THE PROMPTS FOR THE MONTH
THURSDAY 1st JUNE: Travel adventures are wonderful but
returning to known territory, checking into a familiar hotel and going directly
to a favourite eatery with sensational food is sheer joy. Glad to be back in
Bangkok
FRIDAY 2nd BESTIES: A bit of a different take since my
besties are almost 7,000 kilometres away right now. Reflecting on our time in
Peru: the best meal, the best hotel, the best birding shot and the most famous
sight of our trip. The besties of Peru
SATURDAY 3rd REFLECTION: The people waiting for the
BTS (Skytrain) in Siam station are all a reflection in the transparent glass of
the safety barriers. The reflection is more clearly visible when the coloured
section of the train is behind the glass
SUNDAY 4th LOCAL: This is a local sign on public
transport here in Bangkok
MONDAY 5th ROUND: The round or more accurately
spherical lamp that sits on the reception desk in our favourite hotel in
Bangkok
TUESDAY 6th COOKING: Just arrived in Phnom Penh and a
minute from the door of our hotel is this stall. There is always something
cooking in the street in Asia and the aroma draws you in. Tonight we ate at a
fondly remembered ethical eatery but we may be tempted by those eggs come
breakfast time. Great start Phnompers....
WEDNESDAY 7th ENTRANCE: The is the elaborate and
ornate entrance gate to The Royal Palace Park in the river front area of Phnom
Penh
THURSDAY 8th ARROW: The arrows on the Smateria brand
product indicate that the materials are repurposed netting used in the fishing
and construction industries, recycled plastic and leather offcuts. I love this
label and their innovative products and today I got this to replace the worn
out version I bought here almost four years ago
FRIDAY 9th FULL: Just wandered into Lucky supermarket
and discovered a new full jar of Vegemite begging me to buy it. OK Aussie
expat's dream come true. Bought one in NYC $12, another in Toronto $10, the
next in Bangkok $8 and now Phnom Penh $4.20!!! Something tells me Cambodia is
our kind of place and yes I'm a Vegemite addict
SATURDAY 10th MAP: These days we mostly get away with
a phone and Google maps for navigating the streets or an iPad and Google Earth
for the big picture of the country but today with one day left in Phnom Penh we
picked up our first free tourist paper map
SUNDAY 11th STUNNING: The traditional buildings, the
tranquil atmosphere of the internal courtyard and the treasures within at the
National Museum of Cambodia combine together to all create a stunning
impression
MONDAY 12th EXERCISE: We try to walk 10 kilometres a
day everyday but the exercise I love best is swimming. For the last 4 days we
have been in the rooftop pool every afternoon but today we took a dip in the
morning before checking out and our bus ride to Kep. Thanks to Ian for snapping
me doing my laps
TUESDAY 13th TIME: From the time we arrived at this
hotel the pool was telling me it's time to swim and now that we have we will
take the time to swim everyday while we can
WEDNESDAY 14th BEGINS WITH F: Frangipani flowers with
their beautiful fragrance abound in Kep
THURSDAY 15th SYMMETRICAL: I have had a fascination
with gates and doorways for a long time and this perfectly symmetrical
Cambodian version is the stunning back gate of the Palm House Boutique Hotel in
Kep
FRIDAY 16th MY STYLE: I guess almost everyone thinks
they don't have a style: me too. If I think about it I have adopted the style
and clothing of most the places I have lived so ...... a little bit ethnic, a
splash of bohemian, a touch of outdoorsy and a good dollop of quirky. I am sure
that all these photos were taken by Ian since I am the subject so thanks to him
for recording the ever-changing faces of my style
SATURDAY 17th BOTTLE: We are very conscious of our Eco-footprint
especially while travelling. We never buy anything in plastic, polystyrene or
throwaway food or drink containers and carry our own shopping bags to avoid
plastic ones, however the pet water bottles are difficult to avoid and weigh
heavily on our conscious. This is the solution. We already have bottles and now
the website will helps us buy less until we have our own water filter
SUNDAY 18th MAGIC: The ability to instil tranquillity
even in difficult times is the magic of the ocean. Today I'm grateful to feel
its influence
MONDAY 19th LETTER: Apparently in Khmer these two
letters make up my name. I asked someone to write it for me today. Languages
fascinate me and I am amazed by alphabets different from the one I know. I will
have to test the theory and see if it truly does sound like my name when
another Cambodian reads it
TUESDAY 20th Yay: On exactly the day we predicted and
booked to return to Phnom Penh Ian's new passport was issued and ready for
collection. Yay yay, yay! Hassle-free journey, prompt check-in and passport in hand
- step one successfully completed and feeling blessed
WEDNESDAY 21st ON THE TABLE: This stunningly delicious
Mediterranean Platter was on the table in front of me at ARTillery Arts Café tonight.
I am so glad I chose it even though we will have to return now to taste the
other tempting items on the menu
THURSDAY 22nd TEAL: is the colour of the fencing and
gates of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh and this teal elephant is a detail on
the street side of the gate
FRIDAY 23rd PARALLEL: We flew into Bangkok early this
morning and the parallel red white and blue stripes of the Thai flag struck me
as s fitting image for this prompt
SATURDAY 24th COLOUR SPLASH: I did download an app and
do a real colour splash today but then it occurred to me that almost all my
clothes are black, white or grey with orange being the only splash of colour
these days so.... I found a suitable backdrop and asked Ian to take a colour
splash of me. This is it straight out of the phone
SUNDAY 25th BLOSSOM: I see these strings of blossoms
every time we are in Thailand. I know they adorn spirit houses, altars, cars
and other offerings but I do not know why or even what the small white flowers
they always contain are called. Today's prompt promoted me to buy a string as I
have always wanted to
MONDAY 26th IN A STACK: Bangkok is always
somewhere we arrive with a to buy list and despite having luggage left here to
collect the same was true this time. Although the receipts don't look much in a
stack they do amount to fair amount of money for a few "essential"
items and now we sure have a stack of unusual looking luggage to contend with
on the flight tomorrow
TUESDAY 27th OLD: This old, used, tourist visa was
officially replaced today when we re-entered Cambodia and a long-term renewable
"E" visa was issued. We are no longer nomads of no fixed address. We
live in Cambodia
WEDNESDAY 28th NEW: This Swiss designed, open plan, bamboo house in the middle of the paddy fields 2 kms from Kep is our NEW home.
We signed up for 3 months today and are sooooo excited to take up residence on
July 1st. A series of serendipitous events made it all possible. Happy doesn't
even begin to cover it
THURSDAY 29th WHITE ON WHITE: This is in a shop in
Phnom Penh and I have admired its beautiful lacquer objects de art on several
visits. I will eventually buy one but for today the stunning white on white
display of a lacquer Buddha is the image I sought
FRIDAY 30th THIS IS WHO I AM: An orange loving, red
haired, vegetarian cyclist, who is embracing the Cambodian lifestyle
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