My true love gave to me...

Hundreds of Asian open-billed storks and thousands of Oriental darters flittering around the flooded forest. The birdlife here at Prek Toal is more interesting than French hens clucking or a partridge moping around in a pear tree. Here are two Ministry of Environment rangers on a bird monitoring platform built in a tree. I was concerned the weight of a barang (official meaning is French person due to Cambodia’s colonial history but now applied to any white foreigner) would overwhelm the structure, yet we made do after some gentle swaying.
 
I have always had trouble learning how to say iced coffee in Khmer. It translates as something like ‘cold cow water coffee with blocks of water’. I was advised that if I acquire a ‘long hair dictionary’ i.e. an unsuspecting Cambodian girlfriend to speed along my language skills, I’ll soon be able to order an iced coffee with gay abandon. A Christmas gift idea to reject politely.