Creature of the day:  Brittle Star


We saw a number of these guys yesterday, clinging to the inside of vase sponges and other corals.  They're very skinny and black here, though elsewhere they take various shapes.  Today was grey and rainy, so nobody felt like diving.  Back tomorrow ...

Chris Nannig suggested our creature is probably a siphonophore, an order that includes Man-o'-War jellies.  They're actually colonies of tiny organisms acting as one.

Some grow to exciting lengths.

And though ours didn't sting, some are very toxic.

(see Wikipedia)

We haven't been diving since Friday- the winds have been up around 20 mph, which is discouraging to those in dinghys, as well as the dive boats, which go out in any conditions. 

But I've been trying to figure out what this creature is:

We saw it last week, near the surface of deep water.  It was about 6 feet long, and tubular.  It actually resembled the Korean sculpture over Muzz's kitchen sink, only in pink (or pinky-purple).  At first I thought it was a net, but when I tried to grab it I realized it was a jelly of some kind.


We watched it for a while.  As drifted lower in the water, fish surrounded and nibbled at it.

Creatures of the day- 
exhibiting our typical stylish form on a dive near French Key.

Phnom Penh day 2, and Siem Reap (photos)

Just a quick note on the adventures of the Eileen Farrell-


We are still anchored in French Harbor with about 25 other sailboats in a lovely secure spot; a reef protects us from the open water and the island from the prevailing winds.  We've started diving again- we hooked up with a divemaster who lives in the water and will dive anytime she can get someone to pay for a tank of Nitrox.  What a deal.  Evenings we go in to Mike's marina and hang with the other cruisers, swap the usual tall tales (guys) or survival hints (women), over pot lucks or whatever the staff cooks up.  Last night was shrimp fest, tonight pizza. 


In a week or so, we'll get a new smaller quieter generator coming from Miami, and then move on up the coast. We are hearing wonderful things about the islands all along the reef from here to Panama, so we will be moving slowly.

Cambodia 4

Pippa here- 
Our second day in Phnom Penh was less busy, but just as exciting. 

We started out by getting up and walking to the yuppie-tourist cafe located half a block from our hotel. The coffee was good, and the wi-fi signal was much stronger than the one at our hotel. Afterwards, we walked in the direction of the night-market (north) to purchase some coffee for Willa. Along the way back to the hotel we bought some excellent fry-bread from a street vendor. Of the three cities we have been to, Phnom Penh has the largest amount and greatest variety of street food. 

After we dropped off the coffee at the hotel, we returned to the streets and got a tuk tuk to the central market. Phnom Penh's central market is a big market-place which is housed under Cambodia's largest free-standing dome. When we finished at the central market, we returned to the hotel for midday showers. Once refreshed, we set out to visit the animal preserve outside of Phnom Penh. Our hotel helped us get a good tuk tuk driver, which is good because it is a half-a-day excursion (especially considering how slow some tuk tuks go). 

The preserve was amazing. Some of the animals were rescued from land-mine accidents. There were a surprising number of Sun Bears. The animals seemed to be not unfamiliar with humans, and many of them came up close to the fence. The preserve's enclosures also allowed people much closer than any American zoo would. At the end of the preserve there was a small enclosure, around which a large crowd had gathered. Inside the circle stood a few preserve workers and Mrs. Lucky, the preserve's dancing elephant. Mrs. Lucky first walked around and collected money (donations for the preserve) and fruit (for herself) from the children, she then danced to a traditional cambodian song. 

After watching Mrs. Lucky, we found our tuk tuk driver (Moonin--he speaks Khmer, English and French) and he suggested we eat while still at the preserve. So we relocated the tuk tuk over to the huts where a good meal could easily be procured. Moonin helped us with translating and we settled down. Outside of such cities like Phnom Penh it is typical to see set-ups where outside of houses (or underneath houses, as khmer homes predominantly stand on stilts) are small open-air huts; beneath which stand platforms covered in straw mats for lounging. Then, above the platforms (or between the house stilts), hang multitudes of hammocks; also for lounging in, particularly after meals. 

