And she smiles the secret smile

Yesterday, I quit.
I am not particularly comfortable in writing this but I think that admitting your failures makes you less afraid, stronger and more capable of overcoming them.

And there is no way I will ever be able to run 20+ km if I am stopping at Km 2 on my second day of training. (Yeah, that was shameful, I know.)

I have been running short distances for a couple of years now, the maximum I did was 10k a couple of times, but mostly I do 5k or so. I learned a lot about myself in these two years. I learned that perseverance and taking it easy goes a long way. Whenever I face a big task or a daunting task, be it personal or professional, I think about when I am tired of running and all I can focus on is putting one foot after the other. One step at a time can make the difference between keeping going and quitting. As they say, the journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.

So running taught me endurance, and the incredible resources we have inside. If only we can summon them.

Because the other thing that running has taught me, is that it's all in the mind. My body is capable of running, 5, 10 and I believe even 20 km without major problems, but when my mind is not there, most of the time I don't achieve a thing.

I start complaining in my head, thinking I am too tired, I am going to stop, I can't anymore, when if I am honest I can see that I am not even that tired, and I can remember times when I was waaaaaaaaaay more tired than this and still I kept going. So for me, the key ingredient for success is training the mind.

And this is why the next step in my preparation will be helping my little blond head to keep going when it gets tough.

I have found a lot of interesting resources online:

Mental tips for running a half marathon
Mental tips for long runs
Running mantra
How to prevent boredom
How to recover from a bad run

And with this good advice in mind, I'll make sure I wait at least for Km 3 before quitting.


Happy trails!

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Amazing Cambodia

A week ago I went to the opening of a photo exhibition called Amazing Cambodia. Originally it's a facebook page where people post photos of old times, before the Khmer Rouges. My friend Y. and I both noticed how people in these photos, mostly from the Fifties or the Sixties, look a lot like Cambodians today. It seems not much has changed.

But that's only the surface. On the back wall, dozens of photos of artists, singers, actors and actresses, film-makers, dancers. The captions tell a blood-chilling story, one that you realize slowly, watching one photo after the other. Too often the date of death is not known, or it is simply marked as "died during the Khmer Rouge regime".


The country has suffered a decapitation. It is estimated that only 10% of the cadres of all sectors survived the Khmer Rouge period. And that is evident still today. Many - the majority, probably - of the brilliant and creative minds of Cambodia have perished during those terrible years. Try to build a country with that.

On a nicer note, the students of the Cambodia Living Arts association performed some traditional and folk dances. 


A very old lady, white hair and the sweetest, toothless smile,  was so happy to be there she was glowing. She used to be a dancer and a teacher for the Royal Ballet.



Now lives in a shack, with her daughter and a pension from the state of only 50,000 riel - a little more than 12 dollars. Per month. Still, she has the funniest giggle.


So here's to Cambodia's heritage, may the young generations never forget the dreadful past of their country, and build upon it a bright future.






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Moira - quite literally - on the road

It's decided: I will run the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon!

What could be more inspiring for a lazy ass amateur runner like me than to run my first half marathon among the beautiful Cambodian temples!


Now, this is going to be a challenge! Running in Cambodia has been quite difficult so far, I am way below my regular distance and times. I barely managed 6 km today, and it was slow. I don't know if it is the heat, the humidity or what, but I feel like a potato :(

So all encouragement is VERY WELCOME!!!

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Wonderland Chronicles

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!

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Another week in the Kingdom of Wonder

Random pics from the last week in Cambodia - there is a story behind many of these pics, maybe one of these days I'll find some time to write them. In the meantime, have a look at my favorite Wonderland!
Meditation class

Monks at Wat Langka
Please do not cause destruction to your life! (warning in my hotel room in Kampong Thom)
Offerings and incense in the hotel lobby
Siem Reap Province Hall
House on stilts and the omnipresent CPP triumvirate or Your typical Cambodian countryside scene
Government office: photos of PM and wife, clock with PM and wife (I assume on the board there is something signed by PM. Or wife?)
My colleague says there is only one river in Cambodia: the Mekong. This one in the picture is a stream. 
A local restaurant - the best roadside ginger chicken you will ever have!

