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.