After 21 months on the road, last week we signed a lease and moved into an apartment. Siem Reap, Cambodia will be our home for the next three months. We were here last year for a week that turned into three weeks, before our visa ran out and we had to leave. But we couldn’t get Cambodia out of our heads, or our hearts. Her history, equal parts amazing and painful, hovered near us wherever else we went. We missed the people, the scenery, the food, and the warm weather. So we made plans to come back and try out a life here, for a brief time.
We are slowly settling into a bit of an expat life here. Renting an apartment, buying bicycles, setting up house and settling into the local routine. The funny and hard thing about living in a new place is having to learn all over again how to live. From where to go to buy items, what things should cost, or even what is the correct word or gesture to use when asking for them, it is funny all the nuances you take for granted in daily life. Right now, life is fun and exciting, new and interesting, but also challenging.
Mexico was easier because at least we spoke the language. But here we are lucky to have very good Khmer friends, who have helped us in so many ways, from finding an apartment to helping us navigate the local Phsar (market) and set up house.
And while it is fun to revisit our favorite places & people from our last time here, we are really enjoying meeting new people, making new friends, and discovering new places. We can’t quite see ourselves living here permanently yet, but we’re enjoying our time here and looking forward to the next three months. It’s still early in the game.
Looking forward to sharing this new adventure with you. And also bringing back a lot of other adventures. We’re finally stationary enough to go back and tell old stories.
Bicycles…yay!!!