The next day was more than a little awkward. We said our goodbyes and I left to see if I could find a room. I went back to the place I was staying at before and they said to check back in an hour. And I ran into him again on the street and somehow asked if he wanted to get breakfast. So we both sat, and drank coffee, and waited. And then we both ended up checking in. And then we both ended up in the same room....
"Find a man who thinks your silence is beautiful." I often remember those words that an old artist told me while we were sitting in a bar in Amsterdam. It was a chance and brief encounter. He probably never would remember me or remember uttering those words. But it is a phrase that I've kept with me ever since. It may have only been appropriate that the man who once told me that was Dutch. Without really thinking I agreed to go on an overnight snorkeling trip with Jonno on Koh Rong Island, Cambodia, one of the neighboring islands of Sihanoukville. I...
The bartender, one of about seven working behind the small bar of Monkey Republic asked me where I was from. When I said "America" he didn't believe me. Apparently when they were all talking in a language I didn't understand and glancing over at me they had been taking guesses at my nationality. German or Russian was the consensus. Because they are quiet. Because they are the ones who sit alone at the bar, drinking, saying nary a word. ...
And on our next day in Phnom Penh Corey and I headed to the National Museum and Royal Palace…...
I'm really not a history buff. I'm the kind of person who can hear a roll of facts and figures and have each one go straight through her head. Who can read an entire signpost and not recall a single thing it said. Who thinks more with her heart than with her head....
Corey and I decided that one day in Battambang was more than enough. And so we caught a bus to to Phnom Penh. The buses here are weird in that you never quite know what quality of bus you'll be getting. And that you never quite know if the bus you're on is the final bus you'll be on. And you travel for hours on what seem to be backroads....
From Siem Reap, Corey and I traveled to Battambang, Cambodia. We took the bus because it was way cheaper than taking a boat but apparently the reason people actually go to Battambang is because of the boat ride…oops… But, really, there were a lot of other things to do in Battambang, Cambodia, which made the trip well worth it. Our Cambodian bus arrived in the afternoon. I hate arriving in a place not knowing where I'm going to be sleeping so I made Corey do all of the work in finding a hotel to stay in. Which he did in like...
I'd never gotten a massage before. I don't really like when people touch me unless it's a guy I want to sleep with. And I get bored easily. Seriously, I have trouble going to movies because by the time the previews are over I'm cursing that I have to sit there for another 2 hours. ...
While in Siem Reap I had the privilege of traveling with Corey on the date of his one year travel anniversary! We began the day's celebration by waking up ridiculously early to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat… Watching the colorful sky illuminate the Khmer temples was well worth the early start time, but afterwards we went back to our hotel and went back asleep for a few more hours… After resting up we went back out to explore more temples then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing by the pool, ordering up some cocktails, eating some fried fish...
Exploring temples all day can make a girl tired. So after our first day of biking around Angkor Wat, Corey and I headed back to our hotel for a little r&r around the pool. And maybe a pineapple-y cocktail. That night we headed out to meet some others for drinks, get more two-for-one cocktails, explore the Siem Reap and Angkor Wat nightlife. And maybe get a shot that was set on fire… By that time, I was starving. And maybe a little drunk. But definitely starving. We found a place to eat, had some dumplings, had some cashew stir fry. We stumbled...