Expresso Kamuchea

[Shapley]

I think that, like the snake, I would leave after an hour of Guns 'n Roses. Actually, I doubt that I'd survive a full hour of it.

V/R
Shapley

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

So good to hear from you, tan. Glad it's going well and you have nice guests.

I'm still puzzling about "frie the French". French frie(d) food? Frie(d) French? Translated signs are a hoot!

[tan]

..Our little hill station finally gets to be quite a bit of fun as far as I am concerned:
Yesterday was the farewell party for the one- and only idiot- of the bhpers.
Back to Australia the man gets send: to ‘do disrespectful things to sheep’ as one of his colleagues happily pronounced.
So the party started. - As you might just have come to conclude bye now; we do not treat each other, well, not exactly with kid gloves hereabouts. Are you kidding; boxing gloves with barbed wire is more like it.
So two of the raunchier members of the bhp ‘community’ opted to buy the ‘going away present’ and ohh they did: a Winnie the pooh backpack, and inside: a’ rapist kit: gloves, tape, Viagra...- you do get the point. – No knife, as ‘he should not use that’
The guy was not too happy with his present. And said; I HAD more girls in my room than any of yo! - Upon hearing the story I said, I hope you told him: yeah, we thought you might be running outta supplies! They did not. Aagh!!!


I do feel almost sincerely sorry calling the blind mice so: that; they are so harmless, and innocent and charmingly ineffective, i. e. they do remarkably; little damage for ngo’s! Reminding me more of the innocence of the Cambodian bovine- but the name stuck, blind mice they are...
About Cambodian bovines: they have innocence about them, it just glows outta their dumb eyes- while they are munching and munching away on whatever crud. (Probably the only harmless beings hereabouts, except for the blind mice that is-)
Now, I am a cook and certainly not a vegetarian. But there are moments…
I am in the market to buy some spare beef. A tongue? the meat lady says; you want another tongue? Look lady, - she says-there is four legs to a cow. Right? right. But only one tongue -she says, so we have to finish this cow before you can buy another tongue. Right. So I start to dig in a pile of soup bones. And feel, well quite uncomfortable. Observed, so to speak. Through some more bones I dig. And come upon: a cow’s eye, lashes and all, looking at me from within that pile of soup bones, attached to yet another soup bone. With that utter innocence!! I am not a blushing violet, but this does get to me.. It does…


Last night was one of those evenings when one the whole bar was in stitches most of the time: jack rolled in. - that was after somebody suggested, that maybe i should get gas masks in the bar, due to the bullies utter ‘productivity’ that night... and the de- miners said, maybe they could get some gassmasks, and my other guests said, maybe i could put little engraved plates on the gass masks saying; beware of the dogs’. So, next in rolled jack: had had done a sizable elephant trek. And it was an off day… Eight people, amongst them a more than hefty older Frenchman. One of the two elephants took one look at the tourists and took off into the jungle. (There is not much anyone can do when an elephant goes on strike). That left jack with one elephant and seven backpackers and a fat Frenchman. As Jack was explaining to the tourists how an elephant ‘works’ (is put together, body language, and other things,) jack and his motley crew, were standing behind the remaining elephant. That was the moment the elephant let his idea about tourists in general and these in particular- be known: he let fly. All over the paying guests who found themselves covered in copious amounts of elephant crap.
Then things went okay for awhile. When the day was almost over and jack was walking the tourists back to the camp, he tested a plank bridge, and thought, aww, this one is okay, and walked over and on, and turned around, just to see the frenchman vanishing together with the bridge into the river. Ohhmigod, three weeks into the project and I make a stiff one…, and anyways, where do I burry him, jack thought, just to hear some choice French words and see the frenchman emerging from the river, remarkably unhurt…except for his pride that is…now the frenchman is wearing- besides half the content of the elephant- also a smart garnish of river slime and mud. (Legend has it that the man was less than happy, aww, can’t win them all, jack!).

