coffee.break

Only less than 2 months but I felt like I have been here for a long long time. Maybe because of the long hours I spent in the office. Wish I have more leaves to travel. Either I use my earned leaves to travel around this region or go home and spend some time with family and friends.

Few more observations -
1. The apartments and restaurants love to use yellow lights. Even the lights at my workstation is kind of dim. Not used to it and I think my eyesights are deteriorating. Used to love reading before bedtime but now once I am on the bed with such dim lights, I fall asleep even before you finish singing national anthem.
2. You can park your car anywhere you like, even blocking another car or entrance. The only thing you need to do is to put it in free gear. The attendant will push your car when needed.

Life is quite happening here, but due to confidentiality and sensitivity, I choose not to disclose them. You have to be here, not as a tourist, but to work and live here for some time to experience the culture, and who knows, you may like it!

So many things happened last week. First, a light bulb in my room burned. Second, came home on Fri night in hope to relax in front of the TV but found out that all channels were not working on that night! Third, woke up on Sat morning to find my bathroom flooded. Hahaha… Fourth, mobile phone couldn’t work for a few minutes and gave me a shock. Hey, it is my lifeline now. No phone and alone in an apartment in a strange land is freaky, ok. Yeah, should get a new mobile soon. Mine is in a bad shape. Scouting around for best price. Fifth, came home after a day of shopping on Sat to collect my laundry from my balcony but the door was stuck. The stand fell and blocked the door. It must be quite windy that day. Took me some time twisting my right hand to get hold of the stand and open the door. Sixth, the two T-shirts that I bought from the market are a little too tight! Aarrgghh… “Sudah jatuh ditimpa tangga”!

Wow, I am already 21 days old in Phnom Penh. Not much time to go sightseeing yet due to work. Colleagues told me to take it slowly. “You have all the time in the world as you are going to be here for long. Not many places here. If you visit all so soon, you would have no more places to go.” Er, who knows what will happen tomorrow, eh? Actually I secretly target other places beside this capital – Siem Reap, Hanoi, HCMC, Bangkok…. Heh.    I just can’t wait for others to accompany me. So I have gone to Wat Phnom, National Museum and Royal Palace alone (29 Apr 07). They are beautiful. The architecture is amazing. Tried to capture photos as many as possible but it was burning hot! I think I became a few times darker after 4 hours outdoor. Note to self: wear a cap, sleeveless shirt and bring a big bottle of water. I shall upload those photos next time.  

Limited time, so here’s a glimpse of my experience thus far:

1. My first view of Phnom Penh is when AirAsia was flying low to get ready to land. The sky became darker. It was hazy and dusty.
2. While I was nervous with the taking off, air turbulence and landing, the kids (blacks, whites, yellows, … ) were so excited!
3. It didn’t occur to me before that in this part of the world, which is not far actually, about 2-hour flight, the driver’s seat is at the left. So I was surprised. Even now I still feel odd and confuse with the turnings.
4. The traffic is kind of messy. Many motorbikes. No helmets. No mirrors. Nobody use safety belts. The 1^st time when I sat beside the driver, if I would have pulled the belt, I think I would be stared! Nobody seems to care about the traffic lights. No rules. No insurance. It is really a challenge to drive here. But people do go slow here, 10-30 km/hr. When one hits the other and falls, just gets up, says sorry and continues one’s journey. Life is cheap, I heard. And always remember to look at both directions when you cross the road. Even if it one way, bikes and cars can still use the same road to go the opposite way!
5. Sockets are different. No switch. Just plug in and use it straight away. 2 and 3 pins in 1 socket. No hassle to find a pencil to help to put a 2 pins plug into a 3 pins socket. Such convenience.
6. The chairs are usually made of wood. Solid and heavy, even in small restaurants.
7. Many TV channels. Mine has 62, including TV3! When I manage to be in front of the TV at the right time, I would catch some news from home. I am losing touch as I don’t read online news every day as I used to be. No TV guide. So have to take chances. If you switch on at the right time, on the right day, then you would be able to catch some good shows. You find these channels everywhere you go – restaurants, kopitiams, etc. Was surprised with how rich these people are, to have so many paid channels. But how naive I was! These channels are illegal! No wonder no TV guide! Oh, if only you could see how large the satellite dish is!
8. Tissue papers and drinks are served FOC almost everywhere. Some even serve dessert i.e. fruits.
9. Non-locals usually buy drinking water, USD0.50 – USD1 per 20L. It is not advisable to drink the boiled tap water. Our bodies may not be able to take it.
10. The sun is super near Phnom Penh. Your skin burns each time you are out there. Even eating under the shade, but without air conditioner, you will be dripping with sweat after the meal is over. And I said, dripping!
11. You can see Toyota cars everywhere. Why? Because Toyota is assembled here. Not hard to own such a luxurious car, as it is really not that expensive. The problem is the petrol. The price can rocket so high over a night. You can see big price board outside every petrol station.
12. Liquor and cigarettes are cheap here. Wish I can transport those beautiful liquor bottles home! 
13. You can find no ceramic mug in Phnom Penh! Looking for a mug to drink my 3-in-1 coffee is so frustrating. You can find stainless steel cups everywhere but not ceramic mugs. Imagine using a stainless steel spoon stirring coffee in a stainless steel cup. Oh, I am shivering imagining the sound!
14. ‘Naga’, the same pronunciation as in the Malay, means serpent. You can see the design at most wats (temples), monuments and traditional buildings.
15. ‘Pagoda’ means cemetery. There is one at walking distance near my apartment. It is a wat cum pagoda. Beautiful carvings on stones which can be seen from outside.
16. Guys here sew! With sewing machines. It’s their job.
17. A good mental arithmetic is required here. Each time you pay in USD, the balance would be returned to you in USD and Riels. 1 USD = 4000 Riels. USD2.30? USD2 + 1200 Riels. Or when the bill is in Riels, you have to convert to USD. 32 000 Riels?  
18. You will be approached each time you step out of any building, offering you a bike ride. Not one but a few guys. Charges would have to be negotiated before the ride. And charges to non-locals are usually expensive.

I have visited the famous Russian Market, and some supermarkets, which are not really ‘super’ compare to home standard, but good enough to get basic stuff. Also managed to visit a 2^nd hand bookstore – D’s Books. Address – #5, St. 9, Lakeside, Phnom Penh. Open from 9am – 9pm. Rental depends, about USD2-3. Considered expensive if to convert to home currency. But to buy and keep those which still look good, then is considered cheap. A book is about USD3.50-4.00 for usual paperback. No time frame to return the books, which is so…. good as my working schedule may prolong the usual time I take to finish a book. A few other 2^nd hand bookstores I found through the net. Would love to visit them some day. Hopefully they are as good as this one, if not better.

The last book I read before I flew is Neil Gaiman’s Smoke and Mirrors. Short stories which I find most of them weird. Probably I just don’t know how to appreciate them.  

Have not been reading for the past 3 weeks. Glad that I have found a 2^nd hand bookstore near my apartment. Not many latest books but at least a collection of books by some famous authors which will fill up my free time for a long time.