that walk
Lately the weather here has been beautiful so getting out and finding my time has been effortless. It feels sometimes like the house pushes me out. Tells me to go on. Stay gone. Mornings these days I get impatient and always seem the days start too early. At 6am this neighborhood answers its alarm clock. People for whatever reason will start the day likely the same way they’ve ended the previous one. Talking and socializing. Not all neighborhoods are like this here. Our last one the people kept to themselves. When I left then the lady running the hair salon next to us was cleaning up. Sweeping the shop. Getting ready. The small store had kids and adults needing things. The thing missing was the forever talk.
We lived on a paved road then and the homes were apart and secluded. Security fences and privacy curtains kept what we did private. I liked that. Walking meant going in a variety of directions but most always I ended at Time Coffee and talked with the owner, shared music on her Bluetooth speaker and watched all the little things unfold. The river was right there and that sidewalk spun out on both sides and could take me away.
Those days are sadly gone.
Walking here
Was thinking this morning about the different ways I can go from here. Most of the time it is about a place I would like to walk through like the market or a specific coffee house that might be on the way. Since the house is in rural Siem Reap, dirt roads predominate and I have to walk a little to reach a paved road. It’s not bad in the dry season but when it rains continuously, it can be challenging.
The walking now is both toward and away. Finding and escaping. I told a friend here once when he asked where we live,
its at the intersection of two dirt roads that go nowhere
I’ve felt that way since living here. There is nothing here. Down the street a little there is more but the things I love about Siem Reap like the city and the wonderful roads with sidewalks that lead out, are absent here mostly. If I want to buy wooden furniture or get a moto fixed, things are good.
Mostly the walk like today is to get to a point where a left or right turn takes me to a place I want to see or closer to a decision about coffee. The busier street by our house takes me past a few places I have that I enjoy. A local store run by a nice Khmer and his wife always is fun. They both say hello in English and Khmer. Then just a little further is Coffee Bean. I’ve shared photos of it before here. It’s a very nice mostly Khmer coffee shop which I enjoy a lot. Owned by a man and his very pregnant wife and their son that speaks just about perfect English and is fun to talk to about life and his enjoyment of hearing about America. I often stop for the coffee when I’m in doubt and I can sit for whatever time and watch the busier street and the sometimes frenetic rush of people working and shopping. The street leads to another street and then another.
I never really know with the coffee until I get going. Sometimes I change midway to a place. Other times I might walk and stop at a local coffee shack and get an iced Khmer coffee. It’s all there on my walk. I guess each walk is “that walk”.
staying gone
Usually once I go, the walk takes over and coffee is over an hour of a solitary experience somewhere. Then it is walking somewhere I love like Wat Bo. I decided writing this between last night and this morning to let this thing wait to give off to GitHub until I get where I’m going this morning. See you for a final word about this and that walk.
Today down to a place which turns into a nice morning walk. This walk takes me almost to the market. Turn down streets and realize I want to change. Sitting at LaLatte coffee. Fan going. Coffee served. I’ll be good here for an hour. Then I have more choices. First I feel done. So this thing is too.
☕️ 4 min read