Cold weather part 2

While we head south on the weekend others headed north, someone told me that it got down to 16 up there! I caught up with a Khmer girl this morning who said she couldn't sleep when she was there as she was so cold, if she stayed there a few days maybe she'd be close to death. She was worried about old people and kids, with cold weather how can they survive. 

If you live somewhere where it gets even cold than this , it might sound strange to you. But most of the year Cambodia is much warmer, so people aren't prepared for these low temps. As well as people's bodies being used to much warmer weather most people also don't have the sort of clothes that we might call "winter clothes". Also houses are built with he heat in mind, wooden houses on stilts have bamboo slates for the floor, this way the air can flow. And people don't usually wash in hot water. I haven't washed my hair for awhile- its just too cold.

The cold weather rated a mention in the paper- click here.

And by the way, when my Khmer friend saw my pink beanie (see photos below) she started laughing. She said that's the kind of hat that women wear after they have given birth. New mothers are kept warm and given a special alcoholic medicinal drink.