After a while of sitting around and talking, our meal came. Khmer food isn't typically spicy itself, but there are usually a variety of sauces and peppers offered with the meals for the individual's preference. Our meal was chicken in a broth, rice and a beef dish. Mom and Moonin drank waters, I had  lychee drink and dad had an Angkor ("my country, my beer"). On the drive back, Moonin bought hearts of palm for his family and shared a few with us. They were a gelatinous shape with juice in the center; bitter and practically flavorless. 

The next day we took a bus to Siem Reap. Transportation in Cambodia never takes as long as it says it will. Driving out of the city into the countryside the landscape grew absolutely lush with rice fields, and everywhere you looked lotuses were growing like weeds (Note to Ann; 1 pond with all white lotuses spotted. Must be rare). Siem Reap has a lot to offer, but as a city goes it was somewhat disappointing to us after Phnom Penh (and still is in hindsight after experiencing Battambong). The town is markedly divided between the areas for the touristas, and the area for the locals. 

As a result, we found ourselves immersed in a sea of fellow tourists (of whom there were a great variety; mostly families with small children, and the young partying type--lots of Aussies). We ended up spending four days in Siem Reap, three of which were spent at the Angkor temples (which merit their own post), and one at the Silk Farm Angkor d'Artisans and one of the Floating Villages on the Tonle Sap. The Silk Farm was ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING. Angkor d'Artisans works with local villages teaching trade skills to people to help them make a living. We did tour both their workshops (one was for lacquering, stone-carving, and wood-work; and the other was their silk-farm). The work that they do, particularly at the silk-farm, is so exquisite. I wish that I could have gotten one of everything in their shop, but I sadly lacked the funds (next time, I'll be prepared ;) ). 

The floating villages each vary slightly in style. The one that we toured while in Siem Reap was all beautifully colored and decorated houses on stilts. Beside many of the houses were floating pens for livestock, like pigs and chickens. We pulled up to the village's temple after motoring around a bit and got out. We met with a young girl named Sena who gave us the tour. Despite the fact that it was a beastly hot day she was dressed in long pants, and two shirts (both long-sleeved, one with a turtle-neck) because she was cold (we appear to have come to Cambodia during its winter season). She was 17 years old, and she hoped to become a teacher for her village. 

At the end of the tour she asked if we would be willing to buy a pack of workbooks for the students in the school, which we were more than happy to do. Each pack was $3.00, and had 10 notebooks. We bought a pack and mom and I climbed up the ladder to the schoolhouse on stilts and handed out the notebooks. The children were very cute and very appreciative. I felt like a bit of a heel deciding who would get a notebook and who wouldn't (since there were 10 notebooks and about 40 students), but I'm sure that we wouldn't be the last ones that day to buy from Sena.

Cambodia 3

Meg here-
Greetings from Cambodia. Internet connections here are still iffy, so am taking advantage of the opportunity to say Hello. We've been here a week and already have done so much, it's starting to blur together. Phnom Penh is a huge noisy smelly loud city and I loved all of it! It was alive with color. We saw the museum and the palace and took tuk tuks around the city. The people are so nice, and everybody speaks English. 


We went to Siem Reap by boat. Should have taken 5 hours. Boat broke down en route and we pulled into a tiny floating village while the village blacksmith re-machined boat parts...people had crocodiles in floating pens behind their huts, and they keep their pigs in floating corrals as well. It was amazing. 


We are now in Battambong for several days, then back to Phnom Penh and home. We have a tuk tuk driver named Bunh who sits outside our hotel and waits for us to tell him where we want to go...it is all so surreal. I imagine India in the days of the Raj being similar for the lucky few. We are paying him well ( 20 dollars a day...a fortune by Cambodian standards) and he seems delighted with the arrangement. 


