Working in Cambodia: Week 1

Well, what can I say? I am now an un-official citizen of Cambodia...well, at least for the next month!

After sleeping in my room until 1:00 pm upon arriving in Bangkok from Koh Phangan, I ventured out onto Khao San Road for lunch, unexpectedly but happily surprised to run right into my old American pals Mike and Max, who were in town for the day. We spent al of the day together, catching up on the last few weeks since we saw each other last. I eventually said goodbye to them both, as Mike was heading north to Chiang Mai and Max was catching an early-morning flight back home to the States.

Monday morning, I decided to forego the ubiquitous, overpriced travel agencies and took a taxi to the Eastern Bangkok bus station. I took the 11:00 am bus out, and after a five-hour ride through torrential rains, I arrived in the small town of Trat just after 4:00 pm. I checked into a lovely guesthouse, went to the market for some new flip-flops (as pair number six died a quick death while walking down the street), and in a fit of homesickness, had a disgusting meal of a chicken and Cheez-Whiz pita wrap at the local KFC.

Early Tuesday morning, I was back at the Trat bus station, this time to board a 6:00 am mini-bus for the one-hour journey to the border. I went through the typically painstaking Camodian entrance rigamorale, avoiding outrageous "processing fees" with a flash of my smile and request for a receipt (the border officials told me that I looked like a movie star...believe me, I was milking that one for all it was worth!), and was soon on a motorbike to the port of Koh Khong. I arrived at the boat just in time for the 8:00 am (and only) departure for Sihanoukville. After a refreshing three-hour ride throught the beautiful blue waters, the boat pulled into the Sihanoukville port, where Cooper's smiling face was waiting to take me into town.

After treating Cooper to lunch, we went to my new home for the next month, 99 Guesthouse. I checked into Room #6, two bungalows down from Cooper, unpacked my bags, and after hanging up my hammock, relaxed on the porch, taking in my new surroundings. I eventually met Eisa, a lovely German girl who also works at Utopia.

That night, Cooper, Eisa, and I hopped on Cooper's motorbike and headed down to Utopia. Utopia is a bar at the far end of Ochheuteal Beach in Sihanoukville best known for its late-night parties three nights a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays) and dancing on the beach. Unfortunately, it had been raining all day, so only a few people showed up. It was the perfect opportunity to meet my fellow coworkers and get a feel for the place, but disappointing to see how much things have slowed down since my visit with Erin back in March. We closed relatively early that night, and I happily fell into bed for a much-needed sleep.

Wednesday was a day of lounging around the beach, checking email, and getting myself settled into my new home. On Thursday, we all met up at Utopia at 2:00 pm to walk the beach and hand out flyers for the night's party. That night was my bartending debut. Fortunately, more people showed up, but not so many that I was swamped. I have never bartended in my life, but found it to be relatively easy. Except for the occasional Long Island Iced Tea, I did my best to make decent drinks.

Friday was another lazy day on the beach, relaxing from the previous late night and in preparation for Saturday's big party. Saturday night was Eisa's last and we were quite busy, so I definitely worked my butt off. I love being busy, and it is loads of fun meeting all sorts of people, not to mention laugh at all the drunk people attempting to dance and engage in various cloudy-minded activites. Working here definitely gives me a better respect for all the bartenders in the world! Sunday and Monday were much-needed rest days, and tonight is another big party night. I must say, I have been here for six days now, and I can see how easy it would be to get stuck here. I am glad I made the decision to come here, as it is a great way to pass the time, save money, and hopefully plan for my upcoming trip to India!

Thailand: Full Moon Party

On Tuesday afternoon, Anna-Karin, Tom, and I took the afternoon bus out of Krabi to Surat Thani. It was a rainy day, and to our chagrin we had to endure the wetness through the roof and floorboard of our rickety bus. Upon arriving in Surat Thani, we sadly said goodbye to Tom, who is headed back home to his job, before boarding our overnight boat to Koh Phangan. This boat, or ferry, consisted of two levels of numbered cots lining the floors where you plop down and attempt to sleep the night away. After a couple sleeping pills and my trusty earplugs and eye mask, I was out for the count and dreaming.

We arrived in Koh Phangan around 5:00 am, hopped on a saangthaew, and headed to our Family Bungalows, where Julz had so kindly reserved a room for us the day before. He showed us to our small room, which was currently being occupied by Jay, a guy from San Francisco, and we immediately fell asleep.

