Back home?

So, I've been back from Cambodia for a couple of days now. Cambodia's a really pleasant place to stay in. Nice weather during the day (not humid, sun shining, cool breeze blowing) and really pleasant at night (natural coolness, no need for aircon, so many stars in the sky).

Living the simple life is its own reward, I say. Waking up at dawn, working with your hands, bathing in lake water (well, water taken from the lake and slightly filtered, but yeah), having toads and whatnot in your water tank, working with animals, scraping shit off the bottom of cages, feeding tigers, walking elephants, climbing mountains (well, high hills), learning a new language, breathing fresh air (albeit a bit dusty from the sand and dryness).

What's not to love?

The Khmers themselves are a nice bunch of people as well. Very nice folk, them. Unspoiled, eager to learn, chronically shy (in a polite sort of way). They really embody the concept of "gentle folk".

Of course, there's also the other side. Poverty, child beggars, the nation's painful history, prostitution. But what made me really love Cambodia is the feel of the place. It feels like all the places where I've lived in in Indonesia all rolled into one.

It feels like home.

I'll try to do a (more or less) day-by-day entry of my time in Cambodia, when I have time to do it (probably this weekend).