We are too, as this is his home town, and he spent the day yesterday ferrying us to places we definitely would not have otherwise seen...a local blacksmith making garden tools, a bamboo sticky rice roadside operation, two women making rice paper wrappers, a woman who dries bananas, a fish cheese making factory (don't even ask.) 


One thing I've learned is the Cambodians will eat  anything. In the markets they have huge baskets of crickets and cockroaches for sale. They have restaurants that specialize in dog meat. They deep fry tarantulas to eat too! Sorry about that. I thought about leaving it out, but, in truth they were collectively starving under an onerous civil war and then the Khmer Rouge regime brutalized the country and literally starved them to death. 


Today we signed up for a cooking class...NO BUGS!!! It should be great fun. I'm glad I was able to get online! How is it going in Rhode Island? I miss you guys a lot. Am hoping Muzz is doing OK. Let me know how things are at that end. Pips and I will be heading home next week, and I'm starting to look forward to getting into a routine again...to say nothing of having a hot shower.  

Cambodia 2

Pippa here-

Having been in and traveling around Cambodia for 6 days, I have to say that Phnom Penh still is my favorite place. The city teems with life - 2 million people call it home. From the streets, the architecture is one of the most visible signs of the French-colonial rule. The buildings are all in various stages of disrepair, giving them an "urban-decay" chic esthetic. It is very easy to get a good baguette and a STRONG cup of coffee in Phnom Penh (although probably not that surprising considering the French presence). The two days we spent in the city (we will however be definitely going back for more) were packed with activities. Getting over jet-lag wasn't as difficult as expected (probably since we all slept very little on our flights) so we just kept on trucking through the city. 

After waking up on our first day, we left the hotel and just began wandering. We eventually made our way towards a market which was located in the neighborhood we were staying in. There are more markets here than you can shake a stick at. You can easily find anything from fresh meat (whole chickens, beef, pork, sausage, seafood--much of which is still alive on the block), to vegetables and herbs, to kitchen-wares, clothes, toys, dvds, cds, automotive parts, school materials, shoes, jewelry, etc --all in the same market. We got breakfast and then continued wandering. We ended up on a street which was lined with barbers and dad proceeded to get a $2.00 haircut/beard-trim. We continued along the same street to find coffee for mom (by her testimony, the strongest she had ever had). At the end of the very same road was the National Museum; outside of which we found one truly surprising banana tree, and inside of which is held the largest collection of Khmer sculpture (including a special exhibit of photographs of traditional Khmer dance poses). Both the museum's collection, and building were breathtaking. I'm afraid that I don't know how to say anything more than that... 

After the National Museum, we took a tuk tuk to the Russian Markets. The predominant modes of transportation in Cambodia are 1.) Bicycle, 2.) Scooter and 3.) tuk tuk. Why these genius contraptions have not made it stateside yet is something we are still struggling over. A Tuk Tuk is basically a scooter with a miniature carriage attatched (see photograph). They're small enough that they are both inexpensive to ride and maneuverable, yet big enough that you can get a few people in. But I digress. The Russian Market is a MUST SEE for ANYONE in Phnom Penh. It is just like all other markets, only MUCH MUCH LARGER. Be forewarned however, it is very easy to get lost within it's maze of alleys, so try to be aware of where and in which direction you turn (or at least which side of the market you are facing at any given direction). From the Market, we took a tuk tuk back to the hotel to collapse for a bit.

After our siesta, we took a tuk tuk to Tuol Sleng which was one of the many prisons and execution grounds for the Khmer Rouge. The site (which was originally a school before the Khmer Rouge took it over) has been "converted" into a museum where one can walk through and look at the prison cells, and then room after room of boards covered with the photographs of the regime's prisoners; some before their execution, and some either after their death, or severe torture. The experience was overwhelming. 

