I
graduated!! I know it seems unorthodox to begin a blog with such an
announcement but to be honest I am almost more excited about this than my
college graduation! I finished up my last day of teaching on the 3rd
and said goodbye to my wonderful students on the 4th when I moved
out of the hotel. I told them all I was moving to China but would possibly be
back in a year (because you never know) and left feeling outright bummed.
I was also disappointed to find out
that I would have to make a boarder run to Thailand to renew my Cambodian visa.
I decided to make a trip out of it seeing as it’s close to a 6-hour bus ride
and hardly worth just a day. It was a
huge disaster. The Thailand/Cambodian boarder is no joke and it is by far the
worst boarder experience I’ve come across to date. Extortion runs rapid and it seems nearly
impossible to know who to ask for reliable information, as even the boarder
patrol guards are rude, reluctant to answer any questions at all, and ask
outright for bribes. I hade my passport
thrown in my face (because I pointed out they were charging me nearly double
the cost of a visa and refused to pay), was screamed at to hurry up multiple
times, had a thermometer shoved in my ear without permission, and felt
completely uneasy the entire time. To
anyone considering a trip to Cambodia: upon entering the country be sure to get
an E Business Visa which can be extended/renewed in Phnom Penh. DO NOT get a
Tourist visa as they are good only for 30 days and you will have to make the
sketchiest boarder run of you life when they expire or be tossed out of the
country. Word.
On a
brighter note, Thailand was lovely! After making it into the country I took a
buss/boat to an island called Koh Chang, which has nice beaches and warm
water. I spent the whole first day lounging
on the beach drinking coconuts. What a life!! Although for those of you who
know me best, I am not a beach bum and decided to go on a guided jungle trek
the second day of my visit. Sadly I did
not get any pictures because it brutally poured rain on us for nearly 5 of the
7 hours we hiked. Come to think of it,
hiking really isn’t the right word…better to say bushwhacking. There was no
real trail to be perfectly honest. My 14 comrades from all over the globe (I was
actually the only American) and I trailed cautiously behind our Thai guide
named Rah. He wielded a three-foot machete and made a trail as we went along.
It was wet and slick and steep and we spent most of our time ducking
under fallen trees, belly crawling across rocks, and helping the person behind
us across streams. It was quite the
experience and by the end of it, we were the most dejected, scraggly, exhausted
bunch you ever laid eyes on. My
goodness!!
The
following day after a ferry ride, nine hours in a bus, and another obnoxious
boarder crossing, I found myself safely back in Phnom Penh at the Park’s family
residence. Chuck and Cori Parks are the
aunt and uncle of a friend of mine from the TESOL program. Besides being lovely people, Chuck works for
UNICEF here at the UN and Cori is a fitness/CPR and First Aid instructor on the
side. They have been here for nearly 5 years and kindly let me stay in their
extra bedroom for my last week in Cambodia. It was a blast! Thanks guys!!! (Sorry the photo is a bit blurry)
My friend Matt
and I laced up our exploring boots and headed out. We went to markets, ate
street food, got pedicures (yes, men here do it all the time) and messages, and
rode in too many tuk tuks to count!! We did so much the days are a bit a of a
blur! We also made a much needed trip to the Killing fields of Choeung Ek. I’m sure you are all tired of hearing me talk
about such harsh depressing things, so all I will say is it was a harsh
depressing but highly educational experience.
The audio tour is great and is available in over 10 languages and the
sad but true story of this particular patch of earth seeps into you like the
surrounding heat and humidity. It is
inescapable, tangible, and nearly crippling. Go.
I was
feeling very conflicted the day before I left.
I like it here. I feel good here. Of course when I mentioned that to an
old friend, he responded, “You like it everywhere, and you will find your place
in China just the same.” I certainly
hope so because I fly there late tonight!! I am sad and excited and nervous and
inspired all at the same time and hope the next leg of my adventure is as
enjoyable as this one. Shanghai here I
come!
One last thing, before I close this
entry; I know I had promised to send care packages to those who contributed to
my GoFundMe but you’ll have to settle for a post card for now. Upon doing a bit of research, I found it was too
expensive to send even tiny parcels from here to the US, so I will be keeping
the Cambodian memorabilia I have collected for you all and sending it from
China as it is cheaper and more reliable.
The postcards should arrive in 2-3 weeks. That’s all for now!!! Take
care and I hope to hear from you soon about what is happening on your side of
the dateline!! xoxo
No comments:
Post a Comment