So it's been a while! Joey and I have been busy bees in Cambodia. After Phnom Penh we headed to Sihanoukville which is a beach bum town on the coast. The beach itself wasn't that nice but we knew it would be the last one for a month or two while we go through Laos, Northern Thailand and Myanmar. We met a really nice Irish couple named Sarah and Donough. Super nice and the first night we had happy hour and pizza at one of the beach bars.
The Serendipity beach is the beach we stayed by in Sihanoukville. Most of the time it was far from relaxing. We would be sun tanning on some chairs and then be hassled by kids selling bracelets, fruit, books, sunglasses... you name it. Also the massage ladies who always took notice to my unshaven legs. I couldn't go 10 minutes without my leg being caressed by a Khmer lady who wanted to wax them for me! haha.
At one moment Joey and I were surrounded by about 7 kids. We had started talking to one girl who just wouldn't leave us alone and once the beach kids see that you are talking to one of their kind... you better watch out. They will swarm you. She was giving us this sad story about how she doesn't go to school and needs to work on the beach to support her and her mom. We didn't want to buy a bracelet so we bought her a meal. Soon after she was done eating, she was asking us to buy bracelets again! Then she was offended and left without saying thank you. (She said it later when we walked past her)
There have been several times when giving money to amputees or poor people where they actually say they want more than you are giving them. Today I handed a man 500 riel (which is about 12 cents, I know it's not much but every bit counts. We would rather give to as many people as we can instead of giving a couple a lot) and he looked at me and said "I want 1000riel." The nerve! I could be like a lot of tourists and pretend you're not even alive (This is the tactic used by many tourists to avoid beggers) and not give you anything. Its frustrating that we try to help, but it's never enough and sometimes not even appreciated. Obviously some of them have been jaded by tourists.
During our stay in Sihanoukville we signed up for a PADI open water scuba diving course through a place called EcoSea. The first day we watched the DVD's and filled out the questions. The next day we did the confined underwater session with our instructor. I found it quite overwhelming at first because I felt like I was suffocating from breathing underwater. After a while I got the hang of it and really started to enjoy learning the underwater skills. I've been spending a lot of time swimming and going in pools, which unfortunately triggered an ear infection. The day we had to leave for the island to do the underwater dives, my ear was killing me. I couldn't hear at all, and I couldn't imagine going underwater especially at 10m below the surface. Joey and I had to cancel our course which sucks. We had already passed the exam and did the confined underwater, so now we will be able to go to Thailand with a piece of paper from our dive instructor as a referral. That way we don't have to do the test or confined dive again. Plus, we won't have to pay for the course all over again.
We went to a doctor in Sihanoukville who checked out my ear and said it had actually been infected for a while. This guy spoke perfect French, but wasn't great at English. I knew Joey would come in handy on this trip. To get an inspection of my ear and medication cost $5. It's amazingly cheap to buy pharmaceuticals here. My ear is definitely feeling better but I really dislike being on antibiotics.
Joey and I spent almost a week in Sihanoukville and decided we best be on our way. What better way to travel than on a sleeper bus. I thought we learned our lesson, but apparently not. This bus was mainly just upright sitting seats that were really cushy. Plus you get a blanket and a pillow. Not really my idea of a comfortable sleeper bed. Which was more unfortunate was that there were two babies on the bus sitting close to us , both of which intermittently cried alllllllllllllllllllllll night. Absolutely brutal. I think there have been a couple times during this trip where transportation felt like hell on earth, but this one took the cake.
We arrived in Siem Reap quite early at 6am. Our guesthouse arranged a tuk tuk to pick us up for free which was a godsend. Getting off a bus at a bus station is definitely an experience. You see all the tuk tuk and moto drivers just drooling like wolves when the bus pulls in. When the door opens the hunt for them begins. You will have 5-6 tuk tuk drivers talking to you at once, all trying to undercut the other to get your business. Most of the time Joey and I just decide to walk but this time the bus station was 13km out of town. It was so nice to see a tuk tuk driver holding a sign with our names on it. You belong to them, and the other drivers know this, so they don't even try. It's quite pleasant!
I arranged for us to stay at Jasmine Guesthouse in Siem Reap. It's a cute family run guesthouse that hires disadvantaged youth and younger people from surrounding villages who normally would just be farmers not making much money and not going to school. Mr. Kunn and his wife, Jasmine, are so friendly. Our room is nice and we get free breakfast! We've had a good time here so far.
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