Phnom Penh...Of Peace, What Do I Know?

Looking for respite at the Killing Fields

Our second day in Phnom Penh brought an entire array of emotions...from the elation of scoring some fantastic deals and great gifts at the Russian Market to the brutal realities of a recent history in Cambodia. The food of Phnom Pehn will have to wait (although I have included a few delicious photos...). There are so many food stories to tell, today I interviewed Nike (pronounced Nick) who runs an Italian restaurant and he was so inspiring that I want to focus on him and some of the other food related stories at another time when we can all savor those goodies. Tomorrow I will have my first cooking lesson and we begin the day off at the market...so stay tuned.

Many of the pictures I have posted from today have a haze on them, no, my camera is fine, but the heat and humidity are heavy. A travel tip I learned today from my nephew is to carry along a few of those silica gel packets that come in almost everything, especially shoes and tuck a few of those in my camera case - everything stays nice and dry. Alright, enjoy the photos and stories from our second day in Cambodia...bringing food and travel from my table to yours - Mama Caruso.

Sitting on the patio getting ready for the day at the Billabong Hotel

My work station

The French influence is everywhere

A quiet corner at Tuol Sleng, a high school turned into a
prison (S-21) during the Pol Pot regieme where thousands of people
were imprisoned and killed

Of peace, what do I know?
The fourteen final victims of S-21
are laid to rest here

Barbed wire kept the prisoners in the school

Taking a breather and learning about the cultural etiquette of
toating in the Cambodian culture

Comfort food at Nike's Pizza House

Now I fit in

But how do I eat this lollipop?

The monument at the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center
at The Killing Fields

There were many quiet places to sit and listen to the audiotape
which provided a lot of important information interspersed
with survivor's stories

The Killing Tree...many children were killed here
and visitors hang bracelets in tribute

Tributes to the children at their burial site

Looking for respite

Playing Settler's of Catan back at the hotel...providing
 entertainment to the other guests

Sizzling fajitas for dinner

Another popular hang out for Peace Corps Volunteers when in Phnom Pehn

The Royal Palace by the Riverfront

Les and Shannon cooling off at the Blue Pumpkin

Phnom Penh...tuk tuks abound

Arriving in Cambodia in the morning, we began touring right away. The heat and humidity at 10:00 in the morning has us drenched, but there is no time like to present - so we hit the roads. A tuk tuk is our most common mode of transportation followed by our two feet...ufff...my feet are tired tonight. Our hotel is perfect, right in the center of town and close to everything. Phnom Pehn has a very comfortable and "small-town" feel mixed within the hustle and bustle and it doesn't take long before I can keep track of my bearings. We eat at a restaurant where we run into several of Les' Peace Corps friends and then run into them again at the Peace Corps offices - it feels nice to see familiar faces.... Les, Shannon and I have a wonderful day exploring the sights, sounds and food of the city...the rest is told in pictures...enjoy...from my table to yours....Mama Caruso.

Tomorrow a cultural day at the Killing Fields and Prison which has been turned into a cultural center about a very difficult time in Cambodian history. Talk to you on the other side of that.

View from the back of the tuk tuk

A restaurant that caters to Westerners, it is right near the
US Embassy and the Peace Corps Office, we ran into
several of Les' Peace Corps friends there while eating
beefy mac and cheese and cold meatloaf sandwiches

I had to be reminded in this pagoda that "Minnesota nice"
is not so nice...having eye contact with the Monks
as a female is frowned upon...

A monument to the Lady Penh

Exploring the nightlife

The Brazilian Barbecue restaurant where we had a wonderful
and very fun dinner - Samba

Sitting on our deck enjoying coffee writing...

Learning the language and making Thai friends

Jet lag has sunk in so I will tell you the stories of the day in pictures. Today was to be a rest day and so we took it easy, changing our money into Thai Baht which is exchanged at one United States Dollar to 32 Baht. While at the bank the manager gave us a Thai lesson and we are now chatting it up with the locals - we have learned that a simple bow with prayer hands clasped in front and a smile while practicing our Thai  has won over many especially since one of the phrases in our arsenal of Thai is "kortordka" which means..."sorry"

After getting our Baht, we visited Ancient Siam which was built to serve as a tool to encourage people of the country to learn about the history of their own country and it is a place where national traditions and culture which are the foundation of Siamese civilization known to the world. If you would like to know more visit www.ancientsiam.com The crowds were few and we enjoyed the afternoon! Enjoy the photos...tomorrow we are off to Cambodia...let the next set of adventures begin...

Shannon took this photo after breakfast

Shannon's photo too

This dragon watches over the parking lot at our hotel

Elephants coming out of the woodwork....

