Thailand

Quick update about Phnom Penh...because I don't think I have explained this enough before.

A) I no longer work at the CCF, which was my original destination in Cambodia.

B) I am a freelance travel journalist who works for the cambodia pocket guide. www.cambodiapocketguide.com Articles up there soon.

C) I teach the second grade at a school called home of english international.

D) I work a few nights at www.pontoonlounge.com Its a here and there sort of gig...and I love it!

And...on to the exciting stuff.

I arrived today in Thailand with my mother who has spent the past week in Phnom Penh cursing my lifestyle. Which, I do not blame her for. I mean, Phnom Penh isn't exactly the safest and most easy city to navigate. And I think my motorbike *coughcyclecough* is obviously not first on the list for my mother or father. Since they have more than once expressed the fact that motorcyle and makenna equals no more held attached to my name. (in other words...pack your things and realize you are on your own). Their worries are not unfounded. But truth be told in Cambodia...its kind of the way things work. And its pretty much the safest way (and cheapest way) to get me from point a to point b. So no packing of this girls bags for now.

All that aside....This weekend in the Penh (as us AWESOME expats call it) there is this massive festival called The Water Festival. Phnom Penh is a city of 1 million Cambodians...During the water festival its a city of 2.2 million Cambodians. Think Kalachakra Initiation meets Burning Man which meets Holi. AND BLAMO!!! Water Festival. Add a lot of booze (guess that is covered in the Burning Man anology) and mix well.

So instead of trying to get my mother on a plane in Cambodia during this god forsaken mass of humanity, we decided to ditch town and head to Thailand. We arrived today in the land where Britney Spears and beer flow cheaply and furiously from every direction. Cheap clothing is found around every corner, and sex shows are available every few corners. In two days we head to the beach in search of peace and inner bliss. And well a whole lot of good sun and beer.

Nothing has changed in the backpacker haven of Khao San Road. Everything is pretty much in the same place it was when I was here last. What a surprise.

But its nice to be back here...I was in CIVILIZATION AGAIN!!! I had a starbucks and a mcdonalds and we are going to see a movie. These are things I haven't seen in three months. Yeah...Developing country for three months. No movie theatres anywhere...no fast food...and no real coffee. But honestly...I can't wait to get back to the Penh.

The Past Week

Woah...

Sunday:
-Woke up in a friend of mine's bed where we crashed the night before because well...Driving a moto as a woman in Cambodia at three am=BAD mojo
-Went to brunch and had the best pancakes ever
-Went to the internet cafe and got some awful news
-Went to Talking to a Stranger (my favorite bar/restaurant)
-Drove home at 11 pm, quite a safe and normal time. And was chased....but only until I got to the river where the jerk left me alone.

Monday:
-First day of teaching=exhaustion
-Go out to dinner with my best friends Pooja and Karen. Karen and I drive to the lake. Karen almost gets her purse ripped off. (please notice incident two with moto this week)

Tuesday:
-Spelling test. All the kids fail. BUGGER.
-Go and put down deposit and new moto...with a slightly faster engine
-Look at 20 appartments only to find...NONE

Wednesday:
-Class until 11:15. Sprint home for vietnam

Thursday:
-See Vietnam Post

Friday:
-Say goodbye to my best friend and help her pack.
-Search for appartments more. Nada.

Saturday:
-Got friend onto bus.
-Went to look at moto choices. And then this woman walked in. She didn't speak english or khmer. She was bleeding. Covered in sores. And had large scars all over her body. One very large mangled scar on her bum which she continuously was trying to show me. I gave her some money. She threw it on the ground. (She saw me put down the last part of my deposit on my bike). Manager of shop and I talk for fifteen minutes at which time she finally leaves. I wait to put some distance between us. I then grab a moto and I see her SPRINTING at me from the diagonal. We barely miss her.


And now its sunday...and I am attempting to get some more work done. OI! It was a long week.

Vietnam

I found myself in a prediciment the other day. I had to leave the country. Visa was up. And boy was I unhappy about that. What did it mean? Well...a few various and unsavory options. Option A: Buy a plane ticket to Malaysia and hang out with my friends that I made there for a few days. (too expensive) Option B: Hire a taxi to take me to the Thai border. Walk across the border. Get new Visa. (Requires being in a car alone with a khmer man whom I don't know) Option C: Go to Vietnam via the fast boat and spend the night in Chau Doc.

I picked option C. This may surprise some of you who know me well. Considering the last time I was here in Cambodia, I ended up in Vietnam and HATED IT!!!! Especially hated Chau Doc.

But I girded my loins, packed my bag, and hired a moto to drive me to the boat station. Where I barely made the boat because I stopped to get food. Tuna Sandwich and Stella Artois.

I arrived in Chau Doc before the sun set (a miracle, since last time it was way past dark) and found myself a cute little four dollar a night guesthouse. I then attempted to walk outside where I was bombarded with moto drivers who spoke zip zero nada english. I found one who could talk to me enough for me to say "ATM" etc. After about an hour of each other speaking in broken english I asked if he spoke french. He said he did...but his best friend spoke much more.
So he throws me back on his moto (after much fabric purchasing for clothing to be made in cambodia) and drives me to this corner bar. Its all moto drivers. He introduces me to his friend and it turns out that his friend is Khmer. Born and Raised. Escaped to Vietnam during the Khmer Rouge period. So he speaks fluent french.

I spent the rest of the evening drinking 15 cent vietnamese beer, and chatting up the motos in french. I took them all out to dinner which cost me a WHOPPING 3 dollars (including their banana based rice wine which was awful).

Dinner itself was a trip. We ate at my guesthouse and watched as all the vietnamese staff stared at the Barong (white girl) and chatted away with each other very rapidly. My fish was caught for me out of the river RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE. It was then carted off to the kitchen to be fried. SWEET BABY JESUS!!!! Best food I have ever had in my life!

I then bid them adieu (with exchanges of emails and promises of more times and meetings of their wives) and head back to cambodia.

I am happy to be here. its under my skin and I love it.

Siem Reap

Last time when i was in cambodia i also headed up north to siem reap. was only here for a few days and essentially came to do one thing...see the temples of angkor wat. the temples were amazing. but as for the city, i wasn't a huge fan. and i remain not a huge fan. but it is nice to get out of the city from time to time. the escape from phnom penh was long overdue anyways.

the past few days have been a lot of fun. met a lot of new people. and have had a relaxing-ish few days in Siem Reap. I am here writing for the cambodia pocket guide. A travel guide that is available in both siem reap and phnom penh. their website is www.cambodiapocketguide.com. Check them out if you do so desire.

So far I have eaten amazing food, drank really good wine, and even got to visit a horse ranch. i will be writing four articles, all of which were a ton of fun to research. I even had to make my own dinner at one of the restaurants we are reviewing.

My father will be proud...I am writing an article on wine. And wine tasting in siem reap.

I'm actually kind of bummed i have to go back. c'est la vie.