Phnom Penh, Cambodia - Fresh, Fabulous and Fun

Well, I arrived in Cambodia from the Mekong on the evening Friday 12 February with my new UK friends, Ben and Sami.  We got settled in at the Sky Park Hotel in Phnom Penh (PP).  I decided to venture out and try to find an ATM machine.  PP appears to have no traffic rules which can make it quite adventurous to try and get anywhere on foot.  Pedestrian safety in PP compares greatly to that in Boston.  Needless to say, I never was able to find an ATM (or cross a busy street for that matter).  We all decided to take a tuk tuk to find a place Ben had read about in "The Book" aka Lonely Planet.

Romance was in the air for the charming couple (and the third wheel wasn't feeling too bad, either)......Until, after assuring us that he knew where we were trying to go, the driver proceeded to drive in circles and stop at least four fellow tuk tuk drivers for assistance.  We did not find Ben's restaurant.  But as has happened through out this journey through Asia, things always seem to work out for the best.  We found a local's place that was BBQing some amazing meats out front and decided that we would give it a shot.  We got what could only be described as a vat of Angkor Beer with a big chunk of ice in the middle and a spout on the side for easy pouring at the low, low price of $4.25 USD.  The BBQ was unbelievable, the waitresses amazingly shy, cute and giggly that three whiteys were in their restaurant.

Awoke the next morning, Saturday, to the quietness and beauty that PP exudes.  For a large Asian city, it is amazingly calm and clean.  Ben, Sami and I headed out on foot to do some sightseeing.  We stopped by a beautiful  oasis of a temple in the middle of PP, amazed at the beauty and serenity hidden safely within the old stone walls.

Fun and frolicking in the streets of PP ensued with Playa Ben and SmileySami stopping to pose for some not-so-candid shots to commemorate the day.

We ventured down to the city's unfortunate looking (Thanks, Aunt Marie for use of the term) river view.  The walk caused us to have a thirst quenching stop along the river where we were entertained by a cute Cambodian girl.  At ten years old, she spoke 4 languages but was hawking books and DVDs to help her family.  Her smile was genuine and beautiful.

(Note the disapproving look from the fellow bookseller)

One thing that I will take a way from this trip is how genuinely happy so many people are despite their lack of  those things that we Westerners seem to feel necessary to happiness.  Most work seven days a week but don't seem to mind.  they go home to (or even work with) their families and the tightknittedness (is that a word?) of their families is amazing.

Anyway, after spending 30 minutes talking and bartering with the cute girl, her co-worker got frustrated and a genuine Cambodian turf war broke out.  Happily for us, cutie prevailed!

Seeing this as a good time to make our gracious exit, we moved on to finish off our sightseeing day with stops at a bookstore, and a few other temples.

After heading back to Sky Park to freshen up, we decided to browse the city for a place to have dinner.  Stumbling upon no-name places has become thing I seem to have perfected on my journey and tonight was no different.  For a quiet, pre-dinner drink, we stopped at a quiet place which unbeknownst to me was a "karaoke" bar.  For those unfamiliar to the phrase, Asian "karaoke" bars are drinking establishments where women provide company to the patrons.  Luckily for me (and Ben, I would imagine), the girls took a greater liking to Sami than to either of us. Go figure!

Peeling the girls away from Sami was harder than you can imagine, requiring the brute strength of Ben and me.  Nevertheless, we ventured down the streets of PP and happened upon Cambodian popstar's mall concert.  Very funny and impromptu.

After the show, we settled into a place, again filled with locals, that proved to be a wonderful find.  Cheap, delicious, Cambodian food and wonderful, welcoming people.  One of the unexpected highlights was a young boy who proceeded to dance through the night while watching the music played overhead.  Ben took most of the photos while Sami and I relished the unexpectedness of this wonderful night.

Alas, it was time to call it a night and rest up for our Sunday in PP.

 Sunday, my last day in PP for now, started out slow for all those involved.  I think we all felt like this guy.

Sami, Ben and I headed to the Royal Cambodian Hotel for some poolside rest.  A beautiful swimming pool was just what all of us needed and this place fulfilled the mission we asked of it.  On the way back from a day poolside, we were driven by a wine bar that seemed to call out to us all.  After getting cleaned up, we headed back and found it to be quite enjoyable.  We shared a bottle of nice red wine while watching evening set upon PP.

Again deciding to just wing it and try and find a place that looked good for dinner, we walked by someone's home on the same street as that of the wine bar.  Out front were about 15 people drinking beer and singing karaoke with their television.  When I asked if I could take a picture, a few of them waved us in.  Not being shy, we walked over only to have cold beers placed in all our hands and engaging in a toast.  What ensued can only be described as unbelievable.  Dancing, karaoke, very little English mixed in with one man showing us his badge and ID card and telling us that he was the PP Chief of Police.  He followed this by pulling up his shirt and displaying a rather large silver handgun, laughing, and cheers-ing us.  Only in Cambodia!  Though surprised, none of us were scared.  After too much beer and participating in a few karaoke songs (in Cambodian, mind you), we knew that we had to get something to eat.  After saying our lengthy goodbyes to each and every one of the people, we were finally able to leave.

Dinner again turned out to be a lucky and delicious choice with wonderful, happy people and incredible food, including frog legs.

Ahhh...my last night in PP, for now but not forever, because the wonder in this City is its beauty, its people and its laid-back atmosphere.  Thank you PP.

Next stop.....Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor Wat!  Be well, my friends.

