when i was in Phnom Penh, i had no idea where to eat. i really wanted to eat good food so i hired a tuk tuk and asked him to take me to eat some good food. first, he stopped at a super expensive touristy chinese restaurant. i told him “no, i want to eat local food.” then he took me to an expensive japanese restaurant. i said “no, not here. i want to eat local food like what you would eat.” he looked confused. so he drove around and took me to a street stand. there was nobody eating there. i asked him “is it good?” he said “yes.” then i asked him “then why isn’t anybody here?” he said “i don’t know because i never ate here before.” OMG! i say “jump back on your tuk tuk and let’s drive around. i seen a super crowded place on the street corner so i said “pull over and let’s eat here.” he looked confused. there were absolutely no tourists here and i told him this is what i was looking for.

i walk up and don’t even know what they were serving. but it must be good for all these people to be here.

i stand in line like a local.

you grab a plate, pick what you want, and they deep fry everything. the tables had all kinds of dipping sauces. cool!

so here’s my plate. i tell my driver to grab a plate too. he was happy.

i eat some excellent local food. it was $7 for both of us, including our cokes. then i told him “i do similar work to what you do so here’s a little advise. find good places, find good food, find local places. test it out, and if it’s good, take your customers. if it’s crowded, usually it’s good. if nobody’s there, forget it. why? because if nobody eats there, the food will sit for days. but if it’s crowded, the food will turn over and be fresh everyday.” then i said “this place is good and i’m sure a lot of people would like to experience it. remember this place because it’s really good.” then he dropped me off at the airport and i said “i’ll call you next time i’m in Phnom Penh and will be looking forward to trying out your new discoveries.” he smiled and said “i’ll be waiting for you.”

Happy 21st Birthday Kelia! You are now an official adult! Have a happy year ahead!
Good morning 6:30am.
North shore 3-5′ and bumpy. Pipeline area cleanest.
South shore chest high and bumpy.
Winds are light from the South. Trade winds coming back tomorrow. Rain, clouds, and dirty cars.
Going surfing anyway.
Have a wonderful day!

went down to pull my boat out of the water today. it’s been in there kind of long so it needed a really good cleaning. it took me hours but it’s looking fresh again.

and i got hungry so i went to Highway Inn and ate a fried akule and poi plate. only $9 and very good!

Kaito Ohashi did the best by far for team japan. he got 25th place overall and took out some of the worlds top professional surfers at pipe. good job Kaito!

the king Kelly Slater won again. it’s amazing how a 42 year old guy can easily beat kids half his age. awesome surfing today! photos by Bielmann.

did some whale watching this evening. the beautiful hawaiian nature!
this weird weather and winds should be getting better tomorrow and becoming back to normal on friday. big things happening this week! good night!