At Bangkok airport...
Not even halfway back to Aus...
Feeling quite bizarre.

Sleep deprivation, stress, dislocation, confusion? All of the above??? It doesn't let me choose an icon for each of these.

Good to see we'll be having nice weather all the way through till I leave...



Hopefully I can drag myself out of bed and around the town one morning pre-rainclouds so I'll have better light for photo taking...

Not long now... only 18 days. Short enough to be counting down if only I could keep track of what day it is!

Last weekend, I freighted most of my stuff back to Australia so now the cupboards are fairly bare and I'm definitely moving soon. I just got back from probably my last out of town trip before I leave (Siem Reap) and now there's a lot of tie-up jobs to do and goodbyes to say. I've been a bit sick the last couple of weeks so fingers crossed I'll be all okay for the last run (watch out for those farewell drinkies eh?).

Still not sure if I'm exactly ready to hit Australia again, but I'm coming up with all sorts of crazy plans for things to do, so I'm sure I won't be sitting around wondering what to do...

Greetings and well-wishings. The time is getting closer now, when I'll have to say goodbye to Cambodia and head for Australia. I'm having mixed feelings about this, as in a lot of ways I'd like to stay longer - I like the people here, and I have a lot of friends that it will be hard to say goodbye to. And it's heaps of fun here, with many quirks and the different language, and always something new going on. On the other hand, there are many people I'd like to see again in Australia too, and it will be good to spend some time just wandering around in Australia and seeing what I've forgotten. Overall, it's exciting to be on the move again and heading to Melbourne to set up in another new city. I've had to start packing and doing things "for the last time". So it's really sinking in that it's time I have to go...

For the stalker types amongst you, here's my rough movements:
2nd July fly in to Sydney, just here for a few days before heading down to Melbourne for a week or so.
11th July back in Sydney, this time should be able to catch up with some peoples.
16th July(ish) in Bathurst.
20th July(ish) in Canberra (party on Sat 21st, anyone?)
A few days in Canberra and then back to Melbourne to do job hunting and so on.

Not sure what I'll do for work yet, I don't have anything in the works. So hopefully something will come to mind over the next couple of months. If anyone's willing to pay me bags of riches to sit around reading books, let me know.

As far as all else goes, the news is good here, I've been travelling a bit and working too much. Recent visitors have made for happy times, and I wish I had more time to go out and see the country before I leave. Sadly I'm down to only about five weeks left and we're so far behind at work I can't really take more time off. Still, I've been able to travel quite a lot this year and see places a lot of people visiting Cambodia don't, so I'm very lucky, even if I haven't made it to all the places I want to go to. I'll be back, after all, so I can see more next time... ...

I'll bump into a lot of you soon, meanwhile take care!

Bruce

Monday night, around ten pm, a gun fires in my street, about three houses down, just by the corner. The noise carries between the buildings and everyone’s activity stops briefly as our hearts jump. I am two paces from walking out the front gate, and my stride carries on without me, escorting me onto the sidewalk.

A crowd is gathered on the road, some dark cars and a few motos in the middle with people standing on all sides. No screams, cries or movement. No return of fire. I am joined by one of the young men who live downstairs, who shoos back inside a small child whose curiosity also wants to take him out onto the street. After a few moments of watching and a brief exchange in Khmer, we’re sure it was gunfire. I’m still very hungry, not having eaten since breakfast, and want to walk down the road (the other way) to find a restaurant that's still open. He assures me it’s safe, and goes back inside just a little hastily. Out I go onto the street.

A number of the now-departing cars and motos are coming behind me on the road, their crystal bright headlights speaking of recent models and affluent drivers. I think of the recent incident at Spark nightclub with its shooting of passersby, and wonder whether this was a bad move. Leaving the road, I instead walk on the footpath beside it in the shadows, jumping piles of trash and skirting holes in the cement slabs. I’m thinking this is a feeble attempt at concealment; being tall and white I’m hardly going to fade from view here. Then the cars are gone, the motos are rumbling off into the distance under heavy throttle, and I’m back to my usual dark nighttime street.

I can still hear my pulse. I cover the remaining distance quickly and make a mental note to buy the next Post to read the Police Blotter.

It was big. Bigger than Ronan. Bigger than all of us.



And yet it was suspiciously Ronan-sized and Ronan-shaped.

In the end, Ronan about half-filled the arena, which can be put down to a few things:
Only a few weeks of promoting the concert.
The cheapest ticket being about half the typical monthly salary (USD$15).
And the fact that the majority of Khmer, though they can sing the choruses to all his big hits, have absolutely no idea who Ronan Keating is. lol

It might be a while till they have others coming here, but it was good to check out the concert and be at what the promoter wants to be "the start of the flood of foreign imports who will bleed your hard earned money from you, Cambodia" [to paraphrase them].

A good time was had by all, and even the Unbelievers amongst the barang had a dance (the Khmers generally didn't, they were waiting for someone to pass them a karaoke mic). But sadly, Ronan didn't join us for drinks and a dance at Pontoon afterwards. Piker.



(I especially liked the inviting six foot deep perimeter of razor wire that they put around the venue for the occasion, it was a nice touch.)

No big comedy acts, but Ronan Keating is coming to play Phnom Penh Olympic Stadium on the 9th! The first big international act since Michael Learns to Rock!! Who are they? Well, they're big... in Cambodia. And they're not from here so technically they're international... oh okay so Ronan's the first I guess. Rock on eh? First Ronan, then... who? Maybe Westlife will pop by... :)

And yes, of course we're all going. Everyone who's anyone will be there. And us too.

I still don't understand some of the spam I get. Okay, I don't understand most of the spam I get. But what are people like this trying to achieve??? They've successfully beaten the spam filter and hit the inbox... but why?


from Parker Bosley <pbosley@adelphia.net> 10:32 pm (15 hours ago)
date Mar 29, 2007 10:32 PM

Bruce,

I have a grower in Ashland County who is interested in harvest pea shoots. When should he do this? Will any shelling pea variety work?

Is it alright if I give him your email.

He has fifteen acres of well drained soil. Both he and his wife our teachers. He is quite ambitious and from what I've learned thus far he is a serious worker.

Let's have lunch in Painesville at the Mexican restaurant--next couple of weeks.

Parker

From The 5000 Fingers of Dr T (Dr Seuss movie) comes a musical interlude:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlxgZrT18ys