Update
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
Tags: About Me
Neil
December 20th, 2004 at 8:37 pm
Neil, do get to save money and head to Indonesia. I’ve read much about it and know it’s a wonderful country. Eventually, I’ll go there too.
Keep on writing, in the meantime.
Good luck!
December 22nd, 2004 at 12:42 am
i could help myself, i registered the domain MotoDops.com. i think i am going to start a gang………
December 22nd, 2004 at 6:47 pm
Neil! Sounds like things are going really well. It’s been great reading the blog and the photos are really fantastic. Makes me want to get out of the city. If you send me your address I’ll see what I can do to send you some books.
Happy Holidays!
December 23rd, 2004 at 4:36 pm
Sniggity, sounds like you are enjoying life. Kudos, my good man. All is well in Boston, nothing out of the ordinary to comment on. Next time you are in Thailand, get some Thai food in my honor. I love that stuff. Hope all is well. Keep on pimpin’ like you always do.
Have a good holiday, buddy.
December 26th, 2004 at 8:13 pm
in the midst of preparing to embark on a semester in
thailand i found myself reading your blog. it’s fabulous. i love your
writing style. i’ll probably end up starting a blog of my own to keep
up my writing skills .
in one entry you said something about getting tefl certification so
you could teach. i’ve been looking into traveling to south america to
teach english after i graduate and most of the schools i’ve found
through online searches require tefl.
was it necessary in your experience? an honest to goodness program and
not a scam? (which is what keeps popping up in the back of my
head….)
ack. anyhow, i don’t even know you and i’m trying to bombard you with
questions. sorry.
like i said before, i love your writing style. keep it up.
December 27th, 2004 at 12:06 pm
Neil-
Let us know that you are still living over there. Third World may be a laid back style of life, but somehow I gotta believe the disaster infrastracture is subpar. I know Cambodia wasn’t hit all that hard, but let us know you’re still strong, still standing.
December 28th, 2004 at 5:31 am
I hope you’re alright! Like Keith said, let us know everything is OK. I keep on watching updates and news coverage of all the countries damaged by the earthquake/tsunami and I can only cross my fingers you’re alive, and probably being a hero and helping other people… let us know you’re still there and in good health!
December 28th, 2004 at 10:15 pm
Squeege,
Hope your doing alright over there buddy. Give us an update on whats going on over there. I have been glued to the tube, watching this disaster unfold. Happy new year and stay safe budd.
-goat
January 1st, 2005 at 1:46 pm
I wil be in PP sometime around the 9th.
How does one go about “giving you a shout”?