What a Beautiful Day for the Beach...

Not.  Good thing we have good company!

Yesterday, we went to Sihnoukville.  A place with beautiful beaches, warm cozy water, and lots of sun...or at least we thought that's what we were going to get.  I said before that we got our first taste of monsoon season the other day, but I don't think we really got it until yesterday.  Down pour to the point of flooding.  Lovely day for the beach right?

We should have read the signs.  We were taking the 1:30 am bus to Shinoukville which I almost slept through (thank god for Rebecca, Ruchi, and Laura for knocking on our door).  We hussled over to the bus stop by Tuk-Tuk thinking we were going to make it close for our bus, but the opposite happened.  We waited, waited, waited, I feel asleep on Rebecca's luggage in my lap, and before we knew it, it was 3:30 am.  "The bus is broken, but it will be here soon".  We heard this a million times.  As we continues to stared at the numberous geckos on the ceiling (and get pooped on by them-Rebecca), we finally saw a bunch of Tuk-Tuk drivers run across the road to meet an arriving bus.  We hopped on and were finally on our way to our destination.

Top: View of Victory Beach
Second: Our first set of wild monkeys to see
Third: Victory Beach
Bottom: Flooding from the monsoon outside of our restaurant

Needless to say, we all passed out as soon as we sat down.  It was a about an hour later that we realized it felt like it was sub zero in our bus.  We all grabbed every extra item we had and used it as a cover in order to warm up.  I can't express enough how ridiculously cold it was to a girl in a bathing suit, shorts, and a T-shirt.  Cold but excited, I somehow managed to fall back asleep only to wake to a rainy day in wonderful Sihnoukville.

We got off the bus only to be greeted by about 10 taxi drivers offering rides to the city.  We stood there weary eyed and wet waiting for the people to start to thin out.  A little Cambodian man approached us who spoke English very well, so we decided he would be our driver for the day.  After stopping for some much needed grub, we realized the rain was not about to let up.  It was so loud in the restaurant from the rain we could barely even hear eachother speak!  We decided to call back Mr. Im and take him up on his offer for a tour of the city by car, and I think all of us can honestly say it was the best decision we have made yet.

Mr. Im began to describe his city and tell us about the beaches, what to see, etc.  We passed a huge house and commented on how it was the Prime Ministers house.  He also pointed out that he had expanded his house to build a garden, completely ruining the small farms to its right.  This began our conversation about the corruption in Cambodia.  Mr. Im had an associates degree in English but could not afford to go get his bachelors because he had to drive in order to take care of his family.  His parents were still weak in health due to the harsh conditions of the Khmer Rouge so it was his job to take care of the family.  As we drove around the city, he pointed out all the Chinese, Russian, Japanese, and USA investments in development of large 5 star resorts and huge apartment buildings.  One of these buildings was heartbreaking as it was a large apartment building that sat on the side of one of the cites slums.  He said "no money, no honey", meaning money can buy you anything in this country.  He said these people don't follow the any laws and pay for their government positions.  They would rather expand their mansions than pay for better drainage systems.  They would rather develop big hotels than educate their people.  It was truly an first hand experience that we all walked away from realizing the reality of our surroundings.  What we have learned all about was true, and these were the people directly effected by it. 

On a lighter note, we went to the central market since it was inside and walked around a bit until the lights went completely out.  We realized that it doesn't matter where you are in the world, when the lights go out, there is a universal reaction.  An "oooooooohhh" echoed through the entire market.  We left and went back to the beach, had some lunch, played some cards, and Rebecca and I could no longer resist, we had to get into the water.

The night market after the lights went out

Cooked squid by the beach

The waved were massive and the water was a perfect luke warm.  We ran in, jumped around in the rain and water, and came out forgetting that the weather itself was poor.  We were having a great time despite mothers natures plans.  We walked further down the beach in our ponchos and noticed that the beach was mostly occupied by Cambodian people.  The people here are quite modest and even swim in their clothes instead of bathing suits.  After a quick chat we walked back to meet up with everyone to chill and pass the time until our new friend, Mr. Im, came to pick us up to take us to the bus again.  Of course right when he came, the rain finally stopped.  Just our luck.

