Michael PerryRetired and living with my wonderful Khmer wife Alin in Siem Reap Cambodia.
Michael PerryA long time rode the train from Hanoi to Saigon. Quite the adventure. Took 30 hours and many humorous episodes like the young Vietnamese men jumping off the train every so often to buy more beer. The food was amazing too. Less than $1 for a plate of chicken and rice and some veggies. Fun times. This is a thing I would love to do.
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/traffic/hanoi-s-double-decker-train-to-debut-on-aug-19-4925904.html
Michael PerryNice guide to retiring in the kingdom. I love living here. Found this person here I thought I would never have again. She has to put up with me. Our days are spent just the way #cambodia intends them. No rush. Just the speed of moments. #today I’m grateful for what I have. Also for what I do not have. The America I came from years ago seems a broken memory. Now is now. I’ll try to not frustrate my wife but I’m a barang. It all comes with the territory. Thanks Cambodia. Next week my friend David from Hanoi visits for a week. Have not seen him for almost 3 years. We will eat and drink and repeat as needed.
Take care all.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501737470/guide-to-retiring-in-cambodia-in-2025/
Michael PerryWhy 430am https://mikesthoughts.blog/blog/Why%20430am/
Michael Perrywriting with coffee https://mikesthoughts.blog/blog/Writing%20with%20coffee/
Michael Perry#Today khmer soup for breakfast. Nice stuff. We don’t do this often. Used to go across street where we lived to nice little Cambodian restaurant. Miss that. This nice though. Love the noodles.
Michael Perrythe barang way https://mikesthoughts.blog/blog/The%20barang%20way/
Michael Perry#today I had to leave early. The Bluetooth speaker machine got going and anything I may have wanted to do at the house evaporated. The neighbor seems to believe he should share his wonderful music choices at a level that makes it impossible to ignore.
So I bailed. And I wrote and I sit at Ur cafe. This wonderful place where some green spaces let me find some respite. It’s Sunday in Siem Reap and life is all about social gatherings in coffee shops here.
It rained yesterday. First time in awhile. Made the air both cool and warm. Now we are back to these beautiful days. Rainy season supposedly ongoing. Really it just takes a break and our second part will come. More intense rains. Longer each day. Hopefully minus Bluetooth speakers and inconsiderate Khmer neighbors.
Michael Perrydaily walks https://mikesthoughts.blog/blog/Daily%20walks/
Michael Perry#today our landlord told my wife she would be buying us a new mattress. Yay! So I asked when. That’s a loaded question here in the kingdom. My wife said smiling “oh sometime honey”. Boo!
So I just decided to go for a walk and coffee. I can do that now. My friend David from Hanoi arrives in 9 days now to visit. We will do stuff here like breakfast and coffee in the mornings. Viva for beer at night. He wants some home cooking. So my wife will make a few Khmer dishes for us. Fish Amok is a national dish here and her Khmer curry is a wonder. Then some western food she does so well at too. First time a friend has visited here.
After that we go to Battambang. Just to go. Meanwhile it’s coffee and a walk. And wondering when it’s gonna rain again. We have had beautiful warm days. Blue skies and little rain. Yeah. It’s rainy season absent the rain.
Michael Perry#today seems like an escape. To a nice coffee shop. Away from other things. To cookies. I love cookies. This morning it seemed like I needed the wonderful little tastes each one gave. Spring coffee does it all well. I just sit and enjoy their WiFi. Hear other voices. Glad to be over here and not there. I left the house thankfully this morning. Not enough sleep. Felt that this morning. But then walking. That warm sun. Cool breezes. Another beautiful day. Is this rainy season. Yeah. Almost.
Thanks Cambodia. I’ll take this.