I think I left off from Koh Pahngam. It was really tough leaving the island because it was honestly like a tropical paradise. On Monday, Elena and I (the British girl I travelled with) took a ferry and bus to Phuket, the second biggest city in Thailand. Things were much much different in Phuket as it catered to more tourists. We immediatly met up with two guys with Bracelona and travelled to our guesthouse in Patong beach. Patong is the most populated beach in the area, loaded with tourists from everywhere. Ironically enough, our hostel is located in the Israeli sector, so it was pretty cool seeing Hebrew everywhere (which I fortunatly still understand).
Patong is loaded with busy streets, crazy bars, and discoteques. We had dinner at one of the many street side cafes where I got a full meal for about $2. We later ventuered around and ended up chilling at a few local bars off of the beaten path. Little did we know that were only about 2 blocks away from all of the action. When I first got to Southeast Asia, I thought that Cambodia had a real serious prositution issue. Then I came to Thailand. In Cambodia, prostitutes are inconspicuously shaded behind dilapidated massage parlors. In Thailand, and especially Puket, they are in your face everywhere. After hanging out at the beach all day Tuesday, we went to the infamous Soi Chang for some late night fun. This street is closed off at night because of the volumes of people walking through. There are clubs and bars filling every possible space on the street, loaded with tourists, hookers, more ladyboys (joy), and unfortunately sex tourists. Sex tourism is huge in Thailand, and it really is disturbing to see older Western men hanging aorund younger Thai women. Regardless, myself, Chavy, and Andres (Elena stayed in) partook in the late night festivities bar hopping and fighting off touchy ladyboys. Interstingly, hookers are amazing at connect four (yes, the game). They are specially trained to embaress cocky Westerners, so much so that they would even give Rainman a run for his money. Between the three of us, we probably lost 20 games in a row.
Elena and I caught an early flight (so early that I didn't even sleep that night) to Bangkok, and we parted ways. She is heading towards Malaysia then India, and I continued back to Cambodia. After a one night stay in Phnom Penh, I took an early 6-hour bus ride to Siem Reap to visit the Angkor temples. Susan unfortunatly was not able to make the trip because of work. I just got in and will tour everything tomorrow. For now I plan on resting because all of this travelling is exhausting.
Anyway, thats all for now. I will be coming home in about 10 days which I have mixed feelings about. I don't want to leave here, but at the same time I can't wait to see family and friends. Sprots wise Atlanta teams are playing well. I can't believe how red hot the Braves are and the Falcons look great.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Thailand
So I wrote an entire entry yesterday, but the power shut off and I lost it. Anyway, I am reporting from Koh Phangam, a small island off the southern coast. I flew into Bangkok on Monday. I instantly realized that Thailand is much much different from Cambodia. Bangkok is an enormous super metropolis with skyscapers everywhere, hoards of people, and lots and lots of hookers. I stayed a a guest house on Soi 1, a couple of blocks away from Sukhumvit Rd. Sukhumvit is one of the major streets in the city with hotels, Mcdonalds, and thousands of prositutes inundating the sidewalk. I have never seen anything like it before. On my first day in town, I met a girl from London and she and I did the typical toursity things. We took every type of transportation imaginable (taxi, boat, metro, walking) and visited some major temples, China town , the Indian sector, the Western sector, and the unbelievable shopping mall with about 7 stories and a neverending food court.
Nightlife in Bangkok is outrageous. 10 of us went out early to see an x-rated show (in fact, so x-rated that I can't even write about it). At about 2:00 am, we went to a local club. The ladyboy culture here is scary, because half of the "women" in the club were in fact men. It is also a huge brain tease because many of these lady men are hot. Once again, I stayed clear of any suspicious looking characters, but it was still fun trying to decipher who in fact was a man or a woman.
I soon realized that I had not planned my vacation for long enough. I decided to extend my stay for an extra 4 days to beach bounce along the southern coast. I am travelling with the beforementioned British girl and we started our trip with an overnight train and ferry to Koh Phangam (where I am now). This island is like a paradise. We got a really inexpensive bungalow right on the beach, the food is really cheap, and it is nice to stay clear of the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. Last night we went to an infamous Black Moon party of the beach, which is essentially an all night techno rave. I don't think I went to bed until 6:30 or 7 am. Tomorrow we leave for a beach called Phuket, then back to Cambodia on Wednesday.
It is hard to believe that I am coming home in 2 weeks, but it is even harder to believe that the Braves are still in the playoff picture. Anyway, thats all I got, so i'm off to the beach.
Nightlife in Bangkok is outrageous. 10 of us went out early to see an x-rated show (in fact, so x-rated that I can't even write about it). At about 2:00 am, we went to a local club. The ladyboy culture here is scary, because half of the "women" in the club were in fact men. It is also a huge brain tease because many of these lady men are hot. Once again, I stayed clear of any suspicious looking characters, but it was still fun trying to decipher who in fact was a man or a woman.
