After I got done looking for prices on Rotha’s BrailleNote (poor guy, they ARE $6,000!), I went for a nightcap at my guest house – my first pina colda with real coconut cream! I still wasn’t quite satisfied, so I went down the street to the Monkey Republic and ordered up a Chocolate Chimp – just the ‘dessert’ I’d been craving! There I met Ellie from the Netherlands, and we chatted the night away about traveling, bargaining, holiday customs in our home countries, and more! She thinks Christmas in the U.S. is a waste of resources and expensive and that I should be more bold in my bargaining.
I was almost done with ”Around the World in 80 Days,” so of course I had to stay up late to find out if they won or lost the bet. As a result, I didn’t get myself clothed in time to order a very hearty breakfast and instead ended up with the only portable thing – PBJ – for $3 (ridiculously expensive, especially for here, and especially when a full breakfast is only $3.25!) The moto driver I’d arranged the night before was really nervous about me being “on time,” but of course it was hurry-up-and-wait as usual.
It was great, but I ended up springing for the pineapple and a few Cambodian donuts instead. One was like an empanada (half moon shaped dough) stuffed with shredded coconut. The other was like a sopapilla with honey on the inside. Yummy!
One thing I keep noticing but forgetting to talk about: no traffic lights! There are very few traffic lights in Cambodia. Even at major intersections (like four lanes meets four lanes), the modus operandi is just to nudge your way out in to the stream. I did this several times on my bicycle in Phnom Penh. Amazingly, people just go around you and you keep inching forward until you’re across. Not too bad! When there is a big enough group crossing, it ends up stopping the cross traffic for awhile, so functioning basically like a stop light, only it’s common sense. I like it!
The most interesting cargo on the trip to Phnom Penh that I got to see leaving the bus: 1) a wicker tote bag full of live chickens, 2) a moto scooter! The chickens were a surprise, but I did a double take when I saw them rolling a scooter out the back door of the luggage area. How great! The monkeys in the power lines were also a treat as we rolled in to Phnom Penh.
Much to my dismay, upon arrival I found out my coast to city company was completely booked for Siam Reap seats for the rest of the day! There is no night travel in Cambodia, meaning buses arrive at their destinations in daylight or shortly after sunset. It being 12:30, and Siam Reap being a 6 hour trip, I was really pushing it for time. I raced down the street to another bus company, and thankfully found out (while luxuriating in their air conditioning) that there were a few more seats on the 2 p.m. departure. Yay!
I settled in a local’s spot with no menu and pointed at a cabbage/pork dish and some rice. It was great, and the other guy at my table loved chatting with me. He also recommended a guest house in Siam Reap to me, and arranged for them to come pick me up at the bus station – a relief to me since I would be arriving in the dark to a throng of overenthusiastic moto and tuk tuk drivers! Then I hunted for internet (it’s time to start hunting for a ride home from San Fran to Humboldt) in the sweltering heat to no avail before settling back in the air conditioned bus office to read about sustainable tourism in Siam Reap.
The bus ride was six hours of delightful sleep mixed with non-stop karaoke videos. It’s weird – like watching Cambodian MTV crossed with that 80’s disney talent show. Of course all the songs were love songs with the woman playing coy and hard to get. They also almost all took place in the countryside. Modern dressy clothing, but walking through rice fields, paddling around ponds in wooden fishing boats, at the beach, etc. From my window seat, I also noticed repeatedly the Cambodian variation on Buddhist shrines. Same three-tiered doll-house size replica of a temple, same offerings out front, but many of the Cambodia shrines are disco-style with lots of neon and bright colored lights. I wonder what the difference is to them?
Now I am in Siam Reap, and I love it! No more big city! There are still lots of people here (50,000?), but it’s a small town feeling with all but the main roads unpaved and quiet. And I can see the stars! Orion and the Seven Sisters are out in full force tonight. I’m getting used to the constant bargaining and hassling, and try to take it with patience and a good sense of humor.
Tonight, as I entered the night market and stopped to look at some spoons, the very first vendor woman says to me, ”Hello, lady. Buy something?” I laughed out loud, and asked her, ”Did you just say ‘buy something?’ She says yes, innocently, and I laugh again. She asked me if she said something wrong, and I explained about the less direct approach most westerners are used to. She thanked me for explaining, telling me that it really helps her to know because she doesn’t have a way to learn otherwise. It was funny! Of course I heard the phrase over and over as as I strolled through the market.
Tomorrow I go to see Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious compound. I’m excited! I’m not looking forward to bargaining with the tuk tuks. I’m determined to find a driver who knows at least a few factoids and tid bits about the temples. When I tested the waters tonight by asking a few guys what their favorite temple was, they just kept repeating the different routes and asking me when I wanted to go. I will try again in the morning, but I might end up resigning myself to the standard fare of memorized phrases. Guess I should learn Khmer or hire a tour guide!
P.s. – I can’t believe today is already the 20th! My jaw dropped when I checked in at my guest house. Five more days! 🙁
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