It's Saturday by Phnom Penh standards. The Tashi-sis dragged me out to breakfast at the local market and we had a fish, beef, pork, noodle soup. I wouldn't normally eat that much meat in one setting, but what the heck. I am here to experience Kampuchea and Kampchuea will teach me experience.

Where I am staying is on a major tourist thoroughfare and so I see Americans every 20 seconds. Last night Tashi and I attended a presentation at a Rockefeller Foundation sponsored arts installation on historic wood architecture in Kampuchea (Cambodia). Wood was the prototype for all architecture here, including the temples at Ankor Wat. The Royal Palace across the street was originally a cement and stone walled collection of wooden buildings including the throne room which was open to the outside so the public could view the audiences going on inside.

This is a picture of post-colonial architecture made of brick and stucco much prized by Cambodians today. It is the Council of Ministries building which is opposite the Royal Palace to my right. I just had seen some of the American tourists I keep talking about try to ride into the Palace grounds with moped. (See my red face?) The palace police were roundly reprimanding the young folks, but in a typically Khmer way by smiling and saying no.... I'm sure you can all relate to how some people take smile to mean yes, but accompany it with the word "No" and you have just about thrown any American off. (Big smile here.)

The lecturers last night detailed how they had taken a wooden house being vacated by its owners apart dowel by dowel and plank by plank and moved it several hundred kilometers to Siem Riep (the modern town near Ankor Wat.) They then reassembled the whole thing, plank by plank including its stilt-like columns supporting the whole house about three meters (ten feet) off the ground. The entire structure was made by wood pre-1950 and now was reassembled in toto with the exception of the kitchen which was built ground level with stucco and brick. In previous times almost all houses were built several feet above ground to avoid the problem of flooding. Because the architecture was very open incluidng the floors and the rooms, the building was always cooler than the outdoors because of the roof but at the same time comfortable because of the breezes that flow unimpeded through the house from the floor and the windows. The current British owner of the house (an " preservationist and museum archealogist) says the only changes made to the structure in its current location were the kitchen and the 42" flat screen television he has. (OH must we all have the creature comforts?)