Living in flip flops. I'm staying on the beach, in a decent guesthouse that costs me $8/night. I can go across the street and get an iced coffee with sweet milk for 50 cents. Or grab a delicious plate of noodles, pork and fresh vegetables for $1.50 that was so delicious, I want one every day. Every day I can put on flip flops, walk across the street, go about 30 yards and then cut in to the beach which is just down the lane. I can go with just a tee shirt and bathing suit and my room key in the zippered pocket. Then I'm on the beach, leave the flip flops and shirt where they won't get washed away, and then stretch, run, swim, stroll, play in the surf. Kinda heavenly, and wow, getting to immerse in warm ocean on a daily basis is doing my body a world of good. Yesterday, I watched the young Khmer kids frolic in the surf. Today, I was the little kid, playing the game 'flotsam' (yeah I made it up). Basically, after my swim, I would spend some time getting tossed around in the shallow water, letting the waves roll me around... Feeling pretty great in this environment.
Been making a lot of music, helping my friends with some stuff, working up some material with some different folks so that when there are gigs (which there are), I'll be able to include my buddies in the music. This Irish guy Jelly, a friend from Chiang Mai, is a funny, charming musician, plays whistle, harmonica, sings, tells jokes and we're working up 5 or 6 Irish tunes that people will like. And some other stuff as well. I've really enjoyed connecting with Mike, a sixty something Texan who runs the music store and organizes a number of open mikes around town. He's a fountain of information. You know how some guys talk and talk and you always need to find a way to exit. Other guys talk and you want to hear more. He's one of those guys. Turns out he's a 'Burner'. Do you know what that is?
He's one of the Burning Man crew, and when he talks about that environment, he totally comes to life... 'Best thing America has to offer' A couple of Burners from NY showed up at the music store and they were so freakin' cool. They're on the crew in Nevada, so it's a two month paid gig for them. More layers...
So yeah, flip flops, the ultimate comfort wear, when you've got nowhere to go outside of a two block area, and within those two blocks are beach, bars, fast internet, great food, interesting friends. It's about as chill as it gets.
Kanika
Got my consciousness elevated in a big way this morning, thanks to a 3 and 1/2 hour visit with my Cambodian friend, Kanika. She was a guest at our house in Eugene ten years ago while on a disability rights conference, and we've kept in touch via email. She is 40 years old, disabled since the age of nine months when she was stricken with polio. She's quite petite, uses leg braces and crutches to get around, although she also drives a hand-controlled Toyota 4 by 4 to and from work. I am privileged to know her. What a woman!
She's a fighter, had to be to get where she's gotten to, which is a professorship at the Royal University of Phnom Penh in the field of Social Work. She was an underground at that university back in the day, and I remember the story she told about how some of her classes were on the third floor, no elevator, and she respectfully asked if the classes could be moved to the first floor. 'No the class is on the third floor, it's up to you to get there' She used to drag herself up the dirty stairs in order to arrive late to class, day after day. Ten years later, she's a professor at the school, all her classes are on the first floor, and they've also built 4 cement ramps so she has independence on the campus. Hard won victory. She's real proud of the ramps, as well she should be.
She's had to fight her whole life, the only sister to three brothers, they got all the educational advantages, and since Kanika was disabled in addition to being a girl, her dad wanted to protect her from other kids making fun of her, protect her from the hard times that would undoubtedly be ahead, wanted to keep her home and safe. She wasn't having it. I asked, 'How did you convince them to let you go to school?' She said, 'I used to cry and cry and cry' .
She also lived through the Khmer Rouge outrages of the mid 70's when they cleared Phnom Penh of all its inhabitants to recreate the country into an agrarian Communist utopia (allegedly) Her dad was a teacher, and those people were among the first to be executed, so they had to create a new identity, stay far from their original town so people wouldn't know them... the family split up, Kanika and two of her brothers living with the grandmother, starving and afraid as a little girl. She mentioned that her polio is likely worse than it needed to have been due to the lack of medical treatment and food. They would eat whatever they could find, worms, greens from the forest, always hungry. The thing she remembers most is the terrible fear at nighttime.
