Saturday: September 3, 2011: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well here goes.

This time I have been in Cambodia for about 6 months from mid-March to now, 3 September, 2011. I have spent the entire time in this place, Sihanoukville. I have had a bewildering experience even when I am not involved in any kind of activity here in Cambodia. I have personal and private work that I do on my computer, but I think my personal privacy is severly compromised so that I will feel intimidated not to write down what is actually and historically happening. It seems the message is that the purpose of this time is to not do anything, which means not do anything helpful either. As a result of this existential situation, I feel that this visit has been almost bizarre from my point of view because I thought retirement is supposed to be about getting your thoughts together and putting them down on paper. So, I have decided to stick with my plans about writing.

I started spending my time during these months looking for an apartment and had asked 2 men from Sihanoukville who I thought were my friends. I was certainly wrong in this department and both of them deceived me into thinking that this is a friendlier place than it actually is. It is, actually, not a particularly friendly place for me. The only recognizable NGO is UNICEF and it is a brand new out station Office. There are other local NGO's, but there is no local paper; Camabodia Daily is published in Phnom Penh and covers the world. Everything is word of mouth and you never know what is truth and what is exagerration and what is lie. I have been told a lot of helf truths, half lies and hardly any real truth by these 2 "friends".

Peace Corps is in Cambodia and has a big endorsement from the Ambassador. The State Department provides the security which is actually pretty good. I have gone to a reception at the Embassy for a 50th Peace Corps get together which was real nice. So it is a way to let us feel comfortable with the Embassy; the Peace Corps Office is another thing. I have not been to the one here yet and I don't know why. Actually, the volunteers are pretty invisible and I have not met a single one from PC Cambodia.

I am going to stop now; and talk next about the swirling world around us.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010: Sihanoukville. Cambodia

Well, here goes. I think that my life style in Cambodia is changing since I went to the Reception at the Embassy for the Peace Corp's 50th Celebration. The Ambassador gave PC Cambodia a big endorsement and said that friendship between PCV's and Cambodians is very important to SE Asian welfare. I was quite surprised at the big endorsement but I shouldn't have been because in PC Jamaica there was a lot of socializing with the Embassy there too. This, however, was a formal endorsement that carries a lot of political weight. The Director is a former volunteer from Kapit, Sarawak. I also met one of the Program Managers and I am going to visit with him when I go to PP. I also met a RPCV who is active with the PP NGO's, including trafficking and abuse. The Cambodian program is only a couple of years old and is going to increase to 100 volunteers in July. Because I am an Advocate on the Safety and Security issue, I follow PC in all of the countries that I visit and live in. Here in Cambodia, there is definitely a need to be judicious in placement because there is a safety and security issues already developing after only 1 year. Thailand also has a program that has been going since 1961 and is very well established. I have not yet looked at the program there because I have not been able to make it to the meetings in Bangkok. When there is a meeting, I am usually far away and the meetings seem geared to the people in and around Bangkok. Thailand's record is quite good for an old program too.

I am waiting to move into a brand new apartment here in Sihanoukville and have paid an advance. The apartments are ultra modern and will be a treat for myself. Some of the residents work in the NGO's and the residents are gone during the day. If it is quiet, I will like it even more and may attempt to start organizing some thoughts about my adventures. Because I am a woman travelling alone all of these years, it puts me in a category pretty much by myself. Also, this will be the first time in 8 years that I will have a "real" apartment although I did stay in a really nice serviced apartment in Ching Mai and a nice house on Koh Samui. It is much cooler here than in Thailand, which is why I think I will stay here. In Thailand, starting in March, it is too hot in the afternoon and I have some difficulty with the heat. I don't know if it is possible to fry the brain, but I do not want to take the chance either, so I am going to only do short visits to the "hot" places.

I do believe in Global Warming/Climate Change and think that the financial situation is going to be challenged the most. How to pay for all of these calamaties and disasters, these droughts and floods, these tornadoes and hurricanes. These sizzling hot temperatures. And then there is the possibility of new diseases, germs and health risks. For example, what about the tsunami in Japan, the E-Coli outbreak in Germany, the tornadoes in the USA, the drought in China.

Then, of course, there is the Arab Spring, which I support. I feel these people deserve the same freedoms and rights that I want; that any normal intelligent person wants. These distators treat us like we are always going to be subservient and passive; that they will always be able to take whatever they want and leave the scraps to us. Actually, all this oil wealth really belongs to everbody in each country, not just the ones that bribe their way to wealth and control, which seems to be what has happened in all of these Muslim countries. There is no legitimancy to their leadership; there is no governing; there is a lot of rule by superstition and fear. This is hardly any Islamic religion but it is a battle for faith. The dictators shoot and don't even ask any questions, so hardly does anyone want to be a part of that s_____. I think the breakaway forces are going to win and all of these people will be able to have some decency in their lives; out of the shadows and into the sunlight.

China, Burma and North Korea will never change.

These are my thoughts for today.

Chiang Mai, Thailand: Feb. 6, 2011

I did not know that Chiang Mai was on my calendar of places to go to but here I am, in this place for almost 3 months. Chiang Mai is considered Northern Thailand as opposed to Koh Samui, which is considered Southern Thailand. From my point of view, the 2 places are fairly similar to each other in a tasteful, touristy, retiree kind of way. Nice places to stay, seem to be rather quiet and out of the way, some nice tourists and Thais living here, not too expensive, pretty good food. However, it is becoming more and more apparent that there are a number of other, more substantive things to consider if I want a retirement in Thailand, Chiang Mai or Koh Samui. Even though all make proclamations that they want the Western retiree, I am never too sure about internet security or immigration security. Thailand is constantly changing and the Govt. is not really able to keep up with what is going on out here in the hinterlands; So, one has to wonder if this makes the politicos in Bangkok nervous and they look around to see what is going on. Where I am staying, there are a number of intellectuals who teach and write and that is it. I have been told 2 times about hr services for dogs and I can get involved if I want. There is a lot of bad energy here as opposed to Koh Samui and the beautiful coconut palms. The mountain overlooking Chiang Mai is in full view and has a only 3 lights and 1 monastery that you can see at night. This seems to maybe be a one industry town.

I also just read my last blog on the Foreign Policy of the Middle East. I think that the Egyptian revolution is a good thing. They deserve more than they are getting, especially for the billion bucks a year policy. I think enough already of the money going for security; more money for education and food and children. Food is going to be the issue in about 1 year, so they have had a real good wake-up call with the young Egyptians. It does not seem to be related to the Settlements at all; it is all about what they can get for themselves on their own territory. I think a democratic Egypt would be great and could work as a real security buffer as the food crisis settles in. All over the world, the weather-related global warming flooding has damaged crops and plans for food security. Mubarek has all but sacrificed Egypt's security for his own final chapter, which is pretty typical. In fact, I think he has really abdicated his responsibility for security so now it is up to the
people in Tahrir Square. It does seem that the testy attitudes of those who would wish the planet evil are being exposed more and more. I'm not sure how much it will get us more security though.

These are my thoughts for day.