He took us back to the bus station and we said our goodbyes promising him we would see him again.  Once on the bus, we continued the 4 hour trek back to the city with our crazy bus driver weaving around buses, cars, trucks, and motos.  After another FREEZING trip, we finally made it home safe and sound, while the temperature outside suddenly had a dethawing effect.  I still don't think I have recovered from the cold.

Another view of Victory Beach

The coldness of the bus taking its toll

Although we were battling the elements, it was still a blast.  The water was great, we saw monkeys, and we had a great time together.  At least I know one thing, the girls I am here with are awesome, and no matter where you put us or what you throw at us, we are bound to have a good time.

The First 48

We woke up bright an early that morning to see the sunrise over the Mekong River only to find that we were locked into our guesthouse.  We knew the bar opened at 7:00, so we quickly ran back to bed and began our first round of texting all of our friends and family to let them know we made it.  Still weary of our surroundings...but we were safe.
Once we could get out of our place, the other 3 wonderful girls came over to our place to eat some irish/khmer breakfast.  We had everything on the table from curry to omelets.  And we sure can't forget about those Bloody Mary's.  After we were done with our breakfast (that totaled to around 10 dollars for everyone), we took our first steps out of those scary open doors leading to the unknown world.  We walked across the street to check out the national museum, but were quickly halted by our first Tuk-Tuk driver.  The Tuk-Tuk is basically a rickshaw with a variety of different colors seats and decorations.  He offered us a ride to S-21, the detention center during the regime of the Khmer Rouge.  We took his offer and headed on our first trip through the city with wide eyes and open ears.  We were ready to embrace this place.

S-21 is utterly depressing.  It is a school converted into prison in which many people were tortured, interrogated, and taken from to the "killing fields" to be executed.  We watched a movie of a personal account of two people in the prison and walked around saddened by the pictures and all of the material confiscated from the prison after the Khmer Rouge was taken over.  This includes pictures of everyone that went into the prison, beds they were tied to, shackle bars that binded their feet together, and a multitude of different torture devices.  We left with much more respect for the people of Cambodia due to the magnitude of suffering these people felt and the fight they have put up to control their own country.

As we left S-21, we got our first taste of Monsoon season! It started out with sporadic large rain drops which slowly became closer and closer to one another over time until it was a torrential down pour.  This is no Oklahoma weather either.  This is the most intense rain I have ever seen.  And of course, what else to do but to stand in it and enjoy the cool wet rain on this hot humid day.  We jumped in the Tuk-Tuk and headed back to the National Museum by our hotel.  It was full of artifacts and statues that represent the Buddhist culture of Cambodia.  Ruchi, familiar with Hinduism, was very informative on the statues and what they represented.  The attention to detail was outstanding on many of the pieces in the museum.  Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed inside, so I guess that means you will just have to come visit on your own. 

After this, our confused bodies were ready for a nap.  This resulted in all of us sleeping too long and Meghan and I droggily walking down to the bar to have a beer and dinner (best beef stew ever) to only go back up and fall asleep again.  This time we managed to sleep in until 6 and woke up refreshed and ready to start our 2nd day in this wonderful little city. 

So far, every meal has been amazing.  From noodle dishes to curries to irish stew...they have been the best meals I have ever had in my life.  You sit down at every restaurant and experience a meal with good company and no rush.  The food takes a bit because it is fresh and prepared on the spot and the check is given whenever you decide that you are ready to leave.  I wish that other places could adapt these norms...:)

Day 2 began with some breakfast on the river.  Our hotel is in walking distance to the Mekong River, both a spot to find some fellow foreigners and this thing they call happy pizza (look it up if you are interested...:) ).  We grabbed another Tuk-Tuk and went to the Russian Market.  This is the epicenter of shopping.  Whatever you want they have it.  Real Northface backpacks for 5 dollars, Banana Republic and Gap clothes, Chuck and Nike shoes...you name it, they probably make it and sell it for dirt cheap here.  We walked around in the intense heat (especially inside considering you have about arms length from shop to shop filled with massive amount of clothes, jewelry, etc.) bargaining and buying.  I spent a total of 8 dollars for a dress, a fan, a t-shirt, and a nice watch.  It would take you 3 days to truly see everything in the Russian Market.  One thing is for sure, we will be going back often.

