Catching Up

Today's the first weekday back in the States. This is always a busy time with lots of sorting, email, phone calls, and general craziness. Because of this, I'll keep today's entry short.

One thing that must be shared is this picture of me in front of the only Mexican Restaurant in town. The enchiladas weren't too bad, but they also weren't exactly authentic.

Also, I've read on various news sites and heard from folks locally that the elections went off quite well, and that the ruling party claimed an easy victory. This is probably a good thing for short term stability since it won't massively disrupt the talks with Thiland on the border issue. They really need to find a sollution to that pretty quick. The Thai government doesn't seem to have a solid handle on some of their fringe political groups that are inciting this problem, and the Cambodian people are starting to feel the dangerous euphoria of Nationalism.

More pictures on the way after I get through the avalanche of tasks that I put off while sorting email remotely.

Sleepy... So Sleepy

Made it back last night (Friday the 25th) around 11:30 pm. I think I got a whopping 5 hours of sleep after the drive, a bite to eat, and just catching up. The first day back is always really hard on the body. I can't really determine why when going to Cambodia, it's no problem to get turned around. Coming back is always 10 times harder.

So over the next week I'll continue to add to the blog with some more pictures and items that I didn't write about before. I'll also keep you up to date on the elections and border issues since I have a bit of an inside track with locals.

In the meantime, enjoy this short movie. It's the view from the back of a Tuk Tuk. This is the preferred means of transport for tourists. They basically attach a covered 2 person trailer to a motorbike. You'll get to see the old market, the river, one of the election billboards, and the seemingly impossible traffic patterns.

The Long Road Home

This is my first entry from Korea since leaving Cambodia about 12 hours ago. It was a late flight, almost midnight. When I got here I caught a few hours of sleep in the "Transit Hotel". It's quite nice and not a terrible price either.

So now, I get to wait. My layover is about 12 hours. At least this airport is large enough to spend an hour just walking from one end to the other, gawking at the shops with ominous names like "Fashion and Packaged Foods", and "Quiznos".

This is also the point in the trip when you start to realize that your body clock is seriously messed up. It's midnight Central Time as a type this, but I just woke up. And that's considered pretty good when trying to get turned around. My goal is to try to stay away for the next 24 hours or so. Since 13 of that is in the air from here to LA, it shouldn't be too hard.

For now, I get to enjoy strange Korean TV shows and overpriced foods. I tried the Quiznos, fearful they might try to slip some Kimchee in there. Luckily they did not, but the affect of the dollar dropping like a stone was especially painful when I shelled out $13 for a sandwich and drink.

A Parade to End My Trip

I've mentioned the elections that are happening on Wednesday, and today I got to witness what happens in the final stretch. Just like in the USA, things crank up here. More people driving around with bullhorns and recorded speeches.

Today we ran into a parade of nearly 10,000 people all from the Sam Raimsey party (they have a single candle as their logo). That's the second or third largest party at the moment. They were out in full force. Pickup trucks that were teeming with human microphones, motorbikes, cars, even the occasional Lexus SUV.

The intersection where I took this photo is normally very busy. The road from the lake meets two other major roads, one that goes north to the temples and another that is the back way into the old market district. Having a solid wall of people flow through here was a major issue. Huge busses had to divert into incoming traffic, people and motorbikes had to start driving on whatever remnants of sidewalk were available.

Most people in a political caravan in the US would be waving and smiling. Most of these folks looked downright bored. I have to wonder if they were offered a little "something" for their time.

We eventually made it through the crowd by following the busses that were going the wrong way. When there was an opening in the traffic, we swung over to the right side of the road and made it to the cafe.

So tonight I'll pack my bags and get ready for my long trip back home. Hopefully when I get there we won't have any political parties sitting in my cul-de-sac with megaphones blaring about how their candidate is the best.

No Preservatives

One of the best perks of being in Cambodia is the food. You might initially think that a third world county doesn’t have anything good to eat. I’m sure that other parts of the world that are crippled with poverty have nothing but the barest of sustenance. Cambodia however, is trending positive in a big way, so this is not a problem.

Everything here is fresh. People simply don’t have the money to keep food in a refrigerator for weeks on end. Also, prepackaged items that spit out the back end of a factory are also not acceptable or necessary when you have everything growing around you. This is an odd juxtaposition. If you are just above the level of poverty, you have clean, fresh food. If you live in a high modernized society, almost everything is high fat, sugar, and processed.

