kurokuroatbp

I blog mainly to express myself and to record the details of my life. But I am very happy that besides being an outlet for my thoughts, I also have the opportunity, through my blog, to help other people. These people are mainly future FSOs, and recently, future expats and tourists to Cambodia, who have been emailing me asking about life in this country I have called home for almost six years now. I have published the first of these letters in the post Do’s and Dont’s in Cambodia. Today, I am publishing an email letter I received last month from a concerned American mother who is about to move to Phnom Penh next year with her family which includes two teen-aged kids.

Dear Toe,

My name is I. and I commented on your Do’s and Don’ts in Cambodia a few days ago and really enjoyed it. My family and I are moving to Phnom Penh next summer and I hope to meet you then and we can exchange stories.

Anyway, my husband and I are very excited about living in Cambodia, but we do have a few concerns about teenagers living in Phnom Penh. My son will be 15 and my daughter will be 12 when we arrive. In fact, my son will graduate while we are there. A lot of people think we’re crazy to want to live in Cambodia with two teenagers, especially with one graduating. I did a lot of research, emailed a few parents living in Phnom Penh, and came to the conclusion that it’s not that bad. I’m hoping, with your years of living in Phnom Penh, that you can shed some light on our concerns. We are not strangers to living overseas. We have lived in Hong Kong, Philippines, Haiti, Mongolia, and now in China. But as the children get older, the concerns get stronger.

Here are a few of my concerns:

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Tags: Cambodia, Phnom Penh

In 1967, Jacqueline Kennedy went on a whirlwind tour of Cambodia, hosted by no less than King Norodom Sihanouk himself. She spent three days strolling through the ruins of ancient Angkorian temples and she also went to Sihanoukville to name a street after President John F. Kennedy. See this vintage Time article for more details about her trip.

In Sihanoukville, locals claim that she stayed in the chicest hotel in the country, the Independence Hotel. At that time, it was the tallest (seven storeys) and most modern structure in Cambodia built to accommodate the burgeoning tourist influx, especially in the country’s beach town. It was built by Leroy and Mondet, French architects who were in vogue in the sixties and who built several important buildings in Phnom Penh. The interiors were designed by King Sihanouk.

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Tags: beach, Cambodia, Independence Beach, Independence Hotel, Jacqueline Kennedy, King Norodom Sihanouk, Sihanoukville

One moment he’s in the Tuscan countryside taste-testing olive oils for airplane first class passengers. The next, he’s in Turkey buying exotic expensive carpets. Then, he’s at Beverly Hills buying designer suits and ties in Rodeo Drive. Then, he’s seen watching the first Rolling Stones concert in mainland China. Then, he’s in London chatting about the future of British royalty with Prince Andrew. He’s living the life I dream of - going to the chicest and most exotic places one only sees in James Bond movies and pampered in top of the line and almost decadent luxury.

He is Richard Quest - my favorite CNN presenter. Heck, he’s my favorite presenter… with his adorable British accent as pompous as Simon Cowell’s and Mr. Sheffield’s in The Nanny yet his quirky style as humorous and lovable as Mr. Bean’s. His CNN shows CNN Business Traveler and Quest are more than just boring travelogues featuring places and hotels. They feature a great lifestyle. THE lifestyle.

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Tags: brother, Family, Quest, Richard Quest, television, Travel

There are plenty of things to do in Sihanoukville. You can go to the zoo, you can go to the Ream National Park, you can do water sports like scuba diving and snorkeling, you can go island-hopping, you can party all night in one of the frequent beach parties, you can visit Buddhist temples, you can go shopping for fresh seafood, and so much more. But for me, Sihanoukville is simply a place where I can unwind… get myself on my lazy butt, lie down on a beach cot in my bathing suit with a good book and an ice cold fresh coconut juice, my Alphasmart Neo on hand, my Honey snoring peacefully beside me, the gentle sound of the waves lullabying me, and the cool breeze refreshing me, in a long deserted beach with white sands and the sun shimmering on the sleek calm bright blue sheet of water. Hmmm… with all my issues about wearing a bathing suit (see this post and this post), I wonder why I love doing this.

(Note: You have to understand though that I am that kind of traveler - the lazy one. If I were to go to Paris, I wouldn’t climb up the Eiffel Tower. Instead, I would find a nice French al fresco cafe with a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower and nurse my coffee and my bitter sweet piece of dark chocolate for a whole afternoon while people watching, writing, and reading the papers. Hmmm… I wonder when I could do that.)

