Sand castles

When I returned to my house last week after nearly four weeks away, I was confronted with knee-high dust (well nearly) throughout, plus a big pile of sand outside my gate. My landlady, who lives in Phnom Penh, is in Kampong Thom at the moment and had arranged to have her land extended at the back of her three properties by building a wall and filling in the waste land at the back. I’m quite sure that no land deeds were exchanged! Anyway, the sand was moved bucket load by bucket load about 80 metres to the back of the property (haven’t they heard of wheelbarrows?), and every day since I came back more piles of sand have been dumped and moved. A very slow, hot and tiring process, but hopefully security on the plot will be improved. Apparently people living in the road beyond the waste land had been using the property as a cut through to the market.

The two children who live in the house next to the new wall in the photo have enjoyed playing on the piles of sand. Even though I have been living in my house for 16 months, they are still excited by the novelty of having a Barang next door. Every time they go through the side passage to their own home, they shout out “Hallo - Goodbye” to my house, whether or not I’m in sight. I feel like the Boo Radley of Kampong Thom!