Combine these factors with the Cambodian history as a French colony many years ago, and you have an incredible result: extremely high quality ingredients that were picked within hours of cooking time, with an unreal combination of French and South Asian styles.

After my morning classes I frequent a shop called The Blue Pumpkin. They have free wireless internet and an amazing bakery. They are also branching out (See the blog entry on the Golf Outing), another sign of success.

Try finding anything close to this level of taste and quality in the US, and you will pay about 5 times the price. Almost everything in the picture is about $1. The most expensive items are $2.

Border Trouble 3 - The Telethon

You can't help but be plugged into the recent issues at the border. Everyone is talking about it, and they have lots of news stories. I'm convinced that this is the first real "Nationalist" issue that people have rallied around since before the Khmer Rouge. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is behind the Cambodian government on this issue. Plus, there's a deep seeded rivalry between the two countries. Most local people aren't too fond of their Thai neighbors.

I noticed watching the live kickboxing match (it's the popular thing for the drivers, so I often join in to see what they are chatting about), that the TV station had co-opted about 1/3 of the bottom of the screen with phone numbers. They also would cut away from both the action and the commercials (which is quite significant here), to show pictures of people answering phones.

It turns out they are taking donations for the Cambodian Army. People are giving money to help support their troops at the border. Apparently they are raising over $35,000 a day. That's a monsterous sum for people here. If you earn around $200 a month, you are doing well.

So the politicians are shaking hands and making nice for the cameras. All the while Cambodia is awakening to a new type of pride: Nationalism.

Hopefully the ghosts of the past will remind them how this emotion can turn ugly.

Khmer Golf Outing

Every year I have a free weekend to do something entertaining. Last year we visited the ruins of Preah Vihear, which are currently the site of a border skirmish between Cambodian and Thai authorities. Before that we made other long-distance trips to see temples or other historic sites.

This year I had to try the new golf resort. There were signs advertising it in the airport, and I had read about its construction over time. Given that it’s associated with the high-end hotels, I figured it would be pretty good.

Here's their web site. It wasn't working when I posted this, but feel free to try.
www.angkor-golf.com

My initial impression wasn’t right. Prem and I had stopped by the equivalent of the Caddy Shack when I wanted to make a tee time. Things there are still under construction in this particular spot. For example, they were putting in the electricity poles.

We pulled up at 8 am and they pointed to the shuttle bus. I loaded up with about 5-6 other gentlemen and immediately realized that this was the shuttle to the clubhouse. Ah, things are looking much nicer now.

Nicer indeed. I was completely blown away by the architecture and arrangement of this small yet incredibly elegant clubhouse. After renting pretty much everything (clubs, shoes that were about 1 size too small, cart, and caddy), I headed out the front. Sure enough my caddy was standing next to the cart waiting for me. She didn’t speak a lot of English, but was quite friendly and certainly able to communicate well enough about the game.

One glace at the clubs and I knew they were expensive: All new Cobras. I got into the cart and heard, “Ok, ready”. She was hanging onto the back on a special metal frame built just for the caddy. Wow, I guess no crazy driving for me.

The game progressed very well. I’m nowhere near a pro golfer, but for the most part I can find my ball if I don’t hit it in the water and will shoot straight about half the time. It was on about hole four that I realized that she was keeping score for me on my card. Woah, I don’t think I’ve EVER kept score without a few gimmies here and there. This will be interesting!

On hole 4 I had to wait for the foursome in front of me to play, and I was standing near my ball absentmindedly looking at the gorgeous scenery. The course is downright manicured. I thought a cloud had come over since the sun took a break from blistering my neck, but it was actually my caddy. She was holding a gigantic umbrella over me for shade.

At hole 8, we pulled up to an stylish café with cold drinks and snacks. It’s run by The Blue Pumpkin. That brand is really taking off in Siem Reap. Prem would later comment, “The Blue Pumpkin, they are everywhere!”

Around hole 10 my toes were starting to get sore. I think the shoes were probably my size when they first bought them, but the climate must have shrunk the leather. It wasn’t a problem really, I should have spoken up in the pro shop when I first put them on. I was simply too anxious to get started.