The U of Washington in Seattle has a relationship with Phnom Penh U and Kanika was recruited to be part of the MSW program in 2007. Her parents were dead set against it, 'Who will look after you? You'll be gone for two years? You'll be alone'. She made it happen somehow, got her MSW, improved her English, even got an MBA when she returned to Cambodia and was hired by the University here to be on the social work faculty. She loves her job, great teamwork with her colleagues, does some consulting on the side, usually in the disabled rights field. She is a superstar!
We met for breakfast, then we took a ride and she showed me her University, which is on break this week. And on the way back we stopped at Watthan Artisans Cambodia, a place where disabled people get trained in different arts and skills. Kanika worked there for a year as a 20 year old, learning weaving, sewing and other textile arts. Now she helps the organization as a consultant, and when we showed up there, many folks were delighted to see her. I met her former teacher, met the director of the facility, they couldn't have been nicer. I observed the textile room where 8 or 9 folks were making purses out of recycled materials, working on silk weavings etc. The vibe was so excellent, I just about broke down crying. To see folks have that sense of purpose and community and art, to experience once again the power of the disabled community coming together in a positive way, just fantastic!
She's a fighter, had to be to get where she's gotten to, which is a professorship at the Royal University of Phnom Penh in the field of Social Work. She was an underground at that university back in the day, and I remember the story she told about how some of her classes were on the third floor, no elevator, and she respectfully asked if the classes could be moved to the first floor. 'No the class is on the third floor, it's up to you to get there' She used to drag herself up the dirty stairs in order to arrive late to class, day after day. Ten years later, she's a professor at the school, all her classes are on the first floor, and they've also built 4 cement ramps so she has independence on the campus. Hard won victory. She's real proud of the ramps, as well she should be.
She's had to fight her whole life, the only sister to three brothers, they got all the educational advantages, and since Kanika was disabled in addition to being a girl, her dad wanted to protect her from other kids making fun of her, protect her from the hard times that would undoubtedly be ahead, wanted to keep her home and safe. She wasn't having it. I asked, 'How did you convince them to let you go to school?' She said, 'I used to cry and cry and cry' .
She also lived through the Khmer Rouge outrages of the mid 70's when they cleared Phnom Penh of all its inhabitants to recreate the country into an agrarian Communist utopia (allegedly) Her dad was a teacher, and those people were among the first to be executed, so they had to create a new identity, stay far from their original town so people wouldn't know them... the family split up, Kanika and two of her brothers living with the grandmother, starving and afraid as a little girl. She mentioned that her polio is likely worse than it needed to have been due to the lack of medical treatment and food. They would eat whatever they could find, worms, greens from the forest, always hungry. The thing she remembers most is the terrible fear at nighttime.
The U of Washington in Seattle has a relationship with Phnom Penh U and Kanika was recruited to be part of the MSW program in 2007. Her parents were dead set against it, 'Who will look after you? You'll be gone for two years? You'll be alone'. She made it happen somehow, got her MSW, improved her English, even got an MBA when she returned to Cambodia and was hired by the University here to be on the social work faculty. She loves her job, great teamwork with her colleagues, does some consulting on the side, usually in the disabled rights field. She is a superstar!
We met for breakfast, then we took a ride and she showed me her University, which is on break this week. And on the way back we stopped at Watthan Artisans Cambodia, a place where disabled people get trained in different arts and skills. Kanika worked there for a year as a 20 year old, learning weaving, sewing and other textile arts. Now she helps the organization as a consultant, and when we showed up there, many folks were delighted to see her. I met her former teacher, met the director of the facility, they couldn't have been nicer. I observed the textile room where 8 or 9 folks were making purses out of recycled materials, working on silk weavings etc. The vibe was so excellent, I just about broke down crying. To see folks have that sense of purpose and community and art, to experience once again the power of the disabled community coming together in a positive way, just fantastic!
