First Blog
November 20th: Sihanoukville, Cambodia
Just starting this damn blog business- orginally, just to leave a comment on a friend's blog, but now I'm thinking its just easier to share my travel info. I didn't leave my "friendly"email address so if you need this just leave a comment and I'll send it to you(good old spam mail paranoia).
So, been off ice since Oct.11. Spent three weeks in New Zealand, mostly around Christchurch but did spend a week with a rental car. Included a night at a hot springs resort, a sunset horseback ride, a sunrise swim with Dusky dolphins, and many interesting semi-legal camping spots. New Zealand is a beautiful place; how lucky we are to have it as a free stop-over.
Erika, harry, and I spent a week in Bangkok(arrived Nov. 1st) and saw some sights. Most were incredible, and some were horrifically incredible. Incredible are the temples, the palaces, the saffron-robed monks, the large void between rich and poor, the open markets, the FOOD, everyone trying to sell you anything. Horrifically incredible is mainly the driving(however Cambodia betters Bangkok by a few notches), the poverty, the sleaziness of dirty-old-white man tourists with young Thai women as well as the audacity of the Anglo tourist. Most will give money before giving a smile or eye contact. Of course, the Good outweighs the bad. At any rate.....
A lot since then. A flight to Siem Reap(Nov.8th), seeing Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and a few other 800 to 1000 year old buildings/artifacts. Some have been restored, or partially restored, by the French, some overtaken by the jungle. All hold a pious air, untouched by many centuries, that still bring believers bowing on their knees to thank their makers, their ancestors, and I don't know what else. I can say that I understand but I do not. At least, not yet.
After the holiness, came Phnom Penh, the capital city. It is a city. We saw some sites(Toul Seng, the Killing Fields, a few museums) and the beginning of the Water Festival. All beautiful, even if sad, but the Water Festival was too many people and too much craziness. We left. And here we are at the beach.
Well, more later. I'm trying to keep these short in order to maintain some of you ADD people out there. I'll be adding pictures when I can but for now, just my words.
Hope you are all well and finding what you need.
Much love
posted by CHunkey @ 1:20 PM
4 Comments:
I'm dying to see what happens next-- can you keep it a little morre up-to-date?
Dear Leo,
I told you already, stop trying to contact me. You are annoying. I wish Matt Damon would get most of your roles. I want to choke the smile off your face.
Cheers
I'm afraid I have to agree with Leo. It's SUCH a disappointment to be following along in suspense, only to be tossed off at the last moment like so much monkeychunder.The New Republic has it that you are wandering about in Tunisia, perhaps in some kind of jazz club circuit--- yet nothing of the sort do we see in this so-called BLOOG.
What, as they say, is UP ?
By the way-- have a pleasant Holiday.
Listen Jimmy,
I don\t know what your story is but whatever it be it reeks of squirrel chunder(or twice chewed acorns, if you will).
"Up" is the price of a peaceful stroll down Egypt's streets(actually its not offered in stores at all)
"Up"(way up) is the columns and obelisks of these bad-assed temples
"Up" is the blood pressure of tourists dealing with merchants every three steps
"Up" is the ante on making haggling an art form.
Hope that answers some of your questions(or at least one)
As far as suspense....
I think its somewhere between two pents and a half-dollar.
Drink guinness, please.
CHad
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