So off to pp it is tomorrow. Feels like going on holiday!
And a luxurious one at that: I am getting a lift. In the helicopter. (Ooh! that is as ‘status’ as it gets in cambo, or maybe anywhere in the world).
So party and shopping time it is. When one lives in mondul, pp tends to be the pinnacle of civilization. Time for some serious misbehavior!
p.s.; the race for the first franchise is won: by Swenson’s ice cream. The ice-cream parlor is in the sorya thmei center- the shopping mall with the only escalator in all of cambo and it is a hit with the bratty jeunesse doree of Phnom Penh; (the ones that always shoot each other and other people)... So, as Khmer- as well as most other SEAsians have a lactose allergy- maybe now the generals’ kids can puke at each other instead of shooting…. That would be worth having a fast food franchise anytime!

[jamiebk]

And so I present to you..... the fast food "anthem"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayOr5wd219Q

[Shapley]

I am back from the sunny Caribbean. My family and I travelled there for the holidays. We flew to Miami on the 19th, and then boarded the Norwegian Jewel on the 21st for a nine-day cruise in the Caribbean. We visited Samana, in the Dominican Republic, on the 23rd; Tortola, one of the British Virgin Islands, on the 24th; Antigua on Christmas Day; Barbados on Boxing Day; and Sainte Lucia on the 27th. We returned to Miami on the 30th, and were to fly out that day, but the flight was delayed for about ten hours, so we left this morning, arriving in St. Louis about 8:30 a.m.

The Norwegian Jewel is a fine ship, and we had not trouble getting my stepson around in his wheelchair. Everyone, passengers and crew, were exceptionally nice. We enjoyed excellent cruising weather.

We had to tender into port in Samana, Tortola, and Ste. Lucia, and were dockside in Antigua and Barbados. We had no trouble with the tenders, except one harrowing moment in Ste. Lucia in which the waves tried to carry the tender away from the gangway just as we were handing the wheelchair over. The crew, however, are seasoned professionals, and all went well.

There were no handicapped-accessible shore excursions available, so we 'played it by ear'. We took a short walk into town in Samana, where taxis were few, and handicapped-accessible ones non-existent. The sidewalk from the landing to town was easy enough, and there was some newly-constructed buildings that offered access ramps and easy walking, but most of the streets and sidewalks were not suited to wheelchair traffic. The port, apparently a recent addition to cruising iteneraries, is only beginning to become commercialized. It is reminscent of my days in good ol' Olongopo City in the Philippines. The streets are crowded with home-made motorcycle taxis, zipping this way and that. I was looking for the street vendors selling monkey-on-a-stick, but there were none to be found (sigh). After buying a few trinkets, we settled down in a cafe for sodas and visited with the other travelers doing the same, before returning to the ship.

I expect they'll have a KFC within the next five years.

Our second port visit was to Tortola, in the BVI. Tortola is much more commercialized. Unlike Samana, we were not the only cruise ship in port. There was one anchored near us, and two pierside in the port. Here, we chartered a taxi-van for a two-and a half-hour tour of the island. This became standard proceedure for the rest of the islands, as well. The vans were not truly handicapped accessible, but we were able to collapse the wheelchair and store it either in the back or just inside the sliding door. Our driver in Tortola pointed out all of the sights along the route, and we enjoyed a few stops along the way. The cost of the tour was $15 US each ($60 for the four of us).

After returning from the tour, we shopped, and then had lunch in the famous Pusser's store, where I enjoyed a flying fish sandwich.

Our third port visit, was at St. John's, Antigua. This is a very beautiful island, with much to see. The tour here cost $20 each, and lasted about three and a half hours. Besides the driver (who spoke little), we had a tour guide along for the ride this time.

After the tour, we walked through the town a bit. Since it was Christmas day, all of the shops in town were closed, as were most of the attractions. The tourist-shops down by the pier were open, however. We took my son and stepson back to the ship, and then my wife and I walked among the shops until time to re-board. My son was happy to baby-sit his brother.

The fourth visit, Barbados, was a real gem. Our tour here cost $25 each (and I was beginning to notice a pattern.. ). The tour lasted about four hours, and we saw a lot of the island. The battery decided to die on my camera just as we reached some of the most scenic parts, so I purchased a disposable camera at the earliest opportunity. Our tour guide/driver was outstanding, and we really had a great time. We shopped (again) upon our return, until time to board.

