Motorbike Sir?

Hello again. I thought it might be a good idea to redefine my plans and status in the far east. I am living in Phnom Penh, Cambodia teaching English. I came over to Southeast Asia on July 1, 2004 with the intention of finding a city to settle down in for a while and teach English. I thought I might travel for two or three months before starting work with my original destination as Hanoi, Vietnam (hence the former title of this blog, Good Morning Vietnam). When I arrived in Hanoi after a month and a half of travel, I did not feel quite ready stop moving, plus I still had considerable funds left in my bank account. So I decided to travel down Vietnam and through Cambodia. After spending a month in both Vietnam and Cambodia, I decided that Phnom Penh was the place for me. After I made this decision, I spent another month in Thailand for a final dose of fun in the sun. I am now in Phnom Penh with a job at Regent School of Business.

I have decided to change the title of my blog from “Good Morning Vietnam” (for obvious reasons) and rename it “Motorbike Sir?”. Those of you who have been fortunate enough to have travelled in this part of the world should be familiar with this phrase. The mere sight of a Barang (foriegner) to a local entreprenur causes dollar signs to flash inside of their head. Moto drivers are some of the most aggressive locals in pursuing foriengers. Walking no more than a block in the city, one can expect to hear the question “motorbike sir?” at least once. Though this constant barrage can get tiring (I have almost lost it a few times), I still respect their pursuit of work.

When I was in school and summer rolled around, my dad would immediatly be urging me to get out and find a job. “Hustle” was the word he used. Moto Dops are hustlers. They can provide just about any service, from selling drugs to locating appartments.

In a rapidly changing country like Cambodia, when laws are ignored, corruption is rampant, and the divide between rich and poor, powerful and weak grows ever larger, people have to hustle to make a living. Though some moto dops can be dishonest, tourist-swindling jaba addicts, most are pretty decent guys. And I respect their drive and hustle in this place of unbridled capatalism.

So my plan for now is to teach and live in the city. I don’t know how long I will stay, but I think I will eventually get back on the road. There are many places to see (my next destinations will be Burma and Indonesia) and I have never stayed in one place for very long. Going travelling again requires saving money – something I have never been good at. We’ll see.

In the meantime, if you stop by Phnom Penh give me a shout. I welcome visitors to this fair city.

Cheers,
Neil

Hello, my name is Neil, I’m 23 from Minneapolis, MN. I have been living here in Minnesota since I graduated from Bates College in Lewiston, ME in June 2003.

During my senior year of college, I decided that after graduation I wanted to live abroad for a while. I had spent a semester living in Vienna, Austria during my junior year and loved the experience. Errands that seemed like a chore here in the US became exciting challenges. I loved meeting new people, not understanding a thing, and getting lost. My grandfather spent most of his life living in various locations around the world, working in telecommunications. I probably got the travel bug from him.

Once I decided that the expatriate lifestyle was for me, I needed a means to finance an extended trip. Luckily, I am a native English speaker and my skills are in high demand all over the world.

I came home last summer and enrolled in an intensive TEFL Certificate class at Hamline University. That was last August. I initially had hoped that I would be able to leave in the winter, but saving money is hard (even when you are living at home). I have a serious CD habit, have taken a few pricey trips, and enjoy the local nightlife. I think I now have enough money saved up in order to last me a little while, and if all else fails I have a return ticket.

By the end of June I will be on a plane to Bangkok, Thailand. From there, the plan is to travel overland to Hanoi, Vietnam where I hope to find a job teaching English. I have no idea when I will come back, but I do hope to stay for at least six months to a year.

One question that I am constantly asked is “Why Vietnam?” It is a hard question to answer, and I sometimes don’t know myself. I have always been interested in Asia, I want to spend some time in a developing country, it is supposed to be gorgeous, etc. The truth of the matter is that I spent countless hours on the internet researching different destinations and they all sounded amazing. There came a point when I realized that I would have an amazing experience no matter where I went, and needed to just pick a destination and go.

This travelblog is designed to keep friends and family updated as I head off on my adventure, but I welcome any and all who stumble upon this site. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions or suggestions at norskihero at yahoo.com. Enjoy, I know I will.