Moira on the road

Despite my best efforts to live in Europe as a normal person with a normal job and not to accumulate another 23 moves in the next 10 years, I have indeed moved to a new country.

Well, not exactly new - I was here before. But this is a first for me, returning. In 10 years of honorable service around the world, once I left a country for good I have not set foot on it again. With the very remarkable exception of Cambodia. One wonders why.

Cambodia is known, thanks to the admirable efforts of its Tourism Board, as The Kingdom of Wonder.

To me, it looks more like Wonderland, of the Alice-in-Wonderland-persuasion, where plenty of crazy nonsense things happen, but in the end you always find a Chesire Khmer cat who smiles at you before disappearing.

So here's why this new - weekly, in sha'Allah - series is called the Wonderland Chronicles! I feel often like Alice.

Let us start with a bit of information.

Cambodia is here:

And more exactly, here:

The capital is Phnom Penh (pronounced Nom Pen). There is a lovely, if untrue, story for the origin of this name. But I like as well its former Khmer name, Krong Chaktomuk or The city of Four Faces. It sits where the Mekong, Tonle Sap and Bassac rivers meet, designing a cross of four arms in the plain. Seeing it from the sky when you arrive, it's just spectacular. The highest tower at the Royal Palace has a four-faced Buddha, and the Bayon temple, the most incredible, beautiful temple I have seen, is nothing but four-faced Buddhas. 

According to the always well-informed Wikipedia, the ceremonial name of Phnom Penh is Krong Chaktomuk Mongkol Sakal Kampuchea Thipadei Sereythor Inthabot Borei Roth Reach Seima Maha Nokor. Meaning: The place of four rivers that gives the happiness and success of Khmer Kingdom, the highest leader as well as impregnable city of the God Indra of the great kingdom.

At the moment, I am reading a surprisingly well-written book: "Phnom Penh, a cultural and literary history" by a former Australian diplomat, Milton Osborne. I have to admit I don't particularly like history books, but this one is really good.

So, back to Cambodia. If you want to know more: Wiki, Library of Congress, Tourism Board, and Human development report (for my Nobel-inclined friends).

It is a well-established tradition in my life that whenever I move to a new country, my luggage decides to go a different route. It happened in Dominican Republic, Kenya, Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire and of course it has happened now.  I have strong-willed suitcases that despite the clear intentions myself and the airlines might have, constantly decide to see another part of the world. They are vacationing in Malaysia now. So I am starting my new Wonderland adventure in the middle of the rainy season, with almost no clothes. Don't you love it? ;)

I will be here for 6 9 who knows months, happy to host all of you my dear family and friends who are planning to come and visit, and especially the Flamenco Girls! Start packing! Or if you are not coming, at least write (but really, you should come and visit!). Sok Sobay!