The last visit, Ste. Lucia, was (IMHO) the most beautiful of all, although my wife prefered Barbados. Here, we took a larger tour bus along with some other passengers from the ship, including one gentleman who had grown up on the island. There were about a dozen of us, in all, on the tour. We visited the volcano and a waterfall, drove through the rainforest, saw the Pitons, and made several stops in villages along the way. The total tour lasted about five and a half hours, and cost only $60 for the four of us. My stepson was quite the attraction at one of the villages along the way, as many of the women and children from the village came to the van to see him.

We stopped to shop at the end of this tour, also, but by then all of the Chinese-made Caribbean souveniers began to look alike, so I don't think we bought anything. (I don't know if they're really Chinese-made, but they are identical on all the islands except the Dominican Republic, which probably hasn't gotten on the mailing list yet).

Making flight arrangements for my stepson was a chore. He cannot sit upright and thus cannot occupy a standard airline seat. They do not recline sufficiently to accomodate him, and the FAA does not allow them to be reclined during take-off and landing, even if they had. After much thought, I finally decided to reserve him three seats, so he could lie down across the three of them. We had to verify that the armrests were movable and that the FAA and the airline would allow him to travel in that manner, but they did. Thus, we had six seats for the four of us, which caused some confusion at check-in, but nothing insurmountable. There were three seats on each side of the aisle, so we simply occupied the entire row. My stepson on one side, and the rest of us on the other. (Well, that was the plan, but my wife and I took turns occupying one of the seats with my stepson, his feet resting on us, so we could attend to him during the flight, leaving one vacant seat in the row.)

The return flight, as I said, was delayed until this morning. Only then did the airline suddenly decide that my stepson needed some assistance in his seating, and they decided that they would 'help' us by rearranging the seating so that we wouldn't be so far back, presumably to speed our offloading. The flight attendant set about asking passengers to move, and found us seats, scattering us throughout the plane, with my stepson presumably to be left by himself in the only three adjacent seats she could vacate. This would have moved him all the way up to row 24, from our assigned seats in row 27, with my wife, my son, and myself in various seats around the plane. I finally persuaded her that we were quite happy with our original seating. I really don't know what she was trying to accomplish, but I'm sure her intentions were good.

Anyway, now were home, and I've got a lot of bulletin board catching-up to do. I hope you all had a merry Christmas and that you have a very happy New Year!

V/R
Shapley

[tan]

Happy new Year to all of you!
Finally the internet doeth work, so here belated though, some- oldish news outta cambo: Now we are a few weeks later, the season has hit, and sometimes I find myself very busy, and sometimes not at all: took me a while to find out why: if i go to the bus and flier there; everybody comes and comes back. If I do not, it will be dead. SO OFF TO THE BUSSES I GO: problem being I can not go to the busses and cook in the restaurant at the same time… and no I can not yet quite delegate either: at this point me is the one who has to sell the place… sooo…
It is almost Christmas, and I have a MASSIVE Reservation. Bhp/ yesterday they flew in my shopping from pp with above mentioned helicopter. Turkey by air. I still find it strange…
As I might or might not have mentioned: they do have pine trees here. Planted by the royal family and under royal protection. But yeah, Christmas is coming, and political and any other correctness it refreshingly outta da window: everybody wants area Christmas tree (even the most rabid Christians)
And jack is the only foreigner with a chainsaw- and ecological awfully correct the man is a vegan…
But yes, he did get hassled, by each and every expat and ngo: a tree. Please can you get us a tree?
This morning- it was still dark- I went to the bathroom. And ran into something prickly and fluffy. A pine tree, of the long needle variation, - rather baroque to look at- faintly reminiscent of beertje my long dead Persian cat-

