Main Street Siem reap
by Julian…junior overseas correspondent.
In the interest of our ascribed literary bent; and NOT in the interest of wresting the mantle off Atomou for holiday snaps, here are a couple of items taken in Cambodia this year.
…….. the main street in Siem Reap. It is potholed– and in a permanent state of repair apparently– according to anecdotal reports.
hmmmmmolluscs......
And further down that same street (one can see the yellow hotel in both shots) a group of vendors, hoping for some hungry passers-by. Cajoling with their smiling faces and happy demeanour. Hoping that the fragrant scent (pungent odour actually) of the roasting snails will entice a ravenous diner to make a purchase from the bicycle café, or perhaps, from a salubrious, timber, trestle table for the more discerning.
Now amongst all this, down a side street, I stumbled into an Aladdin’s cave and had the presence of mind to take a shot for The Window Dresser’s literati.
......... Aladdin's library ......
Enjoy…If you can read the titles.
That’s the trick!
Window Dresser's Arms, Pig & Whistle 
What Jules, no alcohol?
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It was a dry bookshop.
However alcohol is freely available in the bars and restaurants. A gin and tonic being about 2 USD.
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Nice, I was sipping a G&T when entering the post. Adelaide is in the middle of a heatwave and tonic water is a very refreshing flavour in the heat. The gin just gives it a bit of a kick.
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HOO,
How are you lot getting on with bushfires? Heard it’s going to be catastrophic. Hope you lot are OK.
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I notice that the fire rating, in our local paper, The Bulletin, gave the strongest warning possible for the Adelaide area.
Something like, `instant conflagration’.
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Its Code Red, the only problem is no one knows what that means. Luckliy we can pray to our Gods
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Is that the “Chronicles of Cyrus”, in the corner?
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Voice, you were lucky in Kuala Lumpur and my daughter was equally lucky in East Balmain…
Gerard bought sandwiches at petrol stop when driving back to the farm; my ‘always safe’ salad sandwich was OK, Gez’ chicken filled one made him sick for days, even doctor’s visit was needed…
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A fascinating, colourful, beautifu1/ugly, rich/poor part of the world that I’ve seen extremely little of. I do remember eating from a market in Kuala Lumpur years ago that was essentially a collection of street vendors. The food was delicious and cheap as chips. When we walked past later and saw some of the vendors washing the dishes in the gutters, essentially open drains, we were less happy but fortunately suffered no ill effects.
(Apologies if I’m repeating myself.)
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Yes, the disparity between poor and reasonably well off is very noticeable.
We found a couple of good restaurants in Pub Street and from an outside table we could see women with cradling suspiciously soporific babies in their arms and begging. It was heart breaking, even though one knew that there was a boss on the corner waiting for a cut. We bought postcards from a boy of about 8 years and watched him scamper off to give the money to an older boy. What can you do?
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My original idea was to hold a contest in The Ladies’ Room at The Arms. The winner to be the recipient of a macramé bikini if a lady, or a yard of Trotters for a man.
But good as they are, the compact cameras just don’t have the clarity of the DSLRS and I realise that it will be tough to read all the titles. Although I can see more of them since the pics are at a higher resolution on my computer. So I’ll keep the bikini for another auspicious occasion…….
The shop was much as a book shop might have been years ago in Sydney or London and was a joy to browse in.
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Tender is the night, Jacob’s ladder, Geisha…
Many of the covers are familiar, but many I can’t read even with my Nana Mouscouri glasses on.
The buildings are beautiful and the roads almost as bad as Aussie country roads.
I have only eaten food from a street vendor in Candidasa in Bali; everything was clean and the food was fantastic. When Gerard is hungry, he eats anywhere, even in the shopping mall food halls.
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Here’s some more:
Jacob’s Ladder by Bruce Joel Rubin
The Sixth Lamentation by William Brodrick
Vengeance by George Jonas
Havoc in the third year by Ronan Bennett
My life as a fake by Peter Carey
Acceptance by Susan Cole
Trans-sister Radio by Chris Bohjalian
Christine Falls by Benjamin Black
The Journals of Eleanor Druce by Eleanor Druce (aka Stephen King)
The Greatest Man by Cedar Hole
Hanoi by Hoang Quoc Hai
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ato, you are just showing off how good your eye sight is compared to mine!
Lucky you, so far it looks like you are getting the macrame bikini that Jules has knotted for the winner in his spare time.
Note to self: add macrame and crocheted bikinis on the list “What not to Wear’. (Yellow knitted swimmers are fine)
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Dostoyevsky Crime and punishment.
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Well done!
I must magnify and list the books. I should have done tit before submitting the stuff to Emmjay, but as usual I do things on the spur of the moment.
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