Around hole 14 I was feeling the effects of the sun. The day started out cloudy but was clearing. I knew I was going to get burned. The course was simply too wonderful to let that stop me!

Hole 18 was my best: I shot par. I had been averaging about 2 shots over (with a couple really nasty ones).

When I finished up I knew I had to purchase a golf shirt with the course logo. How often will you get the opportunity to do that!

Overall, I spent quite a bit of money on my golf outing. About $250. Yup, it was expensive, but it was also a world-class facility that would likely be about twice that price in the US.

If you’re a casual golfer or more, I highly recommend it should you find yourself in the middle of Cambodia. As an added plus, no landmines!

Border Trouble 2 / Signs of Progress

Another entertaining day. Kids learning Photoshop are especially fun to watch when they get to take their own pictures and do silly things. It helps with the learning process when it's personal!

Before my afternoon class, I had to get some wiring and batteries ready for the lesson on electricity. Since it was going to take me a couple minutes, I thought I would ask them for their opinions on the recent problem at the border with Thailand. They all agreed that it was a bad thing, but that talking was the best way to resolve the conflict. A couple of them had friends who talked about being willing to fight, but that it wasn't the popular opinion.

Apparently the Prime Ministers will meet early next week to talk it over. It sounds like this will resolve soon we hope, but it's dominating the local press and local conversation. I like to hear that folks are disposed to peaceful resolution. It's the first real "Nationalist" issue in recent memory that all Cambodian people can get behind since the Khmer Rouge, which was essentially a form of civil war.

Another odd sign of progress I've noticed this year has been with the animals. The dogs don't look like skin and bones. They also have some obvious owners, not just strays. The cows and watter buffalo also look a lot more thick in the middle. When times are good and you have some leftover food, I guess it goes to the next in line.

The acme of burgeoning luxury has to be the new golf course. I'm trying it out tomorrow, this will be my "weekend excursion", instead of traveling for almost two days straight to a remote part of the jungle. My tee time is 8 am. The lady didn't write it down, so I might be the only one there. Oh, and there's no pro shop. There's also no electricity, because I saw the power poles just getting set in concrete. I bet it will be awesome.

Tension at the Border

Unless you're a news junkie, you probably don't know about a troop buildup that is happening between the Cambodian and Thai authorities at a disputed temple site. Here's a link to a good BBC summary:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7509412.stm

I had the pleasure of visiting this site last year. It's quite a nasty trip to get there, over bumpy and bad roads for most of an entire day, one way. However, it's a majestic place situated on the edge of a mountain.

Since it gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status in the last 10 days, it has been a reason for lots of local people to celebrate. Many hangovers, but still lots of smiles. It's a point of national pride.

Word on the street here is that both countries are going to try to find a peaceful solution very soon. I asked around to see if anyone knows people that work in the Army, and some do. Apparently these countries haven't been too fond of each other for many generations, but times are changing. We'll see if I can get the inside scoop.

Also, it's election time. That will complicate things somewhat, but I'm not sure how yet. I'll let you know.

FYI - My weekend excursion this year isn't going to be anywhere near the north where the trouble is.

Health and Science

This morning I had a second visit with the Angkor Hospital for children. The Operating Theatre Director, Mr. Chhoy Chan, gave me a tour of their sterile processing area and Operating Room. Apparently I had dropped off so many instruments that they simply haven’t had a chance to organize them and put them in rotation yet, but the consensus there was that I had brought a lot of fantastic things that will help them create new sets and fix some old ones. Nice to hear!

Their sterile processing department (SPD) area is small. Incredibly small. Like imagine a college dorm room. Yeah, that small. They actually do have quite a few instruments, but many are specialized and can’t be used for every type of case. Also, many are just not in good repair.

They had all the same elements of SPD you would see in any hospital: Initial Decontamination, Drying, Packaging, Sterilization, and Storage. Granted, their facility is not the standard you would find in an American hospital, but it was extremely well organized for the amount of space and the type of equipment they have. Keep in mind that they process instruments through there all the time. They run about 5-8 cases a day in that one room, and many of the general items need to be used from one case to the next!

