I have arrived in Phnom Penh the capital of Cambodia. I really didn't do much research on Cambodia or Phnom Penh but I assumed since it was a major city that it would be pretty well established and boy was I wrong. My first eye opening experience was when our tuk tuk driver was taking us to the tuk tuks the first thing I saw was a four lane road with hundreds of motobikes and tuk tuks. He expected us to walk across the street to get to the parking lot where he kept his tuk tuk. I thought we would never cross but all of sudden he tells us to come along and just starts walking and miraculously the motobikes, cars, and tuk tuks either stop or swerve around us. I have never seen something so crazy before in my life I was sure we were going to get hit or cause an accident. Once we got going I saw the neighborhoods we passed through and it was heartbreaking. There were either no sidewalks or there were sidewalks horrible shape, giant pot holes and cracks in the road, dirt and trash everywhere, and you could smell the pollution in the air. My first thought was I don't think I am going to like it here. I think I am going to stay in my room the whole time and figure out how to find food later.
Once I made it to the hotel I began to meet my fellow LanguageCorp participants and began to feel more at ease. Our tuk tuk drivers had arranged for us to go to dinner at a local restaurant and that really helped put me at ease. We went to a semi out door restaurant with buckets in the center of the table. In these buckets men from outside the restaurant would bring in another bucket full of hot coals and place it in the center bucket of the table. Then the wait staff placed a metal grate on top of the bucket, we were going to cook our dinner. We had a BBQ beef shish kabob, fried rice, noodles, and vegetables. Everything tasted amazing, the seasoning on the meat was great it was really easy to cook and with the giant pitchers of beer we all had a great time. This whole feast cost us $6. The great thing about Cambodia is they accept US dollars and either give you US change or Camboadian Riels.
The next morning a group of us decided to venture out into our neighborhood. We found an outdoor food market which when we first walked in had loads of fresh fruit and vegetables but as we walked further down the narrow lanes that were filled with people and moving motobikes we saw every part of a pig and chicken hanging from various stalls (I mean everything- snouts, beaks, feet). There were baskets of fish (no ice) sitting out, buckets with no water with fish still squirming, buckets of water with fish swimming around, a flopping fish or two in the path, and blood and guts from a recently cut open fish or piece of meat. Even though it was totally unsanitary and gross I still found it quite interesting. The rest of the day we took at tuk tuk tour around the city. We were shown where we would go to school, the embassies, the Riverside (tourist area), Hospital, Wat Phnom (Buddhist Temple), the local markets, and took a tour of the Royal Palace. The architecture and attention to detail is just amazing in the Wats and the Royal Palace. There are intricate details on every part of the building from the roof, to the walls, to the stairs, to ceilings. It is amazing to find such beauty in a city that is in such disarray.
The night before we started our first day of classes was spent in a local bar called the Pirates Den, it was located on the Riverside and we ate buffet style while meeting our trainers/coordinators. It was a nice dinner not some amazing Cambodian feast but it filled our starving stomachs. After dinner we were free to go back to our hotel or wander around the city. We all decided to go to the night market down the street that is only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It is like your average outdoor market it has food stalls, clothing stalls, and stalls that sell accessories. The food looked amazing. Everything was very fresh and very inexpensive. We sat at tiny tables with kiddie chairs to eat some of our food but they had an option to sit in the center of the market on blankets. It seems to be common to sit at tiny tables or the ground when eating street food people usually do not eat and go. We ended our last night of freedom but having a beer at a local bar before calling it a night.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Traveling
So for everybody who didn't know my exact travel plans or only just saw random facebook status updates I wanted to write how exactly I got to Cambodia. It all began on the morning of Thursday January 28th when I woke up at 2:30 am to leave the house by 3:30 to make the drive to Miami. After a two and a half/ three hour drive to the airport I proceeded to the American Airlines gate to try and get checked in all the way to Bangkok. The American Airlines agent tells me that she cannot check me all the way through so can checks me in all the way to Beijing, but I got two checked bags for free. I asked if an hour and forty-five minutes was enough time for me to clear customs, grab my bags, and check in again she said yes so I didn't worry. I finally said my good byes to mom and dad at about 7 and proceeded to the gate.
My first flight was a 6 hour flight to San Fransisco which left and arrived on time. I went to the gate agent at Air China (2nd flight) and asked to be checked in to Bangkok,since my bags were not checked all the way to Bangkok the lady was unable to check me in. She told me that the American Airlines lady could have checked me in all the way and was confused why she hadn't done so. She said I should have enough time to get my bags leave the gate and make my next flight so I was a little more worried but felt confident I would get to Bangkok. I get on the plane and thankfully I am on an aisle with no one in between me and another American sitting in the window seat. After eating and taking a nap on the plane the American (of course I didn't get his name) and I start talking. I find out that the guy is visiting his Chinese wife and travels through Beijing all the time, I asked him about the airport and if he thought I could make my next flight. He tried to reassure me saying he had made it through the whole airport in 30 minutes so I should be fine he then asks if I have a Visa. Giving him a confused look I explain how I thought I didn't need one since I was just passing through he goes on to tell me that China is very strict and that you need a Visa even if it isn't your final destination if you leave the terminal you need a Visa. Now not only am I worried about not making my next flight I am scared I am going to get in huge trouble because I don't have a Visa. So of course that bit of news sent my nerves through the roof my plan at this point was to just play dumb when I went to customs desk and hope they give me a temporary visa quickly so I can be on my way.