Phnom Penh
I like it here... even though the air is often filled with smoke, the streets are crowded, you have to run to cross the road, you sweat with the least bit of effort, I like it anyway. I like the fact that I've added to my list of 'world capitals visited', I like the guest house I'm staying at, the staff is friendly and the room is fine. I like the Cambodian people, even here in the busy busy capital. They smile easily, they are beautiful and friendly, the kids are studying English, the roads are numbered so it's easy to get around and know where you are.
Today I went walking to find the Russian Market, didn't really know what it was, only that it was worth a visit. Was it a Kremlin looking thing with onion spires? Was it filled with Russian vendors? I know none of these things. So I walked in that direction this morning, maybe 3 miles away, said no thanks to the tuktuk drivers...''I'd rather walk walk' is how I answered their 'tuk tuk, sir?' question. Clever huh?
I was close to it but couldn't find it, walked through a primitive market instead with tons of local food vendors, fish flopping in the aisles, buckets of livers, people hacking away at hunks of meat, and the sound was out of this world. They all shout, and it sounded like a henhouse on acid, at least that's how I described it on facebook. Grabbed a meal there, yet another variation on the 'noodles, greens, meat, liquid, mystery items' that is the norm in this part of the world. $.75 for my meal. It was OK, I haven't had to visit the doctor yet, though sometimes you wonder if it's a bit of Russian Food Roulette.
Oh yeah, Russian, as in the Russian Market. I couldn't find it and finally decided to ask a group of school girls in their blue skirted and white shirted uniforms where it was. I know the kids study English here so I figured they could at least understand the question. It was a group of 6 or 7 highschool aged kids and they were kind of shy about answering. I said, 'You study English, right?' They indicated, ýes. I said, '' OK, talk''. They laughed at that, repeating, 'OK talk'. though it was funny. One of them pointed me in the right direction and I finally made it there. It's a big, covered, teeming place with all kinds of jewelry, sculptures, woven stuff, scarves, brass items, silver goods, the kind of place that gift givers and junk collectors would absolutely love. I thought of Stan and Indi having a ball there. But that's not me, so I just walked around, tried to process what I was seeing, grabbed an iced coffee and chilled out after my walk. Russian Market...check.
Walked back in the heat of the day... noticed a locals internet place filled with rowdy 18 year old guys playing video games, yelling at the screens, music on loud, cheap prices... perfect, I hung out there for an hour and did a bit of writing, then continued home to the guest house. Rested in the afternoon as is my custom during the hot part of the day, then walked out around sundown to go visit Street 51 which is a happening evening scene. Ended up in a bar that had the Federer/Tsonga match on and I ordered a beer and enjoyed the tennis. Was it my imagination, or are a number of young and attractive women making eye contact with me and smiling? Oh, Ok, never mind, I get it. Not a bad way to enjoy the fifth set of a great tennis match, nursing a Tiger beer and fending off the invitations.
A visit with Kanika, my Cambodian professor friend tomorrow morning at 9am, assuming I can find the place, and then likely a trip to the Killing Fields Museum some 15 k to the south. Everyone says it's great, so I feel like I ought to go. I did visit the Tuol Seng Genocide Museum which is in the former high school that the Khmer Rouge turned into a torture and confession center. It was a hideous chapter in the local history and 20,000 entered the facility and 7 survived. I won't go into the details, it was horrendous. I noticed a group of older Israelis on a tour there and was struck with the cross genocidal irony. It was a tough couple of hours for me and then upon leaving, I was set upon by beggars, amputees, a guy with a horribly disfigured face all looking for handouts. I was so bummed at that point that I just kept my eyes down and said sorry as I walked through.
