Cambodia - Siem Reap

I have taken a significant number of Greyhound busses as a staunch non-driver and so I thought I understood the vibes of a travel coach sufficiently. As it turns out, the busses we have in Canada are the humblest of experiences in comparison to the ones in Cambodia. 

We caught the Mekong Express which, don't get me wrong, it's still very much a Greyhound-style vehicle, with a bathroom at the back and two seats on either side of the aisle. 

What's different is that there is a flight attendant style person who brings snacks around in a jaunty little outfit that matches the curtains. 

Branded snacks!

They also, unfortunately, play at full volume a Cambodian soap opera that seems insane plot-wise, which we all tried to drown out with our mp3 players and music. 

About half way through the journey there was some kind of rally with a bunch of people wearing lemon yellow shirts and hats. 

Like do we fear or do we cheer?

It's so strange to be so much in the dark here with the language barrier. I mentioned before that the different alphabet is harder, because even in Eastern Europe there were some things that you could infer or sound out. But in Asia, unless it's written in the western alphabet we can't even do that. 

So, I don't know what these people stood for or against, but there sure were a lot of them. 

Heather got to experience the absolute thrill of having someone wait for us at the terminal with her name on a sign. He was the 16 year old proprietor of the Hilton Guest House, the place our Phnom Penh guest house set us up with. His name was something like Rosa (I'm sure I'm getting that wrong) and he and his mother run the business. There were two Tuk Tuks waiting to take us and our bags and as we zoomed through the streets we immediately noticed that the odorousness of Siem Reap was significantly improved from whatever we were smelling in Phnom Penh. 

We rolled up to the guest house and it was an absolute palace. It looks almost brand new, everything is clean, there's a little cabana restaurant on site - it was honestly so surprisingly great. And, it was only $2 a night. TWO DOLLARS! 

Look at that veranda!

We wanted to spend a little time settling into our rooms and recovering from the bus journey before we ventured out for too much excitement. We have sort of employed the same booking system that we used on the Europe trip, which is that you have a designated buddy that you stay with - me and Heather, and Ashnola and Shannon - it makes checking in pretty easy when there's no waffling.

Forever sweating.

There's one thing that I can't really seem to wrap my head around since we've been staying in the guest houses, and once again it's the bathroom situation. 

There are no showers. There's a shower hose and a drain in the floor, but there are no curtains or cubicles to contain the water. Everything is made of tile so this is not really a problem or anything, but it seems so wild just just hose down like a madwoman getting water wherever. 

The number of times I soaked my clothes during these showers is staggering.

We had some time to kill because Rosa suggested we go to this place that was essentially dinner and a show but with Cambodian dancing. So far taking people's suggestions and help hasn't steered us wrong, so we went with it. 

We spent the afternoon having some drinks in the cabana while Bridge of the River Kwai played on a tiny TV hanging in the corner of the ceiling before we had to get ready to go for dinner. 

I choked down a beer, something I still have not really gotten used to, but seems to often be the only alcoholic beverage on offer in some places. I can't very well ask for a Jack and Coke anywhere so I will make do with the options available to me. 

I love it.

Later that evening, Rosa and another driver took us to the Jasmine Angkor Restaurant, where more beer was drank and where Heather successfully used chop sticks for the first time. 

I love it so much.

So proud. 

The show was amazing too. I know this place is very much geared towards tourists, that was apparent from the other people dining there, but it was still a really cool thing to see. The lights were so low that our pictures really don't do it justice but the costumes were so amazing. 

Tomorrow, Rosa has agreed to take us to Angkor for the whole day. We have to get up at 5AM so we can make it there in time to see the sun rise over the main structures. It's apparently the best way to see it so we'll take Rosa's word for it. 

So far, there's an ease in Siem Reap that I don't think we felt in Phnom Penh. I don't know if it's was the visible disparity between the palaces and the rest of the city, or if it was just the busyness of the capital, but here feels much more our pace. 

We are having the best time, in spite of the heat and the smells and all the things that are unfamiliar to us, you don't even notice it most of the time because there's so much more going on that you have to pay attention to. I know I harp on about these things, but I can't stress how much of a milestone it is that I'm not focused on it more. 

If i'm physically uncomfortable for any reason, I'm usually fixated on only that. If I'm hot and sweaty, that's all I can think about, my mind is entirely on ways to cool down. If my clothes don't feel right, I can't pay attention to anything but how I can make what I'm wearing feel normal. 

So, to be somewhere that exacerbates all of my physical issues so spectacularly, but is also so diverting that I'm forced to just sit with the discomfort and yet I'm still having a great time, is such a testament to how great this trip is going so far. 

I hope it continues. I hope the four of us keep up our magical little foursome of good vibes and that things keep getting better and better.