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January 04, 2005

And a New Journey Begins...

I am in Kampuchea again, and am happily settled for the moment in Kompong Som, also known as Sihanoukville on the coast. I am staying in a decent hotel for only $20 a night, which is kind of high by Cambodia standards. I had a great Chinese massage by Oun yesterday, 2 hours for only $10. But right now I will back up and start from the beginning of my trip which started about 5 days ago.

This is a long first entry folks, so hang on...

My flight left on Thursday morning. It was supposed to leave at 8:30 am so Mike hurried me to the airport and I was sad that we didn't have time for a nice breakfast at a sit-down restaurant before leaving. I really wanted to chat with him over coffee and just relax a bit. It turned out there was plenty of time as the fog was bad in SFO, delaying most air traffic in and out. But of course, I didn't know this at the time so I had to sit and wait for a couple of hours at PDX alone, since Mike left for work. We finally got there, very late, and I was somewhat thankful at the time that I had a long layover so that I wouldn't miss my flight to Taipei.

Everything basically went uneventfully, and the trip took well over 30 hours, closer to about 36 hours if you count leaving home and arriving at my hotel in Bangkok. Needless to say, by the end of my flight(s) I was ready to climb the walls of the airplane cabin. When the plane finally reached Taipei, it was very late, so I had to literally run through the terminal to catch my flight to Bangkok. I was thankful for the exercise and to finally unfold my legs from the tiny airline seat, but it was difficult to run with all the baggage I was carrying. They were calling "last call" over the intercom, and I had more than broken a sweat to run that far. Mentally, I was giving my luggage a 50/50 chance of being in Bangkok with me, and was very glad to see it when I finally arrived.

I was very tired, (understatement) and had to queue in line for almost half an hour for immigration before leaving the airport. After getting through and getting my backpack which I was very happy to see, I immediately met a woman at the exit area who was very kind and helpful to me, which of course means they want something. I asked her to cut to the chase and quote me a price for the ride to my hotel, which she replied would be 700 baht (about $18, --a wildly inflated price for SEA) I kept walking without looking back, not caring if it seemed rude, as I was so exhausted and not in the mood to be toyed with. I walked outside to a kiosk about 100 yards away where I got a taxi for 300 baht and was on my way to the hotel within about 3 minutes. Since I had been in Bangkok before I knew when people approach you like that, it's usually for something you don't want, and is a general rule of thumb for anyone visiting SEA.

I was so happy to have still had about 500 baht from my previous trip with Sean, as I didn't see any open money changers since I arrived at about 2:00am Bangkok time. I knew this would be enough to take me to my hotel and buy me breakfast in the morning, after which time I could worry about changing money when I wasn't so tired and feeling vulnerable.

I finally reached the hotel at about 3:00 am. Bangkok is huge, so the taxi ride took about 40 minutes. It seemed to take much longer than that, as exhausted as I was. The hotel was about as I had expected from the description on Priceline and a few photos I'd seen on the internet. It was clean and decent, but not posh from the foyer and reception areas at least. People were still partying from the New Year, which had just occurred and I could hear them whooping it up nearby. I was so relieved to be almost in my own hotel room with a shower, bed and privacy. After giving my name and confirmation number, the girl took about 10 minutes to come back to me to tell me that since it was after midnight, they had cancelled my reservation and given my room to someone else. She also said they were fully booked, and had no rooms available. I calmly but forcefully asked her to repeat what she had just said to me in light of the fact that I had already paid for the room. I explained to her that my flight had just come in, so it was quite impossible for me to get there by midnight, and how could they cancel a reservation for a room that has already been paid for?? Suddenly there was a room available, but it wasn't as nice as the one I'd booked online. At this, I asked her how the hotel planned on reimbursing me for not getting the kind of room I was entitled to. She just kept saying, "No problem, you don't owe us anything extra." I just shook my head, thinking, how can I get through to this person? Finally, I told her that in the US at least, if you pay for a room, it is yours, even if it sits empty, so how could they do that to me? Just as I was about to completely freak out on her, and I think she sensed this, a superior room just like the one I had paid for suddenly became available. Imagine that, they weren't fully booked after all! Hmmm... All of this took at least an extra half hour, and she was most fortunate that at my present frame of mind I didn't 'go postal' on her. After all of this, and about 36 hours of travel and B.O., I had had enough. I was so relieved to get into that room and see the king sized bed and bathroom, all my own, and to have some quiet and privacy. I waied her and thanked her many times, even though she deserved the opposite. I was ecstatic to have a hot shower, and spent at least a half hour letting the hot water fall on me as I sat in the bathtub. I was so happy, I even started to laugh. It was about this time that I noticed something strange, something that had never happened to me before. My calves and ankles had swollen up so much so, that my legs looked strange and my skin felt extremely tight. It was quite odd to me, and I attributed it to the pressure of the airplane and having to sit upright for that period of time. My body didn't feel right, and the awful airline food made me feel miserable for about 24 hours after getting there.