Once we were all awake, Anna-Karin and I got the chance to really meet Jay, a Swiss girl Sarah, and Aimee, Julz's girlfriend who had just arrived from New Zealand. Julz had met Sarah and Jay on his trip from Tonsai to Koh Phangan. After realing that most of the accomodations on Haad Rin were now full, Sarah, Jay, AK and I decided to share our tiny (bathroom-less) bungalow and it's one teeny bed for the next few days. After breakfast, we all went to the beach, where we tossed around the frisbee, swam to keep cool in the intense heat, and started getting excited about the energy that was coming from all the other people on the beach.

That evening, after dinner, the six of us went to a Reggae bar, where we got hold of glowing, flourescent paints, and the next thing we knew, we were all covered in temporary tatoos and other nonsense. We were having a terrific time on this night before the full moon party, typically the night most people take it easy due to the following night's festivities. However, we were so excited to be there that we could not help but enjoy ourselves. At midnight, the streets went wild as the Thais began to ring in their New Year with the great water festival. Thais were standing on the street corners, shooting water pistols and dumping the contents of their water buckets onto the heads of passersby, as well as throwing about handfuls of baby powder.

After all the paint and water madness, we went down to the beach, where Julz impressed the crowds with his amazing fire staff spinning. Unfortunately, an erratic, firey poi ball (also used for fire spinning...it's a ball attached to the end of a chain) flew out of the darkness and pounded Julz right in the temple. Within minutes, he was stumbling around and mumbling nonsense...sure-fire signs of a concussion. The others helped him to the emergency clinic while it was my job to find the motorbike and take it home. I immediately fell asleep, and the others arrived back later. Fortunately, the next morning Julz was feeling much better; however, he had a huge doctor's bill with which to deal.

We spent much of Thursday back on the beach with thousands of other people, Also, this was the official day of the New Year and its Water Festival, so you could not walk three feet without getting soaked by the giddy Thais and occasional foreigner running about the streets, armed with Super Soakers and other water-holding devices.
By 8:00 pm, after a day of lazying around in anticipation of the evening, we were beginning to get our second wind and feeling the excitement of the Full Moon Party. I had heard that as many as thirty thousand people descend upon the beach at Haad Rin each month, and I heard that this was going to be one of the biggest full moon parties in ages because of the coinciding water festival. Around midnight, we drove motorbikes from our bungalow through the mad streets of Koh Phangan to the booming beach at Haad Rin. Thousands of other people our age were also making the mecca to the beach.

As we were nearing the end of the street and preparing to cross through a sandy alleyway onto the beach, I immediately felt myself shiver and the goosebumps popped out on my arms as I was hit with the sights of thousands of sweaty people dancing, music from tons of bars blasting catchy music, brightly colored lights and strobes flashing over the white sand, and of course the beautiful white moon reflecting off the swimmer-filled ocean. It was definitely a sight worth seeing, and we immediately jumped in with the crowd and joined in the dancing.

Around 4:00 am, tired and sweaty, we walked down to the quiet end of the beach to relax, where we met David, a friendly Swede, and together we all went for a swim in the ocean. Soon, the sky began to lighten with a soft pink glow, and we settled on the beach to enjoy the gorgeous sunrise. After the sunrise, David and I wandered over to a huge group of rocks over the water at the far end of the beach for another morning swim. Finally, around 9:00 am, we walked back along the beach towards town. Amazingly, in the mid-morning heat and sunlight of 9:00, there were still hundreds of people dancing on the beach and in the bars. We had breakfast, and then I finally crashed in my hammock at the bungalow.

Friday afternoon, after a short sleep, we all took advantage of the incoming clouds and, feeling quite tired and lazy, we all chilled out at our bungalow for a bit before AK and I headed down to the beach for a swim. David and I threw around the frisbee around sunset, just as a steady rain began to fall on the sand. That evening, once the rains had subsided, we all had one last dinner together before lying on the beach and watching the stars. Finally, around 2:00 am, I made my way back to the bungalow, settled into the hammock (as I refused to share a bed with three other people!) and crashed for the night.

I was determined to have some kind of game plan as to what I would do with myself until I meet Chris on June 1st. Even though I do not necessarily have the money to do so, I began liking the idea of going down to Malaysia after the Full Moon Party, and I even have some friends down there that I was planning to meet in Kuala Lumpur on the 15th. However, I received an email from my pal Cooper, informing me that there would soon be an opening for a female bartender at his workplace on the beach in Sihanoukville, cambodia. I decided it is an offer I cannot pass up, so on Saturday morning, after bidding a sad goodbye to all of my friends, I hopped aboard an overnight bus to Bangkok. I arrived around 4:00 this morning, checked into a room at Ranee's, and slept until 1:00 pm. I am planning on taking a bus to the Thailand/Cambodian border tomorrow as I make my way to Sihanoukville for the next phase of my trip!

