking by.

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

Stephen and I have both been "backpack" traveling for close to twenty years. When we started traveling, you had to carry all of your money in travelers cheques on your person for your entire journey or get it wired to you along the way. This was a pretty scary proposition if something happened or if you couldn't find a place to change your cheques, you were sol.
ATMs have made travel so much easier and safer. No longer are we carrying thousands of dollars on us at all times. You can find cash in just about every podunk town from N. Laos to W. Sumatra.
Communication with the outside world or even with your next stop was virtually impossibe or prohibitively expensive back in the old days. Mail was slow, if it ever actually reached its destination. The internet and cell phones have changed the travel dynamic enormously. Less frequently are travelers hanging out in hostels swapping war stories and travel tips because they are too busy face booking, blogging, skyping & sending texts to people across the world.
The major advantage of these technological advances ist he abundance of information available to the vigilant cyber-seeker. Some of our best travel tips have come from reading fellow travelers' blogs, which are more up to date than the most recent guide books out there.
One constant has been the Lonely Planet Guide Books, which are the bible for the backpacker set. A common site is to see a busload of weary travelers spill out the door while thumbing through a much worn LP guide.
For those not in the know, LP guidebooks have been around since the 70s when Tony & Maureen Whieeler traveled overland to SE Asia from Europe. These books have truly developed the backpacker travel through SE Asia (and the rest of the world) with the greatest hits nicely laid out with all logistics and details, budget accomodations and sites to see.
Even with the advent of blogs, travel advisor and travel chat boards, nothing tops "SE Asia on a Shoestring" for the sheer volume of information located in one large volume.
Another thing that hasn't changed is the traveler talk. Typical conversations begin with the requisite "Where are you from?", possibly some connection to that persons city or country or origin, a past visit there, a friend from their home, or the ability to speak their native language. You quickly move on to other required questions like "How long is your trip?" and "Where are you going/where have you been?".
Since most folks are on the greatest hits tour, the itineraries are strikingly similar, just varying in duration. As in every social group, there are ways to rank its members. Backpackers at the top of the spectrum are those traveling the longest. Round-the-world year long travelers often thumb their noses at those on mere vacations of three or four weeks.
Another technique to categorize and rank travelers is through budget. A new term has been coined in recent years - "flash packer", which is travelers willing to spend $15-$25/night v. "back packers" in the $4-$15 range. Back packers feel superiour to flash packers because they are not only getting more for their money, but they can endure rooms with no A/C, dorm rooms & communal squat toilets. They are more hardcore and traveling more 'local'.
Traveler talk quickly turns to the cost of things with lots of bragging about low costs paid for accomodations for street food & with incredulous at the exorbinant price someone else paid.
After almost 20 years of travel, we've found we are very much in the upper end of the age spectrum. We can officially be called flash packers as filthy rooms with no windows & communal cold water showers for $5 is no longer a great deal. Our aging bodies, stiff necks and over active noses require a bit more.
We also no longer look at 12-15 hour local bus rides with chickens, chain-smokers and people on the roof as an adventure. Now it is brutal and takes days to recover.
Nothing like some budget travel to remind you that you are no longer 25!

Friends Along the Way

When traveling for four plus months, home, normalcy, routine and a comfortable bed can all seem very far away. However, when you're lucky enough to have several friends sprinkled through Asia and even some coming over to visit, that little taste of home alleviates much of the homesickness.
We have been graciously hosted by family and friends in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia & Indonesia. These folks are all doing amazingly cool things in their respective countries and they shared their overseas world with us.
The "ex-pat" lifestylei s different than our humble one back in Portland. Drivers, maids, cooks, nannies, international schools, security guards and housing stipends can all be part of the "package". Although it certainly is glamorous to have a staff and other such perks, the downside can be a total invasion of privacy or a dependency on others for some of life's essential tasks. However, we are more than willing to bite the bullet and give this lifestyle a whirl.
Our expat friends gave us the low-down on what it is like in their area, introduced us to amazing folks, gave great travel tips & allowed us to see the region from a more local perspective.
As a backpacker humping it through SE Asia, sometimes we feel like we are on a greatest hits tour where our main interactions are with our travelers like ourselves. Staying with our friends allowed us the opportunity to get out of the grungy backpacker hostels and see wheer the real people actually live, albeit the upperclass real people.
The lifestyles of our friends is vastly different depending in which country they live and if they are in a capital city or not.
The lifestyle of Ho Chi Minh City for our adidas executive pal is exciting, hectic & lacking no creature comforts, although she does have to maneuever around a few cows to drive down her street. The lifestyle in Phnom Penh is similar as it has many western style restaurants, bars, spas and lots of social activity.
However, things were a bit different when visiting our friends in Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia, located on the western tip of Sumatra and the area hardest hit by the 2004 Tsunami. Banda Aceh has a long history of conflict and muslim fundamentalism. The at-home comforts are available, but their is a distinct lack of western dining opportunities and mind-set. It is a dry area, although you can buy alcohol from the "chinese shops". Women wear jil bobs and are covered from head to ankly and it much better for western women if they follow suite with the exception of head wear. The town is small, living is easier than in the hectic capital cities and the beautiful beach and jungled mountains are only minutes away from the center of town.
A huge thank you to the hospitality, generosity & kindness that these folks offered to the us weary travelers!!