Siem Reap

Hello from a new city!

After a very hectic morning ride to a difficult-to-find boarding area, I got on the Blue Cruiser and "cruised" north to Siem Reap, the city that supports Angkor Wat. (Go ahead and google Angkor Wat if you don't know what it is, its pretty cool.)

I was totally elated to be on a boat as the sun rose, watching the city fade and the countryside appear. I had good tunes and the breeze was heavenly. I had my guidebooks out, sunscreen on and a little baggie of pineapple for a snack. But for all these good things, and all that i know lies ahead, I was also incredibly sad to go.

I'm glad to be traveling alone because I have so much to process now. The long boat ride was just what I needed for remembering, praying, writing and rejoicing over the experiences I've just had- the kind I've been hoping to have for so long.

More than once I thought "I can't believe this is my life!" And that's a pretty big change from my outlook when I said goodbye to snowy Mass.

The last night in PNH was lovely. The staff at the day care cooked a special goodbye feast for me and we sat on mats in a circle over steaming plates of lemony beef and chicken and piles of sticky rice. People who had only waved at me all week summoned the courage to speak to me in broken english and two women gave small speeches, which translated, amounted to a lot of thanks for coming to their poor country and working in their small, poor day care center. These people do every day (for very little pay,) what I did for a week and they were bending over backwards to thank me? I think the word the australians use is gobsmacked. That's what I was.

But now, the present. I've checked into a sweet guesthouse called Popular Guesthouse. It was a Lonely Planet recommendation and as usual, they were right on the money. It's great. My room is small but clean, I have a private bathroom and a fan that cranks up to about 1000 RPM and there's a roof top deck where they serve food and delicious cold Angkor beer, where other whiteys from around the world mill about between seeing temples and markets and rice fields and villages. Aaah.

Tomorrow I have an 8 am tuk-tuk date with the guy who drove me from the boat to the guesthouse today and I bargained him down from FIFTY DOLLARS (!!!!) to 25 for the day tomorrow. Now, maybe some of you are thinking that $50 for a days work sounds fair, but remember where I am, please. That glorious guesthouse I just described for you is running me a whopping $5 per night. I fear that even at $25, my little driver is laughing at me, but oh well. I like to think maybe he has a family and can use the money.

Ok, the heat has won. This internet cafe has no a/c and the fan is not oscilating in my direction and I can't wipe any more sweat out of my eyes when the Popular Guesthouse is calling my name like this!

Tomorrow I will try to post again, and will get some more pictures up, too. Until then: cham reap lia! (Good bye!)