Cambodia

I just got into Phnom Penh within the last hour. I must say I'm not too thrilled about Cambodia. The main reason it's on my itinerary at all is because I had to cross it to get to Vietnam and Angkor is one of those can't-miss sites. As soon as our bus pulled up to the guesthouse in Phnom Penh, a crowd of motorbike and tuk-tuk drivers crowded around the entrance. I had to push my way through them just to get off the bus. They wait outside the guesthouse and just now I was followed by one of them the whole length of the 20 feet between my guesthouse and the internet cafe.

I understand that I need to keep perspective on this and realize that these folks are just trying to make a living. Both with the touts and the child beggars, it's clear both how poor ordinary Cambodians are compared to the way we live at home and how hard they try to make an honest living. Still, as a travelever, constantly being hassled begins to wear on you. And I've only been here less than a week! I've found that I actually avoid doing things I want to do (taking a tuk-tuk somewhere in the city, for example) because I'm so annoyed by the hassle of being accosted. I'm growing pretty wary of this already, but recognize I need to toughen up as I continue my trip as Vietnam is known to have similarly aggressive touts.

My trip is planned so that I will do the "hard" part first (overland through Cambodia and Vietnam, lots of buses and trains, visiting tourist sites) and the "fun" part (relaxing on beaches in Bali, scuba diving off the coast of Thai Islands, trekking through Malaysian rainforest, etc.) second as a reward and because it's easier. So I have that to look forward to.

The bus trip here from Siem Reap was a bit of an experience. I paid for the cheaper bus ($5) and me and a Japanese guy were the only foreigners on board. I sat next to a young girl who was carrying her sister on her lap most of the way. At our pit stops, most of the men walked straight to the back of the market to pee on the wall or the trees so I followed suit only to see afterwards that they passed by some urinals on the way over to do that. I was very confused. The road between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh is 2-lanes and mostly paved but shared with a scattering of motorobikes, cars, and cattle. Every now and then, the bus would brake suddenly and everyone would rubberneck to see what was going on before we proceeded onward. At one of the stops I met a nice Irish couple. They had clearly been traveling for a little while already, as they seemed to take this journey in stride, so I chatted them up for a bit. Turns out they've already been here for 5 weeks, though Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Laos and are traveling for a total of 6 months - to Vietnam then up through China and Mongolia across the trans-Siberian railroad and finally finishing in Italy! What an adventure! We had a great chat and I'm learning that I need to just not be shy about breaking the ice and chatting up fellow travelers, as most are quite nice and if I don't I'll be quite lonely for the rest of this trip.

I think I'm going to try to explore Phnom Penh a little bit today (if I can work up the courage to leave the 50-foot radius of the guesthouse and internet cafe) and then do a tour of the Killing Fields tomorrow. Then on Tuesday I plan to enter Vietnam through the Mekong Delta and will be spending almost three weeks there. As much as that sounds like a lot of time, I have a pretty ambitious plan to see lots of the country from the far South all the way to the far North so I probably won't have much "free" time, which is fine. When I was talking to the Irish couple, they noted how for them so far, it's been a lot of work just traveling and constantly going from place to place. I woke up before 7 this morning to get on the bus here, so I understand what they mean.

Still, it is amazing to be traveling, soaking in the richness of new cultures and places.

My legs are officially being devoured by the mosquitoes. I am increasingly concerned about contracting dengue fever (there is no vaccine - the only preventative measure is taking steps to avoid mosquito bites) so maybe I will go to the market to get pants and long sleeved shirts. I was a little baffled as to why all locals wear such hot clothes in this weather but now I understand...