Shake, Rattle, and Roll

Thursday, October 18

Up at the crack of dawn to get on a bus to Cambodia. I have to say, the Tales of Asia website was right on, even down to the window number at the bus station for getting a ticket to the border. Unfortunately, it was also correct about the hassles at the border, and the ripoffs attempted (one successfully). After a 4 1/2 hour bus ride, it was a 4 hour ride from the border to Siem Reap and out guesthouse. That's 4 hours to cover 90 miles. Why? Because the road is BARELY paved, with potholes the size opf moon craters. I think the ride may have taken 5 years off my teeth. Amazingly, as soon as we hit Siem Reap, the road was paved and perfect. The driver said that the roads are beuatiful everywhere in Cambpdia excpt for that one stretch from the border (Poipet) to Siem Reap. Why? There are many theories, but one is that the investors who bailed out Cambodia Airlines a few years back are deliberately paying the government to NOT fiux the road, as it would detract from air travel and take a bite out of the profits that the airline is making. Another possibility: The Cambodians are not very big on the Thai people. One Cambodian national suggested that, if the road leading into Cambodia from the Thai border were more passable, more Thais would come into Cambodia regularly. Hmmm. Of course, there is a huge casino just on the Cambodian side of the border. In fact, there were three HUGE lines for Thais exiting the country, but only a 4-person line for all other passport holders. Seems the gambling bug has hit them hard.

Anyway, after a bone-jarring ride in the cab, we arrived at our "guest house,"which is sort of like a hotel but smaller. There's a bed and a bathroom of sorts - basically, the bathrooms here are "wet rooms,"where the shower in on the bathroom wall and you close the door to shower, but spray everything in sight including the toilet and sink. Still, after that many hours in a vehicle and then 85-degree heat with probably 90% humidity, anything with a water nozzle is welcome.

Life here is so laid back it's almost at a standstill (or seemingly so). Order three things for dinner, and they will cook them one at a time. You might wait 10 minutes between the sandwich and the fries (OK, I haven't had fries, but you know what I mean). There are so many unfinished buildings, I wonder if people stop working on them from sheer boredom and want to move on (sort of like contrustion-related ADHD)? On the other hand, the average worker in Siem Reap works 12 hours a day, probably 6 or 7 days a week, for the equivalent of $15 per month (yes, month!) My job is looking mighty awesome right now.