The Weakest Link

Songkat Village, Koh Rong, Cambodia -- December 28-29 -- Day 6-7

The last couple days have passed by quickly.  Our schedule continues to be incredibly relaxed -- wake whenever (though the insane roosters crowing at 5:00 makes sleeping late fairly difficult); sit around for a while; order breakfast; coax the kids into doing some homework; talk about leaving for the beach for thirty or forty minutes before actually doing so; hike over the small hill; swim; dive; snorkel; order lunch; relax; eat; and repeat. After the sun sets, wander back over the hill, take a bucket shower, and sit around playing games or checking email until ordering dinner.

We’ve enjoyed watching the tiny geckos on the walls and roof of the eating area and bungalows. Their bigger red spotted cousins, however, do not seem to have the same magical adhesive force to hang upside down and, in fact, sometimes do not even manage to stick to the sides of the ceiling joists. One nearly gave poor Mathilde a heart attach when, after falling from the ceiling, it jumped out from behind the railing and scampered over her foot!

The food at the guesthouse has been basic but good --  penne pasta, potato curry, chicken lemon grass soup. Dex and Kylie's favorite by far, however, has been the ham and cheese sandwich.  I'm surprised there’s any ham and cheese left on the island. At lunch, though, the kids have latched on to the tasty Lok Lak -- rice, fried egg, and barbecued beef, pork or chicken.

Somehow we're still managing to find things to do on the beach.  Building sand castles or damming up the small stream that flows on to the beach often keeps the kids busy, especially Dex.  Sometimes a couple of the local kids come out, often swimming in the small stream.

Etienne sporting a new hair do

Goof balls, standing on coconuts

It has been extra neat to have our very own furry companions accompany us each day to and from the beach. Stanley, a big black Labrador/Great Dane and Indy, the short haired, hound dog adopted us on the first day we arrived. Since we Hoornaert’s have started sleeping with our bungalow door open, hoping to coax a breeze into the hut, one or the other have joined us inside. At least, I hope the animal I stumbled over while feeling for the bathroom was one of them.

Annoyingly, I have yet again proven to be the weakest link of the family. On Wednesday night, I woke to a series of cold sweats and spent the next forty minutes ridding my stomach and bowels of their contents. Since the meal portions at the guesthouse and at Coconut Beach have been on the small side, I was determined to make up for the calorie deficit. The evening before, I helped myself to the left overs on at least four other plates. I've decided it's often a dad's responsibilty to finish off the kid's plates. Not a good decision in hindsight. Hmm, possibly a case of shooting myself in the foot... er, stomach.