After only sleeping for maybe 5 hours, I got up early because I was concerned about making it to the Cambodian border in time before it closes at 8:00 pm. I knew that if I got onto a bus by about 1:00 pm at the latest, it should be possible to make it. First, I had to figure out which bus station to take the bus out of, and after some help found that the one I needed was called Mo Chit. So I was off in a taxi as soon as I checked out. Oh, and before I left the hotel I went out to the street and bought my breakfast for about .75. It was chicken with vegetables over rice and two kinds of freshly cut up fruit; pineapple and papaya. Yummy. You could easily live on the food from the street vendors in Thailand, it is so cheap and varied and available everywhere you go.

When I got to the bus station, it was even bigger and busier than I could have imagined. There are probably 50-100 buses coming and going at any given time, and so I had a hard time trying to figure out where and how to buy a ticket and from which kiosk, (there were dozens). When I did, it was to leave at 12:30. I ended up meeting 4 Californian teens visiting Thailand. It was 3 girls and a guy about 18 or 19 years old. They were good kids and said they were headed to the Thai beaches that weren't hit by the Tsunami. They had been in Thailand for about 2 weeks, and said that if it had not been for a logistical problem, they would have been in Phi Phi or Phuket when the tsunami hit. I told them "But for the grace of God." They were good kids and we had interesting conversations while waiting for the bus. Once the bus arrived, I was seated next to a Thai soldier wearing fatigues that didn't know a word of English. We still understood some things along the way just by gestures, and funny situations or facial reactions. The time went by quickly and about 6 hours later I was in Trat. I knew that I was cutting it close and only had about 20 minutes to figure out a ride or be forced to stay the night there, and I really didn't want to do that. After talking to one guy who wanted 700 baht for a ride, I told him I'd look around. There was no bus or van at the time like the internet said might be there, so I was forced to deal with the taxi drivers. I offered 600 baht, "as long as we leave right now." He took me up on the deal, but I was sure that he would have waited for someone else to come along, and I was in no mood for that. So off we went. It was a bouncy and long 1 1/2 hours, especially since my bladder was full toward the end. I was in a conundrum there, because all of my heavy items and my money, passport etc, were piled in the back behind the seats inside my luggage and I would have to trust him not to take off with the lot if I were to go behind a bush at the side of the road or something. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer, and only a few miles from the border I said, "Please stop, I have to go." At this, I think he was also ready to get there and get turned around on his way home, and he said, "Almost there." I started to protest and was about to cry from the pain, but just then the town started to come into view. He pulled up next to a restaurant and let me out. He said, "I wait for you." I started to get out just leaving my stuff behind, and then thought better of it. Even though I couldn't even stand upright for the pain, I grabbed my very heavy pack, the computer and my carryon bag and threw them over my shoulder and handed him his money. I couldn't take the chance of him taking off with my stuff as much as I wanted to trust him. As I said goodbye I was very happy to see that there was a sign at the door of the restaurant I was in front of that said "bathroom 5 baht," I headed straight for it, and these Thai women in the kitchen nearby all said, "5 baht, 5 baht!!" as I quickly walked through, at which I yelled without even looking back, "I pay, I pay, I pay!!!" Sometimes, a shower or a toilet are the best things in life to see at moments like that. :)

So, I headed for the border crossing which was only about a few hundred yards away. If I had been on the Cambodian side, probably a dozen moto drivers would have pestered me for a ride, but I was still on the Thai side, so it was nice, no one bothered me as I walked. As I was filling out my forms at the kiosk, I saw in the distance someone enthusiastically waving toward me that I thought was Em, and I was glad to see him there. It turned out that it was only one of the touts trying to earn a buck from me, so I was disappointed.