The Operating Room was much roomier, but they had to sacrifice part of the space for more supply storage. Unlike in the US, you can’t simply wheel something into the hall for temporary (or longer) keeping. The halls are literally teeming with people. On one hand it’s hard to see so many people in need, but that quickly diminishes when you realize they are getting excellent care for little or no money.

Mr. Bill Housworth is the new Executive Director. He’s actually an American, I was a bit surprised! Most of the volunteers I have seen in Cambodia come from other countries.

After chatting with him and Chan I was able to get a better assessment of the things they might find useful. I’ll have several folks to talk to when I get back to Texas, and I can email the hospital to verify if they need something. It certainly appears to be a burgeoning humanitarian effort for me. Maybe I can make it really roll quickly.

Just before lunch we stopped by the Artisan's D'Angkor, a facility that trains Cambodians to be artists using wood and stone carving, as well as silk design. Since they take a credit card, I personally helped stimulate the local economy for another year in a row.

After lunch we were driving back to the hotel and spotted Mr. Wayne the policeman on a motorcycle. We ended up following him for a little ways. It was fun to watch all of the local people on the street turn their heads and look at him as he drove by. He truly is a local celebrity!

Class at Khnar Thmei was quite fun. After a little trial and error, we were able to get an egg to float on a jar of salt water that was inside a jug of regular water. If it’s still there tomorrow I’ll take a picture. We had to rush out since it was looking like hard rain.

I briefly touched on tomorrow’s topic: Air Pressure. They were picking up on it quickly, but still excited to see the experiment. I think seeing another one work is instilling confidence in them!

Tableside Propane

Dinner tonight was on "Pub Street". The name is quite deceiving. 4 years ago it was a dirty garbage alley. Last year we noticed they had cleaned it up pretty well and they had some restaurants expanding with a few tables. This year it's quite nice. A few art vendors, and lots of restaurant options.

While eating my "Khmer Fish", which is essentially a whole fried fish with a side of mango-leaf salsa, we had a visitor. Apparently our restaurant ordered some propane. A guy came up Pub Street on a rather grimy, old, red motorbike. It wasn't your standard Honda. It looked like something from the 60s that had been rebuilt about 4 times and was spray painted red. On the back of it he had a giant propane tank, probably twice the volume of a standard one you use in the US.

He pulled up next to our table. Oh, I do mean next to it. Probably 2 feet away. We got a nice whiff of the exhaust to accentuate the fish. I think the lady at the table next to us wasn't able to back up if she wanted to.

He hopped off the bike, unstrapped the tank, and heaved it onto his shoulder. It looked quite heavy. I'm glad he didn't drop it.

Not too long after he came back with a much lighter looking canister. I guess in Cambodia you can have propane delivered 24/7. Hey, you have to cook with something, and there's no central gas service in this town.

3 Year End of Life

Classes yesterday were a little out of the ordinary. I’m still trying to get most of the PCs up and running, and we’ve been waiting for the computer school to finish working on them. The owner Bunly (pronounced “boon –lee”) was away because his wife was having a baby. They still have their children at home in this culture, not in the hospital. That’s a place to go if you have a problem, not if you’re healthy.

Each location where I teach is different, so I essentially have to tailor three different lessons. The first place is the Ellohim mission center. Those kids are becoming pretty advanced since they have 4 PCs (2 are working at the moment), a teacher who volunteers on weekends, and a benevolent Korean owner who makes sure things are in good order. For example, those two broken PCs will get fixed when he arrives about a week after I leave. For them, I’m teaching Publisher. I would like to move on to Photoshop next, but we’ll see.

The second location is the home of Mr. Sok (pronounced “Sock”) in Bos Kralanh. He’s the host of the solar panel setup from last year. It was apparently a fantastic success, even doing well during rainy times. He had lots of pictures of people using the computer and learning basic skills. Unfortunately, the computer wasn’t has hardy as the power source. We tried hooking it up after repairs, but it wasn’t working again. Back to the computer shop!

Sok was nice enough to give me a copy of his music CD. He’s quite good with traditional Khmer instruments. This was a collection of songs for New Years. Oh, and all proceeds go to people disabled by landmines. Wow.

