It's rainy season in Cambodia...

I know it's cliche, but I just have to talk about the weather here.  Though the temperature stays pretty warm all year around, there are technically four seasons here in Cambodia: cool and dry (Nov - Feb), hot and dry (Mar - May), hot and wet (Jun - Aug), and cool and wet (Sept - Nov).  July is in the middle of the monsoon season, which means rain becomes a part of our lives.  And when it rains, it literally pours.  It feels really liberating to see the rain here, as it brings down the temperature and the humidity down a little bit, settles the dust in the air and washes away everything.  And unlike in DC, nothing stops when it rains hard.  Tuk-tuk drivers pull down their plastic covers, moto drivers put on their ponchos, and outdoor markets...well outdoor markets just keep going.  People embrace the rain and I really love that about this city.

The gym I go to faces the Tonle Sap river, so when it's light enough outside, I can see the rain clouds coming over the river, bringing the lightning with them.  The view is spectacular and I almost fell off the treadmill watching the lightning show today.  On the way home as I was walking in the drizzle, a moto driver picked me up to take me home.  Speedy moto ride among Phnom Penh traffic (without a helmet), in the rain with veins of lightning above me, has become an experience I can never forget.

Ominous clouds on my way home from work

Rain rain rain rain in Sihanoukville