New arrivals in PP

I was stirred from my afternoon relaxation on Tuesday by an attempted phone call, you know when there are 3-5 digits shown on your ph so it must be an incoming call from overseas.

Calls like that always make your heart skip a beat as you hope that they are not the harbinger of bad news.

It wasn't it was Kane calling from thailand to tell me he and robin would be arriving the next day at 4pm.

Ahhhhhh i remember the days when your next destination was a guide book guess away.... Damn pre-grey nomads.

Went out after school to pick up the kids, they look in fine form and a life less traveled is certainly treating them well.

Walked out from the airport to get a tuktuk and found the driver telling us that the Thais had killed two khmer soldiers "I am army now" he kept saying and it was with a sinking feeling in my stomach that we drove into PP.

Home to May and a yummy Khmer meal of ribs with pepper sauce, sour soup with lemon grass and stir fried veges.

As if to welcome the pair the Phnom Penh sky opened up and gave them both a show, Lightening and thunder followed by torrential rain. As suddenly as it had started it was gone, taking with it the dusty streets and leaving that nice recent rain smell (im never sure if the lightening has something to do with it but just after a storm is the best)

We went for a wander along the "golden mile"past the touts and tuktuk boys, the expensive restaurants serving barang food and down towards the royal palace.

The area was in darkness for some reason (pick your best) so we went back along the side streets, stopping for a few quiet beers in a noisy bar, or was it the other way round?

Then home to sit on the balcony, watch the world and the river roll by and wonder if the war of words on the border would really turn into something else.

Woke this morning to more news about the temples, im not sure how "real news" is getting out as the Thais are keeping reports back 5kms and the Cambodian press is probably in the same boat.

Here is hoping that the call for Thai and Cambodian nationals to return home is premeture and doesnt indicate a rising level of antipathy between the two countries.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gaB-g6ehvjR8iKR_ynzRnHll-gUg