I'll close with an anecdote or two that I posted on Facebook... so those of you who aren't friends there will get a chance to have a look...'A little anecdote from Angkor Wat... I was just leaving around sunset when I rounded a corner and saw this cute 6 year old boy hanging out happily with his mom. As soon as he saw me, he went into an affected moan, made the sad face, eyes beseeching, looking for a handout from the rich tourist. Trouble was, his timing was off as I had come up kinda suddenly and saw the whole transition. Kinda r...eminded me of the Iranian hostage crisis when the Iranians would be hanging out, smoking cigarettes, then the camera rolls and they're standing up, shouting Death to America, raising their fists in outrage. Camera goes off... where's my cigarette?
Anyhow I felt like interacting with him and I put my hand up to indicate 'wait a second' and then I did a spot on imitation of his act. first just hanging out, then the sudden sad face, the whine, the beseeching eyes. He totally got the humor, started cracking up, as did his mom. We all laughed about it, and it makes me smile to remember it' .
Today I went walking to find the Russian Market, didn't really know what it was, only that it was worth a visit. Was it a Kremlin looking thing with onion spires? Was it filled with Russian vendors? I know none of these things. So I walked in that direction this morning, maybe 3 miles away, said no thanks to the tuktuk drivers...''I'd rather walk walk' is how I answered their 'tuk tuk, sir?' question. Clever huh?
I was close to it but couldn't find it, walked through a primitive market instead with tons of local food vendors, fish flopping in the aisles, buckets of livers, people hacking away at hunks of meat, and the sound was out of this world. They all shout, and it sounded like a henhouse on acid, at least that's how I described it on facebook. Grabbed a meal there, yet another variation on the 'noodles, greens, meat, liquid, mystery items' that is the norm in this part of the world. $.75 for my meal. It was OK, I haven't had to visit the doctor yet, though sometimes you wonder if it's a bit of Russian Food Roulette.
Oh yeah, Russian, as in the Russian Market. I couldn't find it and finally decided to ask a group of school girls in their blue skirted and white shirted uniforms where it was. I know the kids study English here so I figured they could at least understand the question. It was a group of 6 or 7 highschool aged kids and they were kind of shy about answering. I said, 'You study English, right?' They indicated, ýes. I said, '' OK, talk''. They laughed at that, repeating, 'OK talk'. though it was funny. One of them pointed me in the right direction and I finally made it there. It's a big, covered, teeming place with all kinds of jewelry, sculptures, woven stuff, scarves, brass items, silver goods, the kind of place that gift givers and junk collectors would absolutely love. I thought of Stan and Indi having a ball there. But that's not me, so I just walked around, tried to process what I was seeing, grabbed an iced coffee and chilled out after my walk. Russian Market...check.
Walked back in the heat of the day... noticed a locals internet place filled with rowdy 18 year old guys playing video games, yelling at the screens, music on loud, cheap prices... perfect, I hung out there for an hour and did a bit of writing, then continued home to the guest house. Rested in the afternoon as is my custom during the hot part of the day, then walked out around sundown to go visit Street 51 which is a happening evening scene. Ended up in a bar that had the Federer/Tsonga match on and I ordered a beer and enjoyed the tennis. Was it my imagination, or are a number of young and attractive women making eye contact with me and smiling? Oh, Ok, never mind, I get it. Not a bad way to enjoy the fifth set of a great tennis match, nursing a Tiger beer and fending off the invitations.
A visit with Kanika, my Cambodian professor friend tomorrow morning at 9am, assuming I can find the place, and then likely a trip to the Killing Fields Museum some 15 k to the south. Everyone says it's great, so I feel like I ought to go. I did visit the Tuol Seng Genocide Museum which is in the former high school that the Khmer Rouge turned into a torture and confession center. It was a hideous chapter in the local history and 20,000 entered the facility and 7 survived. I won't go into the details, it was horrendous. I noticed a group of older Israelis on a tour there and was struck with the cross genocidal irony. It was a tough couple of hours for me and then upon leaving, I was set upon by beggars, amputees, a guy with a horribly disfigured face all looking for handouts. I was so bummed at that point that I just kept my eyes down and said sorry as I walked through.
