Sunday, November 26, 2006

Cambodia Dreams...

Have become a reality. Immediate perceptions -
Very chill place.
In comparison, much less developed than Thailand
People - VERY FRIENDLY - I mean awesome - the smiles make you want to smile yourself

Here in Cambodia - Josh is THE MAN. He speaks Thai - and also Khmer, the Cambodian Language) He has set us up as a sweet guest house in downtown Phnom Penh - $10 a night for air-conditioned, sweet room. Josh proceeds to give us a Khmer lesson over lunch and we get into all the basic travel phrases. Hello (Sua Sadei) Thank You (OkkaHun) Please (Som) What is this? (Ne Gkew Awei) The language sounds beautiful here and we all are aspiring to be conscientious travelers - speaking the language and being culturally aware. Again - PAY ATTENTION.

I am reminded how psyched I am to travel with Ryan. We will but heads occasionally as we are both High D's and often think our ways is the best way... yet Ryan is one of those guys that is just "cool." Some people are, some people aren't - Ryan is. And randomly hilarious.

And John - a pleasant surprise as it is the first time I have met him. In college in Boulder - and living in Chiang Mai at the moment for a while. Intelligent, observant, easy going... and amped to pull down.

This cast of characters should make for some good filming!

The heat is oppressive. Need to find sandals quickly...

Our first meal is incredible - Fried Noodles with Vegetables with some stuffed pork pastry deal on the side. Wow - Changan (Delicious!) a bit pricy though - lunch was 1 US $ :o)

We came out of the guest house this afternoon to begin exploration and the first thing we see is a dead, skinned dog - headless - on the side of the road... ready to be prepared for eating??? A bit disturbing.

We score regional maps to locate the Wall... explore Motorbike and Car Rental info... and the exotic climbing talk begins to elevate the soul...

We travel to the Me Kong River an chill over Iced Coffee. Tomorrow we will learn about Cambodia, go to a museum, and the Killing Fields. Embrace the culture and LEARN about Cambodia - this amazing country.

SOON - we will be off to the country side to climb...

No comments: