Coming Full Circle

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I left for the HCMC airport with the same driver who had brought me into the city in the first place. As if the traffic was not enough, we encountered a couple of areas with construction. I know that I keep coming back to this traffic thing but it is truly something surreal to see. I had quite a laugh when we drove by the Botanics Garden … oh that’s where they are! Good to know for next time!

I have also determined that the cause of my intestinal “malaise” might be my malaria medication. The one day that I forgot to take it, my stomach felt perfectly fine but otherwise for most of this trip I have been feeling a little dizzy, nauseous with a bit of a weak stomach. Nothing obviously that stopped me for doing what I wanted to do but just unpleasant.

As I left HCMC and as the plane was just ascending into the air, you could see these huge rainclouds and lightning. Quite a spectacle but in a way a little unsettling to be so close! I am by no means a nervous flyer; I love to fly but I have to say this made me a little nervous. We encountered a bit of turbulence but nothing earth-shattering by any means. As you leave HCMC, it truly looks like someone has lit a Christmas tree. There are lights and neons as far as the eye can see and even from high above you can see the crazy traffic congestion. It is a stark contrast from when you arrive in Siem Reap where you essentially wonder if the plane is just landing in some field in the middle of nowhere.

The difference with the arrival this time around was that the skies had opened up and there were torrential downpour. When I first arrived here, they had let us out on the tarmac and we had to walk the 100 to 200 feet to the customs door. Not this time, we were literally shuttled in a small bus from the steps of the plane to the door and even making it onto that little bus you managed to get pelted by this hard cold rain. It was 32C so I actually would not have minded just walking to the door and getting soaked!

I had again made arrangements with the hotel to pick me and again a driver was waiting for me holding a placard with my name on it. It wasn’t the same driver and he actually spoke English very well. So we chatted along the way and I had quite a smile on my face when we turned onto the “bouncy” road and he said something to the effect that before all of this area was fields and rice patties and how much it had changed and grown. It just wasn’t the same anymore! Now there’s a whole village! When I first arrived here, I thought to myself “where on earth have I landed … I’m in the middle of nowhere”. Well apparently nowhere is ever evolving and it’s just NOT the same! Somethings are truly universal because don’t we all say that when we go back to a place that we used to know!!

I was not prepared for the reception that I would get from the staff of the hotel. The young guy who had served me breakfast the whole time I was here the first time ran out to open my car door and when he saw me he had this huge smile on his face and said “I know you, you come back”. It was like they had known me for years and that they had missed me while I was gone for the week and wanted to hear all about it … what did you do in Phnom Penh, how was Vietnam, you have dinner yet …. So incredibly heartwarming! The young girl was practically giddy when she said “oh you have C4 again … you have same room!” My coconut shell is still there and yes my rooster woke me up this morning.

So this morning, I decided against visiting the temples again and chose to just enjoy this beautiful hotel. I had my last breakfast of chicken porridge, delicious tropical fruits and strong coffee with condensed milk all the while being entertained by this little black kitten. She was quite playful; jumping on my lap, rolling around on my feet and then would get distracted by a bug and forget all about me … oh and there she was, back again. Such a sweet thing … I wanted to bring her home so that Charlotte would have a little sister to play with but I figured that the big fur ball would not be so pleased!!

I did make into town and the Market for last minute shopping (as if my suitcase can take anymore!) but did not stay very long. It was nice though because it was actually quiet and therefore not so crowded and steamy. I bought a couple of headbands (I had already bought one and have been wearing the heck out of it) for about $ 5.00 and the girl said to me “oh today you make my lucky day”.

I also had one of my classic ditzy, everything amuses me kind of moments … the only person who would have done the same would have been my mother! As I was leaving to go to the market, I saw the owner of the hotel and the young girl from the reception sitting on the ground and doing what looked to me like embroidery. I thought to myself “oh I hope that they are still working on that when I come back” … that would make great photos, right? So how excited was I when I came back and they were both still sitting there, needles in hand just going away at it. As I approached, I asked what they were doing … hoping for some beautiful story of a Khmer tradition that goes back hundreds of years! No, no …they were sewing rice bags together to make even bigger bags for, as the owner put it, “you know the rubbish on the ground, the leaves, the dead flowers” … Aww yes garbage bags!

I did spend a bit of time at the pool, stopping for a lunch of delicious tropical fruit and one last baguette (man they make good bread in Cambodia). It is very hot and sunny so it is a little difficult to stay out for too long so I sort of came and went from my room as the afternoon passed.

I then ambled along for my Foot Softening that I had scheduled for three o’clock. I am not normally a fan of pedicures but after two weeks of temple-hopping, hiking and walking through the city, my feet were in a sorry state. Turns out it was the same young girl who had done my massage. She was deceptively strong and I already had her sit on me once so Lord knows what she was going to do to me this time around. I was a little concerned at first when, as I was soaking my feet in a tub of warm water, she pulled this large butcher knife. You’re not going to cut toes are you? I didn’t say that … I just thought it. She actually sliced limes into the water and then used them to scrub my feet clean. Then we went through the whole washing, scrubbing, exfoliating which lead to being slathered in a puree made from papayas up to my knees and then wrapped in banana leaves, which were tightly wound around my legs. I looked like one of those little bundles of sticky rice that they sell at the Asian markets. All I can tell you is that they sure hold in the heat … so now my feet are all soft, smooth and pretty. All of this is of course taking place outside, lying on this small mat surrounded by white mosquito netting while enjoying the soft breeze and hearing the sounds around you … cows, birds, the water splashing in the pool, the occasional tuk tuk, is that the rooster??? (he must have jet lag) I do have a permanent souvenir from Cambodia … I scrapped my toe and dirt must have gotten in so now I have a permanent black dot on my toe. I had the same thing happen when Kevin Ferris in fifth grade stabbed me with a pencil … permanent black dot in my hand! War wounds I guess.

So now I have a few hours to waste … first I need to rethink the whole suitcase situation and then I need to pre-order my supper (you have to pre-order the Khmer suppers for some reason!). So I cannot leave Cambodia without having tried their most traditional dish called Amok. It is fish that it cooked and served in a banana leaf. And of course, I cannot leave without one last Angkor Beer.

And so comes the end of this journey …

By the time I will have made it home, I will have
- Travelled almost 20,000 miles
- Spent over 43 hours in the air
- Taken 9 flights with 5 different airlines
- Changed my watch 6 times
- Touched down at 6 different airports
- Stayed at 3 different hotels
- Used 3 currencies
- Zero hassles
- And most importantly, zero regrets.

As always I am ever so grateful for having had the opportunity to have undertaken this trip and it truly could not have turned out better. It truly exceeded my expectations … it was the perfect trip. No, I didn’t get to see everything that I wanted but what I got to see and experience were truly magical and will definitely stay with me for years to come. My angels were looking out for me once again!!

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Comments

[Francine]

Then end of the journey...
At the risk of sounding terribly corny {again:}...don't be sad it's over, only be glad it happened. Sounds like another wonderful and enriching travel experience. So what's next on your agenda? Oh yes...a weekend in exotic Toronto:) Is life good, or what?:) Until then, wishing you Godspeed~