A Few Changes

Since being back in Cambodia we have noticed a few changes that occurred in our two months away.  First a massage parlor opened up literally right next door.  This was a big concern for us when we pulled up to our house for the first time late on a Saturday night.

Here in Cambodia many businesses like massage places, hair and nail salons, and karaoke bars are not actually for their listed services but rather serve as brothels or places where sex can be bought.  So when we arrived at midnight to find 6 men standing outside our front door and a new massage sign posted, we were worried.  However, over the last couple of weeks we have gotten to talk with our new neighbors a bit and found that they might actually just give hand, foot, and back massages.  We sure hope so, as we desire our neighborhood to be free of such evil.

On our first trip out the next day we also discovered that a stop light is being installed on our street!  This is great news as traffic at this 3-way intersection is typically horrific right when we are trying to come home from work.  This addition could swing three different ways 1) people obey the light and it will make the commute to and from our house much easier.  2) People don't know why or how to obey the light, and it causes even more chaos and longer waits than what we knew before.  3) The light timing is poorly done, again causing long waits that then will cause people to get impatient and run the reds. 

We'll see how it goes...

Lastly, the dirt roads in Prek Pneu were paved!  This so far has been a great change as the road is much much easier to drive on.  However, community and flood planning is never done, so I am a tad worried about what these new cement roads will do to the community when the rains and floods come.  Wherever the ground is lower is where the water will go, and now no one has any idea who is higher and who is lower.  It could get interesting come October...

All the changes are fun to be back in, and we have enjoyed the last two weeks of receiving greetings from tuk tuk drivers, shop owners, moto repair men, and many more as they are excited to see us again since our long leave.  We feel loved and we feel like we are home.