I walked the few hundred yards that are between the two countries and went into the Cambodian visa office. There were 2 German guys having problems getting into Cambodia, and didn't want to pay the inflated prices the Police were quoting. They also didn't have passport photos with them. I filled out my forms, and had $20 ready with my photo, so that hopefully all would go well, and I wouldn't get ripped off. Sure enough, a woman border policeman, saw my $20, and said, "No, 1000 baht." which is what I'd heard they try to pull, and gives them all about $5 extra to share. I politely said no, that I knew it was $20 American, and I think because I was polite and smiling, and said that I was happy to be coming back to Cambodia, they let it slide without pushing me. Besides, they were fed up with the Germans at this point and the border was about to close also, it was almost 8:00pm.

So, as I am doing this, a little Khmer guy was trying to be most helpful to me. I was blowing him off, and finally asked him how much to Koh Kong, and stop all the BS. He asked for 100 baht, which was fine with me, I just wanted to get there and $2.50 American wasn't enough to worry about, even though it is higher than I should have to pay a moto in Asia for that distance. It was only after getting on the bike and taking off that I realized because of the breeze, that he smelled like whiskey or some kind of alcohol. I was not too happy about that, but quickly thought about it and felt he seemed very much sober, so I didn't protest. I knew it was only a short distance, maybe 3-5 miles. He stopped at a gas station and tried to get me to buy his gas. I said, "nope." So, we arrive in Koh Kong, it has just gotten dark, and he says he needs to change motorcycles. Right at the end of the bridge were about 5 of his Khmer friends, and I had my red alert up. They were flirtatious but seemed harmless. We changed motorcycles for whatever reason, and took off again. About a minute or so later he started to turn down an unpaved road with only what looked like one business or house far away, maybe 1/4 to half a mile away. I could see the lights, and the basic shape of the building, but there were no other businesses or people on that stretch of road. I had seen a street running parallel that was lit and paved and looked like a typical Khmer city street only about 2 blocks before the turn. I asked him if we were going to the guest house I had chosen, but he got really quiet just before the turn, and continued to say nothing. Just then, I yelled "STOP! STOP!!! NOW! NOW!!!" right in his ear. My 6th sense was in overdrive. I immediately got off the bike forced him to take his 100 baht and yanked my other bag from in front of him which he was holding, as well as the computer. I knew there was nothing he could really do, because we were still close enough to the main road, and there were people passing by that could hear and see me. He argued with me, and tried to get me to get back on the bike, but it was in such a way that didn't seem normal. You might think that he was disappointed his plan didn't work out. In other words, I think he and his friends were going to steal my money and posessions, maybe more, but thankfully I'll never know for sure. So, I hiked back onto the street and immediately started to follow it toward where I determined the most people were gathered. He continued to harass me and follow me for about 1/4 mile on his moto. He said that he was only going to take me to the guest house I wanted. I politely told him to fuck off, (but not in those words) that he had his money and to get lost. He didn't leave me alone until I happened upon a typical Khmer outdoor restaurant, and was delighted to see two older barang men drinking a beer out front. I was still very much shaken up, but calmly asked if a fellow barang girl could join them as I walked up. Their names were Richard and Hugh, and they were quite nice fellows who I subsequently told what just happened. Meanwhile, the Khmer guy is still trying to beat a dead horse until my new friends told him to get lost. I thought it was funny, because as he left he said, "I call you every name!!!" I said, "Okay" and smiled at him. I ended up gratefully buying their beers, and thanking them many times. They helped me get a guest house, and were kind enough to get me settled. I wish I could thank them again right now for what they did.