Khnar Thmei is the village where I first started working 4 years ago. Those kids are sharp. My driver Prem doesn’t even translate much anymore. Since both their computers were out at the repair shop, I started the first science lesson with the infamous combination of Diet Coke and Mentos. And no, it wasn’t just for fun (but that helps). We reviewed the ingredients and talked about reactions, catalysts, and nucleation. I even drew the chemical composition of caffeine on the board.

We had an excellent lunch at a new American Café called Common Grounds. I ate way too much and tried to balance it with a small dinner. The food here is just way too good. If I weren’t sweating all the time I would gain weight immediately.

Today classes were more in line with a normal routine. Ellohim continued with Publisher, and we still don’t have a computer for Bos Kralanh (but we now know it’s waiting on a replacement power supply).

After morning class and lunch we stopped by the computer shop. Bunly was back, he had pictures of his son on his very nice cell phone. The PC was not recoverable with a shorted out mainboard. I guess 10 years is about the end of life in a third world country. We’re lucky to get 3 in the US just because of new software. So, I bought a replacement. A newer Compaq with 2.0GHz Celeron, 15” flatscreen, 256MB RAM, 40GB HD, and all the software your heart desires. All this for the low, low price of $235. If it breaks, his people will fix it for free or cheap.

Class at Khnar Thmei was good after installing the new machine and briefly reviewing how to care for it. I’m teaching volume, density, and pressure. Since I didn’t have time to get materials for a science lab because of the computer, it will happen tomorrow. I’ll try to float an egg between water and salt water. Even after I explained it, the kids are somewhat skeptical but in a good way. They’re excited.

Dinner, a show, and viruses

Last night we decided to try a new restaurant. Several have popped up in the last couple years and are gaining excellent reputations. This one was decent, but a limited menu. However, the highlight of the evening was learning a bit about how the authorities operate.

In the evening, the police block off some of the more popular tourist streets so motorbikes and cars can’t enter into the areas where visitors aren’t paying attention while walking in the middle of the street. It actually works quite well and they have expanded the number of blocks they reserve in subsequent years since I’ve visited.

Our driver caught sight of one of these checkpoints the police setup, and recognized one of the officers.

“Oh, that’s Mister Wayne!” As I soon found out the Khmer word for “tall” or “long” sounds like Wayne. This guy had to be about 6ft, a giant among regular Cambodians.

“Mister Wayne, he’s a really good finer. He’ll stop a lot of people tonight to take the money.”

We asked, “Oh, like traffic tickets?”

“Oh yes, but he keeps the money and the police split it up at the end of the night. That is how it works. Watch.”

Sure enough, there were some folks driving in the area that was blocked off. They likely had parked there before the street was blocked off, but the law is that you have to walk the motorbike out before you start driving. He had them stopped in no time. One group spoke to him for a little while then had to leave their bike. Another gave him something and headed on.

“You see,” he said, “If you talk to him only a little bit, then he doesn’t have time to find other things wrong and raise the price. Maybe you only pay 5000 riel ($1.25) if you go fast. Those people probably didn’t have money so they have to go get some and then pay more, maybe 15000 riel ($4.25). Mister Wayne is a really good finer, everyone in Siem Reap knows him. He’s even been beaten up a couple times.”

So there we sat, eating a lovely dinner and watching officers take bribes. Remember, these guys earn about $50 a month. This is essentially supplemental income, and they aren’t enforcing laws that don’t exist. It was good to see them stopping people who frequently go the wrong way down one of the one-way streets on our intersection. That is after all dangerous. You should see the gigantic tourist buses trying to turn there. It’s frightening. However, it would be nice if that money could go to the general fund instead of arbitrarily gained by certain police. But hey, at least you know where the money is going. Can you say the same for what you pay in taxes in America?

This morning I held one class and tried to coordinate getting new PCs and PC repair. They’re in rough shape this year. I guess we’re running out their lifespan. It’s incredible how well they have held up anyway given the conditions.

I wanted to try to focus on using the PC in new ways this year, not just teaching Office. So, I was preparing my lesson this afternoon in my hotel. They have 3 PCs setup for internet, but it’s generally not reliable. Oh well, my task was simple. I wanted to print out a periodic table of the elements to start teaching some basic chemistry and physics. Why not!

I couldn’t get the PC with the printer to work on the internet since it was riddled with viruses. Instead, I figured I might as well plug in my laptop and the printer and just get it done.