After 13 hours on an older 747 I finally land 20 minutes late and proceed to deplane to the tarmac in 30 degree weather I now have 45 minutes to clear customs, grab my bags, and check in again. I went to the transfer desk where the gate agent explained that I would never make my flight if I grabbed my bags so I had to choose bags or Bangkok. I took Bangkok. The gate agent would try to get my bags to me in the morning.
I finally get on my flight to Bangkok which of course was running late and they had seated another guy in my same seat so that added some confusion. My flight was pretty uneventful after that and we landed in Bangkok 5 hours later. After getting my Thai Visa I went to lost baggage and spent 30 minutes filling out forms to get my bags in the morning before my flight the next day to Phnom Penh. The gentleman at lost baggage was super nice and tried everything he could to get them to the airport by 9 am but couldn't guarantee anything. Thank goodness my hotel was less than 5 minutes away I finally got in my room charged all my electronics and took a much needed shower.
The next morning I am up bright and early to eat breakfast at the hotel and call about my bags, which will not arrive until 6 pm so I am just going to have to wait for them in Phnom Penh. I head to airport early and wait for my final flight which boards at 3 pm and I make it to Cambodia an hour and a half later. After going through a very interesting Tourist Visa process I meet my Tuk Tuk driver (we all call him Schmitty) and embark on a crazy 30 minute drive through Cambodian traffic to finally get to the hotel. It was a four country three day journey with so much time spent in airports and planes I do not know how I didn't collapse on my bed. I am happy I am here I realize how much I have not seen of the world and I am so glad I had decided to come to Asia.
My first flight was a 6 hour flight to San Fransisco which left and arrived on time. I went to the gate agent at Air China (2nd flight) and asked to be checked in to Bangkok,since my bags were not checked all the way to Bangkok the lady was unable to check me in. She told me that the American Airlines lady could have checked me in all the way and was confused why she hadn't done so. She said I should have enough time to get my bags leave the gate and make my next flight so I was a little more worried but felt confident I would get to Bangkok. I get on the plane and thankfully I am on an aisle with no one in between me and another American sitting in the window seat. After eating and taking a nap on the plane the American (of course I didn't get his name) and I start talking. I find out that the guy is visiting his Chinese wife and travels through Beijing all the time, I asked him about the airport and if he thought I could make my next flight. He tried to reassure me saying he had made it through the whole airport in 30 minutes so I should be fine he then asks if I have a Visa. Giving him a confused look I explain how I thought I didn't need one since I was just passing through he goes on to tell me that China is very strict and that you need a Visa even if it isn't your final destination if you leave the terminal you need a Visa. Now not only am I worried about not making my next flight I am scared I am going to get in huge trouble because I don't have a Visa. So of course that bit of news sent my nerves through the roof my plan at this point was to just play dumb when I went to customs desk and hope they give me a temporary visa quickly so I can be on my way.
After 13 hours on an older 747 I finally land 20 minutes late and proceed to deplane to the tarmac in 30 degree weather I now have 45 minutes to clear customs, grab my bags, and check in again. I went to the transfer desk where the gate agent explained that I would never make my flight if I grabbed my bags so I had to choose bags or Bangkok. I took Bangkok. The gate agent would try to get my bags to me in the morning.
I finally get on my flight to Bangkok which of course was running late and they had seated another guy in my same seat so that added some confusion. My flight was pretty uneventful after that and we landed in Bangkok 5 hours later. After getting my Thai Visa I went to lost baggage and spent 30 minutes filling out forms to get my bags in the morning before my flight the next day to Phnom Penh. The gentleman at lost baggage was super nice and tried everything he could to get them to the airport by 9 am but couldn't guarantee anything. Thank goodness my hotel was less than 5 minutes away I finally got in my room charged all my electronics and took a much needed shower.
The next morning I am up bright and early to eat breakfast at the hotel and call about my bags, which will not arrive until 6 pm so I am just going to have to wait for them in Phnom Penh. I head to airport early and wait for my final flight which boards at 3 pm and I make it to Cambodia an hour and a half later. After going through a very interesting Tourist Visa process I meet my Tuk Tuk driver (we all call him Schmitty) and embark on a crazy 30 minute drive through Cambodian traffic to finally get to the hotel. It was a four country three day journey with so much time spent in airports and planes I do not know how I didn't collapse on my bed. I am happy I am here I realize how much I have not seen of the world and I am so glad I had decided to come to Asia.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Time to Think
As I sit on my excruciatingly long flight from San Francisco to Beijing I have time to reflect on my journey to the other side of the world. The last two weeks leading up to my departure date had been horrible. I was stressed beyond belief and extremely sad. I wasn’t scared about what I was about to embark on I was sad because of all the people I would leave behind. I have a great family and great friends how could I leave them. As we spent the last couple of weeks hanging out I realized how much I am going to miss going out to the bars, going out to dinner, going shopping, and spending days out on the boat. I honestly thing the real reason I am scared is that I fear that they will forget me and move on. We had such a great group of people and I feel that my leaving has screwed it up. Now the morning of my departure I am eerily calm. Once I made it through security I didn’t feel like I was going on a 28-hour journey I felt like I was just flying off on another one of my vacations. Even as I sit on the plane to Beijing I am quite calm. The only thing I am worried about is making my connection to Bangkok, I could handle missing a connection in the United States or Europe but I am not so sure how I could handle it is China. With that being said I want to have fun I want to experience everything that Asia has to offer. I am hoping I don’t slip back into my shell and be a homebody. I just want to meet my fellow Language Corps classmates, hopefully I will meet people just like me who crave adventure and are willing to step out of their comfort zone to experience a new culture. Wish me Luck .
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