We are Here in Cambodia!

October News 

Time goes quickly.  It’s hard to believe that Kevin and I have been here in NayPyiTaw for almost 6 months.   It means that we are still having some enjoyable times … taking several trips around NayPyiTaw to get my laptop, that crashed recently, fixed, again. Celebrating newcomers, different groups of Parliament UK staff who have taken shifts, since I’ve been here, to work at the Pyidaungsu Parliament; while sadly biding farewell to a Cuso volunteer couple who left NayPyiTaw prematurely, a theme all too familiar.  Connecting with colleagues at work for a communal delicious lovingly prepared Myanmar picnic, a fusion of ethnic cuisine displayed on one of the leader’s large desk.   The sound of la vie quotidienne from our little community in our neighbourhood is still going strong. The two-year old brother, with grandpa by his side to comfort his grandson, continue to wail while watching his dad and his 2 older sibling leave home for school on the family’s motorcycle.  While the boy next door, hunter green longyi with a well pressed white shirt sets off to school on the family bicycle, shoots a glance, a wave, a pleasing smile our way.  Though we’ve had many activities on the go, I have no real excuse for not writing.  My motto is to procrastinate until guilt creeps in to tell me that it’s time to put pen to paper.

Kevin and I  spent our first part  of our anniversary in Kalaw which is a cool hill station and in Inlet lake. They are both located in Shan state about 6 hours by bus to the east of NayPyiTaw. We have had some tasty Asian food including barbecue duck and dim sum and some crispy fresh baguettes. Inlet Lake is a tourist destination but it is still the low season. We went on a private boat trip that was interesting but deafening because of the longtail engine.  The engine sound echoed in our ears thereafter before we were able to communicate again. 

As I speak, we are here in Cambodia for 2 weeks visiting with friends and colleagues in Phnom Penh, Kep, Sihanoukville.   We plan to visit Mondolki at a later date.    Though we were warned that Cambodia, in particular Sihanouk was not only becoming highly developed, becoming a zoo of high rises, a jungle of concrete: casinos, hotels, et cetera that were in the midst of being constructed, and, being taken over by approximately 5 million Chinese entrepreneurs, overnigth?   we still welcomed it with open arms, despite this revelation however ....  catching up with news, and the general Asian life style and most importantly with friends and colleagues that we so much missed.  It is indeed a nice break for us and it's the very place we wanted to spend our ongoing anniversary celebration in.

Our favourite place is Kep.  Kep is known as the ‘little French Riviera’ of Cambodia.  It’s a popular place for tourists and it is the place to relax, sleep and soak up the sun on a sleepy afternoon.  The best part of the day is taking a stroll to the sailing club with wonderful friends for a glass of wine and to end up with at the crab market to watch the sunset while eating crab slathered in Kempot pepper sauce.

As for work, on our return to NayPyiTaw from Cambodia, the MPs are back at the parliament!  With the MPs arrival,  extra security has been placed, so it appears. The large tattered set of orange pylons, line across the road just before the turn off to the Parliament, were restored with a number of police guards that sat at their station taking count of the number of cars that squeezed through the narrow open spaced pylons!  What’s more, extra police guards and parliamentary guards were at their gate stations to welcome the MPs return.   The cafeterias, open to MPs and staff,  are now back in full swing.  One of the cafeterias was set up closer to the Pyidaugnsu wing for easier access to staff and to save time walking the 'mile-long' hallways ....

With the welcoming of the MPs, 28 new parliamentary staff joined the parliament.  These new staff had successfully passed their last month's entry exams to work at the parliament.  During their week long orientation, they visited  all 3 houses: Pyidaungsu, Phyithu and Amyotha.  They read their contracts, listened carefully to the leaders' regulations, expectations et cetera.   At the end of the week, fully inducted, the new staff were given two longys each, their parliament uniform to wear for work.

Other news, the dry season has returned and brought with it ants that have returned to our house.  It's now the burning season so you can imagine the smoke and smell that we’re about to encounter Our humble neighbour, spent hours cleaning our front garden and driveway and, conscious of the smoke, burnt the dried vegetation at night so that we could escape the smoke.

Photos will be posted at a later date. 

More will be posted at a later date ... :)  In the meantime, wishing you fun reading and lots of laughter for November ....