..Da tree standing inna toilet.
Seems that jack gave in and did the deed, the great x ma’s tree robbery. From what I hear I wasn’t the only expat to run into a tree in the toilet….
Jack was assisted by a young lady who works for one of the health organizations here, and she is a dead ringer for’ the lady with a hermelin’ by da Vinci- I think. – Although this lady is a refreshingly renegade tomboy- much appreciated in expat cambo, and quite frankly: just imagine- i can’t the lady with a hermelin wielding a chainsaw.
From, the, morning run in with the Xmas tree the day proceeded weirdly- even by cambo status –
To the market I went: of course the printer misprinted the heli photos big time. Three dollars. How could he misprint those? The first one came out the way it should have the rest? do not ask. Now next the tree of course will need trimming. The Vietnamese stationary store, is more than helpful, i find some red and gold bows, and some other odds and ends.
At home the tree looks quite good: the chili formed string of lights looks quite good on it too. Or so i do think.
Then to the bus, after a bunch of French for lunch and a sweet English guy for breakfast, who plans on coming back for dinner. The bus is disappointing. Back i go: the Englishman does show up indeed, with six other people: including two vegetarian Dutch lesbian’s, they find my food too expensive-the rest orders. And i do put on the food. Next i know seven more people show up, one a friend from Snooky. Sorry i have to say, i am full right now, no prob, we come back tomorrow, let’s have a bottle of wine and some beers….they say, then leave/
Next thing i know, the lesbian’s want some plain rice for 500 riel: 0, 12 sorry no rice i say. By now i have lost the other group. - So now group number one leaves. Huffed. And their food almost ready- backpackers. I .do. Hate. Them. Having said this, most of my guests are extremely delightful, so nice i must have forgotten how backpackers can get under your skin!
- A look at my lighted x mas tree send shivers down my spine: the chilies look like read fangs, the bows are not visible- the whole ding looks like a good idea by Steven king. Man dah ding is scary! Quite funny, but it won’t do, needs work!
- On the scary x mas side: (we do get the cambo dreary, albeit a day late. still soo good to get any news!).
- Brightens up the coffee shop mornings considerable. The one that cracked us up most this week- and it should not have but it did- wasn’t even cambo news: seems that the postal service in Canada has a problem. In their- seemingly considerable work force the’ elves’ that answers Santa’s letters they had a renegade one: obscene letters the elf sent to the kids. Not funny. No not at all… but. Sorry, nobody could keep a straight face on that one. Especially as the government can’t find that particular elf. And wouldn’t you know, in no time, da whole place was howling... seems that x mas do wonders for- or against political correctness. Why? Everybody else inna world is getting a tax return on donations for seals and pandas and whales and some such. And we, most of us the –so-called-righteous- crack up at a pervert elf? Any suggestions?
- .. Maybe political correctness is only skin deep?
- .. The other article: x mas in cambo. Ohh man, x mas shopping seems to have hit pp. but nobody seems to know why: a young man: ‘x mas are about love, i buy my girlfriend a watch, may be she will go for a walk with me.” –next a young lady:” in our shop we all have to wear these funny furry red and white hats, why? I don’t know, but they are kinda cure.” An older guy: “yeah, Santa I heard about, sure. Jezus? How are Santa and he related?” Okay, can the true spirit of x mas here. Or are we: another voice,”x mas is about love, be nice the people, so maybe not too bad, maybe do.”
- So merry Christmas to all of you, have a wonderful time, and to cite yet another voice: be nice the other people!

[tan]