So, there is no sign of Em, my supposed friend even though I was pretty specific about the time I thought I would cross the border. He had come to Koh Kong a couple days before I was even scheduled to arrive, which I thought was kind of odd, but I figured that perhaps he had friends he wanted to visit. It turns out that he was motorcycle shopping there, because it's cheaper to get a bike there compared to Phnom Penh. Nice huh? Okay, so within too much time I find out that Em has the mistaken idea that I am going to buy him the new motorbike, "only $800 doh-lahh." So much for friendship. I told him on the boat the following day that he would go home to Phnom Penh while I would stay in Kompong Som. He was very sorry, and realized that he totally blew it, but it was too late. I have no idea how he continued believe that I should or would buy him a new motorcycle, even after the many times he asked when Sean and I were here in September. Khmers believe that we are so rich, and that we can just do or buy whatever we want. It also still puzzles me why he felt entitled to an $800 motorcycle, and it's not just Em that believes this sort of thing. Many times I was asked to pay for someones' education, or to buy this or that expensive item. Hmmm... I wish someone would do that for me! I explained to Em that I also work very hard for my money, and that I had told him before there would be no free motorcycle from me. At one point during the long boat ride when he was out on deck, I unpacked my bag, got out all of the items that were meant for his family and made sure that I only had my own things. My bags had been so full and packed that I was glad to lessen the load even to give all of the clothes I had brought to Em and his family vs. someone else. I trusted him to give the computer to Chea, and he better have or else there will be a problem. I left him standing at the pier very much sad and without even a look behind as I got a moto into town. Oh well.

Something else happened that was kind of funny just when we were leaving Koh Kong on the boat. 2 French girls heard me speaking Khmer to someone and one of them, a kind of hippy type girl about 30ish approached me a few minutes later. She said she was impressed that I knew Khmer, but I told her there was no need to be impressed that I only knew about 50-100 words or phrases. We had a nice conversation in which she told me she was from Paris, and how long she intended to stay, etc. Then, quite out of the blue while asking me for some Khmer phrases, she said, "and how do you say 'heroin'?" She didn't even seem the least bit embarrassed or ashamed, just plainfaced. I paused for only a moment, and then handed her my Khmer-English dictionary. It was quite a strange moment, at least for me, but I didn't show it.

So, the boat trip went on and on. It usually takes about 4-5 hours to go from KK to KS. This trip went well over 6 hours, and the last 2 hours were quite bumpy. Most people looked nauseous. At one point, I went back to the back of the boat where there are a couple filthy squat toilets. When ya gotta go, there is no other choice. So, I am standing there, waiting for someone to leave when a little Khmer girl about maybe 10-12 years old comes out of one of the stalls looking quite pale so I walk in. She had clearly just been sick. Just as I was about to close the door of the bathroom, she reached in and grabbed a rag from the disgusting urine stained floor right next to the toilet and put it to her mouth. She must have been using it to wipe her face, as it was wet and cool and probably made her feel better from the moisture. I started to tell her 'no', please wash it in the sink, but the boat was rocking wildly and just as I started to say something I realized I didn't know how to say it in Khmer, so I felt badly that she had such a germy towel on her face and mouth, besides, she was gone in only a moment.

So, this pretty much brings you all up to date now. I have been in Kompong Som for 2 days and plan to leave tomorrow for Phnom Penh. Not much other than R&R and good food has happened since I got here. I've had one massage as I mentioned above. I was glad Oun still works there. She is a great Chinese masseuse, and gave me my first massage on my birthday back in September. It turns out that she doesn't really even know any Khmer, so there was very little communication going on, but during my massage I had the giggles, and I kept laughing several times. She would start to laugh too, and that made me laugh even more. I just kept thinking of some funny things Mike or Chantha have said to me, and kept busting up. There are also moments when they grab your toes and pull really hard until they snap, or take your arm and throw it around like a piece of rubber, so I couldn't stop laughing no matter how hard I tried. I think I made her day because at least it was fun, and not business as usual rubbing down some fat old hairy European guy.

Well, I've dedicated most of today to writing this, so now I consider myself done for now. I hope you have enjoyed 'Travels With Shonda', please join us again next time... I'm off to get a tan on the beach. :) I will continue this in another couple days. Ta ta!

Posted by Shonda on January 4, 2005 12:04 PM
Category:
Comments

Wow - I think i'm in love !!
Thank you ;)

Posted by: LuckIrishman on January 4, 2005 04:59 PM

I am glad you are safe. Too bad about the misunderstandings and I hope that Windows 95 laptop works for them.

;-)

Posted by: Ricky on January 6, 2005 11:04 PM
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