Immediately, my anti-virus software lit up like a fire alarm. Apparently this little network of 3 machines is in bad shape. The guy working on the one mentioned “Oh yeah, all of Siem Reap. I think last week the entire town got hit bad with viruses”.

Lovely. I disconnected from that ugliness and went back to my room. It started raining pretty hard so I probably wouldn’t have any students show up to class anyway. Maybe this afternoon I’ll go to an internet café and use their PCs to print.

If I see Mister Wayne, I’ll tell my driver to go another way.

Corruption, Elections, Missionary Work, and Free Pizza Delivery

This year I noticed a lot more political advertisements. It’s not unusual for a family to proudly display a blue sign with their party of choice, or to see the occasional political party office. But this year something was different. The amount of media blitz was something I had never seen before.

Naturally, I asked my driver, “So what’s going on with all of this?”

“It’s election time. Every 5 years they have elections, so all of the parties are trying to get votes. You know, they promise that if you vote for them, they will build roads where you live, or help you find jobs or services. Then after they get elected, they can’t seem to keep their promises.”

Sounded eerily familiar. I guess the big news this time around is that Funcipec, the 2nd largest party has been fractured into two groups. Apparently one of their key backers left and formed his own group because of a basic policy difference. Now they are trying to regroup. Plus, there are a couple new parties that have sprung up that seem to be gathering quite a few votes. One is called the Human Rights Party. Their biggest difference I have heard is that they had an election primary, so people could actually choose the person, not the party they are voting for.

So then my driver (Prem) adds: “You’ll see a lot of signs around, parties, and things. They also go to villages and give them gifts. Do they do that in America?”

I sheepishly answered, “Not exactly. Giving gifts to people for votes is illegal, but they find other ways to make promises. It’s a lot harder to see the corruption in America. Here you can see them handing out things. In America we can only read about how money is given from one person to another. Maybe the Cambodian way is somehow less corrupt”.

Prem insightfully added, “It would be best if they just did their job. Cambodia people don’t like to talk about politics. No results, just talk. We’re too busy thinking about doing our job or family.”

Today I got to enjoy what you might call political ads. I go with Deanna to the Church in Khnar Thmei on Sunday mornings for the service. Just after finishing the second song at the start, I hear this deafening roar of audibly mangled Khmer speech. It sounds like a carnival loudspeaker. The congregation looked slightly irritated, and even the pastor commented that it was “a bit loud”. I asked Prem, and he said it was a tape recording for Funcipec trying to convince people to vote for them. It stopped about 30 minutes later, and seemingly started again. I figured they had changed tapes and began to tune it out. Prem then leaned over, “Ah, now it’s CPP.” Cambodian People’s Party, the largest and the one in power, apparently follows the other around and blares their recording after others. Certainly worse than TV ads.

During the service, a lady got up and was showing off a plastic bag full of some kind of food. I couldn’t quite tell what it was, but I had to guess something like a doughnut twist or biscotti. Deanna explained that this lady was the head of the Women’s Group for the church and was offering to teach the ladies in the congregation how to make these next Saturday. Why? Because they are raising money for mission work. Yes, people in Cambodia who are living in one of the poorest countries in the world are raising money to give to those less fortunate. I couldn’t help but think of that when putting in my offering. And by the way, the twists were excellent. A little crunchy and sweet. I ate 3.

After church, we stopped by a ceramics shop that is new in the last couple years. It’s headed by a Frenchman and his son. They do some incredible work there and are teaching local people this lost art. They even had some sample pots they use as artistic guides that where over 1000 years old.

If you think your job is bad, then remember the guy stoking the 2000 degree kiln in the middle of summer in Cambodia. That’s the picture.

Last, we stopped by the new “shopping mall” for lunch. We ate at The Pizza Company and ice cream at Swensens. This was surreal. I felt like you could have dropped this place in the middle of any American city and it would have fit in. It was nice to get out and dodge motorbikes in the street. On the way out, we verified that they do indeed have free pizza delivery. There were a couple motorbikes parked in the back with special containers. Strange.

Recon Day

After a hard sleep, I woke up around 8 or 9 in pretty good shape. My phone seems to be confused about what time it really is. I don't remember this being an issue last year, but somehow Daylight Savings is a real puzzle for it I guess. Oh well.

