Tuesday, August 16th, 2016

6th Day in Cambodia; Phnom Penh - Kuala Lumpur - Beijing

Shimou slept late while I woke up early to get a post up, just in case our 5h layover had shitty internet, and because the posting time would pass while we're in the air. 

Siem Reap > Phnom Penh

We managed to get Shimou a fix of Thai food, which was much overpriced compared Siem Reap, or even China. The scale of cheapness was Siem Reap < China < Phnom Penh. In general, go to Siem Reap, screw the capital unless you're here for the beach or the really creepy killing fields. Seriously, it's a field of skeletons and death.

Monday, August 15th, 2016

5th Day in Cambodia; Siem Reap - Phnom Penh

The Bus

"Oh man, succulent plants" popped into my head when we were puttering down the highway, flashing back to Lynn in Japan. The only time I'd ever seen succulent used was in the context of a steak, but I had no idea what it really meant. Color me surprised. It refers to retaining juice, as in what desert plants do.

Sunday, August 14th, 2016

4th Day in Cambodia; Siem Reap

Delaying

Start the day with the maid clock at 9am. Again. 

Our Resort's Street

The plan is to go to Phnom Penh today, but that got delayed again because the bus was full. There are multiple ways to get there, but the $15 USD luxury bus that has WiFi, outlets, and snacks is the one I mean. Unbelievable price for a 6.5h trip, I tells ya. 

Saturday, August 13th, 2016

3rd Day in Cambodia; Siem Reap

Maid Alarm

Wake up to the maids pointing at 9am wanting to clean the room. Thanks, but we're still sleeping. For some reason, I assume that cleaning staff don't usually come in until 10 or 11.

Friday, August 12th, 2016

2nd Day in Cambodia; Siem Reap

10 days until the first day of school. Huh.

Packed up and into the tuk tuk. Our next resort, TuCasa, is not where Google maps thought it was. I'm still happy to have it, even though it caused us to be driven around town until we found it. Please come back to China, Google. Please.

Magical Flutes

The resort is new, and run by a Japanese woman, Yumi. It's cleaner and more modern-feeling than the last one, but smaller. I prefer more of a local taste when choosing a place to stay, but hey, this one has someone playing flute in the background... Somewhere. I can hear them through the walls for hours a day. It's not a recording. 

Thursday, August 11th, 2016

1st Day in Cambodia; Siem Reap

It's 9:20 local time, but 11:20 my time. I could have slept more, but why? I'm hungry and breakfast is served. Shimou, sound asleep, is certain to hardly notice my absence, so I steal away to the front of the resort and have a nice "moon smile" breakfast and coffee. This seems to be a light breakfast that you might find in the west. Eggs, toast, bacon. That last piece is important because it's uncommon to find in Beijing.

After enjoying the breakfast, I relaxed next to two sunbathing cats, eventually migrating back to the room to listen to Alan Watts talk about the universe and self. Also watch videos on the new virtual reality things. Shits getting cool. 

Wednesday, August 10th, 2016

Departure from Japan to Cambodia

After double-checking, we took the first steps toward Cambodia. Last visit to Family Mart for some rice balls, then hustling over to the airport through the rail and bus system. A small part of me is worried that stopping in Korea will be a problem for Shimou... since the fine print was somewhat vague about visas, but I'm pretty sure you don't need a visa if you're just transferring. Another is that the tickets I bought don't look legit, but Skyscanner hasn't given me any problems yet. Far from it, it's been the best by far flight resource so far.