Stasis

Checking in from Cambodia where the rainy season is beginning and the temps have finally fallen into the sub-molten range. It's been almost ten months since Tami and I first came to this region. Southeast Asia has been fun and interesting. We've spent time in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and China (even made it over the border into pre-uprising Burma for one day).

Two days ago, we crossed back into Cambodia. This time, we're going to stay put for awhile. A couple of months back we started searching for volunteer positions and we've just been placed in Phnom Penh. We're excited because we really enjoyed Cambodia our first trip through back in January. The Khmer people are super-friendly and charming, especially the kids.


The country's just civilized enough that you can be comfortable, but twisted enough that you can dip into plenty of experiences that you'll remember for a long time. (See the delicious fried crickets and tarantulas below.)


It's got nice coast and beaches.

It's got ancient ruins that are simply superlative. I've never seen any more inspiring on this planet.




If all goes as planned, we'll be in Phnom Penh for the next three months. We're excited. We'll be volunteering/working for an organization (Kiva) that makes micro-loans to very small business people. I have a feeling we're going to learn a lot.

Something about this particular stop feels different - like we've reached the farthest extreme of our orbit. As with all other good things, our time on the road feels like it might be coming to an end. Plans can always change but, after Phnom Penh, we expect to turn our sites slowly toward home. From Cambodia we plan to go back to India for a few months and, barring any irresistible temptations . . . . we should be back in the States by early summer.