Survivors of landmines play traditional Cambodian music in the Angkor complex. Posted by Hello

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Cambodia - Day 1

If Cambodia is NOT on your list of places to visit, it should be. In fact, it oughta be near the top. The smiles alone made my trip worthwhile. For friendliness, I have never been to a place that surpasses Cambodia. From the moment I was picked up at the Siem Reap International Airport to the time I sadly boarded the plane for my flight home I saw nothing but enthusiastic courtesy and a very real curiosity and friendliness. You can see from the pictures I have posted that it's true. Since my college years, I have wanted to see Angkor Wat. It's been in the back of my mind for many years. It seems that whenever I had time to go or could afford to go, the political situation precluded it. For years the land mines left over from the Vietnam war made visiting most anywhere in Cambodia too dangerous. The stability or lack thereof with the Khmer Rouge made visiting a no-no. But in the past few years, the land mines have been cleaned up at least in all the major tourist areas and th...
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My 70th birthday - Morning routine

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In recognition of my 70 th birthday, today’s post will be about my morning routine. I never expected to live to be 70 before yesterday. Yesterday I was pretty sure I would make it to today! In fact when I was younger I never expected to make it to 30. Surprise! I should have known better. Three of my four grandparents lived to be at least 92 and my father made it to his 90s too. So here I am. One hears many stories about people working until retirement then dying soon after. Looks like I won’t be one of those stories! Until Covid-19 hit, I was swimming 1500 – 2000 meters a day five days a week. When the virus hit and lockdowns and quarantining became the new normal my pool was closed. I have hopes it will reopen next week, but in the meantime, I have been doing brisk walking in the village; three days of walking then one day off. It’s not the same but it is far better than nothing. We are in the transition between hot season and hot and wet season. For that reason, I g...
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Songkran From the Past

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I f you live in Thailand you are no doubt aware that the celebration of Songkran has been canceled due to Covid-19. From Wikipedia: “ The Songkran celebration is rich with symbolic traditions. Mornings begin with merit-making . Visiting local temples and offering food to the Buddhist monks is commonly practiced. On this specific occasion, performing water pouring on Buddha statues and the young and elderly is a traditional ritual on this holiday. It represents purification and the washing away of one's sins and bad luck. As a festival of unity, people who have moved away usually return home to their loved ones and elders. Paying reverence to ancestors is an important part of Songkran tradition. The holiday is known for its water festival. Major streets are closed to traffic, and are used as arenas for water fights. Celebrants, young and old, participate in this tradition by splashing water on each other.”  Traditional parades are held in most villages . The parad...
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