..And again the internet stopped working the moment I tried to post the belated good wishes for the New Year….
There is a cold wind blowing here abouts: from Manchuria? Siberia? Everybody is freezin’ and it is hard to imagine that we are still in the tropics, let alone Cambodia. (Meanwhile, the rest of the country swelters under a major heat wave even by cambo standards...)
The weather is sunny though-or it would be, was it not that the powers that be started burning down the jungle, and we live in an almost perpetual smoggy haze.
I retreated behind the bar with a cup of tea and my laptop as it is the warmest place in my restaurant. Now it is wait and see if and who will show up today: it is either feast or famine in my place. actually, not bad at all for a business that just started , just boring at times when there is nothing to do and one has to wait around anyways…- the law of nature being: the moment I do take off, hordes will appear….
Virtually nobody stayed up to greet the new year: as we were warming our hands around the bbq at a friend’s place, we looked at each other, then our watches- 9pm- at each other again and said: no way! Went to our respective homes and crawled under our respective duvets and that was that. (there was one other party in town: everybody there was so drunk by 8 pm that they did not make it to midnight either)…
No matter what: next week i will go to pp, and stay an extra day of vacation…. if only just to warm up! –and buy books and movies! And pay all my bills and get some publicity printing done and a new pair of glasses is needed too! And some warm clothes and a few more chairs for the restaurant…. And and. and: maybe i should stay for two extra days?
Of course i am hoping vaguely for yet another lift on the helicopter. One does get used to that kind of luxury awfully fast! – Those things are fun! Especially as it flies low, and one can get a good look at the countryside: astonishing how many outlines of forgotten temples are discernible from the air.
Dim’ partner in his new guesthouse venture- the vaguely Conradian frenchman- pulled a runner to Vietnam, ( taking loads of stuff- including the iron and ironing board and quite some cash-) leaving ol’ dim a lot poorer and without a manager. Dim got an old acquaintance of mine from pp to run the place (bets are being taken as to how this one will work out)... Seems that people begin to be interested in our little outpost, it will be fun to see who else will show up. Surely it will do wonders for our social life here!
With the arrival of the dry season, the mud has turned to dust leaving us and all with a fine red coating...clogged noses and vague headaches. (And a great excuse for paracetamol with codeine!) If and when the smoke lets up, the late afternoon light is magnificent though: a red warm glow leaving everything with a kind of diffuse halo.
The other day when i got up- it was still dark and I was groping for my glasses: bzzzzz!! Splat! Some humongous insect: not unlike a hornet on steroids: flew into my face and stung. And i mean stung. Ouch. I flattened the little monster with my DVD album, and kept him as a souvenir inna zip log bag (will try to find a frame to put him in). as to my face where the beast stung: it swelled up, my eye vanished, the medics from cmac pumped me full of anti histamines, and after three days I was okay again…( my phnong cleaning lady recoiled in horror when she saw the beast, those things seem to be well feared in local circles…)
A persistent rumor: there is a tiger in sen Monorom on the prowl. (Yeah, and I am Marie of Rumania!). It is supposed to be near the arun rea guesthouse, yeah, sure: could it have anything to do with the equally persistent rumor- and quite visible evidence that there is a major bout of cock fighting about? And that they might not want anybody to come too close to that? I wonder…..
Talking about wild life: the powers that be have decided to allow big game hunting in the national parks -at a price of course. (Sad, sad...) the funny thing being though, that amongst the animals that they propose for shooting there are at least two species that are extinct: why not put propydactulus and a tyrannosaurus rex on the list too, while they are at it, we wonder- and Nessie and a dragon or two?. (Though maybe not mammoth, that COULD SPELL disaster for any wild elephants left…).

[tan]

..here some photoa taken fromthehelicopter.










..and elvis who wishes 'season's greetings' and the tree inna toilet:

[piqaboo]

Happy New Year!

[Shapley]

I'll be flying up to Toronto tonight. Back tomorrow night. I'll be off line 'til Friday.

[Trumpetmaster]

I'll be flying up to Toronto tonight. Back tomorrow night. I'll be off line 'til Friday.

Have a safe flight!!!

[Shapley]

Thanks!

[Shapley]

We haven't heard from Tanja in a while. I did find mention of here guesthouse here, so I thought I'd post the link.

No phone number included, though.

[piqaboo]

Thanks for the link.
I noted no description of the relative 'quality' of the food in the various local places.

[Shapley]

I didn't know where to put this but, since the coffee shop was quiet, I thought I'd talk about it here.