Thailand: Ko Phi Phi

Saturday morning at 8:00 am, Julz, Leoni, Anna-Karin, Tom, and I hopped on the large ferry to Ko Phi Phi. We arrived on the small, pristine island around lunchtime, and after checking into the cheapest rooms we could find, we headed straight out to the beautiful beach for a refreshing swim.

It has been over a year since the tsunami that completely wiped out the island, killing hundreds of people, but even with all the rebuilding efforts that are still taking place on Phi Phi, it is still obvious what happened. There are very few trees left on the island, and I could not help but paying a silent respect to the few lone palm trees that surely saved the lives of several people. After our swim and a quick lunch of Phad Thai, Tom and I geared up and walked to the end of the beach for some amazing climbs. We managed to get in about three or four climbs each, enjoyed the amazing views from the top, and eventually met up with the others for dinner.

After dinner, we wandered around various bars in the area, catching the nightlife that is Phi Phi is renowned for. I even ran into a few people I knew, including a group of Canadians that I worked across the street from in Korea. After a long night of dancing, we all eventually headed back to our rooms and crashed.

We spent Saturday morning lazying around on the beach, spinning poi, throwing the frisbee, and relaxing in beach chairs before saying goodbye to Leoni and catching the afternoon ferry back to Tonsai. That night, tired from all the activity, AK, Julz, Tom, and I had dinner and sat on the beach watching the fire shows before bidding goodnight.

Julz headed off to Koh Phangan Monday morning, and Tom and I decided to go for a multi-pitch climb on our last day in Tonsai. It took alot of effort to get geared up, but we eventually arrived at the "Beauty and the Beast" crag around 4:00 pm, giving us just enough time to scale the three pitches and get back down just as it was turning dark. AK, Tom, and I enjoyed one final dinner together. Of course, getting through the last few days of climbing without any injuries was just too good to be true, and I managed to slice a huge hunk off my big toe that evening while walking along the beach. Tom gave me some excellent medical attention, though.

After much persuasion, I have decided to go with Anna-Karin to Koh Phangan for the famous monthly Full Moon Party. We are going to meet up with Julz there, where he is arranging for a bungalow for us in Haad Rin. I have never really had the desire to go to this party where thousands upon thousands of people spend the night (and the following day) dancing on the beach, likening it to the always-disappointing New Year's Eve, but seeing as I am absolutely clueless about what to do with myself until I meet Chris in India in June, I am open to any and all ideas. Therefore, I am off to Koh Phangan for the next few days.

After that, I am not sure what my plans are. I originally planned to travel from Vietnam to the Philippines, then on to Indonesia and Malaysia before going to India. However, my money (and time) situation is not what I was anticipating it to be, so I am hoping in the next few days I can figure out what to do. My options at the moment are either heading down to Malaysia for a couple weeks, spending a month back in Tonsai climbing, or going with the plan of finding a job in Cambodia for a month. Let's just hope that I can decide something quickly!

Thailand: Tonsai

After a relatively uneventful overnight bus trip, I arrived Tuesday morning back in Tonsai. Not surprisingly, after the wonderful memories I made of the place back in January, my return felt like I was coming home after a long trip. Not only did many of the people who work in the area remember me, including the employees at Andaman Bungalows and the man at the internet shop, but I was also amazed to run into various other climbers that I met months ago.

I settled into my bungalow, unpacked, and immediately hung up my hammock to enjoy the lazy afternoon. A guy in a bungalow across the way from me was doing the exact same thing, and before long we were chatting. Before I had time to fall asleep in my drowsy state, Graham and I were loaded down with our gear and off to Railay for a quick climb. I found that my confidence was extremely too high. When I left Tonsai in February after over two weeks of climbing, I was scrambling up some pretty difficult climbs. However, my last two months of no exercise worth mentioning and entirely too much over-eating have made for a considerable loss of strength and power. So, after a couple frustrating climbs, I decided to call it a day and rest my fatigued arms.

On Wednesday, Graham and I got up and went out for a full day of climbing. I was still feeling a bit weak and sore but managed to complete a few climbs before finally succumbing to my jelly arms. That night, we met some other climbers, Chris and Rebecca, a couple from Germany, as well as English Tom and Kiwi Julz. Together, with my old Swedish pal Anna-Karin (we planned back in Vietnam to meet in Thailand, so she decided to come down to Tonsai for some climbing lessons), we all had a lovely dinner on the beach.