I'll close with an anecdote or two that I posted on Facebook... so those of you who aren't friends there will get a chance to have a look...'A little anecdote from Angkor Wat... I was just leaving around sunset when I rounded a corner and saw this cute 6 year old boy hanging out happily with his mom. As soon as he saw me, he went into an affected moan, made the sad face, eyes beseeching, looking for a handout from the rich tourist. Trouble was, his timing was off as I had come up kinda suddenly and saw the whole transition. Kinda r...eminded me of the Iranian hostage crisis when the Iranians would be hanging out, smoking cigarettes, then the camera rolls and they're standing up, shouting Death to America, raising their fists in outrage. Camera goes off... where's my cigarette?
Anyhow I felt like interacting with him and I put my hand up to indicate 'wait a second' and then I did a spot on imitation of his act. first just hanging out, then the sudden sad face, the whine, the beseeching eyes. He totally got the humor, started cracking up, as did his mom. We all laughed about it, and it makes me smile to remember it' .
Transcendent at Angkor Wat
I've had some good days on this trip and some great days too. But today was a transcendent day, and even as I sit at the internet place, check my Facebook, I'm buzzing with energy... the kind of energy that would have me walk down the Night Market street singing, 'In the presence of the Lord', that old Blind Faith song that I really love. That's what I was just doing...You know that one?
I have finally found a way to live
Just like I never did before
And I know that I don't have much to give
But I can open any door
Everybody knows the secret
Everybody knows the score
I have finally found a way to live
In the presence of the Lord
The day started out kinda normal... coffee, check the internet, then back to the guest house at 10am. I had one more day on my 3 day pass to Angkor Wat, and I decided to ride the bike up there in the heat of the day, who cares, let's see what happens. Put on my straw hat to keep the sun off my face, put a liter of water in the bike basket and took off. It's a beautiful flat ride that goes north out of Siem Reap and within a couple of miles, you're heading into the countryside. At 5 miles you arrive at Angkor Wat, but I decided to keep going to Angkor Thom (home of the amazing Bayon Temple and it's 54 large stone faces).
There is a route, probably about 20 miles worth, that takes you to a number of temples and points of interest and I decided to do that loop and maybe end up at Angkor Wat, rather than start there, which is the norm. The ride was fantastic, much of it shady as there are big dramatic trees and jungle atmosphere. So even though it was hot out, most of the ride was quite pleasant. I made some stops, saw some monkeys, took some photos, sat in the shade, felt very at peace, and very happy to be on a bike rather than in a bus or tuktuk.
At one of the temples, an old man offered me an incense stick which I was to place at the small altar. I took my hat off, got on my knees, made the offering and received a string bracelet and a blessing from a woman there. It's a way to solicit donations, so I donated. I also donated to the disabled musicians who play for hours outside of different temples. These guys are usually victims of land mines which is a horrendous problem here, but there is some kind of retraining program that gets them playing traditional music. It's great stuff... on hammer dulcimer, some Chinese looking stringed instruments, a sitar looking stringed instrument, drum and cymbals. Often there is a marimba as part of the ensemble. Very evocative sounds, and they appreciate it when I stop and pay attention, smile, listen, appreciate, donate (and take a picture... after asking, of course)
So now it's about 3pm and I'm heading west on the loop, into the sun, into the wind, getting pretty warm, but I made it just fine. Went to the area outside of Angkor Wat where the locals try to entice the tourists to buy water, beer, fruit, postcards etc. It's a tough hustle for them, they're out there all day long and maybe they earn $40/month. This one woman spotted me parking my bike, asked if I wanted something to drink, which I definitely did at that point, having finished my water, so I went over to her cooler. Grabbed an iced tea and then sat with her and three other young woman and we talked about stuff. I had lots of questions and they were very friendly and open. I asked about the women who spend all day long sweeping leaves into piles and then disposing them. 9 hours a day, 6 days a week, $50/month. It was a pleasant 20 minute conversation, many smiles, then I was ready to visit the temple area.
