As Good As It Gets

A week ago Shanti and I moved into a new house. Don’t worry, we’re still paying rent to His Excellency, but we’ve got a temporary gig house sitting for one of my senior level coworkers while he and his wife go on leave to the U.S. It took little convincing to get us to agree to such an appealing favor.

The house is located on a quiet side street a block off of Sihanouk Boulevard and just a two minute bike ride from my office. Though it takes a skilled and steady hand to undo the lock on the gate (reach through a roughly cut hole in the metal gate up to your shoulder and fiddle with the padlock), those that can are rewarded handsomely. A stone driveway opens up to the house, surrounded by tropical looking plants and trees, including a mango tree that is now bearing fruit.

Entering the house, the lower floor is very open and largely unfurnished, save a couch and a worn pool table. The large and modernly-equipped main kitchen is down here as is the washing machine and some storage rooms. Walking up the cool, stone stairs, the first room you come upon is the main living area of the house. It is very well decorated with a mix of African and Asian art and beautiful and comfortable wood furniture. To the immediate left is a dining room table and straight ahead are two couches, two chairs, and two coffee tables. The room is beautifully lit with tall, silk lamps and dim overhead lights. It is an incredibly relaxing place to dine, work on a laptop, or curl up with a book (the selection of which leaves the book lover bewildered for lack of time). Just off this room is a small terrace replete with various potted, tropical looking plants which we have yet to take advantage of.

Turning left at the top of the stairway, you pass an office, a guest room, and a second kitchen, which serves more as a bar and snack center than a kitchen. Moving onwards and there is the master bedroom, with a tremendous amount of space despite large bureaus and a four post bed.

And then there is Einstein, the Ethiopian part dog, part wolf, all pet. At first glance, he is very intimidating: large, husky-like, ears pointed, and large teeth. Despite the menacing appearance, he is really sweet, following Shanti and I around the house, waking us up in the morning by jumping onto the bed and subsequently us, and greeting us warmly with a circular tail wag when we return home.

Even better than Einstein is the staff. Chandy is the cook and, along with one of her sisters, the cleaner for the house. She loves to cook and it shows. Since we arrived we have eaten like a king and a queen, with a mix of Khmer and western dishes ready for us when we come home for lunch or dinner. Her son, Visal, who accompanies her to work, is one of the cutest kids that I have ever seen. He’s eleven months old and has an incredibly expressive face which immediately recognizes me with a silly looking smile. He often reaches his arms out towards me asking to be held. I could sit and watch him for hours on end. Thea, the guard, is an interesting fellow. He’s probably just a few years older than Shanti or me, and very sharp.

Already, it feels like every day is a vacation to an extent. Most of our meals our made for us, the house is cleaned for us, the laundry is done for us (including ironing, thank goodness), and we’re left simply to enjoy. For all of the above reasons, the next five weeks are going to be simply delightful. Shanti even jokingly suggested that we cancel our trip to Laos to be able to stay put here. Are we a little guilty about being so young and having it so good? Of course. But are we going to take advantage of it while we can? Definitely.