Electoral campaign
Portraits of King Sihamoni, late King Sihanouk and Queen Mother Monineath are everywhere

The coffin shop or The ultimate shopping therapy










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Cambodia, reloaded

I have been away only one year, and I can already see the difference.
Phnom Penh is changing. Fast.

There are huge building projects, like the Korean Booyoung Town close to the airport. Ugly buildings like the Vattanac Bank building (honestly, whoever is the architect, please.)

Lots of traffic, flashing lights, noise. Progress is coming. Fast. And I have a feeling it is leaving behind many Cambodians. I saw yesterday a "Khmer barber": a small barber shop that I suppose is called "khmer" to mean that is traditional, no fancy foreigners stuff, and cheap. Close to a Mega International Super-Duper Fancy Bank - I promise, that's the name.

When I went to Saigon, I liked its energy but most of all I liked that it made me appreciate even more the quiet, simple generosity of Phnom Penh. It would be a pity if all Cambodia pursues is the progress, without even a look back at its traditions, its people, its history. I have no reason to say what I am saying except an uncomfortable feeling, I didn't look up any stats and should probably wait more than 2 days before having any strong opinions on a country that is so radically different from me.

But I do like Cambodia very much, and I don't like what I am seeing.

(Also, it's election time. Wait and see.)

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unexpected rewards

at the end of a pretty intense training day, we had a beautiful surprise in the garden


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Walking around

Random pics from a walk around town

ready to roll!


at the market

walking at the beach, Jacmel port in the background








 Cathédrale de St Philippe et St Jacques

selling mirrors in front of the Cathedral

the market was built in 1895

wall paintings everywhere


reconstruction is going well

more or less: "clean hands are friends of your health"

remains of Manoir Alexandre, an old hotel that did not survive the earthquake

sorting out plastic bottles at the beach

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Quick update on Jacmel.

Have arrived safe and sound in Jacmel after a long flight and lay-over in Miami.
The first thing I noticed when I woke up here the following morning, before opening my eyes, is that it smells exactly like Santo Domingo. It's a quality of the air, the combination of heat and humidity, or maybe something else altogether, but with my eyes closed, my mind went back to mornings in my apartment in Calle Ramon Santana 15. Every place has a distinctive fragrance, and I can't explain it more than I could explain the subtle shade of a colour, but I can smell it. This island is one.

It seems a whole life has passed in between my Dominican days and my Haitian ones. Who I was then and who I am now. All the things that happened, the people I met, the places I saw (brief moment of nostalgia over lost innocence ensues).

Jacmel is quiet and cozy, I couldn't see much yet but I feel comfortable here. The delegation house is nice, the colleagues are all very friendly, and I have already found a jogging partner. Everything is going well. Except throwing a whole caffettiera on myself the first morning, sweating profusely from dawn to dusk, trying to figure out the right thing to do about an offer I received a few days ago, I'd say this is almost like a holiday!

The colours of the Caribbean

Yesterday with my colleague F. we went to the cholera treatment centre for some work. There were five people being treated. A man who was accompanying his son talked with us for a while and explained that from their home, they passed two treatment centres and both centres were at full capacity so they could not admit his son. I don't know how many hours they walked until Jacmel but I think at least 5 or 6. According to the latest estimations, another 118,000 cases are expected this year. It's a huge epidemic and it shows no signs of reducing. Since october 2010, there have been more than 650,000 registered cases of cholera (which means that the non registered ones were many many more)

Maternity ward of the hospital

The entry of the cholera treatment centre

Mesaj prevansyon pou lite kont kolera

Cholera beds (and samples)
Today is a new (sweaty) day and here we go, getting ready for all the good things it will bring and finding a frog in the sink to wish me good morning!
Hello to you little frog!
And good morning (or good afternoon) to you all!

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Ayiti cherie

So I am (almost) ready to start a new little adventure, this time in Haiti. 
I'll just have a couple of weeks and I want to take in as much as possible - music, colours, flavours. It's going to be short but I am sure it's going to be wonderful!

Here's some music to start:


And here's some photos of Jacmel, the city in the South East Department where I will be staying most of the time.


A pi ta! (See you later!)

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