It was still really hot out, so rather than join the throngs of Japanese and other tourists, I just sat in the shade of some trees, stretched out, a little yoga, enjoyed the view and the solitude. Eventually these 4 German women and their guide came by to chill in the shade, and I got to hear his very well put together talk about Cambodian life, the role of women, role of men, courtship rituals etc. He is a lecturer for University students and his command of English was great, so it was a treat.
Finally I was ready to enter the temple complex, which was still crowded but starting to thin out. Took some pictures, climbed around, taking it all in, because who knows if I'll ever pass this way again, and the place is amazing. And as the sun set further in the west, the light became incredible, the photos became memorable and I was starting to get into an altered state. The light and the architecture, the spirit of the place, I posed for a couple of pictures, and instead of just standing there, I raised my arms and my eyes, getting blissed out, and the photos are great (I think). I had looked at the ones from yesterday when I didn't really know how to pose, so today I figured, Go For It, which I did. The sunset light on the temple, me raising my arms to heaven, so glad I documented that feeling. I got a little bit of the photography bug in that interaction. Learned something.
So the light is now fading and I'm 5 miles from town without a rear light on the bike. Decided to step on it pretty good and I had major energy, going fast and hard and long. I had been tired earlier, but now I was pretty much bursting with energy, passing every bicycle and some slow moving motorcycles as well. Made it back to town in fine form and went to return the bike to the rental place. I had used it for 4 days, but the guy who I rented it from had written down the wrong date on the agreement. (Heck, I didn't know the date, I figured he would, oops). Anyhow, the woman says 5 days so I owe another day's rental. Now I've got the $2 no problem, but I really did only use if for 4 days, and with the help of an English speaking (kinda) neighbor, I was at least able to explain the situation... that he wrote down the wrong date. The vibe was just fine and eventually I offered her a dollar, split the difference, 'OK'?. She was cool with it, smiles all around, and it felt great to resolve things so comfortably. A little cross cultural positive moment. May it always be so.
Now it's night time, I've hardly eaten today and it's time. But first I had to reflect on a magical day in a magical thousand year old place. I feel so blessed that I got to experience it in a profound way. Blessed...
I have finally found a way to live
Just like I never did before
And I know that I don't have much to give
But I can open any door
Everybody knows the secret
Everybody knows the score
I have finally found a way to live
In the presence of the Lord
The day started out kinda normal... coffee, check the internet, then back to the guest house at 10am. I had one more day on my 3 day pass to Angkor Wat, and I decided to ride the bike up there in the heat of the day, who cares, let's see what happens. Put on my straw hat to keep the sun off my face, put a liter of water in the bike basket and took off. It's a beautiful flat ride that goes north out of Siem Reap and within a couple of miles, you're heading into the countryside. At 5 miles you arrive at Angkor Wat, but I decided to keep going to Angkor Thom (home of the amazing Bayon Temple and it's 54 large stone faces).
There is a route, probably about 20 miles worth, that takes you to a number of temples and points of interest and I decided to do that loop and maybe end up at Angkor Wat, rather than start there, which is the norm. The ride was fantastic, much of it shady as there are big dramatic trees and jungle atmosphere. So even though it was hot out, most of the ride was quite pleasant. I made some stops, saw some monkeys, took some photos, sat in the shade, felt very at peace, and very happy to be on a bike rather than in a bus or tuktuk.