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Tags: beach, Independence Beach, Occheuteal Beach, Serendipity Beach, Sihanoukville, Sokha, Sokha Beach Resort

Today is Earth Day.

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Tags: bring your own bag, earth day, electricity, phantom load, plastic bags, shopping bags

We, bloggers just don’t live our lives. We live our lives with blogging in mind. All the time, we’re observing, looking for things to photograph for our blogs, thinking of things to write, imagining if our readers would want to read about what we are currently experiencing. Ever since I’ve started blogging, I notice that I am hardly ever in the photos anymore… it’s all photos that I intend to upload to my blog. And then, after we live our lives, we live it again by sharing it to our readers.

This is especially true when taking a vacation - which sometimes miffs me because it’s hard to relax thinking - “Oh look at that, I should have taken a picture of that” or “How am I going to write about this?” Or I’m lunching with Honey but I stop and say “That Tom Yum soup is to die for but it isn’t photogenic enough for my blog.” (Do you use photogenic for food?) But the truth is, there are no words to express and no photos to justify what I’m seeing or what I’m feeling during those moments.

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Tags: Blogging, Vacation

For all those who dream to be FSOs…

Amazing is the number of those who dream to be FSOs that Do You Want to be an FSO remains to be my most popular post closely followed by FAQs on the FSE. Many aspiring FSOs who have been reading this blog have been asking me in the comments section or in emails about life in the Foreign Service. Thus, this series of posts which I will call Realities of the Foreign Service where I will tackle topics such as (in no particular order):

• Financial considerations
• Hierarchy and organization of the DFA
• Family life
• But is it glamorous?
• Foreign postings (discussing topics like “what is an ipon post?”)
• and other topics which you guys may suggest in the comments section or by emailing me at this address.

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Technorati tags: Cambodia
Sihanoukville
Independence Beacha>
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Tags: Alphasmart Neo, beach, Cambodia, Independence Beach, Sihanoukville, Writing

It’s another long weekend for us (five days, to be exact) with the entire country celebrating Khmer New Year (see this post for more about the Khmer New Year). We left scorching hot Phnom Penh yesterday, for Sihanoukville, Cambodia’s beach town which is about 220 km. away, driving on National Road No. 4. Most Cambodians were also traveling with us on the road as they all wanted to go home to their provinces to join the festivities for this important Cambodian holiday. We saw some of them in this market waiting for a ride.

They crammed themselves and all their belongings in any vehicle they could get hold on like this cart which is pulled by a single moto (motorcycle).

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Tags: Cambodia, Cambodian countryside, Khmer New Year, Sihanoukville

It was December 1941. Eight-year old Romy was in the two-story house where he and his family lived in the US military compound in Fort McKinley (now known as the Fort Bonifacio Global City). He couldn’t go out and play with his four brothers as was natural for little boys. Outside, bombs and firearms were exploding. A few days ago, on December 8, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and ten hours after that, Clark Airfield, in Pampanga, Philippines. World War II had begun and it had come to the shores of the Philippines and the country was under attack by the invading Japanese troops.

Buenaventura, Romy’s father, gathered his wife and his five sons. He was already in his battle gear uniform. He told his family that they had to evacuate to his hometown in Lian, Batangas because Manila was under siege and declared an open city.

“But Papa,” Romy said, “how are we going back to Lian? There are no buses or cars to take us. And how about the baby?”

“Your uncle Tio Pito and your cousin Kuya Tino have come to fetch you,” answered Buenaventura. “I have managed to find a taxi to bring all of you. You will be safe in Lian.”

“Us? But what about you Papa? Are you not coming with us?”

“No, son.. I have to stay here and fight the Japanese and defend our country. I am relying on you to take care of your mother and your brothers.”

That was the last time Romy saw his father in months. He and his mother and brothers were whisked off to Lian where they were relatively safe from the war. But life was hard in Lian for the family. Food was scarce and the five growing boys had to make do with eating rice mixed with corn - although it was mostly corn with a little rice. His youngest brother Ray was only a baby and needed milk. When his milk bottle broke, he had to drink his milk from a tea kettle the snout of which was fitted with a bottle nipple.

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Tags: Araw ng Kagitingan World War II, Bataan Death March, Family, Philippine History, Philippine Scouts