Sunday, May 22, 2011
Back at Om Loon's House in Phnom Penh
10:37 PM
It feels great to be back in Phnom Penh. I'm sure it seems odd for me to be saying that, seeing as how I was just in a resort town, doing nothing but swimming, reading, and eating. I like how busy everything is in this city, though. In many ways I wish that I were started in my internship; that's what I came here for in the first place. Sitting around without anything to really do or focus on tends to drive me crazy. All I have to do is wait one more week and I'll be working.
Friday morning I woke up to Eng's Cambodian music playing from the living area just outside our bedroom door, which was wide open. For some reason he thought it was a good idea to bring his computer and speakers with him to Sihanouk Ville. Anyway, we ate breakfast and made our way down the beach to a boat that was going to take us to an island. My excitement mounted as a narrow green fishing boat, of a southeast Asian style, made its way close to the shore for us to get on. We carefully carried our bags out to the boat and jumped on.
About forty minutes passed and we were far away from the shore. The two Cambodian men who owned the boat dropped anchor as Eng taught Spencer how to make a fishing pole out of a water bottle and line. Wait, why do I feel nauseated all of a sudden? This doesn't feel normal…
Yep. For the first time in my life, I was seasick. I tried to down some bread, but it tasted gross and made me feel worse. I laid back on the wood lining of the boat, trying to fall asleep, but only feeling about the same. It wasn't necessary for me to throw up, but I had a slight desire to do it. I refrained, though, and instead dove into the ocean. I immediately felt better, but Spencer told me that we were moving on to a different area, so I climbed back in the boat. Tuni and Kaitlin were feeling the same as me, so all three of us were very thankful as we floated to the shore where we would be spending the night.
Small bungalows dotted the shore as we pulled in. These were legitimate bungalows, too. Thatch roof. No air conditioning or fans. Thin mat on a slat of wood for sleeping. Hammocks. This is what I'm talking about! Man, I wish I had my ukulele with me …
We checked in at a large gazebo that doubled as a restaurant. This was the main hangout spot for the hotel. Foreigners laid everywhere, sprawled out on large pillows and mats, smoking cigarettes, obviously hung over from the night before. Guarantee I could buy myself some drugs in five minutes, no questions asked.
We made our way to our home for the night, a small yellow hut that was tagged with graffiti and standing on wood stilts. I immediately went for the hammock once I had put my stuff away.
Lauren, Mike, Spencer, and Eng headed out for more fishing. Kaitlin, Tuni, and I stayed back, not wanting to get sick again. I stayed on the hammock and read on the porch of the small hut while Tuni and Kaitlin tanned on the beach. Eventually it became pretty overcast, so I made my way out to the ocean. The water was so warm, like bathwater.
Eng and Spencer eventually showed up about six hours later and escorted us to the other side of the island. They had taken their catch for the day and given it to some people on the other side of the island to cook for us. We walked through the jungle, passing brown centipedes on the ground and listening to unique bird callings from within the depths of the trees.
The food at dinner was great. I would have stuffed myself, but I was too busy eyeing the large spiders in the rafters and dodging the huge flying beetles overhead. Kaitlin and I looked ridiculous as we ran away from the table on multiple occasions, squealing our disapproval. It's ok, though. I'm still here and alive today.
Sleeping that night was terrible. Lauren and I crawled into our bed and made sure we were covered by the mosquito net. I shifted around, trying my hardest to get comfortable. Sleep came and went in 45 minute episodes. Spencer and Eng showed up around three in the morning, asking for the key to their hut. Finally dawn broke and I was awake.
Awake isn't the right word. It's more like I wasn't fully asleep and there wasn't any chance of me being able to fall asleep, either.
We ate breakfast and got back on the boat. Mike made his shell wind chime thing that he had been gathering shells for the entire trip. I was expecting to get sick, but it didn't happen, so that's good. A couple hours later we were back on the bus, headed for Phnom Penh.
I was happy to be going back.
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