7/19/10 (phnom penh)

Phnom Penh

In the morning Jon and I walked down to the market to get some soy milk and fresh tropical fruit. The local market is just a few meters from Paul's apartment and brings in a huge crowd everyday. This is where the locals come to buy their daily groceries. People buy what they need for the day so everything is fresh. The market is bustling with meat, fruit, vegetable, food, dessert, and drink stalls. It is quite a scene to witness. It has been awhile since I have been in a market like this and forget what a crazy adventure it can be. There are motorcycles whizzing by so close to you that curling your toes may save your life; the need to have a strong stomach to witness the half dead chickens lying on the table; the sensory overload as the car fumes, raw meat, sweet fruits, and yesterday's garbage are infused into one scent that your nose wrinkles at; and the crowds of people going in every direction makes it easy to lose someone (luckily Jon is much taller than the average Cambodian and sticks out in the crowd). This is awesome! No where in America can you experience this.

For less than five dollars we got a small jug of soy milk, one watermelon, one papaya, one kilo of rambutan, half kilo of logan fruit, and one kilo of mangosteen. What a bargain! One of the best things about being in Asia is all the delicious tropical fruit that is available at dirt cheap prices. We were excited about our purchase and headed back home. The only thing we didn't find at the market was muesli for breakfast. We asked the staff at Metro where we could find some and the manager said he could order it with the afternoon delivery. It's good to know people who make things happen. 

Last night we stopped in at Metro to say hi to the staff. One of the staff we had dinner with, Huch, remembered that I wanted to try Khmer food so we made plans to meet for lunch but she had something come up last minute. On Prum still took us to the restaurant she was going to take us and when we arrived we realized we had been there before. And it was On Prum who took us! After laughing about the situation, On Prum suggested a Thai restaurant near the apartment. We circled back to the apartment and along the way we picked up his daughter from summer school.

After lunch we walked back to the apartment and feasted on the fruit we bought. The fruit was sweet and delicious. As you may already guess it was time for a nap.

Then we got caught up on our finances and realized that the end of the adventure is quickly approaching. We need to start thinking of a reentry strategy. As much as I don't want to admit it we are going to need to head home in a few months. The good thing is that we'll be able to see our family and friends who we miss dearly. 

With finances looming over our head, we decided a low key evening was in order. We stayed in, read for a few hours, and then watched a couple episodes of Dexter before going to bed. Nothing like watching a serial killer TV drama to put us right to sleep.