Visited S-21 and the Killing Fields today. Dark, graphic, gruesome, disturbing? Not terribly. Saddening? Kinda. Don't get me wrong, i was sad when i was there, but for some reason i was just not as sad as i thought i would be. I think it has something to do with my tour guide. Don't get me wrong, this guy was recommended to me by another traveler. He was extremely knowledgeable and spoke good english. However, he rushed through the exhibits very quickly. And i ended up missing a lot of pictures and just having the time to absorb my surroundings. On the flip side though, he was one of the survivors of the Khmer Rouge. An amazing guy with incredible stories of survival, he provided me with a first hand account of the life under the Khmer Rouge regime.
Another plus, he helped me buy a new towel (how exciting! i know eh?), and brought me to some great resteraunts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (costing me a total of 6 USD, for the both of us). I was definitely not disappointed. I was however kinda sad when i found out that the durian i had tried earlier and introduced to my friends was not actually durian. It was jackfruit. How was i supposed to know? It looks, smells, and tastes the same. Even the shell is very similar, except its greener and smaller spikes. I thought they were not as ripe as back home so thats why the taste, texture and look were slightly different. i will have to find myself some real durian now.
Another plus, i just hung around with him for the rest of the day. Just sitting around, chatting, seeing the local life style, getting a feel for the place. The only thing i kinda regret, but not really, but then again, kinda (Damn british! Damn you Trevor, now making fun of Vicki will be too easy!), was when we went to the park at night. He asked me if I minded if he picked up some more customers and drove them around. I was like sure, why not? I've been riding Tuk-tuks for the last 2.5 months, and now here was my chance to see what it was like to live the life of a tuk-tuk driver! So we drove around a little and ended up stopping in a large park. There were lots of people around (tonnes of kids, asians seem to love to pump out the babies) just chilling (in a good way). So my guide starts talking to some random girl and i end up finishing the conversation. Don't get me wrong, she was definitely a cutie, i will ring her up when i get back into Phnom Penh (of course i have her contact!). But for some reason there was something so appealing about seeing what it was like to be a tuk-tuk driver i kinda wanted to get out of there. Hahah. I'm sure some of the guys back home are like wtf!?!?? Who cares about living the life of a tuk-tuk driver? I dunno, i guess its something different? Picking up girls is, you know, same same...but different. Hahahahaha, those of you who don't know what i'm talking about i will explain when i get home. It makes perfect sense if you're out here. You know, same same? But different. Ahahahaaaaa.
Anyways, it was so much fun my guide has invited me to goto his house and stay with his family when i get back into Phnom Penh. And to tell you the truth, i'm very interested in taking him up on his offer. The chance to live with a local Cambodian family will be amazing. His only surviving family is his mother. His father, 2 brothers, and 2 sisters-in-law were all excuted by the Khmer Rouge. I'm sure she will be lots of fun and very happy to meet me, even though she doesn't speak a word of english.
Anyways, thats for next week. I'm off now for some fun in the sun down on the beach! Actually, not really, i'm heading down there to chill and try to do some volunteer work. Land mine removal unit! Just kidding, i'm gonna try to teach English to orphans. When your budget shrinks from 30 USD per day to 10 USD per day its really hard to do much but eat. Note: This budget cut is just temporary, need the extra money for xmas and new years.
My cool tuk-tuk driver Peter
3 comments:
damn you...you get the sun there! its freaking snowing rite now!! boo!! =(
hi hi! Glad you are well. Glad to hear you will be offering your services to those in need. Its snowing here and I wish u were here, bc I needed you but I was ok.
Almost done school, time to relax. Miss you lots. pz
good to finally hear from you.. mom was a bit nervous.. especially because of all your ruckus in vietnam.. anyhoo.. thinking of a career change? tuktuk driving is good exercise.. but hell on the legs.. everyone at home is well.. colin and i eat with mom and dad at least once a week. btw..dad is offering to send you money if you need it.. might as well take it since it's christmas and you won't be here to celebrate with us. also mom wants to know when you'll be home.. i told her not till june! haha. may be coming to visit march-ish.. where do you think you'll be?
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