We have found a liking of fruit vender's, especially the ones that sell coconuts.  The coconuts are 2000 riel, the equivalent to 50 cents.  They cut the top open and wa-la, fresh coconut water.  Its amazing, along with the hairy Asian fruit and the pineapple.  We have only begun this tour of Cambodian fruit.

After the Russian Market, we showered the sweat off and headed down for another fantastic meal.  Some of the highlights of eating so far have been this restaurant with amazing mash potatoes, cheese filled crepes and garlic bread and a previous restaurant with Thai/Khmer food.  The Thai/Khmer food place was an experience.  We took off our shoes and sat down on bed of pillows, drank beer and ate amazing pad thai and stir fried morning glory's.  Weird, I know, but AMAZING.  We are falling more in love every minute.

After wrapping up dinner, we retired back to our hotel, only to find ourselves placed comfortably at the bar talking the night away with our new American and Australian friends.  I don't know if we were comfortably placed due to the hospitality or the 1.25 dollar beer.  All-in-all, we have began to feel comfortable enough in Phnom Pehn to walk places...even across busy streets.  I know this might sound scary, but these people are really good at doing what I like to call the "Cambodian Weave" around pedestrians. 

So far, my Saturday has been filled with relaxing moments in the other girls hotel room eagerly waiting our 1:30am bus ride to Sinhoukville...a beautiful beach south of Phnom Penh.  If I haven't convinced you yet that this place is a place to go to, just wait til you see the pictures of the beach...spectacular. 

Hello Phnom Pehn!

The time had come for us to step foot in our permanent residence for the next 2 months, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  All this talk for a year and we finally made it.  As the plane landed, you could see the oriental tops of the houses and the contrasting colors of the city.  We were finally here...

After some visa trouble (the only gave us single entry passes), we exited the airport into the world unknown.  We stood there for a moment wondering what we were going to do if someone was not there to pick us up and were suddenly ambushed by two Cambodian men with our names on a piece of paper.  This being our first trip through the city of Phnom Penh.

By the time we were on our way to our guesthouses, it was dark.  This set the scene for much uncomfort as we realized we were not in Kansas anymore Toto (or California....).  The amount of motos was ridiculous.  They weaved in and out without care, drove without helmets, and in some cases, holding their little babies on there laps.  One young girl was even standing on the seat between her father, the driver, and her mother, the passenger.  The motos and cars were so close to one another you could reach out and not only touch the person next to you, but probably hug them if you wanted.  We stared at the scenery more scared than ever being blasted by the appearance of the country.  Typically fearless Sarah suddenly felt like a small mouse surrounded by cats.  You could cut our unease with a knife.

Finally arriving to our guesthouse, we ran inside with our luggage quickly and got set up in our room.  Rory's guesthouse and pub would be our safe place until the morning light came.  Hungry, tired, and thirsty, we examined the room quickly and ran back downstairs for our first beer and food in Cambodia.  Low and behold, we were quickly absorbed by our surroundings with the help of our expat bartender from Seattle, Washington.  He assured us that we would be okay and we assured him that he would have paying customers for the next couple of hours.  A couple beers, shot of Makers Mark, and Stevie Wonder tunes later, we retired to our room (not gracefully) to get some much needed sleep.  Unfortunately, our bodies still woke us up at 4:45am Cambodian time.

Before I continue, I have to tell you about this room.  There is a large king sized bed with about 1 foot on each side until the floor runs into a wall.  There is a refrigerator, American plugs (after all my worries and woes of a converter), and a small TV.  Then there is the bathroom.  The "shit, shower, and shave at once" bathroom.  In other words, it is one room with a toilet, a sink, and a shower head.  Despite my concern, it actually isn't too bad.  After all, it solves the ultimate dilemma of whether or not to hold it until you get out of the shower or get out and take care of business.  The simple life. 

All I can say is after you arrive in Phnom Pehn, the best way to deal with your exhausted jet-lagged body is to hit up Rory's Pub, grab some of the best cheese bread in the world, and pound and Angkor beer. 

Now for the first days in our new temporary home.