Yesterday was a rest day for me...I slept in, layed around in my hammock for a bit, and then finally found a nice shaded spot on the beach to plop myself for some much-needed Vitamin D. While lounging on the beach, I met Leoni, a friendly Canadian who was on a short holiday from work. I invited her to dinner, where we joined the other members of our newly-formed "posse" and made plans to climb today.

Therefore, this morning, Leoni, Tom, Julz, Chris, Rebecca, and I, loaded withour gear, waded around the rocks of Tonsai to Eagle Wall (the one and only site of my late-night, lost in the jungle without a flashlight incident back in January). We had a wonderful day of climbing in this remote spot, and we enjoyed a packed lunch of fried chicken and sticky rice mid-afternoon. Finally, just before sunset, we hiked out of the jungle, had a refreshing swim on our "private beach," and hailed a passing longboat to take us back to Tonsai.

In order for a change of scenery, a few of us are going to take the ferry to Ko Phi Phi tomorrow. The boat ride is pretty expensive, as are accomodations, food, and most everything else in Phi Phi, but I have always wanted to check out this little island that was devastated by the tsunami, as well as try some of the climbs.

Thailand: Bangkok...Again

After a relatively uneventful (and fortunately, half-full) flight, Erin and I wearily arrived in Bangkok last night around midnight. We shared a metered cab with a Scottish fellow for the hour-long jaunt to Khao San Road, finally entering the familiar territory around 1:00 am. I led us to my previous Bangkok home, Ranee's, but the place was full, so we opted for next door at the New Joe Guesthouse. Erin and I settled into our room, had one final conversation, and drifted off to sleep.

Erin was up at the crack of dawn to head back to the airport to begin the next leg of her trip in Nepal. I roused myself just long enough to give her a sad hug, and fell back to sleep. I finally dragged myself out of bed around 9:30, had breakfast, and set off for a walk around town. The first, and most important part of my day was figuring out where to go from here. After a small amount of deliberation (and almost booking a bus to meet some friends in Koh Chang), I bought a 400 Baht bus ticket south to Krabi.

As my climbing bag was kindly taken back down to Tonsai by Kira, a climber I ran into in Chiang Mai, I have no choice but to head down there to reunite with it. Of course, I will definitely get in some climbing, a much-needed exercise option to burn off some of this fat I obviously gained in Vietnam! Fortunately, this side trip gives me another week before having to make any decisions about where to go next!

Vietnam: Deep Thoughts

Before coming to Vietnam, I had heard varying reports from people, from "It was the most amazing place I've ever visited, I wish I had been there longer!" to "It was an absolute dump, and I hated every minute there!" I am glad I had over three weeks to form my own personal opinions of the place.

The country is indeed the most eclectic country I have visited, with remarkable differences in the language, food, and culture of the south and the north. The most notable, as well as frustrating difference in the two regions was the personality of the people. Whereas the folks in the south were friendly and accomodating to us foreigners, the people of Hanoi, especially, were quite unpleasant, giving off the undeniable impression that we were unwelcome visitors. However, I will not stereotype completely by classifying all northern Vietnamese in this fashion. The people we encountered on our motorbike trip were very friendly and curious, and we had excellent experiences with the people that ran our Hanoi guesthouse. I guess it really just depends on who you meet...but it is hard to forget the overzealous motorbike drivers who screamed "Fu** You!" on our first day in Hanoi...

Vietnam seemed to be the biggest party place I have been to since arriving in Southeast Asia. Of course, apart from our northwest loop, we did pretty much stick to the "Tourist Trail," so it was quite difficult escaping the hordes of young recent-graduate backpackers who would rather drink beer and fruity shots by night and loung around on the beach by day than see the sights of true Vietnam. Now of course, I have no right to judge, as I was just as guilty as the next person in wasting away a few days here and there, but I am fortunate to say that I did manage to truly explore off of the beaten track.

As for my favorite place in Vietnam, hands down it would be on the seat of our Russian Minsk Motorcycle, AKA "Gaston". Outside of the amazing places we visited on our ride through the northwest, I also loved Hoi An. Despite the hassles and hardships I endured (as well as lots of wasted money) attempting to have clothes made, the beach was beautiful and the friendly travelers gave it a close-knit, neighborhood feel. I did not spend enough time in Saigon to form a very good opinion, but I can say that it was a much more pleasant place than Hanoi, as far as big cities go. As for the beaches, Mui Ne was disgusting, with dead rats and garbage washing ashore, and Nha Trang felt like a frat-party.

The food in Vietnam was did not include a very wide selection, as the options basically ranged from Pho Soup (which, I finally happily discovered, is best in the north) and Com Pho, a meal that basically consists of rice and a protein condiment and vegetable.

