Is it dengue season?

As you can imagine, this sign, in front of a Siam Reap Children's hospital, was somewhat disturbing to me. Dengue fever season is upon us in Cambodia. It arrives after the first rains which bring with it mosquitoes attracted to the standing water. \ I was about to blog on it on my official InSTEDD blog since it has been over a month since I have written on in my official blog. There are so many interesting things happening here, but because we are working closely with the government and relationships and information is sensitive, there is very little I can say publicly. Yes! I could blog about something -- dengue. I could write about how there was an epidemic last season, and how international aid focuses on 'cool' diseases like HIV, malaria and TB and dengue gets neglected. This photo provided a perfect entree.

Luckily, I held off for a few days, and mentioned to one of my World Health Organization colleagues how surprised I was that, on the road to Angkor Wat, there would be a huge sign warning of a dengue epidemic. It seemed like it would scare away tourists. She said, "oh, that sign has been there for years." Dengue season is here, but I guess that sign is used to get funding for the hospital, and it works quite well. Friends and family - don't worry! Derek and I are in good health, and dengue is not a serious health risk for a healthy Western adult with access to good medicine. Photo: Ta Prohm at Angkor Wat

P.S. Last night I saw an incredible documentary at my favorite hang out spot here - Meta House (art work/lounge/films). It was an early 1970s documentary called Vietnam: The Quiet Mutiny by journalist John Pilger. The images looked so contemporary, you felt like you were watching our soldiers in Iraq. It was the story of how the 'grunts' were rebelling against the 'lifers' (officers) in 1970, and were the real reason the US would not last in Vietnam. It had an unsettling scene with a group of American Red Cross women with bouffont hairdos doing dances to cheer up the men. Seek it out if you can or buy it from his website! (And if I can open my documentary screening space someday, I will show it.)

Angkor Wat revealed

Yes, we finally saw the grand-daddy (or sexy grand-daddy - since there are thousands of lingas about) of them all: ANGKOR WAT.

Okay, those who know me know I love little things, and Angkor Wat is anything but little - so I had to show you my favorite rendition -- an Angkor Wat cookie! Discovering this cookie was more bizarre than anything I have experienced. I walked into Madamsachiko's cookie place and was greeted by a chorus of Cambodians saying "Konichiwa!!!" Apparently I had arrived at the same time as a tour bus of Japanese, and these Cambodians had learned Japanese (as well as Korean). Koreans, which I believe is the ethnicity of Mrs. Sachiko, are the largest group of tourists to Cambodia, with the Chinese edging out Korea for the most destinations from Phnom Penh (to Shanghai, Beijing and Guangxi).

Now on to the real deal. Derek I hope will be publishing some of his amazing photos soon. It is hard to put into words the experience of Angkor. First, for those who were ignorant like me, Angkor Wat describes one of over 50 temples built by the Khmer rulers over their 500 year reign. The temples cover over 100 miles, so it is hard to comprehend the vastness.

I will start by describing only Angkor Wat, built in the early 1100s as a massive temple-mount to the Hindu god Vishnu. To be honest, when we drove up on a tuk tuk, I was a little underwhelmed. The entrance to Angkor was to my left, and all I saw was a line of dark stone with a 50 foot stone walkway. But Angkor Wat revealed herself in her mystical glory. Once through the gate, I felt like I had entered another world...the buildings pulsed with the beat of the jungle, amplified by screeching crickets. The conical towers pierced the sky, and I thought I saw the sea churning at the bas relief "Churning of the Sea of Milk." The bas relief describes a "Hindu myth in which Gods and humans cooperate to churn with a massive snake the primordial ocean in order to produce amrita, or the elixir of immortality" (from Art and Archeology).

Suffice it to say Angkor Wat is one of the MUST SEE experiences of a lifetime, to which I would add seeing the gorillas in the wild (March, 1994) and the Taj Majal (January, 2008).

Our Neighborhood

For the Google Map aficionados (like me), here's a view of our neighborhood and a few of our haunts, so far. You may have to zoom out one level to see the images.

I found it interesting that Google Maps doesn't have a street map for Phnom Penh, but it does have satellite images. More technology leapfrogging in action!

Wireless World

One of the reasons that Mary Jane is here in Cambodia is to facilitate the use of wireless phones in disease prevention.

So, it seems fitting to make this first post to our blog from a wireless phone, sitting on a balcony overlooking Street 95, our home base in Phnom Penh.

A lot is happening on Street 95: new houses are being built, cars are being repaired, tuk tuk

drivers are plying their trade. A constant among these activities is the mobile phone. When we want our tuk tuk driver to pick us up, we send him a text message. When we want our landlord to talk to the construction workers about starting at 6 am, we send him a text message. And if we had a car that needed reparing, we'd send a text to the body shop.

And because it's a wireless world, we'll be able to post every couple of days. Look for posts through the end of July.