I've mentioned before that I give to various charities, mostly Catholic charities. I was recently looking at the various 'trinkets' that have accumulated over the past year as a result - the items sent, I suppose, to make you feel guilty enough to donate. I have received an small Indian blanket, a handful of medals (mostly the Sacred Heart of Mary and the Miraculous Medal, but a few others), about a dozen rosaries (wooden ones, plastic ones, metal ones), Numerous prayer cards, blank note cards, prayer booklets, and bookmarks. I don't mind these trinkets, although most of the prayer cards and booklets wind up getting thrown away after sitting around for a while. I usually wind up giving the medals and rosaries to people who want them. I have enough rosaries to last a lifetimes, as it is (I have to admit that I've never exactly worn one out!).

A couple of charities send me cash, which I think is most strange. I do not give to them. Usually it's just a nickel or a nickel and a couple of pennies. I always figure that they must have more than enough money if they can afford to put cash in thousands of envelopes and send them to people in the hopes that people will send more back to them. I just pocket the change and toss the letter. I've never ever read through to find out what the logic of sending the cash is. I once received two dollars from a politician, wanting a donation (I think). The letter began "I'll bet you think I'm crazy sending you money". I just said "Yep, I do.", pocketed the money and tossed the letter. I've no idea how he explained the logic. I've not received any more like that since, so I assume the fundraising ploy didn't pay off. Apparently, it does for the charity that sends the nickels, because they've been sending them for years now. I'll bet I've gotten $5 or so over the years from them, a nickel or seven cents at a time.

Address labels are the most common trinket from non-Catholic charities. Veterans groups, The Humane Society, The Cancer Society, The Alzheimer's Foundation (I keep forgetting to send them a checque!), and a handful of others send them regularly, both to my wife and to myself (but not to Mr. & Mrs.) My wife said if one of them would actually send labels with both of our names on them, she'd send them a checque. I never have to buy address labels, unless we want some that say Mr. & Mrs.

The Republican National Committee doesn't send trinkets, but other political groups do. I received a 'First Day of Issue' envelope with a Nixon Stamp on it from one of them, A Ronald Reagan Medallion, A commemorative of the launch of the USS Ronald Reagan, A USS Ronald Reagan ball cap, as well as other Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Bush memorabilia.

Oh, and I get enough calendars to paper my walls.

What I'm wondering is, do any of you actually donate to charities based on the quality of the trinkets? I assume that studies have been done to determine the return on investment to the charities, and it must be pretty good since they keep the trinkets coming. I know that some charities seem to exist solely to raise funds, as Charity Watch reports on their fundraising activities and reports that some of them spend nearly all of the money they raise on raising more.

V/R
Shapley

[jamiebk]

Shap,

I get a lot of this stuff too. As you point out, address labels seem very popular and I will admit to using them on what little mail I send anymore (do most everything electronically these days).

I don't think I donate according to the quality of trinkets received. I have made a donation based upon a "premium" or gift I have received in return. For instance, Sierra Club, in return for my annual donation, sent me a rather usable day pack (lightweight backpack). I will admit to being swayed into donating or increasing my donation on account of this.

However, people who donate should realize that nothing comes without a price. In most cases, many of these non-profits will make their real money by selling their contributor list to other organizations. This is why they can afford to offer membership and a "gift" for a nominal sum like $25 bucks etc. I learned this the hard way when I joined one of the local conservation groups in CA. Soon I was inundated with solicitations from other semi-related groups. How do I know there was a connection? Well, for most of my business dealings, I use my formal give name of "James". With this particular charity, I used my nickname, "Jamie". Suddenly, I started receiving a ton of "Jamie" mail.

As to the original conservation group that I joined...I wrote them a "strong" letter and told them that I was discontinuing my membership due to them selling my name. I actually received a letter back with an apology and a means to opt out of the list they sell. I sense that it wasn't the first time they heard that. Such an option should be avallable when you sign up, and you should be told if the group intends to sell your information. Lesson learned....

And as an epilogue to all of this, yes, I am still dealing with a ton of "Jamie mail". My response to this is to carefully open the mail, look for the prepaid business reply envelope, and the stuff the contents of other solicitations I've received into the prepaid envelope and send it back to the organization...thinking that perhaps they would enjoy the opportunity to sign up for someone elses offer.

