Back in Phnom Penh

Hello all! My friend and I arrived safely in Phnom Penh after a long bus ride from Vietnam on Saturday. I am so thankful that I was able to get away for a few days. The organization my friend is here with actually requires them to leave the country once a year, and after doing that, I can see why. God blessed me through a well-timed tax refund to be able to rest, relax, and recover.

I'm going on 9 months here, and life as I know it has become normal. In fact, it amazes me how we can get used to something and not realize anymore that at one point in time it was not the norm. Here are a few things that I noticed this past week...

• It's nice to be able to breathe! Wow...the air in Vietnam, even in the city, was dust-free, dirt-free, and exhaust-free. I had forgotten what it was like to breathe easily. It was good to give my lungs a break and a chance to recover from the illnesses that have plagued me the last couple of months.

• Grass...is green! The place at the beach we stayed at had lovely lawns. I took off my shoes and walked through it just because I could. My feet were happy:) There are also several beautiful parks in Saigon that we got to enjoy. Tall trees, green lawns, shade...nice.

• Consistent electricty is a luxury. We didn't lose power once for the week. How nice it was to be able to go back to the room and turn on a fan or air conditioning whenever I wanted.

• Sidewalks are made for walking. It was so nice to walk down the street without having to step over trash or around puddles of unknown sludge. Although, I will say that one drawback was that pedestrians abolutely do not have the right of way. Even if you are crossing in the well-marked crosswalks, motos and cars will not slow down for you there.

• But traffic can be predictable. We could cross the street without having to look to the right first for the motos coming the wrong way towards us. They tend to stay in the lanes that are marked for them. Novel.

How good it was to be able to give my body a rest from the demands of riding a bike in 100 degree weather and 40 minute moto rides. To get a break from the dust and dirt. To rest in the quiet of the small ocean community.

Here are a few shots of the time...

The bus ride to Vietnam started off with a little "Happy Birthday to me" brownie.

The view down the beach

The first day we just sat on the beach and watched the waves...after spending time in them of course.

I just kept snapping pictures of the breaking surf. Loved this one.

This pool was right outside our room. Because it was not the high season for tourists, we had the pool to ourselves most of the time.

And to the right of our pool was the entrance to the beach. Check out the green grass and trees!

This was the view from my lounge chair.

We did a little sightseeing and climbed the red sand dunes.

The color contrasts were beautiful.

A view of Saigon from a rooftop restaurant

One of the parks we visited in Saigon

It was so good to see grass and trees that it deserves another picture:)

The Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon

No matter how enjoyable a vacation is, though, it's always good to be home. There may be a little more dirt and dust and heat...but I love this country and I love the people. I am glad to be back with them.