Today was filled with a mix of tasty treats, bizarre sightings, and groans and moans as I inspected the erosion caused by an epic flood.
Good Morning Selfie Trespasser 🤳
The first thing I saw this morning, and actually the first thing I see at least once a week, are tourists taking selfies at the edge of the cliff on our property. We obviously don't have a fence, but there are no business signs, and it's also quite obvious that this is property is a private residence, but that doesn't stop cars and sometimes minibuses full of Cambodian tourists from wandering around our land.
On this morning I heard them interacting with my wife washing dishes on the side of the house. As they were coming down the hill, my wife asked nicely, "What are you all doing here?" They replied, "Just wandering around and checking out this place, taking selfies." Pretty bold huh? In Indiana where I was born, wandering around someone's property in the morning and taking pictures is probably the fastest way to be greeted with a shotgun, but I am kind in these situations unless someone begins commenting on my physical appearance as I walk to the shower while wearing only a towel.
Poppadums Please 🔥
The @kidsisters love poppadums, and anytime we go the capital we always snag a few packs. I think they love playing with them more than eating them, but at least roasting poppadums keeps them off the streets and less likely to join a street gang or criminal syndicate.
My Erosion Project Wasn't Stupid 🪨
When we first moved in, I began piling up rocks boulders at the edge of our property where it meets the river and the first hammock hut is. After the flood most of the rocks are still in place, but they sunk considerably because of silt loss. If it wasn't for this project, the corner of the hut would've washed out during the flood, but this one actually went undamaged and without soil loss.
I still need to stack these rocks another 1.5 meters higher, but it's nice to know that what I can lift with my own strength is heavy enough not to be washed away. The more and more rocks I use is the further away I have to walk to get more, and now it basically involves wading across the rapids, so I am considering sandbagging and then covering the sandbags with rocks.
The Completely Unprotected Hut 🛖
The second hut has suffered a lot of bad luck, and will need to be dismantled as soon as possible. I haven't had time to reinforce the upstream edge with rocks and boulders, so it was heavily eroded by the flood. We lost a floor plank too, and I can't believe the dead tree holding this thing up hasn't fallen in the river yet.
The ground is spongey, so I didn't want to get to close to the edge, but we lost a massive chunk of land on the upper left side of this picture, it is hard to see though because of the angle. In the lower righthand corner is where I made a super weak and shoddy erosion barrier with bamboo and wood plank.
Ironically my wood plank held back all the unrooted soil, while the land next to it covered in bamboo and other plants with deep roots collapsed into the river.
Another Bummer 😞
When I went down the second hut to gauge the safety of a dismantling project, I determined it would be possible with dryer soil. It needs to happen fast as the land above it slumped about a meter. Now bamboo is pushing against the roof and a giant chunk of earth collapsed and fell into the corner of the hut, something that must've happened only a few hours before I came down here.
It's Not All Bad 🪵
Look in the lower righthand corner of the above shot and you'll see a very thick cut piece of timber leaning against the boulder. The river is always littered with the proceeds of illegal logging after floods, and we can occasionally fish some of these pieces out before they are carried downstream or snatched by neighbors.
Trash Cleanup 🚮
The in-law construction crew have been tossing their trash and construction material scraps over the edge of the cliff despite my pleading with them not to do so. Cambodians are seemingly addicted to not allowing trash to enter a bin, so I spent a few hours on the hillside tossing up water bottles, tarps, cement sacks, wood scraps, tarps, noodle boxes, and just about anything unsightly.
We're trying to gear up for some Airbnb or pre-Airbnb shots of the cabin and surrounding area, hoping to lure some friends and former restaurant patrons to come stay for a discounted price before we fully finish the project. We could use the extra money, and it could be a chance for those on a tight budget to come and visit while things are still primitive. If the rain will just stop for a day I can plant this new bamboo species we recently purchased.
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Return from 👩🍳 Poppadums, Selfie Trespassers, & Inspecting The Flood Damage 🕵️♂️ to Justin Parke's Web3 Blog