At one of the temples, an old man offered me an incense stick which I was to place at the small altar. I took my hat off, got on my knees, made the offering and received a string bracelet and a blessing from a woman there. It's a way to solicit donations, so I donated. I also donated to the disabled musicians who play for hours outside of different temples. These guys are usually victims of land mines which is a horrendous problem here, but there is some kind of retraining program that gets them playing traditional music. It's great stuff... on hammer dulcimer, some Chinese looking stringed instruments, a sitar looking stringed instrument, drum and cymbals. Often there is a marimba as part of the ensemble. Very evocative sounds, and they appreciate it when I stop and pay attention, smile, listen, appreciate, donate (and take a picture... after asking, of course)
So now it's about 3pm and I'm heading west on the loop, into the sun, into the wind, getting pretty warm, but I made it just fine. Went to the area outside of Angkor Wat where the locals try to entice the tourists to buy water, beer, fruit, postcards etc. It's a tough hustle for them, they're out there all day long and maybe they earn $40/month. This one woman spotted me parking my bike, asked if I wanted something to drink, which I definitely did at that point, having finished my water, so I went over to her cooler. Grabbed an iced tea and then sat with her and three other young woman and we talked about stuff. I had lots of questions and they were very friendly and open. I asked about the women who spend all day long sweeping leaves into piles and then disposing them. 9 hours a day, 6 days a week, $50/month. It was a pleasant 20 minute conversation, many smiles, then I was ready to visit the temple area.
It was still really hot out, so rather than join the throngs of Japanese and other tourists, I just sat in the shade of some trees, stretched out, a little yoga, enjoyed the view and the solitude. Eventually these 4 German women and their guide came by to chill in the shade, and I got to hear his very well put together talk about Cambodian life, the role of women, role of men, courtship rituals etc. He is a lecturer for University students and his command of English was great, so it was a treat.
Finally I was ready to enter the temple complex, which was still crowded but starting to thin out. Took some pictures, climbed around, taking it all in, because who knows if I'll ever pass this way again, and the place is amazing. And as the sun set further in the west, the light became incredible, the photos became memorable and I was starting to get into an altered state. The light and the architecture, the spirit of the place, I posed for a couple of pictures, and instead of just standing there, I raised my arms and my eyes, getting blissed out, and the photos are great (I think). I had looked at the ones from yesterday when I didn't really know how to pose, so today I figured, Go For It, which I did. The sunset light on the temple, me raising my arms to heaven, so glad I documented that feeling. I got a little bit of the photography bug in that interaction. Learned something.
So the light is now fading and I'm 5 miles from town without a rear light on the bike. Decided to step on it pretty good and I had major energy, going fast and hard and long. I had been tired earlier, but now I was pretty much bursting with energy, passing every bicycle and some slow moving motorcycles as well. Made it back to town in fine form and went to return the bike to the rental place. I had used it for 4 days, but the guy who I rented it from had written down the wrong date on the agreement. (Heck, I didn't know the date, I figured he would, oops). Anyhow, the woman says 5 days so I owe another day's rental. Now I've got the $2 no problem, but I really did only use if for 4 days, and with the help of an English speaking (kinda) neighbor, I was at least able to explain the situation... that he wrote down the wrong date. The vibe was just fine and eventually I offered her a dollar, split the difference, 'OK'?. She was cool with it, smiles all around, and it felt great to resolve things so comfortably. A little cross cultural positive moment. May it always be so.
Now it's night time, I've hardly eaten today and it's time. But first I had to reflect on a magical day in a magical thousand year old place. I feel so blessed that I got to experience it in a profound way. Blessed...
Broken....
Well my spirit ain't broken, but stuff has been falling apart the last couple of days. Let's see, I lost my camera case and my $1 plastic flute yesterday at Angkor Wat. The zipper to the pocket of my guitar case is now broken, though since the case is always pretty much upright, shouldn't matter too much. More importantly, I got some bad vibes at the place I was staying, and it might have to do with an interaction from a couple of days ago. These new folks showed up and they were talking with their tuktuk driver about making plans for a ride the following day. He quoted them an exorbitant price and the girl looked at me with an unspoken question in her eyes. I slowly shook my head 'no' and rolled my eyes. The driver didn't see me do it, but must have had a sense of what was going on and he gave me the death stare..''don't fuck with my business', western devil. He drove off eventually and I waited til he was gone before explaining a bit about prices, distances etc. When you don't know what's up, they will take advantage.