The Beauty of an Eleven Hour Layover

 After a 14 hour flight, an eleven hour layover sounds horrible right?  Not when you are in Hong Kong it doesn't!  Picking up from where I left off last time, we headed directly out through customs to a nearly empty airport.  We were shocked to see that no one was there not even realizing it was only 6:00 in the morning.  With our heads confused on time and our stomachs hungry for food, we grabbed the next train to the beautiful city of Hong Kong.

We sat in awe as our train ventured 20 minutes away from the airport passing through enormous  highrises and charming rolling hills around every corner.  When we finally arrived in the city of Hong Kong, we received our first dose of the heat we will be feeling for the next 2 and a half months.  It was only 6:30am and it was sweltering.  We can out just in time for morning rush hour of foot traffic.  We weaved and bobbed through the financial district trying to make our way around.  Half the time we could not even figure out how to cross the street!  After walking (and sweating immensity) for about 20 minutes while everyone stared at us as we wrecked of tourist, we finally came across Hong Kong park.  It was a an up hill climb but a scenic walk through the park.  It finally started to rain a bit and we enjoyed every minute of getting soaked by cool water.  It was the perfect answer to our overheated prayers.

After taking a stroll and many pictures, we ran into train that would take us up to something called the Peak.  Not really knowing what this was, but looking very touristy, we decided we must take the ride.  Little did we know the place did not accept US dollars, so we ran over to get our first Hong Kong bills in order to get on the ride.  About half way through the intensely sharp climb, we realized why people go up to the Peak.  It was a view looking down on a city littered with high rises, surrounded by huge green hilltops, with a ravishing river flowing through it.  Every inch we climbed farther the view became more and more beautiful.  The city was enormous and breath taking all at once. 

Once to the top, we had our first dose of Asian cuisine in Asia, stopping at a small unpopulated restaurant (remember- this was only 8:00 in the morning, so we must have been the earliest waking tourist ever).  This was also our first taste of the language barrier.  Don't get me wrong, most people speak English and some even very well, but there was still a sense of difficultly in communication.  In other words, all of our minds thought "we are definitely not in America anymore".  The food was amazing, and we left the restaurant to catch some more dazzling views from high above the city.  By this time, it was time to venture back to the airport for our final destination- Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

 

Although short lived, I am very excited to make my way back through Hong Kong on our way out of Cambodia as well.  It was my first time in Asia and I loved every minute of it.  I especially loved that when coming back into the airport in one of the most populated countries in the world, it merely took 20 minutes to get through security and arrive at the gate.  I think it was because we actually got to leave our shoes on for once...

What a way to start a trip.  Until next time Hong Kong....

Exit Music

Today is the day that never seemed like a reality, the day we leave for Cambodia.  I had an amazing last few days even though much of my time was spent stressing out about what I needed to pack, bring, etc.  My going away party was Saturday and I had a great time spending my last moments with those I love so (even though I might not remember it all).  My friend Melinda even brought jello shots in the form of the Cambodian flag!  If I have half as much of fun as I did with everyone Saturday in Cambodia, then I am not worried one bit. 

As I type this now, I am sitting on a plane that is flying high over Japan, 4 hours to our destination in Hong Kong.  Thus far, I have minimized this 12 hour flight into a 5 hour one by knocking myself out with a little help from my friend tylenol PM.  I am excited, scared, and nervous.  When our plane started to pull away from the airport, Meghan and I stared out the window and said goodbye.  "Goodbye U.S.A!  Goodbye friends! Goodbye English language!".  No tears, no overexcitement.  Pure unadulterated "holy shit, are we really going to Cambodia?" running through our heads.  We all know this is going to be an experience of a lifetime, but how do you allow yourself to process that?  At this point, I can say this much: you don't.  You jump on a plane and let it take you to your destination, live and hope for the best experience that opens your eyes and gives you millions of amazing stories to tell.  Keep your fingers crossed:)

I won't have a phone until I reach Cambodia as I am taking my old unlocked Iphone and will be getting a Cambodian number.  Now, and even after I manage to settle in, I have set up a couple ways to communicate via wifi connections.  My new little ASUS Eee Pad does not support video calls on Skype, but it does support voice calls.  I will be available on video chat via Gchat and Tango if you have either of those.  Also, to text me, if you have the "Whatsapp" available, then I can text you free of charge the whole time I am in Cambodaia.  If you do not have this app available, I have a phone number through google voice that you can text like any regular phone number from your phone (I don't know it off the top of my head but will update ASAP).  I believe I have done a swell job at covering my communication issues, now if I could only fix the time difference....