A common mode of transportation

A nice puzzle this would make...

We opted for a golf cart to get around - Shannon drove...
have we told you yet that the Thai drive on a different side of the road???

We have more similarities than differences...

Mid afternoon snack of pumpkin soup and shitake mushrooms

Even the bread and butter look like flowers

Good night...sawaddee ka!

In Thailand it's 2:30 in the morning and room service has arrived

 We arrived in Thailand a little past midnight - just as the brilliant orange red half moon was setting. Stepping out of the airport we transcend into the heat and beauty that is Bangkok. It is only 82 degrees but the sweat is pouring down our backs and I like most tourists try to get into the hotel van on the wrong side of the vehicle. The meals on the plane didn't work out so well with our stomachs so the first thing we did was order room service....Tord Man Goong, Mixed Grilled Satay and Por Pia Poo Thod has just arrived...can't wait to find out what we ordered...at least I ordered it in Thai...and it looks good. One highlight of the travel day was getting upgraded to First Class for the 14 hour flight to Tokoyo - what a nice way to fly! I traded with Shannon mid-flight so she could get some solid sleep on the long bed. Nice. We wanted to give everyone a quick update, let you know that we are fine...and eating already...from my table to yours - Mama Caruso

Are You a Minimalist Packer?

Many years ago I traveled with my oldest daughter through Europe as our "mother/daughter" trip before she graduated from High School. The concept of a mother/daughter trip was genius and it brought us closer in so many ways. We made friends and connected with each other and the world in a way that changed both of our lives. We both gained confidence, me in seeing how my daughter would be "out in the world" as a world citizen and her confidence increased in knowing that the world is a wonderful adventure and not something to be afraid of. Ironically, shortly after our return and her subsequent year abroad as a Rotary Youth Exchange student, September 11th occurred, and that new-found confidence helped to bolster her while her country was under attack and she had to rely on people from around the world for protection. 

Our family felt confident in her safety as a Rotary Youth Exchange student and I think her reaction to the attacks was informed by her previous travel experiences. She, as many in our family, understood that the people who were attacking the United States were an isolated group of people and that remaining in France during this difficult time in history was essential because as a Rotary Youth Exchange student, she was also an ambassador of her country and she needed to continue to shine the light on the fact that many of us in the United States were loving caring world citizens. She made the decision to stay and complete the remaining ten months of exchange. It was not an easy year for any of us, but she drew upon the strength gained from her many travel experiences with us as a family and from the confidence she developed while on our European mother/daughter trip.

Rotary Youth Exchange encourages reciprocity and as a result, in our home during this time was a Muslim student from Bulgaria, whose family had originated from Turkey - so the importance of our surrounding the student in our care was increased as we processed so many questions in all of our homes during that time.

So what does any of this have to do with minimalistic packing? The European trip that Alison and I took for our mother/daughter excursion began with a Rick Steves Bus Bed and Breakfast Back Door through seven countries and one of the many things that I love about Rick Steves' tours is that we learned about minimalist packing. Not only did we have to carry our own luggage up and down many flights of stairs, up mountainsides, down Alps' paths ridden with slugs, through the canals of Venice...but we were continually on the go and so taking away the time consuming decision about what to wear everyday was appreciated. When you pack minimalistically, there are just not a lot of choices about what to wear each day since several outfits are hanging up drying and the other outfit is the one you are wearing. It is actually great! And, in the morning when the bus is ready to take off, it only takes a few minutes to throw everything you have into your bag and be off. I love that Rick Steves gave me that freedom when traveling. http://tours.ricksteves.com/tours/ 

So then, why is it so frightening? Since that trip I have not been a minimalist packer, despite all of my good intentions. Granted, many o the trips I have taken recently involve taking material aid and many suitcases loaded with school supplies, items for newborn babies and medical supplies that the people with whom I was visiting could not purchase locally...but I am talking about my own personal stuff. This is in my mind as I prepare to travel with my youngest daughter on our mother/daughter trip to Thailand and Cambodia. These are countries where it is hot and we just don't need that much stuff. Collectively we will take seven flights and everything about what I know about traveling is screaming at me to be a minimalist packer...why is it so hard? With the Rick Steves tour we were told in no uncertain terms that we were allowed only one carry-on bag - period. We were even given the list of exactly what to pack for twenty-one days. http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/packlist.htm 

So why is this so hard? I am leaving in four days and between Shannon and me we have three carry-on sized bags filled plus my magical backpack and her satchel...how do others pack? How do you discipline yourself to not only dream about packing light? How do you just do it? I am going to step away from the suitcase pile right now and find the strength and inspiration to repack...in the minimalistic manner inspired by Rick Steves. Happy to hear your suggestions.