[Shapley]

And as an epilogue to all of this, yes, I am still dealing with a ton of "Jamie mail". My response to this is to carefully open the mail, look for the prepaid business reply envelope, and the stuff the contents of other solicitations I've received into the prepaid envelope and send it back to the organization...thinking that perhaps they would enjoy the opportunity to sign up for someone elses offer.

Clever idea. I usually just toss it.

I don't mind junk mail, even solicitations, since I can opt to open them or not. I hate phone solicitations, even from charities I support, and we generally tell them to take our name off their list. I have more patience than my wife in this regard, as I'll usually listen to their spiel, and try not to be rude. Once they get rude (which they will more often than not, if they sense that you're not going to donate, then I don't feel bad about hanging up on them. If they remain polite, I will try to do the same and hear them out, usually telling them to just send a letter and I'll donate if I can.

The Paralyzed Veterans called my wife yesterday. My wife told them she wouldn't donate over the phone, but they could send a card. The woman insisted that she had to have a pledge amount to put down, and my wife insisted that she wouldn't pledge any amount, but to send a card and we would think about. The caller became very rude and told her she had to have a pledge amount to put on the card. My wife told not to bother sending the card, then, and that would solve that problem. The caller hung up on her. No big deal to me, since I don't give to the Paralyzed Veterans. They are one of those who are rated very poorly by Charity Watch, spending nearly all of their money on their own adminstrative costs.

Most of the trinkets probably cost the charity considerably less than the cost of the bulk-rate postage they pay, so it is no great loss to them if they don't get a donation. Probably, in most cases, the nickel I recieve from the one charity is worth more than the trinkets that are sent by others. It's just the idea of sending cash in an effort to convince people that you need cash that I find confusing. In reality, there's no difference between sending a nickel and sending a trinket that's worth a nickel, but the impression is different.

V/R
Shapley

[piqaboo]

I dont like getting the nickels in the mail either.
They are heavy and bulky and kind of 'in your face'. Once someone sent me a 20 karat gold postage stamp. Thank ye kindly!

I need to use that Charity Watch feature sometime.
I like the cards I get from the cystic fibrosis society and the guidedogs societies, but dont donate just to get more of them.

I did a few times, years back, donate to get the proffered gift. Never really liked it enough to be worth it. Now I'm more likely to write "keep the gift" on the card that accompanies the donation. For certain, I do not want any more totebags!

I also write "Do not request additional donations before ____. If you do, I will stop donating" and put a date 11 months from the date of my donation. Seems to help. ('course, I have to keep a record, but the checkbook is good for that).

[Shapley]

I rather miss Tanja's updates...

[tan]