Overall, we had a great time, and it was a wonderful final three weeks to spend traveling with Erin. We met some fabulous people, from the Brits Chris, Arlene, and the loony Craig down south, to more Brits in Hoi An. And lets not forget the fun of running into and spending a wild time with some old faces, namely the American boys Evan, Mike, and Max and the French Canadians Bea and David, as well as our old Swedish friends Anna-Karin and David.

And last but not least, some final thoughts. I have given up my short-lived dream of being a clothing designer, as dealing with the nightmares involved in having the thoughts in my head come alive in fabric is enough to give me an ulcer. I will never forget the extreme friendliness and courteousness of the village people in the northwest who went out of their way on numerous occasions to help two ditzy girls who had no clue where they were going, what they should order to eat, or how to fix a motorcycle. If I never eat another vegetable baguette or tofu with tomatoes I will not be disappointed. Even after questioning numerous Vietnamese and travelers, I still have no clue why Vietnamese have one long fingernail. Finally, why the government makes it impossible to access Blogspot is beyond me.

Vietnam was a beautiful country, and I am thankful for a (mostly) warm reception by the people toward someone who's motherland wreaked havoc on this fascinating place!

Vietnam: Last Night in Hanoi

Despite the heavy exhaustion from our six-day motorcycle trek, Erin and I decided to have one final night on the town to celebrate our victory in surviving, as well as a farewell party of sorts. We took nice cold showers, could not be bothered to dress up, and had dinner at our fave vegetarian joint before heading to one of the legendary Hanoi street corners to imbibe in fresh microbrewed beer. We sat down on small plastic stools with a couple hippy, American fellows and sipped our weak beer while people-watching.

Eventually, the beer ran out, and we climbed onto motorbikes to travel across town to a nightclub. By this time it was about 12:30 am, and we were disappointed to find that the club was to close its doors at 1:00 am. Therefore, we headed back to the Old Quarter to crawl around several small pubs before once again taking a motorbike to the Barracuda, a classy establishment located on the edge of town.

We spent the better half of the evening chatting it up to some Danish guys and attempting to dance to cheezy 90s rock music. Finally, in the wee hours of Sunday morning, tired and sweaty, we cabbed it back to the Old Quarter and crashed into bed.

This morning, after sleeping in, we ate breakfast before wandering one last time through the Old Quarter. We visited a book shop, where I traded in The Da Vinci Code (the most over-rated book I have ever read in my life, in my humble opinion) for Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "Love in the Time of Cholera".

Tonight we leave Vietnam and fly to Bangkok. This is a very strange and bittersweet time for me as A) After two months of traveling together, Erin and I will say goodbye, as she heads on to Nepal tomorrow and B) I have absolutely no idea where to go from here. I decided to fly to Bangkok to get my bearings, but all I know for certain is that I am meeting my mate Chris in India June 1st. My options at the moment are either heading down to Malaysia and Indonesia, wasting time in Thailand, or finding a job bartending on the beach in Cambodia. Big Decisions!!!

Vietnam: Motorcycle Diaries, Day 6 (185 km)

After disgusting ourselves out by our cookie binge session last night (along with the added realization that the past week has involved nothing but sitting, eating, and lying down), Erin and I awoke just after 7:00 am for a much-needed workout. After an hour of lunges, crunches, jump rope, and donkey kicks, we took cold showers before hopping onto Gaston. Erin began the day's drive...it is such a relief to not have to drive the whole day straight!

It was a pretty uneventful day...our first without any crashes (although we did have a few near-misses, as usual) or visits to a repair shop. Erin did almost hit a buffalo, though! After lunch, we changed seats and I began to drive. Even though I have enjoyed my time with Gaston, I was glad knowing that it was the last time I would be in the driver's seat of the Minsk!

As we pulled up to Cuong's Bike Shop, the two employees' faces immediately lit up...Frankly, I think they have been holding their breaths this past week, wondering if we would ever make it back to the storefront alive! I certainly do not blame them!

Erin and I gave the employees hugs, gave ourselves a pat on the back for a job well done, and immediately went back to our hotel for showers and to send our disgusting clothing to the laundry shop. I have been wearing the same khaki pants, green fleece, blue t-shirt, and stinky socks for the past six days...I am not sure if cleaning will help, but I figure it is worth a try!

Tonight is mine and Erin's last night in Vietnam...it is also our last real night together! Tomorrow evening we fly together to Bangkok, and she is going on to Nepal on April 3rd. As for me, I have no idea what I am doing next! Hopefully, I will figure it out on the flight!