Bits and pieces

MONEY
There are 4,000 riel to the $ which was 63p when I left England so most things are quoted in US dollars but you will get a mix of dollars and riel in the shops and people are quite adept at making proper change if you give them half and half.  The main economy is conducted in very small amounts of riel.  I had a meal of Lak Lok (spicy chicken with rice) an Angkor beer and pudding of Banana Fritters for $8 yesterday.  The ride I'm going on to the War Museum will cost $5 for the Tuk Tuk, and a meal and 1 hour performance of traditional dance and music is $12.  Of course, there are posher restaurants and performances if you want t pay more.

ANIMALS
Loads of cats and dogs around - the latter operate as if they own the road of course.  I've also seen an elephant (admittedly at one of the temples), monkeys (these were playing in the water using an overhanging branch, climbing up and throwing each other in the water just like children do), some toads and many many geckos.  These range from very tiny to the enormously fat 12" brown and yellow one who lives on the sign for the guest house and eats the insects attracted by the light.  Today I heard him calling, somewhat like a loud croak.  I've seen no snakes except to eat but when I got the children to colour in some drawings of snake (ssss for the phonic ess) they all did green or black which is what they see.

BABIES
In the countryside babies don't wear nappies but the parents seem to know when they are going to perform and act accordingly.  One baby sleeps in a hammock outside one of the school classrooms quite happily without a nappy without too much problem.  In the town it is getting more normal for babies to be nappied up with disposables of course.

TRAFFIC
It is really surprising being in the traffic here because you tend to think that everyone (bicycles, Tuk Tuks, motorbikes, cars and buses) are going to end up in one great pile as sides of the road and using the pavement seem to be optional.  But ... there is a convention in the countryside that the vehicle behind honks his horn briefly to warn cows, dogs, cats, people and other traffic that they are to the rear and are probably going to pass.  In town the horn is only used when a decision needs to be made and the traffic seems to combine and take it in turn to go the way it wants to.  Have seen two accidents - one where a young man slid off his motorbike when he was turning on gravel and another where a Tuk Tuk and a motorbike melted together too much!