After Tuol Sleng, we went on to the Royal Palace. A large section of the grounds have been set aside for tourism, allowing people to view the believed site of some of the Buddha's ashes, and the "emerald buddha" (a green quartz sculpture) --all within the silver pagoda; a pagoda whose floor is tiled in over 5,000 solid silver tiles. The oddest thing about the silver pagoda was the fact that much of the floor was carpeted, so you could feel the tiles moving under your feet, and the silver-tile section which was exposed for viewing appeared to be taped together with duct tape. 

That mostly ended our first day about in Phnom Penh. After dinner, and more rest, we did go out for a bit to explore the night market in the north of the city. The night market was very lively, and very fun. It appeared to be a big place for the young people of the city to meet up and hang out. In the center was a large stage with some pop-singer performing on it, then stalls around that, and in the back a large area for eating. We wandered around, took photos, and returned to our hotel to sleep, concluding our day. 

I want to stress, even though we have not posted much of our travels yet, that what is posted is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm certain that each of us could tell very different variations of our time if sat down individually. 

Creature of the day:  Longsnout Seahorse


This is the first seahorse I've seen- and what a gorgeous one.  He's big, about six inches long, and bright yellow.  We saw him at about fifty feet, on the coral wall where everyone dives.  And the photo is actually him- the photographer, other Joyce, took me along as a dive buddy.  So we get to look at the actual creatures afterwards- fun!

Creature of the day:  Green Moray


Well, we were looking down on him from at least twenty feet, so he looked more like an old tire.  He was lying in the sand, right under the speedway for boats, snorkelers, and divers.  It's the first time we've seen a moray eel completely out in the open.  Usually you just see the head snaking out of its hole.


Today went diving in the same spot, and saw two morays- two!  entire morays! chasing each other, in & out of crevasses.  AND they were five feet from me.  I decide the morays here are quite forward, compared to the shy ones in Utila.

Creature of the day:  Scrawled Filefish

These guys are very slow-moving, and the first one we saw was camouflaged to near-invisibility.  Only the fact of him being two feet long popped him into view against the coral.  Lorenzo gave up and was swimming away when he spotted another, much brighter one of similar size.  

Airplanes, airplanes and more airplanes. OH MY!

Pippa here-
Upon arrival to the Phnom Penh International Airport, general concensus: we love Korean Airlines.
The flight from LA to Seoul was not quite as long as expected, but it was far more comfortable than I believe any of us expected. The seats were roomy, the in-flight service was excellent (one of the first things which was offerred once the stewardesses could walk around the cabin safely was complementary wine --red or white-- juice, or water). I believe that if any of us had almost ANY abilities whatsoever to peacefully sleep either in chairs or airplanes peacefully, then it would have been perfect. The entertainment was equally great (although I was surprised at the lack of Korean dramas and the small variety of music --for instance, they only had the 2nd album of Korean Pop Sensation "Big Bang"; I suggest looking up on YouTube either their recent video "Tonight", or their collaboration with girl band 2NE1 "Lolipop").
When we arrived at Phnom Penh the desk for visa applications was a madhouse. There were no distinct lines until about three feet in front of the desk, one just had to push forward. Thankfully our hotel had not failed us in providing a driver, so once we got our visas and had our passports cleared we were good to go.
(figured I'd start from the beginning. We will be going to Siem Reip today; home of Ankor Wat. Once there, I'll try and post photos and more accounts)


Hal says-
At nature reserve outside Phnom Penh. 2 hr tuk tuk ride. Ate with locals. Pippa doing well. Ate her first chicken foot. Having reservations about the crickets though. A wonderful time!

Creature of the day:  Porcupinefish

Yesterday we went swimming in a rainstorm- very nice underwater.  We watched one of these guys for a while- his size made him easy to follow.  He went pretty deep, below where we could see him, and then came up to shallower water, turning around to show all possible angles.  We didn't scare him- when frightened, they blow themselves up into a spiky ball.  Very cute fish- pug lovers would find him irresistible.