From Singapore, to Malaysia, through Thailand and now to Cambodia. An unseemly rush. We are trying to make up the time lost through ships and ferries not being there when I imagined they would be. Why is everything so complicated? And why are things not so easy in real life as in my imagination?
On the positive side of the ledger: we just had a remarkable dinner here in Siem Reap. We walked through the old town, wall to wall tourist shops. ATM machines spewing out $US which serves as an amalgam local currency…. you pay in yankee $and get change in Cambodian riel. We turned around and headed back to the large barn like building alongside the river. No whitefellas, and the Cambodians cracked up as we walked in and sat down. Huge clear plastic beer dispensers adorn every table and the brewery has very thoughtfully supplied uniformed waitresses just to attend to your beer. Which is served with ice in the glass. And consumed with glee by the mostly pissed patrons.
None of the waiters and waitresses spoke a word of English so with mime and pointing we ordered prawns and bbq beef. We were served a small stack of little bowls with chilli, crushed peanuts and some sort of sauce that smelled of the sewer and boasted a similar consistency. After much staring, a diner from the next table came over to show us how to mix everything together and make a paste into which the meat and green leaves are dipped. But it still tasted foul, and we decided to ignore their mirth and eat the food without the sauce. Dinner cost US$12.50 or CamRiel50000.
And on the downside: my laptop did not survive the voyage from Singapore. A new hard disc was installed in a shop in Bangkok to revive it, but I have lost everything that was installed on the old one. We did manage to save the data files, but I am a shadow of my former self. It is a bit like after a burglary - you are not even sure what has gone missing.
And to cap off a really crappy day, Jack was pick-pocketed in the market at Jatajak in Bangkok and lost his diary, his constant companion from Day 1 of the trip. It is so senseless - a useless item to anyone but him, now gone for ever. He is not a happy boy. He also had a sensational pair of retro RayBan sunglasses nicked from the same pocket, but it is the diary that really will be missed.
