Time for an update:

the wedding i mentioned in my last post turned out to be just a birthday party for one of the residents on my street. I did however manage to share a couple drinks with the birthday boy and my security guard, who is apparently best friends with everyone on my street.

the day after the party, i caught a bus down to the beach for the weekend. The ticket cost $4 and of course i had sit next to a mother with her 8 year old child. The kid sat on her lap, which was great because its not like the seats are incredibly small.

the trip is going well, and by well i mean uneventful. We get about half-way there and then the bus pulls over. Now this isn't a big deal b/c the bus stops every so often to pick up/drop off people in random places. The problem this time is that the driver gets out. Soon everyone files out of the bus. I follow suit, get outside and realize that the bus won't be going anywhere for a while. All of the passengers head to a nearby house to sit under the shade of a porch and wait for another bus that is supposedly arriving imminently. Imminently in Cambodia means many things, however it doesn't mean fast-approaching. I grab my stuff, walk to the side of the road and throw up my thumb. Within a couple of minutes, an empty van pulls up, I jump in with a bunch of khmers. For $2 this guy agrees to take all of us to the beach. After that it was a great weekend consisting of swimming, drinking, reading, sleeping and eating.

The following weekend was my planned trip to bike ride up Bokor mountain. It got cancelled on account of me and my friends having to work. I am never going to plan another trip in this country. Although I do have plans to go to an island in Thailand for 5 days to get certified in Scuba diving. I guarantee something will get fucked up.

getting my cleaning lady to make me breakfast 3 days per week was by far the greatest decision i have made here. (side note: I don't know her name - she refers to herself as "bong srei." Bong srei means "elder sister" and khmers don't usually refer to each other by name, but they all have names and introduce themselves by their names. not bong srei though.) anyway, my morning routine is thus: i wake up, and bring my dirty laundry down to her. i jump in the shower, get dressed and waiting for me at the dining room table are two perfectly cooked eggs over-easy, a couple pieces of bacon, two pieces of lightly buttered toast and a big cup of coffee. I now dread waking up on the days she's not there. For all you single ladies out there, this is the best way to man's heart. get up early and silently make him breakfast every morning.

all of the meat here comes with the bones in it. you'll order a plate of chicken curry, and bite into a seemingly huge chunk of white meat only for your teeth to crack against a giant bone. it ruins the meal. the other day, while at my favorite khmer restaurant and the one i eat lunch at everyday, i ordered sweet and sour pork. then i asked "can you make without bones?" the waitress said "pork have bone."

This is cambodia.