They wanted to know if I would like to eat some Cobra.

I've had a lot of fun in Battambang, thanks mainly to Villa and Samnang . They were a lot of fun and I got to see a lot of Cambodia I would not have seen if I had not met them. Battambang is one of the best places in the country to experience the rural Cambodian way of life.

I will remember so many things from my time in Battambang. I will remember the night at the restaurant, sitting outside, when Samnangs brother and his co-workers rode up on their motos. They had a bag with them. None of them spoke English, but Samnang interpreted for them. They wanted to know if I would like some Cobra to eat. They showed me the cobra in the bag. They had killed it at work and cooked it, and were going to eat it tonight. I looked at the snake and said no thanks to them.

They went to their table and I began to think, "When will I get another chance to eat a crobra?". I asked Samnang if he would ask them if the offer was still good. They sent me a piece of the cobra over in a small bowl. It was in a sauce. The snake was a few inches in diameter and was cut crossways, so you could tell it was a snake . The pieces were a couple of inches long. I bit through the cobra skin and into the meat. It tasted very good. I am not sure what the sauce was, maybe it was just the cobra's own sauce that was made as it was boiled. It was tasty and I'm glad I got to eat it. Later, the boys sent me some more over to my table. I didn't have my camera with me that night to get a picture of the cobra, but it was really good.

The friendliness here is just amazing. It is from all ages from the small children, teenages, university students and adults. One afternoon I was walking to the Sangker River in Battambang. A group of either teenage or university age boys were playing shuttlecock on a sidewalk. As I walked by, watching them play, one of them asked if I would play with them. I was on my way to take care of something and did not have the time, but I was once more impressed with these Cambodians. I can't imagine in America having that age kids invite someone like me to stop and spend time with them . Afterwards, I wished I had taken the time, even for a few minutes to play with them.

The stores here are very small. Usually they are just big enough to turn around in and carry a limited supply of everyday items. But one store is a little larger. It is a Dollar Store. It only carries products made in the U.S. It is not as big or heavily stocked as Dollar Stores in the U.S., but a smaller version. It's the only one I have seen in Asia. It has the baskets you carry around and put things in. But, these baskets not only have the handles to carry your things in, but it has wheels and a handle to pull it with, like the suitcases have these days. I've never seen that anywhere before.

Also, in Battambang, when you buy gas for the motos, they give you candy or a pack of gum or something. The gas here is 4900 reil for 1 liter of the cheapest gas. That comes to about $5 for a gallon of gas, the best I can figure.

Today I board the bus headed for Phnom Penh . It will take most of the day, leaving at 7:30 a.m. and arriving at 4 P.M.

Phnom Penh is the capitol of Cambodia. It's history began in 1372. A local widow, Lady Penh, found a floating trunk containing 4 bronze Buddha statues and one made of stone, washed up on the banks of the Mekong River. She thought this was a sign of good fortune and had a small temple built for them on a hill. The city of Phnom Penh grew up around this site.

Phnom Penh is a large city. It is a mix of poverty and progress. The streets are very busy and such a contrast to the laid-back Battambang. I saw cars parked parallel bumper to bumper. I don't know how they will get out when they are ready to leave. Along with the heavy traffic, there is a lot of horn blowing. In Cambodia they use the horn as a defensive driving strategy. When coming up behind someone to pass or entering an intersection, motos and cars will toot the horn, just to let people know they are near . Here, in Phnom Penh, though, there is a lot more aggressive horn blowing than other Cambodian cities I have been to. I think because the streets are so small and there are more autos here. Sitting cross-legged on a bamboo mat is common practice for me now.

Despite it being one of the premier cities in Asia, I see lots of trash on the streets. Phnom Penh is on the Mekong River. The riverfront is very nice and well maintained. A large night market is open just across the street from the riverwalk on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. It is very crowded with booths selling clothes and souveniers. There are stage shows and plenty of places to eat. I get something and sit on the bamboo mats on the floor to eat.

Bag snatching is a big problem here. The tourist information places and hotels suggest you not carry a backpack or other bag with valuables around with you. The main way it is done is by people on motos. They drive by and grab the bag . If you don't release they just drag you along the road. The motos drive on the sidewalks here when they want to, so it is easy for them to get close to you to grab whatever you have. I hear they are so good they can grab sunglasses right off your face. You need to be cautious of pick pockets, as well.

As I always do in a new place, I take out walking around town to get my bearings. I pass a Wat on a hill. There is a large clock at the foot of the hill. Some type of above ground tunnel is being constructed beside it, running from the top down to the bottom of the hill.

Once at the Wat, I take a couple of pictures with some monks. This is the first time I have had a picture taken with them. Men are not allowed to touch the monk, unless invited to. Females cannot touch the monk or his clothes at any time for any reason.

These are Theravada monks. They are the most popular sect in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia . Every morning at dawn in the Mekong area, the monks will walk single-file around the city. They are not allowed to ask for donations, but people that want to give food come out of their homes or businesses and put food in the alms bowls the monks are carrying. The food is used for their daily meal. They only eat the morning meal of the day. Sometime before noon they eat the one meal, sitting together on their bamboo mats. No other food is eaten during the day. Liquids and some sweets are allowed in the afternoon, but no food. They can only eat what has been donated. Often, they cook food for orphanages or schools.

I stopped in one Wat and thought the sign was funny. It said something about not tolerating misbehaving by boys and girls.

I walk along the Mekong River and see all types of activities going on. People playing volleyball, soccor, badmiton and doing may other things. There is even some exercise equipment for people to use at one spot.

The Khmer Rouge drove all the citizens out of the city when they took power in 1975, marching them into the countryside. The city, being abandoned, began to deteriorate. People started to return to the city when the Khmer Rouge was driven out in 1979, and today it is a growing city with a lot of excitement in its streets. The traffic is the heaviest of any Cambodian city I have been to so far.

There are things I want to see here, and the next few days should be very interesting.