Goodbye Vietnam and up the Mekong River to Cambodia

Well, it has been a while since my last post, so please accept my apologies for the delay.  Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand have all taken up so much time that I haven't been able to sit down and compose my thoughts.  I have been able to add new experiences though which is the primary reason for embarking on this adventure.  So, here we go....

Last time we left off, I was in Saigon.  I took a bus ride to head off on a two-day boat ride up the Mekong River from outside of Saigon to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  Along the bus route, people were preparing for the Vietnam's Tet holiday. Apparently, melons are a big part of that.  Maybe some of my Vietnamese friends back home can explain.

The bicycle is still a major mode of transportation in the smaller cities and in the countryside.  Check out this restaurant being transported by bicycle.

Police ride bicycles.

Even highly flammable explosives are  transported by bicycle.

So, making it to our dock, we boarded our boat for Phnom Penh.

The trip brochure highlighted the floating markets as something not to miss.  I wholeheartedly disagree.  Maybe my expectations were too high, but nonetheless, nothing to call home about.  It was amazing to see all the life and industry that the Mekong supports for its people.  The Mekong is Asia's longest river and, as such, is used for transport and food.

The boat stopped at a few "authentic" villages along the way.  Yeah, right!  Buy this!  Watch how we make that!  Again, blame it on my high expectations.  But, the day ended with a ferry and beautiful sunset to end my first day on the Mekong.

Day Two on the Mekong started with a rowboat to a fish farm and another "authentic" Vietnamese village.  The rowers line up to take visitors to the village.  Most are women which surprised me.

Uneventful, except that the boat that an irish guy named Keeran and I were in was almost broadsided by another boat.

We were taken by what vaguely resembled the houseboat community of Sausalito.

Once aboard the boat that was to take the 6 hour trip to Phnom Penh, I settled in.  Though much slower and more crowded, the ride was wonderful.  There is something about sittng on the deck of a boat, listening to the Doors on my iPod (think Apocalypse Now) and enjoying the fact that I, and about twenty others, were at the mercy of the sputtering engine of this barely seaworthy vessel.

The lack of space invites interaction with others.  I met a wonderful couple from the UK, Ben and Sami, who had quit their jobs and were on a one year journey to end in America where I hope to be able to be their tour guide.

Exhausted, both physically and mentally from the long boat trip (and a few cans of beer), I decided to tail along with Ben and Sami and got a nice room in Phnom Penh for a whopping $13 USD a night.

Next blog post...soon, I promise...Phnom Penh,Cambodia, my favorite big Asian city.

I am safe, happy and hope you all are too.

The Map (updated as time allows)

View Mike in Asia in a larger map

Color coding ...

Red = plane
Green = bus
Blue = ferry

Vietnamese Coffee, Taxi Girls and Long Bus Rides

Good Morning, Vietnam!  Well, I've spent the past week in Vietnam.  Saigon is a bustling capitol city of 7,000,000 people and.......3,000,000 motorbikes!  (Hsan - You'd fit right in.)

The street food is wonderfully fresh and incredibly inexpensive.  The room  I have in Saigon is $10 USD per night.  Clean, hot shower, satellite TV and WiFi.  I've met some interesting people, expats and locals, who have showed me around and helped me get situated.  The people are kind and friendly though the language is just not attractive sounding and fairly intimidating.

I was taken to the Saigon amusement park and must say that using the word amusement for this park is a stretch the definition of the word.

This ride is definitely "Under Construction".
The "highlight" of the park is the "Coldest Place in Vietnam" attraction where you don a silly coat supposedly for warmth, and walk around in a giant freezer with ice sculptures of many architectural and cultural sights.

After several nights in the sometimes-too-busy city of Saigon, I decided to take to the beach of Nha Trang, a ten-hour bus ride.  Certainly not the most pleasant way to go, but for $8 USD, I figured I'd give it a shot.  Many bus stops and one sore back later, I arrived in the beautiful town of Nha Trang.

I spent on morning at the local market where motorbikes not-so-peacefully coexist with bicycles and pedestrians.

But the colors, smells and sounds of the market are truly remarkable and unbelievable.

I am a sucker for Vietnamese popcorn.  They make it here with some sort of delicious sugar that makes the mouth water at the mere smell of it.  I happen to stumble upon a popcorn cart and loaded up on my provisions for the trip back to Saigon.

Saying goodbye to Nha Trang, I vowed to come back one more time.  Can you see why?

Other thoughts thus far:

I love Vietnamese coffee!

I am intrigued by (not partaking in) the "taxi girls" who circle the streets on their motorbikes at night like vultures offering, and I quote, "one hour massage and boom boom", right down to the "I love you long time!".  Too funny!

At midnight, you can see entire families on stools on the sidewalk sharing a late dinner together.  Apparently, the Vietnamese don't believe in getting their kids to bed at a reasonable hour.

I have started reading the Twilight series of books which I bought for $2 USD each.   Opening up the front cover of the first one, I realized that it was not an "official" book (shocker!), but instead a photocopied version.  Alas, technology is still caching up here.

Well friends, it is 8 am on 5 February.  I will stay in Saigon a little bit more, then back to Nha Trang, then on a three day, two night boat ride up the Mekong Delta where I will move on to Cambodia and Laos before heading back to Thailand to get my TEFL accreditation.

Time now though to go take in the sights and sounds of Saigon and have some coffee at Sozu Cafe which uses its proceeds to hire underprivileged Vietnamese children and provide them with a means of supporting themselves.  Some are deaf.  Some are blind.  But, all are very nice, sweet people.

I hope all is well in the States and that you don't miss me too much.