Finally, finally, the internet doeth work again: at least a bit. Weeks and weeks and weeks we had to do without. the tower got struck by lightening. Once. Did not get fixed for some time then it did get fixed and: and got stuck- yet again. Then they did fix it -again –( eventually-) just to have it stuck by lighting- yet again. By now the small expat population of our backwater was fit to be tied. We went to pp- but pp being it as it is: we just started partying and doing our shopping, (except for the Christian missionaries- presumably-) and by the time it was time to leave our beloved bright lights and big city Phnom Penh: none was done. (Of course)… and back into da bog:and of course, still no internet.
For a while there in January I was able to use the satellite link of bhp, as by some quirk of Buddha and good luck –and due to the greed and stupidity of my concurrent i did get their patronage. Of bhp (oooh the they were not long the days of pp and helicopters- and hard work, but I do not mind that at all!). Then bhp left town until the first of July- or the Australian new fiscal year as it maybe. ).
.. And now I can only hope that I will get them back then, (if not- I am meat.)
Of course, life and business being what they are: the world as such begrudgeth me that deal-as is the world’s and its inhabitant’s good right of course. The begrudging in this case being Dim’s Nepalese ex-chef and his Indian business partners. Not a nice gang to be up against. And they try and try and proclaim they have the contract- they do not at least if my bosses from bhp are to be believed, but by just claiming it and screeching some such around- as the nepalese/ indians do is a veritable nerve war.
In all fairness bhp does reassure me on a regular base…
But still... life here can take the last of one’s inner resources and mental stuffing, and I for one do not say this lightly, believe you me…
then yet, in all fairness: when I do make money I do make good money, much more than ever in Snooky, and my guests can be simply amazing. The fun part is that I meet loads of people I met before, somewhere, some place: there is Christian for example; we went to kindergarten and basis school in gemany together. Had not seen nor heard from each other for about 30 years. And it was fun, when he came with his husband of 25 years- it was just as if we had never lost contact at all. We – needless to say- had a glorious time. Wada ya doing in cambo for the third time I asked him. Why are you here, he asked, I told him about finding a plastic dingie of Angkor Wat inna cracker jack box as a four year old and my mom taking me to da library to see pictures of it…and he said: you forgot one thing. ???) your mom took both of us. he said
i for one- rest me case for karma.
Then there was a Dutch guy who walked in; as in: hey I know you... etc.etc. We had worked in a restaurant together in Amsterdam- 17 years ago. (And a Belgian guy who had worked with one of my best friends in her restaurant in Amsterdam) Then a French lady showed up, we knew each other in Manhattan in the 80ties. And so on. ( I happened to have sub-letted her appartement in the lower east side-) So my clientele can’t be better than it is! And they are fun! –I just need more of those.
The local expat population is deplorable: needless to say they are not even expats; they are merely ngo’s. And ngo’s, oh they are awful. (WWF - world wildlife funds has a few good ones though-the rest, ouch!- man forget it!).
And bill is okay, the man has been in Asia since the Vietnam War and doeth not really qualify as the typical ngo at least he knows what this place is all about.
- the general ignorance and stupidity of ngo’ needs to be remarked on here: there is one, nomad. Mainly French. Idiots and anthropologists- or maybe just anthroposophist who forgot to spell a few syllables. Highly probable. They are here to make ‘wells and work in prevention of malaria’ so what do these young ladies do” they write reports. ‘Yes there is malaria, and yes people are dying from it.’
-so logic would dictate: we need mosquito nets –and medication, - no, you can’t prevent malaria, with medication. only later doeth medication help by the way, but malaria is treatable .so. what do these bimbos do: no nonono, they do go out to the villages (or so they say i never see them go though) and find ‘natural cures from the locals’. –great ladies; if the locals had functional ‘natural medicines’, they would not be dying? So, it bears to look at who funds this deplorable NGO: right the pharma industry (French). Not to sell products here abouts – knowing this ‘hood they would not be paid anyways- but ‘to find new medicines inna jungle…’ -fair enough, but then should you not have biologists and some such- they have not. And it should not be an ngo anyways!
- As for wells? No they do not. and all the better, the locals at least know where the arsenic layer in the ground is, and god only knows what those blondes would do to a village should they ever… be inna position to have to dig a well…do not worry. They will not. Ever. (As it is hard work to dig a well).
So after the b##@@@$%ing about….: the local news. The rats in my kitchen stopped being funny as they were really getting outta hand
. So: The household is enlarged with some wanted and rather unwanted, but still appreciated pets: two kittens on the floor and a keel back-a snake, only slightly poisonous- in the roof’s thatching. I only hope the beast will not show its self to my customers, the kittens are quite enough. Make no mistake that the boss is in this abode. Certainly not the bullies –oh how i hope I can get this photo on.
The rats moved out. In a very disrupting but none the less satisfying panic, not to be seen again, except for those two that were found in the respective clutches of the snake and the kittens.
the garden is beginning to look like... actually- a garden. the vegetables start growing and actually looking- and tasting like something that we remembered seeding. tomatoes are still trouble though. they grow beautifully, just to -after a while shrivel and wither and vanish. the whole plant does, within 24 hours as if it never existed; we put them under tarps- sunlight we thought. not it. yes there are some tomatoes that grow wonderfully; under the staircase and in the toilet. so we leave them there and… live with the toilet tomatoes. I say– not so my sammy the phnong gardener, she is about 20, and intelligent and will not let anything get between her and the plans she has set out for the garden: so whenever a tomato grows- in a place that is’ disrespectful- as she puts it: transplanted it gets. and dies.