I'm alive in Cambodia.
I arrived in Siem Reap last night at 11:30 PM. The bus ride here from Bangkok took a total of fourteen hours. The roads were, as the guidebook states, "diabolical". They are straiter and wider than an Oregon logging road, but much more potholed. The bridges were very sketchy too. Every time we passed over a small wooden bridge, I found myself praying that our over loaded bus would be supported by the weathering boards. There was another male nurse (psychiatry) from the U.K. sitting in front of me (what are the odds of that?) and we found ourself opening our windows as we passed over water just in case the bridge failed and we had to swim. But after three toilet stops, two meals, and one flat tire repair, we finally made it.
So, the pyschiatric nurse, Glen (my uncle who suffers from schizophrenia has the same name), and I ventured off into the night in search of cheap, clean accomodations. We found a very friendly place, with people who were more than happy to take us in at midnight, for only $2 each per night.
The place looks very French and colonial. A spiral staircase leads you up to our room and there is very ornate crown moulding everywhere. The bed is one of the most comfortable I've slept on this entire trip.
The food is outstanding. For breakfast, I ordered toast and a bannana shake. They brought me an entire loaf of freshly baked French bread, slightly toasted, with a generous side of strawberry jam and the creamiest, richest butter I've ever tasted. It was divine! The banana shake was tremendous as well. I took a long sip of the shake and was thrilled with it. When I put the drink down, I saw a thick glob of strawberry jam clogging the top of the straw and sort of leaking town the side. My Cambodian host in front of me had a very concerned look on his face. He frowned slightly and very politely pointed to his mouth. I touched my lips and saw my finger was red. I was bleeding from my mouth! He quickly ran away and came back with an entire roll of pink toilet paper (I suppose to disguise the gory hue of the blood). I wasn't sure where I was bleeding from, but I thought the likeliest of spots was my tongue. I put some toilet paper on my tongue and gently tried to dab off some blood there. The pink toilet paper just stuck to my moist tongue. This made my new Cambodian friend and I laugh. I became embarassed and pulled the remaining tissue from my tongue and thanked him for his help.
As I sit here, I realize I cut the roof of my mouth on the toasted French bread. I imagine French bread is a lot like Cap'n Crunch. It tastes yummy, but the more you eat it, the more you excavate the skin and tissue from the roof of your mouth.
Plan: I haven't a clue what I am doing in Cambodia. There's Angkor Wat nearby. I would like to wait until Krista arrives to go there though. Maybe more French bread and a Crocodile farm. If I get really bored, I guess I could return to the market and see all the flies and watch the locals skin animals alive.
I arrived in Siem Reap last night at 11:30 PM. The bus ride here from Bangkok took a total of fourteen hours. The roads were, as the guidebook states, "diabolical". They are straiter and wider than an Oregon logging road, but much more potholed. The bridges were very sketchy too. Every time we passed over a small wooden bridge, I found myself praying that our over loaded bus would be supported by the weathering boards. There was another male nurse (psychiatry) from the U.K. sitting in front of me (what are the odds of that?) and we found ourself opening our windows as we passed over water just in case the bridge failed and we had to swim. But after three toilet stops, two meals, and one flat tire repair, we finally made it.
So, the pyschiatric nurse, Glen (my uncle who suffers from schizophrenia has the same name), and I ventured off into the night in search of cheap, clean accomodations. We found a very friendly place, with people who were more than happy to take us in at midnight, for only $2 each per night.
The place looks very French and colonial. A spiral staircase leads you up to our room and there is very ornate crown moulding everywhere. The bed is one of the most comfortable I've slept on this entire trip.
The food is outstanding. For breakfast, I ordered toast and a bannana shake. They brought me an entire loaf of freshly baked French bread, slightly toasted, with a generous side of strawberry jam and the creamiest, richest butter I've ever tasted. It was divine! The banana shake was tremendous as well. I took a long sip of the shake and was thrilled with it. When I put the drink down, I saw a thick glob of strawberry jam clogging the top of the straw and sort of leaking town the side. My Cambodian host in front of me had a very concerned look on his face. He frowned slightly and very politely pointed to his mouth. I touched my lips and saw my finger was red. I was bleeding from my mouth! He quickly ran away and came back with an entire roll of pink toilet paper (I suppose to disguise the gory hue of the blood). I wasn't sure where I was bleeding from, but I thought the likeliest of spots was my tongue. I put some toilet paper on my tongue and gently tried to dab off some blood there. The pink toilet paper just stuck to my moist tongue. This made my new Cambodian friend and I laugh. I became embarassed and pulled the remaining tissue from my tongue and thanked him for his help.
As I sit here, I realize I cut the roof of my mouth on the toasted French bread. I imagine French bread is a lot like Cap'n Crunch. It tastes yummy, but the more you eat it, the more you excavate the skin and tissue from the roof of your mouth.
Plan: I haven't a clue what I am doing in Cambodia. There's Angkor Wat nearby. I would like to wait until Krista arrives to go there though. Maybe more French bread and a Crocodile farm. If I get really bored, I guess I could return to the market and see all the flies and watch the locals skin animals alive.
posted by c. @ 8:47 PM
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