Welcome to the Land of...Smiles (again?!?!)

So I've departed the Kingdom of Cambodia. And I have arrived in the Land of Thai. Or Thailand, at it is more commonly (and accurately) known. There's probably a bunch of stuff to catch you all up on, but since I'm sitting in the airline lounge (I've NEVER been able to wait in an airline lounge--but this place is crazy! Free wi-fi, snacks--like good ones--drinks, and comfy chairs and soothing music. Just what I need after my hour long flight from Cambodia, haha) waiting to board my flight to Koh Samui, which will commence in approximately 15 minutes, there isn't a lot of hope for me to properly update you at this junction. But I guess I'll get started...?

Monday (? my days are getting so confused. I'm pretty sure it's Wednesday today but i was convinced that it was Wednesday on Monday which was obviously not accurate, so who really knows) night I DID make it to the cultural dinner/dance that Choeum (the proper spelling of my tuk-tuk driver's name) promised me. We were supposed to meet in the lobby at 7pm, so I was downstairs at 6.45 in order to pick up my bus ticket (I was leaving Siem Reap for Phnom Penh by bus the next day, around noon) and then waited to see Choeum's smiling face. And waited. And waited. At 7.15, I had given up hope and decided that he had forgotten or something (I wasn't going to stress about it because it wasn't like I had given him tons of money to do this errand for me), when I saw him waving frantically at me from the front door. It turns out that the hotel doesn't let tuk-tuk drivers into the lobby, so he had been waiting for me since 6.45 but never saw me come down (I wasn't sitting directly in front of the lobby door) and at 7.15, got worried about me so decided to brave the lobby staff! I climbed into the tuk-tuk, resigned that I was going to miss dinner, but oh well, and off we went to this place that Choeum had chosen for me. We made it in plenty of time, as it turned out, and I ate a lot of fruit for dinner (I am getting to be so DONE with south east asian cuisine--I jump at the chance to eat sushi, even!).

The show itself was quite good. Some of the costumes were exquisite, and the simplicity and yet specificity of the dances was lovely. I took many pictures, though they aren't fantastic shots. There was a little bit of confusion when I arrived because I had not purchased my own ticket (I'd never even heard of the place), but Choeum had done it for me, at a special rate and in a special seat (he told me that he told them I was a very special guest so that I could be closer to the front, isn't that cute?). So, as I was saying, the show was good. It lasted about an hour, and I enjoyed the music that accompanied the routines as well. It reminded me of a luau that my mom and I had gone to in Kauai, except it was...Khmer. Lol.

I went outside the building when the show was over and Choeum was waiting faithfully for me as well. He asked if I had had my picture taken with the dancers, but I told him no because I felt too silly. The truth was that I wasn't sure who I could get to take my picture because there were so many hordes of people around trying to get their own photos taken. He said I should have done it and that then I might have been discovered and they would train me to do the dances and the shows. AS IF. But it was a pretty entertaining thought.

He offered to take me to a market or around Siem Reap, but it was about 9pm and I was ready to go back to the hotel. I don't feel safe alone at night in Siem Reap--not because of the adults, but because of the children. How sad is that! The kids that inevitably surround me as soon as I exit the tuk-tuk make me too nervous, so I opted to go back to the hotel, which was fine because I had been really ill in the afternoon. Actually, I had been so ill that I was considering whether or not I needed to go to hospital--I was really dizzy and couldn't focus enough to read a book...the letters didn't make sense to me. Upon reflection, it seems likely that I was simply responding to the fact that it was 3pm and I hadn't eaten all day long...whoops. But yeah, I went back to the hotel.

Choeum asked what time I was leaving the next day and I told him I needed to leave the hotel around 11.45. He looked really disappointed and he told me that he had a client that he was picking up to show around the temples from another hotel at 8am. I told him not to worry, and that I was glad that he had a customer, but he kept trying to come up with ways that he could come back and take me to the bus: could I leave earlier? could I leave later? I told him not to stress, and he asked if he could send someone that he knew, that he didn't want me to go with just one of the guys who waited for tourists. I told him I would go through the concierge and that all would be well. I gave him money for the ticket for the show and for the ride, and he tried to refuse it, saying that what I had given the previous day was more than enough to cover it. I refused his refusal, and he was very grateful. Such an awesome guy--he had told me how he sent money home to his family in the rural areas, and he was such a polite and courteous and helpful and respectful man that it felt good to be able to do something nice for him.

I got in touch with my mom again, and told her my plans to leave for Phnom Penh the next day. I was a little bit worried because my back had gotten messed up from the beds (at least, I think it's because the bed was hard as a rock--worse than the mattresses in Papua--can you believe how I am constantly just falling apart on this trip?!? It's UNREAL!) and I would be spending 5 hours of my afternoon on a bus of questionable quality. But the decision was made, and I would just have to tough it out.

I got up for breakfast and scheduled with the front desk a tuk-tuk to take me to the bus station. After breakfast, I went back upstairs and packed the rest of my things in preparation for departure (I also ordered a salad because my mom had given me a lecture about failing to eat at proper intervals, and I knew there would soon be a five or six hour interval in which I would not be eating). When I went downstairs with my luggage, the driver was waiting for me. He was friendly and kind, but not as awesome as Choeum. We got to the "bus station" (a strip of dirt that had several buses to various locations all lined up in various positions, surrounded by peddlers of various sundry items), and I paid him, with a fairly generous tip. He was apparently then ingratiated to me and waited to make sure that the bus people had received my baggage properly and allowed me to board the bus before wishing me luck on my journey and bidding me farewell.

I waited for about half an hour for everyone to board the bus and get their bags put underneath (I never actually saw my bag get put on the bus, which was INCREDIBLY foolish of me) and we were off at exactly 12.30pm. I settled in for a long ride, but then the bus attendant came on and said that we would be arriving in Phnom Penh in 3 hours and the bus would make one stop. I was overjoyed. That had cut my anticipated travel time in half.

Unfortunately, we made it to our 15 minute stop in 3 hours, not Phnom Penh. Oh the trouble with translation! I opted to stay on the bus, for fear (again) of being hounded and then cursed by the children. Then we were off again...

Well--looks like my flight to Koh Samui is now boarding--so I best sign off for now, and then hopefully I'll continue my update either late tonight (though that's not so likely) or tomorrow.

talk to you soon!