Arrived in Phnom Penh two days ago. So far so good. It is both beautiful and not so beautiful in very close proximity. Very hot but apparently the heat just broke and this is much cooler than it has been. Thank god because I'm melting. Walked around most of the city yesterday and went to the Royal Palace, National Museum, Wat Ounalum, another Wat (=temple), and the riverfront area which is where a lot of the nicer hotels/bars are. Took a hundred photos but the wireless isnt working so I can't post them yet. Already adjusting to taking a tuktuk and finally got up the nerve to ride a moto today. It was fun, the driver was laughing at me because I was so nervous. Swerving into oncoming traffic to turn left is hard to get used to. There are two functioning traffic lights in the city, and the rest of the intersections are a free for all. The food is good, the volunteer house is everything I could have hoped for - wireless (sometimes), AC in my bedroom, a treadmill upstairs, washing machine, kitchen... and I only have to go upstairs to be at work. I don't know if that would be ideal long term but for an internship its great. My only concern is the lack of cheese. Cambodian people hate cheese and will not touch it. They have something called Prahok (that might not be right) but its a fermented fish paste (it reeks) - they love it and foreigners don't touch it. So for them, cheese is "foreigner prahok". On the up side, the food in general is great, and especially the fruit. I've been eating pamello, rambutan, dragonfruit...I've learned a couple Khmer words but nothing impressive yet.

At one of the temples we met an old man who took us into a room in a smaller temple and we sat down and he prayed with/for us. Also splashed some water on us and lit incense. I have no idea what he was saying but it was pretty amazing the way he said it and the ornate statue of buddha with lights, candles and incense.

Walking through the city I constantly get asked if I need a tuktuk or moto, and around the tourist sites there are lots of beggars and children asking for money. But generally people just either stare or ignore me when I walk by. The people that I have approached, talked to, or smiled at, have all been very nice and made attempts to understand what I'm asking. Very few people speak english but some like to try. One woman I was talking to somehow decided that I had told her that I had children and was asking how old they were. I said they were five. HA. Too much effort to explain that we weren't understanding each other.

Today I went to the Russian Marketplace - which I'm pretty sure isn't Russian - and wandered around. It was ridiculously hot, but had everything imaginable: clothes, jewelry, puma shoes, chanel purses, abercrombie shirts, jeans, short (all in piles in booths/stalls), trinkets, dvds, cds, tires, screws, paint... Also went to Tuol Sleng which is the genocide museum. It was totally overwhelming. It's not really done up and a lot of it is pretty much how it was left when the Democratic Kampuchea ended in 1979. I dont think I've ever been that horrified visiting a historical site.