Saturday, February 27th, 2016
It was time for us to start making our way to our next destination, Vietnam. We wouldn’t be arriving there just yet. First, we had to return to Phnom Penh. We rode along in a minivan to get there, and had a giggle at one of the signs during one of our rest stops.
We had the driver drop us off by the river so we could eat lunch before searching for our hotel. We were starving! We both got club sandwiches at a place called “Grand River”. This would not be a meal shy of activity. Every two seconds, we were presented bracelets to buy. Trevor ended up giving in and bought a couple.
A beggar passed us that resembled the “Elephant Man.” This broke my heart, I couldn’t imagine his life’s struggles. Drama followed suit when a small fight broke out at the bar next door between a drunk guy and a man with an English bulldog. We couldn’t pinpoint exactly what just unfolded, but gravity was involved as the drunk guy was now laying on the floor of the bar, cussing at everyone kind enough to try to help him up.
We tracked down “Mama Veary’s Guest House” and got checked in before heading towards Central Market. On the way, a motorcyclist drove into my arm, but it only resulted in minor bruising. A local pointed at Trevor’s t-shirt which had something written in Khmer. We were curious, so we asked him what it said. He claimed it said “Cambodia”, but we were starting to wonder if it actually said something more along the lines of “Penis Boy” or “Dickhead Tourist”. Which would be funny enough to still make it a shirt worth wearing, I should add.
After strolling through the market, we returned to the river to bar hop a bit, starting at “King’s Court” then back to “Khmer Royal Hotel” and then up to the rooftop bar at “Grand River Restaurant”.
We enjoyed the scenery and talked to a couple from Louisiana before grabbing lasagna at “Amazing Happy Pizza Pub”. I rolled my eyes at an overweight Aussie wearing a bra with suspenders who was blabbing to her friends that I had been staring at them. As ridiculous as she looked, I was more focused on the typos on the menu posted behind her. They never lose their charm.
Back at the guest house, we got settled in for the night. Before closing our eyes, we heard a guy in the room across the hall yell to his buddy, “Mate! I just saw a cockroach run into your room!” Once things settled down, I listened to birds singing outside. Instead of a cheerful song or chirp, it sounded more like a disgruntled, “Fuck-off, fuck-off, fuck-off! Fuck-you fuck-you!”
Jump Back to Cambodia: Part 13: Corn Fritters, Contemplations & Band Practice
Jump Ahead to Vietnam: Part 1: Busing Across the Border to Ho Chi Minh City
OR
Start from the Beginning at Cambodia: Part 1: Tips, Hotel Swap & Cheap Beer in Phnom Penh
Stubbs Rambles On 