Dusty Fairgrounds

Been a while since I blogged. Weekend was good. I finally moved into my apartment which is spacious and has a balcony. The only thing is that my pillow is too hard so until I return to the market I'm using my towel in its stead.

I went to the "Russian" market on Saturday just after signing the contracts - six copies, three in English and three in Khmer. The market was huge, chaotic and great value. In the food sections there was one of the most appalling smells that I remember - dried fish. I couldn't get out of that section quickly enough. The place was dirty and overcrowded but still a very enjoyable experience. We (Dani and I) haggled furiously with the aid of a notepad and various calculators and for the most part we got reasonable value for foreigners. More importantly I got a saucepan for boiling water - sometimes it is just not practical to buy water, especially if there is a whole week of chick flicks on! After an hour and a half of bargaining and arguments, enough was definitely enough and we tuktuked back to the apartment.

After a well deserved rest we trotted out to the FCC - Foreign Correspondents Club - which is one of the poshest places in town but has delicious food and comfy chairs. We amused ourselves in watching the lizards race across the wall. Most of them are small, around five inches, although there was one monster of a foot or so. We wiled away the evening, pointing out Cambodian prostitutes and the Western men with them and arguing over social mores.