We visited the three locations with computers and did an assessment. One just had an issue with the BIOS and video settings, so I will get that fixed tomorrow. I couldn't quite remember that F8 will get you to Safe Mode. At least I got the hard drive to recognize. This is the Solar PC we setup last year. Incredibly, it worked well the entire time, even in the rainly season. I think it was very well cared for, and that made a huge difference.

At Khnar Thmei, both computers were non-functional. Apparently one was working the previous day, but their fix for a previous issue was to remove some RAM. Interesting. I wouldn't have gone with that as my first attempt. Both have already been dropped off at the computer shop and we're awaiting a quote.

Ellohim Center has 4 PCs, and is all setup by a Korean man and his family that run the entire building. A couple of theirs are down, but the caretaker said that the owner was already planning on bringing replacements.

Finally, we stopped by the Hospital. It goes without saying that they were a little surprised by the volume and quality of the instruments. I'll write more about this in a future post. I want to grab a couple pictures off the camera first and email them.

75% There

I'm in Korea now, the local time is 5:51 pm, July 10th.

My adventure started today with a chatty shuttle bus driver. Apparently she is REALLY into antiques and similar craft fairs. She wants me to call her when I get back with any silks since she might want to buy some. It's hard to think business at 4:00am.

Checking in with American is always a thrill. They do an OK job, but you never know what you might get in today's air travel climate. I've had them charge me for bags sometimes and not others, wonder where my destination is, and the like. Today I got a slightly surly lady. Not really in a bad way, since she knew exactly what was happening and zipped me through the process, but I could tell she was distrustful. Probably of more than just customers. No tinfoil hat, but I bet there might be one in her car. Plus, I didn't have to pay any bag fees. I'll take surly over hard dollars any day!

Flight to Dallas was quick and uneventful. A tad late, but that's normal now. Dallas connection was also no big deal. I even had time to finish watching a movie I had started on my laptop.

The Dallas to Seattle flight was just fine, right up until the end...

"Good Morning everyone, this is your captain speaking. Looks like we have a warning light on up here. We've already spoken to maintenance and control on the ground, and we all feel this won't effect our landing. However, you will see that we're greeted by firetrucks when we land. Thank you"

So, after the flight attendant made a rather emphatic statement about getting our seatbelts "Low and Tight", we had a perfectly smooth landing. Seattle's finest were there to wave.

That little excitement made me more late for my connection to Korea. I had to sprint to the other end of the airport, and as I approached my gate, the agent was calling for me over the loudspeaker. No issues, they just wanted to make sure I was checked in and OK. Pretty much the opposite mindset of the US based carriers. No tinfoil hats.

10 and 1/2 hours later, here I am. I've already indulged in my annual Seoul Airport Burger King Luncheon. No time for a shower, my next flight is just over an hour away. I guess I get to arrive into Cambodia with a little bit of funk.

Oh, and I just got first hand experience with the falling value of the US Dollar. I think I paid about 20% more for my Whopper than last year.

Off I Go

It's a lovely 3:36 in the morning as I type this. Everything is ready to go, now I just wait for the shuttle to pick me up.

I get the feeling that this year will be full of changes yet again. It's striking how much growth happens there in just 12 months. I expect some new hotels, a couple more paved roads, and perhaps a few less beggars. But with these positive changes also comes the negative. It sounds like gambling and alcohol are rapidly taking off as the new primary challenges in Cambodia. I can see how people would want to grab any opportunity for entertainment after decades of war and suffering, but simple weekend fun appears to be strangling their fledgling country.

I'll have plenty of time for reflection on this as I sit on planes. I should touch down in Siem Reap around noon on Thursday (Central Time).

Packing Bags

I got all of the instruments into my larger suitcase. Since these items are expensive and somewhat fragile, I bought some of the grey packing foam from a shipping store. I highly recommend that if you get any sent to you, keep it. That stuff is actually rather expensive.

After a couple of attempts at weighing the bag, I estimate that it's about 65 pounds. The airlines have gotten really stingy on weight limits. It used to be a 100 lb limit, now it's 70 lbs.

News from the folks in Cambodia now is that the computers at Khnar Thmei are definitely out of order. I've also heard that the solar power computer is having hard drive problems, but it may have done quite well overall.

I just took my first Malarone. No burning sensation!