This is not a travel blog: to Vietnam and back

My hiatus from blogging was the price we all had to pay for the incredible adventures I've had over the past 4 months: Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangkok and Burma, plus a flood in Kratie.

In my last entry, I had the luxury of visiting Koh Kong just two weeks before my sister and her partner's arrival in Vietnam. A Vietnamese/Cambodian adventure with family from home was just what I needed!

Serene water and mangroves in Koh Kong

On May 1st, I took the bus from Kratie directly to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). It only took a few hours

Day by Day

How blissfully the months have gone by! I wish that was true in all aspects of my life here in Cambodia, but it has most definitely been blissful in my new apartment, including the wonderful house-warming party where I hosted volunteers from Kratie and around Cambodia. I'm really sinking in to my Cambodian life, and have had a lot of revelations over the past few months: some good, some bad. I'm just taking it day by day and we'll see what happens.

In my work life,

7 Things I love/hate about my house

I was feeling a bit wistful about my last weekend in my house...

I am moving tomorrow to my 'penthouse suite'. It is going to be a big change living in a third floor, brand spanking new cement style house with a wrap around balcony. There will be some modern conveniences there, as well as excesses (two bathrooms! big overhead fans! Nine huge windows!). I am sure that it won't be complete paradise in Kratie, but I am still very excited to move.

I am a sentimental person, so I am definitely going to miss some things in my old Khmer wooden house. So here's a little list of the things I'll miss...and those that propelled me to move in the first place.

Things I will miss about my wooden Khmer house:

Banana and boiled peanuts to accompany my electricity bill

1. My lovely, generous and open landlady, her English-speaking daughters and her extended family. They all speak to me, even if I don't understand. They're just a lovely family that has made me feel at home - and they feed me, too!