Siem Reap Cambodia

 The famous Pub Street in Siem Reap. We spent our evenings cruising the restaurants and bars. The food was superb, the beer ice cold and the atmosphere electric - what more can a tourist ask for.

This delightful monk beckoned me from outside the cafe with an infectious smile and a gracious nod of his head. I approached. He offered his hand which I shook. He offered his hand again. I shook it again. In fact we shook hands eight times until the penny dropped. I dutifully removed some money and placed it into his proffered hand. He blessed me. I felt blessed. He made a move to the door but not before I grabbed hold of his ethereal monk style clothing & held firm until I got my photo taken.
We parted on wonderful terms and I returned to my coffee. I felt at peace once more.

 These are the markets in Siem Reap Cambodia. True to form, these types of markets were an intensely cloistered atmosphere. Moving about inside was challenging.
The butcher had a special on for today.
Three kilometres of sausages or a wheel barrow of moist red meat.
We ate fish that night.

 The markets are great and as fresh as  you would find anywhere in the world, except Woolworths and Coles on the Gold Coast.

One of the workshops established to help the physically disabled Cambodians gain meaningful employment. Life as a disabled person is difficult enough but in Cambodia it becomes intolerable.

 We caught a train two hours to nowhere. When we got there we had lunch and caught the train back from nowhere. It was a strange day.

 This wonderful Cambodian gentleman befriended us on the platform for the train to nowhere. He is 65 years old and now sells backpacks to the stores. He enlightened us with some memories of the horrific Pol Pot era. He was a genuinely lovely man.

I was sitting minding my own business in the park of the Chattachack? markets in Bangkok. The markets are immense and cover several square acres under roof. It is very intense inside.
I was approached by this gorgeous young lady and her friends who proceeded to interview and video record me. I couldn't fully understand why but I went with the flow. Maybe I lied a little.
I am now Ernest Hemingway an international author residing in residence at the Kings Palace in Hanoi and visiting Bangkok to do research for my new book - "Why Australian Men Are Loved Worldwide."
She was in awe, God bless her.