Rabbit Island and a Jenn Update

Hi All, Jenn here.

I am going to keep posting things here occasionally, although in a bit more scattered fashion.

Last I heard from Robert, he was heading off to Rabbit Island, in hopes of finding a superb sandy beach. Rabbit Island has very little electricity and no internet, so don't expect him to be able to post in the next few days. Below is a description from TravelFish.org that you might find interesting:

Most visits to Kep include a trip to Ko Tonsay, or Rabbit Island. For an overnight stay, the many bungalows lining the main beach cost $5, or $7 if you want a private bathroom. These are basic one-room affairs with a mattress, mosquito net, and no electricity. Many nights are quiet, supposedly, but on our visit a large group of young Cambodians brought their karaoke machine and crooned pop tunes until wee hours of the morning. This is the only place in Kep with a nice beach -- nicer than any we've seen in Cambodia, in fact, because it's uncrowded, unlittered, and sandy -- and the island's pepper crab and squid are the best we've ever tasted. You can hike around the entire island in about three hours, spotting remote fishing families, protective dogs, and a few birds here and there.

As for me, I have finished my interview and recruitment activities with the Neurobiology and Behavior folks at UW. It was a jamb-packed two days that went something like this:

Day 1: Intro Session, four 20 min meetings with professors, lunch and a DUCK tour of the city (ever seen those amphibious marvels of modern engineering?, or not since they are refurbished amphibious vehicles from WWII), four more 20 min meetings, dinner and shmoozing with professors and grad students.

Day 2: Presentations by a few faculty and some grad students about a community outreach program and research in various labs, box lunches and afternoon activities (I chose the "Freemont Tour," a trip to the Allen Brain Institute to see how they make reference material such as mouse brain atlases, a tour of the Theo Chocolate Factory where they make organic, fair-trade chocolate bars), then rush to Posters 'N Pints which was more drinking and shmoozing with the faculty, then a students-only house party with keg beer and greasy pizza.

Today, I checked out of my fancy hotel room and am going to start sleeping on Ben's futon, woot-woot! I met up with him and sat in on his lab meeting and am now pretending to be a student by sitting in a most beautiful library on campus and typing this missive.

Bis Spater!