Settling In

I’ve been here a few weeks now, and I think I’m settling in.  My house actually looked in pretty good shape when I first saw it.  Ok, ok, from the outside it looked abandoned – a pair of dust-covered cars in the driveway, a few pieces of trash on the dead lawn – but what did I expect?  It had been abandoned, at least temporarily.

A Stranger in a Strange Town

Returning from a two-week vacation is easy.  Check over the house.  Start the laundry.  Go through the mail.  Check the messages.  It’s tedious and time consuming, but not excessively so.

Dicing Dasher, Cooking Cupid, Roasting Rudolph

Finland is known for fish.  Herring is the one best known to visitors, perhaps because few people would think of ordering it elsewhere.  Fried, grilled, smoked — they’ve got all sorts of preparations.  Salmon is equally available, but sounds less exotic.  You can get salmon at restaurants all over the world.  But Finland is also known for reindeer.

Couch Surfing in Europe

The surfing hasn’t been that extensive, at least as far as couch-surfing goes, but the term does define my existence for the past week.  I started out at a friend’s place in West London, a nice little three-bedroom flat less than a block from the Thames.  I had only two requests regarding my visit to London – a pint at a traditional English pub and a basket of fish and chips.

Swine Flu Screening, Here I Come

I’m sitting in the international departures lounge at the Chennai airport a couple of hours before my flight. Check-in was uneventful, aside from the overweight bag surcharge. Yes, after months of traveling with what I considered the bare minimum, essentially a carry-on bag, I now have a checked bag that I couldn’t keep under fifty pounds. Dress-up clothes that I brought to India and a few books accounted part of that, but most of the weight was collected during a shopping spree conducted during my final days here. Little brass bowls, stone carvings, scarves, wooden trays – essentially trinkets that were easier to buy than to not buy, although identical items are available at PierOne Imports back home. Even with the $40 baggage surcharge, I probably came out ahead. Out of curiosity, I ought to price a comparable inventory after I return.

Photo Gallery

Back in India with my own laptop.  I’ve downloaded (uploaded? crossloaded?) the past two months of photos and have at least skimmed through the digital pile. I’ve got my work cut out for me. Regarding blog postings — I may go back and add photos to previous posts, I may build separate sets for the more memorable locations, or it just may never happen.  We’ll see.  In the meantime, here’s a small collection of images.

Judicatory Tourism

I spent the better part of my last two full days in Cambodia in a court room.  I suspect the ordinary courts here are somewhat sketchy, and I hope I never see one, but this was no ordinary court.  It was the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), the venue organized with the help of the United Nations to investigate and try the Khmer Rouge (KR) leadership for atrocities committed in the late-1970s.

Winding down in Phnom Penh

After a little more than a week in Kampong Cham I was beginning to worry about the ankle again.  I was recovering, just slowly, and was beginning to question whether I should try riding again.  When I woke up Monday morning, though, it was noticeably better, and better again on Tuesday. 

On the road again..

One short ride around town two days ago, a longer ride out to see the nearby rubber plantations yesterday.  I’m not up for soccer or windsprints, but I think I can limp down to Phnom Penh.  Packed and ready to go now.  More once I’m settled.

Still holed up…

Ok, so the sprain was more severe than I admitted, to myself included.  After presuming the worst that first morning (broken, cast required), the visit to the clinic and the resultant radiograph buoyed my spirits.  No break?  Just a silly little sprain?  No problem.  I’ll rest up for a few days and everything will be fine.  A week later I’m still resting.