This morning we went to a little village outside Battambang and gave out 10 tons of rice. The local governor was there and gave a speech after the drama team did their typically awesome performance. The governor even referenced it a few times in his remarks.
Since it was a little lighter of a morning, with much of it taken up by driving, I'll try to share some touristy type observations of my trip so far.
The day started off blessedly cooler than it had been, but I should've known that would mean a scorcher of a day. We've been blessed up till this point with overcast skies and a light breeze which made things a lot more tolerable. Today the sun is out in force. I think I know how a lobster feels being boiled alive. I want to hug whoever invented air conditioning.
I've already mentioned the crazy traffic/driving habits. The more I've experienced the roads here, I have a great respect for the drivers. I would expect so many more accidents than there are. It's a really bizarre mix of aggressive and ultra defensive driving. The roads are all shared by pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycles, tuktuks, tractors, animals, cars, trucks, and you name it. It's like one elaborate dance.
Probably the number one thing that you need to know about visiting is the water. I've never been more self conscious about what I put in my mouth until visiting this country. For one, you use bottled water for everything. Not just any bottled water, but water from a trusted source. You use it to brush your teeth and to drink with. And I've been drinking a ton of it. I don't bother with the measly 500 ml bottles, I like the 1500 ml ones. The trick is keeping it cold. Because the other part of the water situation is you don't use ice in your drinks unless you're 100% sure it's from a good source. It's all about staying not sick. When you see the amount of trash along side the roads, and around the water sources, you don't question the need for purified water.
Whenever you eat a meal, you always wipe down your utensils with the handy tissues at each table. This seems a little more for peace of mind than anything else, but it helps remove any moisture that remains on the utensils.
One thing I'm missing here, that I didn't fully appreciate is fresh/raw vegetables and fruit. You can eat them as long as they are peel able. In other words, you open them up yourself to eat. Otherwise, they probably were washed off with the local water, which isn't the cleanest around.
Even so, I've discovered some new favorites. Lychee fruit and juice is made of pure deliciousness. The papayas and mangos here are so incredibly tasty. The Khmer curry is amazing, and I'm developing a taste for the spicy little red peppers that they serve as a condiment with most meals. The first one I had, I thought I swallowed a blowtorch. But I'm dumb, and didn't let that experience teach me a lesson. I tried it again, and then again.
Starbucks, don't hate me. I frequent your many establishments regularly. But your coffee can't hold a candle to the iced coffee over here. Not to mention that even at the tourist traps that charge a premium, it costs only a small fraction of the cost. I'm trying to figure out how to make more room in my bags to bring home more of this deliciousness.
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