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Published: February 16th 2010
Just a quick update (mostly for my mother!) that I have arrived safely in Siem Reap, and I am currently working on my goal of staying awake until a reasonable bedtime hour. As usual, the time spent on planes and in airports combined with the 12-hour time difference means that I hardly know whether I'm coming or going by now.
I had a lovely 12-hour flight from Chicago to Tokyo on a plane that was only half-full, which meant I stretched out across seats 59D, 59E, 59F, and 59G and slept for a good portion of that leg of the trip. All was well until an hour before landing, when a flight attendant announced that a nurse or doctor was needed immediately.
I always hesitate in situations like this. It's not that I don't want to be helpful, but I truly doubt that I can be. If you're a pregnant heroin addict, I might know what to do. If you're having a heart attack, I do not. And they hardly ever make emergency announcements on airplanes about pregnant heroin addicts, so I was pretty sure I was not going to be of much use.
I did respond, however, and was very relieved to find another nurse and a Japanese-speaking doctor also present. It was decided that the semi-conscious old woman could probably use some oxygen and an IV. Lucky for her, the other nurse had excellent IV skills, which she demonstrated even through turbulence while I plumbed the deep recesses of my brain for any inkling about how to assemble the IV equipment. I don't know the outcome for the poor woman, who was taken off the plane in Tokyo by the paramedics, but I certainly hope all is well.
After all that excitement, landing and spending a couple of hours in Tokyo was a great boring relief. After another flight to Singapore, six hours in the Singapore airport (and there is nothing worth doing in the wee hours in an airport), and a quick flight to Siem Reap, I arrived this morning at 7:00.
I walked off the plane and was enveloped in the warm moist heat and scent of Cambodia. I can't begin to describe the smell, except that it's like a very warm greenhouse with an undercurrent of smoke, but it makes me grin and breathe deeply. So like a deep-breathing, grinning idiot, I made it through the visa process and then customs and baggage claim, then walked out into the morning sunshine and spotted Jaz waiting to greet me. (This was a great surprise since she had not planned on getting up such an ungodly hour, but what a pleasant surprise!)
Not having slept since somewhere between Tokyo and Singapore, I'm a bit blurry around the edges, but have tackled the satisfying tasks of settling in. I've unpacked, hugged and played with the kids, had breakfast at our usual restaurant down the street, ridden my bike downtown to buy some $3 sunglasses, gone to the supermarket for staples (milk, cereal, coffee, beer, and Orangina) and started making lists with Jaz about all the things we hope to do over the next three weeks.
Having checked Facebook, I know that my friend and co-worker Erin has arrived safely in Phnom Penh as scheduled and is probably on the bus to Siem Reap as I write this. (Erin and I left Burlington at almost the same time but on different airlines, so she's having her own travel adventures already.) I'm excited to have her here - it's always fun to see a familiar place through someone else's new eyes. I'm wondering how many more friends I will have the privilege of tempting into a trip to Cambodia..... Any takers?
I make no promises about how often I'll update things here. If it's not often, you can safely assume that's because I'm either busy, lazy, or doing so many of the same old things that I assume you don't need to hear about them yet again! Or possibly, some combination thereof.
Late evening update: Erin has arrived, safe and sound! I have managed to stay awake all day and am just now being overcome with sleepiness....Please forgive the inevitable typos.......
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Alice
non-member comment
Great to hear from you again.
Jess, write lots and often. I figured out how to sign on for RSS feeds, and I have missed hearing about your adventures and observations. Alice