The longer I stay in Asia, the more things that were initially strange now seem quite normal. Dogs and cats running around my local general store? Normal! A family of five on one motorbike? Normal! Ice in beer? Totally normal! Here are the main things that I’ve become particularly partial to while travelling and living in Asia:

All over Asia it’s considered rude (and dirty) to leave your shoes on when entering a home. I’m so used to doing this now that I find it almost offensive when people don’t automatically lose their shoes upon entering our place! And on trips home, I find it really strange when people keep their ‘outside’ shoes on inside their own houses, especially ones with carpet. I used to do this myself but if and when I’m living back in Australia I’ll definitely be ditching mine at the door.

This is another aspect of Asian culture which really gels with me. As someone with fair skin that burns and freckles quite easily, I’ve never been able to saunter around in the sun uncovered without some stinging, peeling consequences. People in Asia (particularly females) whip out wide-brimmed hats, umbrellas and even long gloves to preserve their skin from pigmentation and premature ageing the second the sun’s out. While some of this sunsmart behaviour is more about vanity than health (as they believe the whiter the skin the better) I’m following suit. Nothing to do with skin colour (I mean, a tan would be great!), but for health and preservation reasons. Now, I cringe when other westerners walk around hatless and in singlet tops in the middle of a blazing hot day, particularly if they already look sunburnt and don’t seem to care. And when at the beach, I TOTALLY get why the locals only swim in the very early morning and as the sun’s going down, leaving midday’s scorching sand to the lobster-red westerners! 

In Asia, people are often taken at face value – how they present themselves relates to their wealth and social status and the amount of respect they are due. While in some ways I don’t totally agree with this (in Australia, billionaires will lounge around Bondi in their shorts and thongs and that’s kind of cool!), I do see that better grooming and presenting yourself well will open more doors for you, so to speak – more noticeably so here than in the west. 

Keeping your cool means not losing face, and this can pertain to any aspect of life, from altercations to bargaining in the market. Angry words don’t usually get you anywhere if a situation is a little tense, but it’s amazing what a smile can do. I need to practice this one more often.

With the exception of dishes that are deep fried, contain animal fat or over-zealously doused in MSG, Asian cuisine is generally quite healthy. People often eat certain things because of their health properties and this is something I’m becoming more and more interested in. When an elderly local touts the benefits of a certain fruit, herb or vegetable as being “good for the heart” (or any other organ or ailment) I take note. It could be an old wives tale…or a pearl of ancient wisdom!

Clothing swaps are a fun way of getting rid of old clothes and scoring something new in the process (whether travelling, living in expat-land, or back in the real world!). When living in Phnom Penh, I went to my first ever clothing swap and loved it. Three of us gathered at a friend’s apartment laden with clothes and accessories we no longer wanted, and with cool tunes playing and champagne flowing we displayed our wares and traded threads. We then gave all the leftover items (alot) to one of the girl’s Khmer boyfriend, who took the clothes to his home village in Prey Veng province to distribute. I can just picture a bunch of excited Khmer girls running around showing off their new outfits, and by all reports this is pretty much what happened! There are plenty of online resources on how to hold a clothing swap – such as this. I might have to have a Saigon swap soon!

The sun sets in Phnom Penh

We left Phnom Penh six months before this return trip, and ever since, the memories of anything negative I once associated with my old home slowly dissipated. In their place, the positive memories grew and grew until they took on an elevated status of the best time I ever had in the best place in the entire world! Time, distance (ok, just a little bit of distance) and a whole lot of selective memory had transformed Phnom Penh into a holy grail of happiness and sunshine, to the extent that I was certain to be setting myself up for dissapointment upon going back.

The trip started off with a rush of excitement upon spotting all the things I missed. The view of the Tonle Sap out the plane window as we landed, the frangipani trees in bloom, the smiley Khmer faces, the slow pace, the crumbling charm of certain buildings and orange-robed monks wandering the streets collecting alms. How could I have left here for big, bustling Saigon? I wondered.

We spent the next few days getting reacquainted with our favourite places. We ate, we drank, we shopped, we reunited with people we knew and answered many a question about our now big baby who was a tiny 3 month old when we left. 

From the time we arrived to the time we left, something inside me switched. While I’d built Phnom Penh up to be the epicentre of everything that is great, it came crashing down piece by piece during my stay. It’s hard to pin down exactly what caused my mindshift, but several things were like a slap in the face wake up call. Like filthy children sleeping on the pavement. The legless and armless being wheeled along the riverfront. The scruffy begging kids. The piles of rubbish on the unkempt streets. The groups of dodgy policemen looking for people to pull over for bribes (“We need money for beer!” they used to say to us). All these things I do not miss, and for some reason they looked more prevalent than ever. I’m still not sure if there were more beggars and homeless people than before, or if I’d become so used to them living in the Penh that I’d filtered them out. The city seemed a little more desperate; a little more dusty. There was a sense of emptiness, too, as it hit home that most of our close friends had now left. We passed one couple’s old apartment on the riverfront, a site of many a party and now dark, shut and with no sign of life. Our friends have moved on and time has too.

On this trip I experienced some kind of closure and a newfound appreciation of everything my new home offers that Phnom Penh doesn’t. I did have a fun time and will return again and again to Phnom Penh, and it will always hold a special place in my heart, but I think I needed this trip back to concentrate on the new chapter in my life and begin a new love affair – this time with Saigon.

Lush gardens and colourful flowers have been planted in abundance. There are bird sounds blaring out of loudspeakers and there’s even a replica bamboo bridge to cross (which everyone jostles to pose on for the all-important Tet family photo!).

Bring on the Year of the Ox

During my break I decided to set some goals for 2009 (or the Year of the Ox) – ranging from really small things (like getting the 1920s style posters I bought last year in Shanghai finally framed) to bigger things – like career goals and travel plans. The main ones are:

To take a trip to somewhere in the Middle East, a region I’ve yet to visit but am fascinated with. At the moment the plan is Syria, which sounds amazing. If this doesn’t eventuate for whatever reason, Japan is another frontrunner for the major trip of the year. Lots of small trips and long weekend ideas are also in the works for this year including a trip to Phu Quoc Island in Southern Vietnam, a long weekend or two in Bangkok (for the gazillionth time but we love the place), a trip back to our old home – Phnom Penh, plus lots of other trips around Vietnam.

The main goal – to keep writing! I need to branch out and try and get some articles published in regional magazines (as well as some more local ones), which is my main aim for this year. I also need to update everything I’ve let go over the past few months – namely, my online portfolio. I also need to make an updated resume, new business cards with my Saigon number, and a more interesting looking invoice template. Oh, and of course, I aim to keep blogging, say 3 times a week (at least!).

With Tan Dinh Market a short walk away, I’ve got no excuse not to stock up on the freshest produce rather than schlep to far flung supermarkets in search of imported goods all the time. I also want to explore more of our neighbourhood eateries, including the street food stalls. And to cook some new and interesting dishes and to make cakes and other sweet treats in our Asian style portable oven. I need to read more – and not just magazines! Having a baby really puts book reading on the backburner, but now Z is sleeping better I should have more time to read – great! I also want to start doing yoga again – I was doing yoga every week when pregnant but have sadly stopped. I want to try and do a half hour session 3 times a week (built up to slowly…of course!).