Next day, the older lady behind the desk is giving me the death stare as well, as they're all in cahoots, the drivers bring the tourists, they get a piece of the action, we're the marks. Today she tells me that I have to check out at 12 because they have a tour coming in and they need the room. (I've been staying in a double room for $8). I don't really believe her, she seems like a bitch, but fuck it, I'm out of here. Certainly not gonna argue to stay in a place that isn't feeling right. Moved down the street for a little less of a room at the same price. It's fine.
Then I'm trying to send a message on Facebook to the Double Dutch girls for a dinner meeting tonight, and I'm in the internet cafe and my Facebook is totally stalled, totally slow. I'm looking around and everybody else is just cruising along on Facebook, but I can't hardly move. Tried a different computer, same same... Goddam!. Eventually I got the message off and got out of there. The series of annoying events seems like some kind of a sign, so I figured it's time to step back and write, and here I am.... at a different internet place. Feels better, the price is right and maybe things are turning....
The Double Dutch girls are these two women I met in Chiang Mai two years ago. They are these really tall women, each about 6'2, best friends (perhaps more than that, I don't know), and we had fun with the guitar and music at Dash Restaurant in Chiang Mai. They travel a lot as well, and as it turns out, we're both in Siem Reap at the same time, so we'll have some dinner tonight and catch up. Looking forward to that.
I'm at the place where I'm wanting to make contact with new people... Why sit alone at dinner when there are plenty of folks in a similar situation, and I think it's time for me to initiate the 'hey would you like to have dinner together' conversation. I was looking around for a likely target last night without success... could be a man or a woman, doesn't matter, I'm just ready to try and reach out in that way. But tonight, I've got the Double Dutch women, and I think we'll go dutch. Now if we can just find each other when the time comes...
I like Siem Reap, though the tourism is pretty intense. Angkor Wat was a zoo of Japanese and other groups and it makes it a little less awesome when there are so many people around. Then again, there are plenty of places to get away, and groove on the incredible art and architecture in the jungle. One of my favorite parts was walking through the jungle between temples, few people around, jungle sounds, lots of bird calls, incredible old trees and then you come upon a temple built in and around them. A treat!
One of the temples was the location for a famous scene in the Lara Croft Tomb Raider Movie (which I didn't see), but the scene was just fantastic. I took many pictures and I look forward to uploading them when the opportunity presents itself. I got several taken of me, and I'm thinking 'album cover'. (there great ancient backdrops and beautiful light). If only I wasn't an old dude, but oh well...
Mornings are sweet here, as are the evenings. Midday is pretty darn hot and I'm tending to lay low during that time. I have my guitar with me, and after this, I'll go sit in the shade by the river and make some music.
There are many folks trying to make a living off the tourists at Angkor Wat. Kids come up to you with postcards, scarves, little carvings and the like, and the scripts is always the same. Hello Sir'.... you want postcards, 10 for one dollar.... 'no thank you' Please sir, can you help me....'sorry, no'. You want water?.. No, I have water... '' Maybe later, OK?... ''no thank you'' . Over and over and over... I'm nice, I want to help, but it's never ending... Part of the deal here.
Feeling pretty good now, got my Asia body on, breathing well, still able to move around pretty good. Nice being on a bicycle but you have to pay pretty good attention. People coming from every direction, turning in front of you, coming on the wrong side of the street, chaotic but it works. The key is to be clear with your intentions, make your move strongly and it works out. If you're indecisive, that's when the problems start. Kinda like life, I suppose. Make a strong move.
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