Day 10: Kuala Lumpur Airport

Traveling day today.
Up before 6 a.m... Sall supposedly waiting with the Tuk-tuk down on the street for a 6:15 ride back to the Seam Reap Airport. One of the mornings when you think it must be some kind of twisted joke that a person should be asked to actually get up and function. One of the most tired moments I've felt since the start on this little jag, all the way back to when I dragged myself on a plane bound for Hanoi; with a total of around 3 out of the last 48 hours of sleepy time.

A strange blurring sequence of movements, somehow when you have no good choice there are other levels of consciousness that can move you from A to B. Good thing everything is packed and ready to go. Back down to the streets that mere hours earlier were filled with all manner of red light traffic. Even small children asking for money for food; tourists stumbling out of bars on Pub Street and the working girls making the rounds. Grifters hounding for dollars. Quite a gregarious group actually, once you ignore their prying and engage them in some conversation, they easily drop the relentless peddling.

Last night, I had to give a good go for our the last night in Seam Reap, Cambodia. Meghan and Adam however decide and with sound judgement, I suppose, that they'd call it an early night. Solo mission, through the hot, crowded, crazed streets. Maybe I can find a little more of the underbelly.

The temples are hands down mind blowing. You can go pretty much anywhere in any of them. The best thing to say of them is that they are definitely something to see. Some of them I suppose feel like stone villages acres in size, with every surface intricately carved, rooms inside of rooms (or tombs), giantly carved faces towering on looming spires, vast moats on the order of miles, elaborate stone pools inside of open cathedral interiors, every last block geometrically symmetric and connected, etc, etc, and all of this and much more crumbling from a millennium of wear and abandonment.

After a full day at Angkor Wat, and the surrounding temples, we were quite drained yet again. The weather however was much more cooperative then the day before, with enough cloud coverage the blazing sun was kept at bay for a least a good portion of the day, and allowing a little more time to just stand out in the open at the different temples. At the one pub I went to the owner had said that the day before had been something like 102 degrees. Today, a little cooler but to put in a little better context you still break to a pouring sweat - just under a minute.

We hired Sall out to be our Tuk-tuk driver for another day. Sall is a 31 year old local Khmer who has live his entire life in Seam Reap. He has been driving "taxi" for seven years now, of which the last 2 he has been going the Tuk-tuk route as opposed to the straight motorbike taxin'. Tuk-tuk is definitely the way to go, for Sall and for us, and arguably the best way to get around a place like Seam Reap. You can sit in your covered little carriage, about 4 people max ( most comfort for 2), attached to the back of the motorbike and your good to go. Angkor Wat is big place and they say you need at least 3-4 days to get a good soaking of the sights. For those that have time, and like to sweat til they puke, then a tradish bike would be good. For Sall he makes more money for the more people he can take, so he eventually upgraded once the bike was paid up, and now he's able to rent the Tuk-tuk trailer for $1 a day.

Sall would turn out to be quite good timer, and once the sights were scene, we met back up with Sall later in the night. We went back to the hotel to recup and see if Adam was still alive. Big night the night before in Laos(I think I personally clocked an hour or so of sleep), but we all get hit in weird ways sometimes, and Adam was out of commission for Seam Reap day 1. A new addition to the team however is Ted from Pennsylvania. We met him at the airport coming in and shared a taxi to town, and our paths converged for the day and into the night.

After a couple hour recup - power nap from moment in the door - with a good bout of some horrofic dreams - to waking to Ted and Adam ready to go. Feeling better and geared for Cambodian night life. Meghan takes the night off and hangs low, while the three of us meet up on the streets with Sall.

In southeast Asia, you don't go clubs, you go to the Disco Tech, or Risco Tech as Buon (pronounced Boone) from Pakse, Laos would say. Sall had plans for the boys, and we were at his mercy. We hopped in the Tuk-tuk and away we went. First we ate at a local little street side Khmer restuarant. Sall every couple of weeks when he has saved enough money to take his wife and seven year old son out to eat. Full on with plastic lawn chairs grouped to tables stretched from the front of the store/restaurant front to the road side. Any Khmers here, as Sall explains that no tourists come here, and that none of the workers speak English. A big clay pot with cover sits in front of us, on propane burner, working on a boil. A handful of other dishes surround us awaiting for their turn to be piled into the cauldron. Some of a vegetable nature, some of meaty, fishballs, raw egg on a pile of beef. We order the local Angkor beer and settle into the conversation. One main theme and goal is trying to get to know Sall a little better, and another and more constant theme: trying to figure out what each other is trying to say. After sometimes strenuous effort, we all try to mange clever and different ways to say phrases to get our points across. Sometimes we settle. Sometimes one question may be met with us clinging to to understand an answer pretaining to something completely unrelated, but then often only peaking a curiosity elsewhere. Mostly Sall speaks of his poverty and his work, his sacrifices so that his son can go off to a English speaking school, his general "lot" in life. Despite his hardship, he does not come off bitter, I'm left with an impression that he just is happy today to have had a day of work, and hopeful that tomorrow will be the same.

Couple brewskers down, and really starting to relax in the heat and commotion of the night. We pay the check and leave the restuarant. Garbage strewn under the tables, noise and dirt blowing in from the streets, mixing with all manner of smells, some pleasant some of more septic qualities. All joining in a thick heat, as we part it, we head back to the Tuktuk, mixed with others of the same same kind, parked this way and that, we climb in back while Sall kick starts the ailing engine. Although Sall must be earning more with pulling around this trailer apparatus, his small motor scooter engine must no doubt be taking its toll. Low gear and heavy thuds bring us out to a sea of motor bike traffic, and lights. With the relief from the claustrophobia, the wind that hits once in the Tuk-tuk is one of the best places you would want to be.

We go here to there, checking for somewhere that hasn't closed up. Friday night and the boys looking for some action. Sall says all closes by 12, only 10:30 or so, but eventually find a nice restaurant/bar with a tropical feel. Grass roofs, dirty floors, wooden planked structures. Seven hostesses greet us at the entrance, all standing in matching dress, hands folded and bowing, welcoming us. This appears to be their only job. When we would leave later I noticed a string of these types of places along the road. Always around seven young girls in matching dress, sitting, waiting at their entrances. Everyone immediately takes notice of us, sits us, pampers us, and stays standing near the table awaiting our any whim. The place is dead but the Karoake, as everyone knows, always dies a pianful death. However, somehow these girls train for this, couldn't understand Sall completely on this point, but they all were quite amazing.

10:15 - Kuala Lumpur. Need to go pick up our ticked to Cebu.

Once on the plane in Seam Reap, try to sleep; however, the aisle seat does not approve so easily. Nausea and changing pressure, swallowing seems to be no help. Make it the the KL food court. Meghan departs back to Hong Kong. Eat KFC and sleep desk style for a good 4 hours, waking up every 20 minutes, rearrange pinched nerves, and sore muscles, and then hit the deck.

12:47 am - Monday. ---> off to Cebu.