Goodbye Bangkok, Hello Phnom Penh!
Tuesday, April 17th, 2007It may appear that all we did in Bangkok was have a waterifght and go see some tigers… well, yeah. I guess that is basically all we DID but I got so much more out of our time in Bangkok. I mean, not only was walking around during the water fight a whole lot of fun, it was also an opportunity for us to get a glimpse of an actual local tradition. Kids throwing water into open bus windows or soaking cops on motorbikes would never fly in Edmonton!
That wasn’t the only thing though… Bangkok, to me, was one of those places where I feel that I met people who I was meant to meet for some special reason and who I think are meant to play some part in my future… ya know? It may sound weird but I felt like I had one of the most philosophical and spiritual conversations with a few people… one of those “meaning of life” conversations that renew hope in the world. It was a reminder that this trip has been so much more than seeing the world with my own eyes, it has also been sharing in the lives of people from all walks of life. I can’t stress enough the value of just opening your mind, going somewhere and just taking it all in for what’s it’s worth!
Anyway, so yeah, we spent most of our Bangkok stay hanging out with Abdi, Tyler, and some other hostellers. Between water fights and spiritual talks, we managed to take a river boat ride and check out the old Thai part of town. The people were very nice, the street food was delicious, and the river was beautiful… we couldn’t have asked for more.
Actually, I wish we had more time in Thailand…. we didn’t really get a chance to go see any temples and ruins… or to relax on any of the beautiful beaches… but I definitely think I will return and get a chance to do that.
Anyway, John and I are now in Cambodia… the flight over was pretty uneventful. We had many late nights in Bangkok and a really early morning on the day we flew here so we actually ended up crashing pretty hard yesterday at the hostel and slept most of the day away. Today, we went to Choeung Ek Memorial and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum… but this will be a post on it’s own.
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