I rented an electric scooter today. It takes a little getting use to the flow of traffic and all of the unwritten rules, but it seems to work pretty well. It really helps that most of the time you are only driving less than 30 mph.
I took Annika across the street to a big open area to practice. It was a little more difficult that she thought, but she was excited.
Happy!
Phaedra’s turn
I took a ride out to Angkor Wat and around town. I wanted to ride through some traffic to get use to it. Left turns and intersections are interesting here.
Right before my first left turn at a big intersection. The key is to get something bigger to block oncoming traffic.
Less than 2 weeks ago, Siem Reap got a Makro store. This is like a smaller version of a Costco in the US. Looks like the stores in Cambodia employee over 200 people. Inside was a small pharmacy, a few other small stores, and some restaurants. I believe this is the second one (the other in Phnom Penh) with plans for 9 total throughout Cambodia. Prices are similar to what you see in other markets, but it’s all in one place.
Shopping here can be challenging sometimes, so this was a bit of a relief. We won’t shop here every time, but when we need an “at home” shopping experience, we know it’s there. I bought a computer monitor the other day, visited 5 stores, talked to 5 different people with limited English and my 10 words of Khmer (left, right, stop, rice, dog, hello, thank you, etc. didn’t help buying a monitor). Lots of pointing and just handing them more money than necessary and hoping you get change back. So far so good on that front.
Makro is a multi-billion dollar Thai based company. Lots of foreign investments are coming into Cambodia. Some are better for the country than others. Just google sihanoukville chinese for other examples.
This is a very new shopping experience to Siem Reap
Large, new building. Lots of Cambodians with new jobs!
Stingray on ice.
Alaskan Crab for $135. We passed on this one.
Our second language class. We can now order fried rice and water without pointing to a menu.
Our landlords took us out to dinner last night at his favorite Indian restaurant. Sahai was amazed when I showed him the Grab app for getting a tuk tuk. He spent several years in the US while at Cornell in the 70’s. Sreypeou is currently getting her Phd in Thailand. Very kind couple who are always eager to learn about us and help when they can.
Cambodia Stuff 