cambodia pt 2 - food, the old fashioned way
as we headed west out of phnom penh towards the small town of battambang (about 100km from the thai border), the dusty, pothole-ridden back streets of the city turned into a super-green expanse of countryside. it didn't matter that our bus was playing video clips of cambodian pop music ( google 'khmer rap boyz') or that the driver didn't lay off the horn for the entire 5 hour trip - nothing could draw your attention from the view out the window.
(click photos to view in lightbox)
it was a far cry from home to watch battambang's local industry go about its business. as i watched each fish getting chopped, dried and ground into fish paste by hand, and each ball of rice batter individually rolled and cut into noodles, i imagined what the locals would think about my tinned tuna or packet noodles with a two year shelf life.
and then i can't remember what i thought of next because the smell of 2000 fresh fish sitting out in the warm, open air took over my brain.