It's Friday morning in Battambang. As Savorn, the country director forAsia's Hope in Cambodia says, we only get the tail end of the typhoonshere. That means clouds and rain. And mud. But at least the thetemperatures are "cooler." Shy of stultifying, at least. Here inBattambang, it's been like a hot and humid summer day in my homestates of Ohio and Nebraska.

The view from our corner room on the third floor of the PresidentBattambang City Hotel shows bright blue skies, and only partly cloudy.John says the heat's already quite oppressive. The day's only justbegun.

John took a moto into the Central Market. I was curled up into a ballon the bed, cramps reprise from last night, waiting for the immodiumto relieve the cramps and the tylenol to dial back the fever. Godspeedto the cipro I just started taking! I was a few notches above thefeverish state that gripped me the five hour bus ride from Phnom Penhon Wednesday.

Some prayer, meds, a lukewarm shower and shave, and here I amblogging, ready to go meet the kids from Battambang 2 and 3, and seethe silversmithing some of the boys are doing up here.

Not by my strength.

Battambang has been over- and underwhelming.

The underwhelming - Manhattan:Omaha::Phnom Penh:Battambang

The buildings in Phnom Penh are shared wall, with almost 100 percentlot coverage. They're mostly three and four story walkups. That'sabout as dense as you can get without much elevator technology.Tuk-tuks (motorcycles attached to a cab for passengers) abound.

Battambang buildings, even in the densest parts, are only one or twostories. It's provincial. The French colonial/protectorate influencehas been easier to see.

The overwhelming - Prek Eng 1-4 have 88 kids; Battambang 1-5 have over 140 kids

Battambang 1, 4 and 5 are on a shared "campus" with a pavilion forworship, and a playground. Some of the kids at 4 and 5 have only beenunder Asia's Hope care for a matter of months. They're a bit more"squirrely." A little girl from Battambang 5 attached right to me,wanted me to carry her or have my arm around her longer than otherkids. I'll post a picture and name when I've got more bandwidth.

Obviously, my health has been overwhelming too.

But, I'm here and I love it.