All in all, I will miss everyone.  This time will fly by and I will be back before anyone knows it with gifts and loads of pictures to show.  But it is time I depart from this post to play "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" on my personal TV located on the seat in front of me on my double decker plane while I eat this thing that was referred to as a sandwich (bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, butter).  Until next time my friends...

Cambodia?

After recently visiting home, I have realized my evident failure in discussing my upcoming travels with pretty much everyone around me.  This lack of knowledge in most minds is common, as I do not believe I even really know what exactly I am about to get into.  Saying that, I am nervous, terrified, or as people like me like to call it, "scared shitless" of what exactly my future holds.  In order to cope with my upcoming trip and not lose full communication with all of you, I have decided to start blogging my experience.  Unfortunately at this point, you have missed my exciting period as my trip is around the corner, but maybe by supplying you with some of the information of why the hell I am even going to Cambodia, you may be excited for the both of us.

If you didn't already know, I am currently getting my Masters in Public Health.*  Since I have decided to follow a Global path with this whole shenanigan of a degree, I had three places that I could be shipped to in order to complete my Master's Field Study: Bolivia, Ethiopia, or Cambodia.  Being that Cambodia is the newest choice and we are piloting this program, I chose to take this route.  I know, I know, most people think "why the hell would anyone want to go to Cambodia?".  My only response will be my own experience and my own pictures that I will have of and in this beautiful country.  We are also conveniently located close to Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, among many other countries that are a cheap plane ride away.  Don't worry, if you think you would never have any interest in exploring Southeast Asia...I will work very hard while I am there traveling and taking pictures to change your mind...

So here is the current game plan.  I leave August 23rd at 1:20 am in the morning from San Francisco International.**  As time gets closer I will update you all on my flight stats, but for now, I will spare you the insipid details.  All in all, I land in the great city of Phnom Penh August 24th at 6:25 pm.  I am traveling with 4 amazing girls in which I am sure you will get to know well throughout this travel blog.  The wonderful thing about this group is that they will help me acclimate.  I am the one that is scared of living in Cambodia while they are really only scared about coming back with my accent :).  

For the first 10 days, Meghan, my Arizona buddy, and I will be staying at Rory's Pub and Guesthouse while the the other girls will be staying at another local guesthouse.  We will spend this time starting our field study at a local NGO called RACHA (Reproductive and Child Health Alliance) and trying to find another possible guesthouse for us all to stay in for the remainder of our time in Cambodia.  We are really only concerned with finding a safe place that is not over the price of 8 dollars a night (no typo there, and they follow the dollar!).  I currently have no idea what my title will be at the NGO, but I have a feeling it will probably have to do with HIV/AIDS and my love of indigenous vaginas.***  The most I know about the position itself is that I will be working from 7:30am- 5:00pm with a 2 hour lunch break in between.  Either way, I am happy to help and very excited to potentially make a difference.

I will have a phone while I am there although I do not really know exactly how it will work yet.  On top of that, I will be about 12-14 hours in front of most of you.  To try to make myself as available as possible, I added a Skype app (feel free to call!) and added my Twitter to this blog.  Most of you can just expect for many inconvenient phone calls...but remember, revenge is sweet.  

I am realizing how much more I could continue on about my travels and may be writing a bit more in the coming days.  I will get back in the states on November 6th or 9th, depending on if we do a 3 day layover in Hong Kong or not.  Regardless, need not worry my family and friends, as my Granny once said, "I can fight of a bear with a stick".  Hopefully my stick also works for leopards, tigers, and panthers...oh my.

Phnom Penh

Beaches of Cambodia

Overview of Phnom Penh

*I know, my noble and intelligent writing style if purely reflective of this (right).  Well at least I can pretend I have learned something thus far.

** I am so unprepared I am actually learning this as I am writing to you...

*** Thanks Curly...for that one....