...unless you're at the beach! Before, I continue, I've got to say "Wow!" Sgt. Lane (2nd Lt. Lane now?) posted on here. That's a name I haven't come across in a while. It's amazing who you run into in life.

Hiya!

Anyway, I am back in Phnom Penh for the night after spending six restful days in Cambodia's own beach resort town of Sihanoukville. The water was beautiful and warm, the sand smooth and silky, and the sun's rays bright and browning (I'm almost looking like a Cambodian myself now!). I spent most of the days lying around listening to music or reading, but the sand was also terrific for a long morning run, and I was able to find some decent bouldering to the West a bit, which got me excited for Krabi (Thailand) and its magnificent climbing opportunities. In addition, I was able to feast on fresh BBQ squid and lobster on the cheap (four large lobsters cost $1, six squid were the same price).

My Game Boy finally got some serious play-time. I'm almost finished with Final Fantasy Advance Tactics!

Mmmmm...lobster. One of life's simple pleasures.

My second day, I met up with a radical Israeli chica named Ayala, who I met on Don Det. While there, she really got into swinging the pois (sp?) around, which is practice for eventual fire-dancing. She also instructed me on proper joint-rolling technique, as mine were pretty sloppy, so I'll be working to perfect that skill over the following weeks. Anyway, after a sleepless night at a full-moon party, we ended up hiring a boat to take us to these small islands off the coast for some snorkeling and chill time. The underwater scenery was beautiful (compared to what I am used to back home), with numerous species of coral, curious and colorful fishes, mollusks, and sea urchins inhabiting the area. I am eager to do some more snorkeling in Southern Thailand (coming up soon), which is meant to be much more spectacular.

At the full-moon party, complimentary massages were administered by the eager youth of Cambodia.

Hey little girl, want some candy?

I was very impressed (and amused) with the guesthouse at which I stayed--Chiva's Shack. At 17 years of age, Chiva runs the family business, can speak English and Japanese fluently, is the best fire-dancer I have seen in real life, and can also play pool and soccer extremely well. On top of that, Chiva gets shit done. I think he may own that town (or at least Serendipity Beach) one day. His dad, "Papa," was also one of the most colorful characters I have had the pleasure of coming across. He loved playing pool for beer, and the drunker he got, the better he seemed to play. He'd also blurt out funny expressions in his thick Cambodian accent: "Ooooh, look-look!! Good shot, New Zealand...but maybe Cambodia win! One more beer! One more beer!" The guy was great and always smiling. Playing pool was the common pastime at the guesthouse, and the kids get very good very young.

At Chiva's Shack with Mom (and one of those annoying fruit-sellers).

Ayala...the future of women's pool?

Fruit-sellers got annoying quick. "Mista, why you no buy my fruit? C'mon mista, please...you make promise." Golly, just leave me be! They weren't all bad, though. One of the fruit-seller ladies, who I called "Mom," took a liking to me early on. She claimed to be 40, but with those missing teeth, she looked more like 60! Anyway, she was really sweet, giving me massages and making me bracelets for no charge at all. One night, she invited to come to her house and have dinner with her family. I obliged and we headed to the slums of Sihanoukville, through small streets and even smaller alleyways, until finally reaching her pad. It was a very simple place, basically just a large raised shack. Inside, the family of eight gathered 'round the tube, where they would play VCD's of Thai and Cambodian music videos, singing and dancing to the same tracks over and over again. That part got annoying before too long. I was very impressed with their hospitality, however. I can honestly say the food was shitty (these people were DIRT POOR), and there was not that much, but what they did have, they wanted me to eat. I couldn't believe it. I ended up sleeping on the floor with the whole family (no beds, just pillows and rugs). They even made me breakfast in the morning, buying me extra packets of noodles to keep me happy! It was very sweet and I'll never forget that experience. I was rather curious of the lifestyle of a typical poor working family in Cambodia and I'd say that satisfied it.

Mom took great care of me during my stay.

One of Mom's kids, Punya. He can sing and dance with the best of 'em.

Tomorrow, I am headed to Siem Reap, home of one of the great wonders of the world, Angkor Wat. I plan on staying just a few days and then it's back to Bangkok, the hub of SE Asia. Where next? Probably Krabi, and then to the Philippines for a pilgrimmage of sorts.

Mom and Punya even saw Ayala and me off at the bus station. Truly sweet people.

Hey, a big shout out to the fine folks at CrossFit. If you are interested in true all-around physical fitness, you owe it to yourself to check out their site here. I love the fact that I can use many of their training protocols out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing more than a tree branch, wall, and clock, and maybe a big rock or log once in a while.

Sundown at Serendipity Beach.

Later, all.

"All would live long, but none would be old."
Benjamin Franklin