Instagram Roundup part 2

Greetings,

I have a list of a least 5 pending blog posts. I'm going to start it off with another Instagram Roundup, so you can see some of the lovely scenery I've been sharing on that social media medium.

Map of Cambodia

The CamFam departed for their placements on 12 September. I absolutely cannot believe that that was over a month ago!! Before we left, we placed stickies on a map of Cambodia to indicate our placement locations.

Cloudy morning at the riverside

This was originally captioned "Peaceful Saturday at the Riverside". One of my favorite activities here in Kampot is to ride my bike up and down the riverside. This photo is of one of the riverboats. Incidentally, a couple weeks later, I happened to take a sunset river cruise on this exact boat!

Sweetsop farm in the mountain foothills

Original caption: "The beauty of this country is overwhelming. It's omnipresent, found in the landscape and in the friendly, hospitable smiles of every person one meets. I'm in love. Also, I'm ever-grateful for the fact that a simple smile transcends every language barrier."

Secret Lake

Original caption: "This is Secret Lake, a place that I've come to refer to in my mind as where beauty rises from ashes. We sat here one day, waiting out rain, gazing over this beautiful, peaceful lake. Then I heard its tragic story. Secret Lake is man-made; it was dug out through forced labor during the Khmer Rouge occupation. Many people died in its creation. Yet, beauty triumphs. So tragic, yet so beautiful."

Bananas!

Original caption: "Practicing patience. To everything there is a season... These ចេក grow in my backyard! Khmer lesson 101: ចេក is pronounced "jake," and means banana."
My family has an orchard in their yard, practically. I love the fruit in Cambodia and have tried many new varieties... some of which I've yet to find the English translation of what I've eaten!

Sunset on the river!

 Original caption: "Same sun, new sunset, everyday"

Boats!

Original caption: "We casually stopped by this unofficial port to purchase some crabs for lunch. Crab = ក្តាម (kdam)"

Sunset

Edited caption: "You know there's a gorgeous sunset happening behind those clouds."..."Sunset = ថ្ងៃលិច (tnai lake)"

Lovely river

Original caption: "The river is gorgeous, what can I say? View of the river FROM the river. We took a riverboat sunset cruise... At night, the fireflies lit up the trees like Christmas lights. Khmer: firefly = អំពិលអំពែក (ahm-pell ahm-pike, where ahm rhymes with bomb)

Puppies!!!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm rather obsessed with dogs. One of my host dogs just had two puppies a week and a day ago. They are absolutely adorable. Also, I had the fascinating experience of watching one of them be born.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into Kampot! More photos to come (once I take them), and more posts to come, as well.

Cheers,
KMJ