Sunday, May 9, 2010

Waiting for the Rain

Picture a room, about nine feet square, with a large bed, dresser, and dirty tile floor. Imagine laying on that floor while the air around you presses down on your existence, or so it feels. Sweat drips down your face and stings your eyes, while beads of it are trapped between your back and the floor. It can’t possibly be this hot, and yet it keeps getting hotter. You think about moving, but what’s the point? It’s just as hot and unpleasant no matter where you are. Even a fan moving the stale air around the cement box you live in doesn’t help anymore. The air is more milky than airy, every square inch seeming to bear enough water to fill a swimming pool. And then, when you think it can’t get any hotter, you hear thunder and a few minutes later you think you hear rats running on the tin roofing again but actually its rain. Somehow the sky bursts open and water drips down and for maybe 20 minutes it is cool. Then the rain stops and the cycle starts again. Welcome to rainy season in Cambodia.
I know it’s been months since I posted anything, but I haven’t had much to report. I aim to keep it positive, so I haven’t had a lot to say. In April I did take a trip to Ratanakiri. We stayed in a really cool place called the Tree Top Eco-lodge that some other volunteers had recommended. It was really nice and had running water, mosquito nets, and fans. We spent all week exploring the town and the surrounding areas. I rode an elephant, swam in a waterfall, rode a bike on some killer hills to get to a crater lake that is supposedly 70 meters deep, and drank some delicious coconut shakes. The area was really pleasant and beautiful and I am really glad I decided to go. I think it is one of the most naturally beautiful places in Cambodia and it is really on the rise! The capital city, Banlung, where we stayed is growing rapidly and I’m sure in a decade it will be quite built up and the road will be paved, making the trip far less painful. It is an exciting place and I’m glad to have seen it before it is overrun by tourists and completely westernized.
Luckily shortly after I returned the rainy season began. It hasn’t rained much yet but it is nice to break the heat a little bit. I have barely left my house in weeks because it is just too hot so it will be nice to be able to move about freely at other times than the early morning again. Also getting some fresh water is much needed, since the water in my bathroom is more black than water-colored. The only downside of more water means more bugs, as evidenced by the mosquito larvae squirming around in the water I bathe in. Gross.
I attempted to post pictures to Picasa from vacation. Hopefully it worked. Enjoy!