Signs and Other Stuff

In amongst the photos that we take and place on the blog there are always some that don't quite fit with what we're writing about.  It seems a shame to let these go to waste so here is a miscellaneous collection of bits and bobs from our time and travels in the country.

The picture above is another great example of the hand painted signs found all over Cambodia and features alongside all my latest discoveries in this post over on the Ghostsigns blog.  Also on that blog post are a number of funny non-hand-painted signs and then this snippet from a depiction of hell from one of our local pagodas.  I'm sure a few people at home would question any conception of hell that involved copious amounts of beer!

Sweet FM 103.25, love it!  This was spotted on my recent visit to Battambang, Cambodia's second city.  If I went back into radio, it would have to be Sweet FM.

Drying fish, also in Battambang, spotted when I was taken on a cycling tour of the outskirts by Andre (of Leandra & Andre).

 More drying fish, this one another variety that looks less like smoked salmon.

Casting the net to catch the fish, again in Battambang, this is a typical picture of Cambodia as you see this activity everywhere.  This spot can only be fished when the waters are very high, and this was taken after the worst flooding in years across the country.

The water was so high that these guys had to improvise to get their boat of cargo under the bridge.  This one lay on his back and edged it towards the other side using his hands on the underside of the bridge.

All smiles as the task is completed and he paddles triumphantly away.

And now the power of the engine can be employed once more as they are successfully on their way.

All sorts of receptacles are used to store petrol for sale by the roadside.  These old Johnny Walker bottles caught my eye as a more premium fuel container.

A rarity in Cambodia where many people have two or more mobile phones.  I've no idea how you're supposed to use a phonebox in a country with only uses paper money.

A grave in an indigenous community in Ratanakiri.  It was noteworthy for the red tins used to decorate the headstone.

The brand is Kifocan, a Vietnamese company which is not surprising as Ratanakiri border Vietnam.  They look like something off the shelves of the UK in the 1950s or 1960s.

The product is sardines in tomato sauce.  It seems unusual to pay for tinned fish in a place that was situated on the banks of the Sesan River.

Continuing the previous posts about Cambodian products (here, here and here) here is a photo of a new mattress bought from the market.  What you can't see in the picture is that the 'intimate partners' are a cute pair of cuddly teddy bears - I can only wonder...

You may recall Walker's pyjama outfit from our house cooling party last year.  Well, here's a close-up of the writing on them.  All suggested corrections to the English on these welcomed in the comments section.

Back to Ratanakiri and the discovery of a huge beetle.  The claws look vicious but one of the locals flipped him so that we could watch him breakdance for us.

The soft underbelly of the breakdancing beetle.

Speaking of spinning around, these ants were going around in circles on our visit to Sambok Mountain, Gilly and her dad were discussing how they might solve the problem they faced in moving the grasshopper in one direction rather then in never ending circles.

And finally, a scene from our bathroom where, soon after the lights went out, this spider began to devour a cockroach.  The next morning all that was left were the outer shell of the cockroach scattered around the toilet and a very plump spider resting in the corner...