May 23/07 Wednesday I think. Ko PhaNgan – Thailand

The rest of Cambodia spared me no energy to write. So much since last.





Our one day in Phnom Penh, too many events to describe. We started the day at the central market. The stink of butchered meat in the sun, vender after vender in a seemingly hopeless labarynth. Noodles in the market for breakfast. Brian had to return to the room shortly after, still not feeling well enough. Our driver for the day, a Heng Nol, provided happy chatter all the while.

Next for the morning was a visit to the Killing Fields. More Cambodian recent history I know too little about. But the idea is past knowledge. Looking at the piles of skulls, I found myself fixed to their teeth. Our teeth don’t move, but in life, with the right trigger, they form a smile. Busy taking pictures. The polarizer contributed an unignorable blue sky. So much death, in one place. Were there screams? Or were the victims already dead, after their torture days at the S21 prison…


We left.

Chatting again with our cab driver, he joked about joking with his wife about finding a second wife. It was obvious he was crazy about his wife. In fact, it turned out that the recording he was listening to in his car was his wife’s singing.

He invited us to his home. We went. Large; successful guy. We met his wife and children. They served us mangos and watermelon. We took some pictures.

Then we were off to the Russian Market, a cheap cheap market for everything. There we bid farewell to our driver Nol.

Russian market gift buying. Scarves and scrabes and scarbes. Floating prices. “No, that’s too much” “No, too cheap no profit” “ Very low price already” Fun fun. In the Russian Market I was dripping with sweat. Drip drip drip. So wet, I was slippery.

From the market, moto’s to S21 prison. Keith and I shared the back of one motorbike. Queenie another. More killing. Torture.


Then more food. Checking in on Brian.


Early next morning Queenie, Keith and I tried to catch the sun rise over the water and palace. We had some morning light, but at 6:00 were too late for sunrise. 7:00 a minibus picked us up to take us to the main station. There we were thrown into a bus full of other tourists. Headed for Siem Reap. 5 hours later, we’re there. Another guest house.


Siem Reap is quieter. Less crazy. Less filthy and stinky. More touristy. The only business is tourism.





What else can I say. The ruins were unreal. It was hot, impossible hot. We drank whatever we could carry. Took over 600 photos over 2 days.

Back within the city, we experience two contrasting style of massage. The first involved lots of bending, twisting and pulling. The second was from a group called “Seeing Hands.” They are all blind.

At the first place, Keith, Brian and I looked pretty clueless, having no idea what we were supposed to do. Siem Reap. It rained one afternoon. Wow, the rain. The airport was nicer than that of Phnom Penh. Tourism.

To Bangkok. The airport brought back the icy chill and sanitary flavour of developed nations. There was a Burger King, and Keith and I gave in. Internet at the departure gate to Ko Samui was a blessing.

Ko Samui, boat ride to Ko PhaNgan. Searching for accommodation in the dark with our big backpacks on our back. Not fun.

But the sunrise this morning from just outside our door, on the beach. So this is the magic of Thailand’s beaches. The others are sleeping again now after watching the sunrise.

I will too. I think.

I do miss Cambodia. I don’t know why. But this is a nice break. Restful.

And I think I’ve started to forget a little… I lost track of the day. And I don’t think I feel stressed, entirely. I’ll let go I think.