Today I had a meandering day wandering the streets of Phnom Penh, turning down tuk tuk drivers left, right, and center. They don't seem to understand that some westerners actually *want* to walk. I even had one follow me for eight blocks. Until I taught him what the English word "creepy" meant :)
I had a great brunch. Kate's right, the reason for travel throughout Asia is fairly heavily dominated by the food :) I also love the addition of sweetened condensed milk to my tea. Great idea, that.
First I wandered northward and saw the Wat Phnom. According to legend, the birthplace of Phnom Penh. The story reminds me of the Romulus/Remus story about Rome from 7th form Classics.
The Wat itself was nothing to get excited about, but there were a few encounters with creatures. Some cute monkeys eating beans and lotus seeds.
And at the top of the Wat, you could buy birds from this little boy to set them free. Presumably to signify your benevolence or as a symbol of peace . . . Phnom Penh having had a terrible history of genocide and human rights issues. I haven't yet made it out to the killing fields/genocide museum. It's currently slated for tomorrow.
Then I wandered through the Old Market area. There are some interesting looking fruits I want to try. I'm just not exactly sure how to eat them.
I guess I should get to telling you why I'm a big nerd.
So, instead of seeing the sites and wandering around Phnom Penh in the afternoon, I got distracted. I found the cutest little NGO library, Au Livre Ouvert. It has books to read/check out, and some to buy. The books appeared to be in Khmer, English, French, and a few other languages.
Their mission is to propagate the pleasure of reading through quality books. It may not be the biggest library, but I was really impressed by their choices. Many would be called classics, but there's a good variety of new books, too. Look mum--the boxcar children!
Got entirely distracted by a beautiful french water colour book about Paris. Mmmm.
This is a translation/summary of their "help us" page. . . which, happily for me, is in French :)
Au Livre Ouvert exists on sales on books, memberships (as far as I can tell, $15 lifetime member), and private donations. If you're in Phnom Penh, you're welcome to help out covering books or playing with the kids (I had a great time playing duplo with a little Cambodian boy). They're interested in any sponsors who have an interest in education in Cambodia, and all money is used for more books and to keep the space free for users. If you want to send books/games that you no longer use, their address is:
Street 240, #41, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Their email address is openbook240@yahoo.com, and it appears that it's run from Singapore.
Oh, and to finish a great day, I had 6 ice creams. Yes, you heard me correctly. Granted, each one was about the size of a marble. Awesome. I chose Durian (blech--only blech one), Sour Fruit, Caramel Crispy, Raspberry Yoghurt, Mango/Passionfruit Sorbet, and Irish Coffee.
Now I just have to make sure I don't go read lovely children's books in French tomorrow, and actually see some of the history/heritage of this fascinating city. Hmmm.
I had a great brunch. Kate's right, the reason for travel throughout Asia is fairly heavily dominated by the food :) I also love the addition of sweetened condensed milk to my tea. Great idea, that.
First I wandered northward and saw the Wat Phnom. According to legend, the birthplace of Phnom Penh. The story reminds me of the Romulus/Remus story about Rome from 7th form Classics.
The Wat itself was nothing to get excited about, but there were a few encounters with creatures. Some cute monkeys eating beans and lotus seeds.
And at the top of the Wat, you could buy birds from this little boy to set them free. Presumably to signify your benevolence or as a symbol of peace . . . Phnom Penh having had a terrible history of genocide and human rights issues. I haven't yet made it out to the killing fields/genocide museum. It's currently slated for tomorrow.
Then I wandered through the Old Market area. There are some interesting looking fruits I want to try. I'm just not exactly sure how to eat them.
I guess I should get to telling you why I'm a big nerd.
So, instead of seeing the sites and wandering around Phnom Penh in the afternoon, I got distracted. I found the cutest little NGO library, Au Livre Ouvert. It has books to read/check out, and some to buy. The books appeared to be in Khmer, English, French, and a few other languages.
Got entirely distracted by a beautiful french water colour book about Paris. Mmmm.
This is a translation/summary of their "help us" page. . . which, happily for me, is in French :)
Au Livre Ouvert exists on sales on books, memberships (as far as I can tell, $15 lifetime member), and private donations. If you're in Phnom Penh, you're welcome to help out covering books or playing with the kids (I had a great time playing duplo with a little Cambodian boy). They're interested in any sponsors who have an interest in education in Cambodia, and all money is used for more books and to keep the space free for users. If you want to send books/games that you no longer use, their address is:
Street 240, #41, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Their email address is openbook240@yahoo.com, and it appears that it's run from Singapore.
Oh, and to finish a great day, I had 6 ice creams. Yes, you heard me correctly. Granted, each one was about the size of a marble. Awesome. I chose Durian (blech--only blech one), Sour Fruit, Caramel Crispy, Raspberry Yoghurt, Mango/Passionfruit Sorbet, and Irish Coffee.
Now I just have to make sure I don't go read lovely children's books in French tomorrow, and actually see some of the history/heritage of this fascinating city. Hmmm.
Well bless you Mary. You warm my librarian's heart. And you are not the only traveler who gets sucked into libraries. They are comforting to people who read for pleasure. When you are in a foreign place, they are a familiar place. No matter the location on the face of the earth, nor the qualities of the space, they all function as the same type of place.
ReplyDeleteCan just imagine your smile when you found the little library, Mary, complete with some old favourites as well as new treasures to explore. I guess it was an oasis of peace in a very busy city. And then to find a young'un with Duplo; well, what more could you ask? I hope you have a little time today for a second visit, especially if much of your day is spent viewing reminders of a more violent era.
ReplyDeleteI didn't go back, but It really was awesome :)
ReplyDeleteDurian ice-cream?! yuck! But kudos to you for trying it.
ReplyDeleteYup. You have to step outside that food comfort zone, even if you suspect it will be a disaster :)
ReplyDelete