Mikes Writing

In the rain I walked

Today I ended up walking mostly in the rain after coffee. It was one of those rainy season days. Not when the rain comes down in buckets or sheets. It rarely does that here. Instead there is this gentle drumming of rain that can last an hour. I got going from coffee after the rain settled to this beat.

There was this liberating feeling when I felt the cool rain and the broken humidity come cascading down. I simply loved the feeling even if I got quite wet after doing the walk I wished to do.

It is still rainy season here so we will have these days for at least another month or so. Sometime in October the rain lessens and the Tonle Sap river may change direction. During that same time many cities by rivers which seem to be most of them have their water festivals.

I started wanting to capture this on September 10th. I felt this sense of release and joy in the rain today. Like I reached some point where it really did not matter wet or dry.

Now its Friday

I'll take this forward to Friday now. It is likely it will rain again so I have this walk idea that will see me starting at one of my favorite little coffee shops close to the house. Coffee Bean is a delightful little place to start my day.

There's no telltale sound of rain. No drops hitting our aluminum porch. It's Friday and it's quiet and I have coffee at the house. Mornings start with this. This hope for no noise in the mornings. No talking. No music. No people. Our neighborhood starts its daytime thing with voices. One lady has a particularly piercing voice that raises in sound when a thing happens that I guess makes her mad. Or maybe happy. Or both. Being so close to everyone means I get to hear her cranking it out.

The time before 730am when I like giving is filled usually with kids and motos and neighbors. The kids are wild. Motos just start wandering our dirt roads whenever but the majority is after 6. The neighbors crank up the social interaction and after about 8am, it's full steam ahead.

That's when I leave. Then the kids run out to say hello and fist bump and high five me. Every morning. And I love it. They are the best part of this place.

So I'll work on my coffee. Then I start getting ready to go by 730. Maybe the rain again. Maybe we will have a break. Maybe both. It doesn't matter. What does is the going. Coffee Bean awaits. The family that runs it happily greeting me. My time to not hear the neighborhood decide it's time to come alive. Then time to finish this look at a Friday.

coffee bean Friday

Well imagine. The morning has blue skies and this bright and shiny orb up there made an appearance. Siem Reap rejoices with a dry morning and I do the little walk.

coffee bean

And this the thing on a Friday when I expected rainy times. Instead Cambodia gives me some time. I'll take either.