I soon realized that I had not planned my vacation for long enough. I decided to extend my stay for an extra 4 days to beach bounce along the southern coast. I am travelling with the beforementioned British girl and we started our trip with an overnight train and ferry to Koh Phangam (where I am now). This island is like a paradise. We got a really inexpensive bungalow right on the beach, the food is really cheap, and it is nice to stay clear of the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. Last night we went to an infamous Black Moon party of the beach, which is essentially an all night techno rave. I don't think I went to bed until 6:30 or 7 am. Tomorrow we leave for a beach called Phuket, then back to Cambodia on Wednesday.
It is hard to believe that I am coming home in 2 weeks, but it is even harder to believe that the Braves are still in the playoff picture. Anyway, thats all I got, so i'm off to the beach.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
My Last Stay at Wat Opot
Sorry for such a delay with blog entries. I never had a chance to make a post after my birthday (slash I was too hungover to do so, but pretend like you didn't read that). Anyway, my birthday was pretty amazing. Susan organized a small dinner for me with about 5 or 6 people that I have met throughout my stay. We ate at a nice Middle Eastern restaraunt which was great. After dinner, about 10 people from the guesthouse and myself went out to some of the local bars and clubs. At about 3 am, we capped the night off at a notorious club called Heart of Darkness. This place is known for its eccentric crowd consisting of westerners, locals, gang members, trannies, and gays. I immediatly made it clear that I refused to talk to any "girl"who approached me who was taller than me, or who even remotely resembled a man. Regardless of the ambiguously gendred people, we still had a blast.
I also caved in and got my much needed Cambodian haircut. I was putting this off for so long, but it was inevitable. I went to a local place that was surrounded by 5 or 6 female employees. After first assuming I was walking into a brothel, I was pleased to find out the the "saloon"was in fact a real barbershop. The man who eventually cut my hair, which by the way was only $3, took the time to meticulously cut each of my individual hairs (or so it seemed). After the 45 minute haircut, my hair looked perfectly normal. For another $2, one of the female workers gave me a 20 minute shampoo, which was essentially a 20 minute head message.
My last week at Wot Opot was probably my best stay. There was a slew of Japanese volunteers who came through, and they were pretty cool to work with. One night, a bunch of the girls were shrieking because an enourmous blue gecko had invaded their room. It took 3 of us to finally force the monster into a hole and seal it with duct tape. What goes around must come back around, because the following evening I woke up to the sounds of the very same gecko resting only 2 feet above my head.
It was pretty difficut saying goodbye to everyone in the community. The head monk who I had been working with, Poohr (sp?), inproved considreably with his English proficiency. Wanye approached me on the last day to tell me that the once very shy Poohr was openly speaking to Wayne in English, something he had never done before. It is very nice to see that my efforts have benefitted some. There is a small coffee shop along the edge of the community that some of us would frequently hang out at. Many of us have a running joke that I am in love with the woman who runs the stand. She is a 40 year old widow who does not speak a single word of English. On my last day in the village I gave her a passport photo of myself and told her to never forget my face. She happily put my picture on her wall.
Now that I am back in Phnom Penh, I am leaving for Tailand tomorrow. I met a couple of guys during my last stay here, and I plan on travelling with them while there. I have no idea where we are going or what we will be doing, but that is have the fun of travelling. I will be back in Phnom Penh with about 2 weeks before my final departure, yet I have no idea what I will be doing (except for a 4 day visit to Siem Reap). I might volunteer with a local organization here, or I might even go back to Wat Opot for a few days. Who knows.
Anyway, thats all for now and I will make another post whenever.
I also caved in and got my much needed Cambodian haircut. I was putting this off for so long, but it was inevitable. I went to a local place that was surrounded by 5 or 6 female employees. After first assuming I was walking into a brothel, I was pleased to find out the the "saloon"was in fact a real barbershop. The man who eventually cut my hair, which by the way was only $3, took the time to meticulously cut each of my individual hairs (or so it seemed). After the 45 minute haircut, my hair looked perfectly normal. For another $2, one of the female workers gave me a 20 minute shampoo, which was essentially a 20 minute head message.
My last week at Wot Opot was probably my best stay. There was a slew of Japanese volunteers who came through, and they were pretty cool to work with. One night, a bunch of the girls were shrieking because an enourmous blue gecko had invaded their room. It took 3 of us to finally force the monster into a hole and seal it with duct tape. What goes around must come back around, because the following evening I woke up to the sounds of the very same gecko resting only 2 feet above my head.
It was pretty difficut saying goodbye to everyone in the community. The head monk who I had been working with, Poohr (sp?), inproved considreably with his English proficiency. Wanye approached me on the last day to tell me that the once very shy Poohr was openly speaking to Wayne in English, something he had never done before. It is very nice to see that my efforts have benefitted some. There is a small coffee shop along the edge of the community that some of us would frequently hang out at. Many of us have a running joke that I am in love with the woman who runs the stand. She is a 40 year old widow who does not speak a single word of English. On my last day in the village I gave her a passport photo of myself and told her to never forget my face. She happily put my picture on her wall.
Now that I am back in Phnom Penh, I am leaving for Tailand tomorrow. I met a couple of guys during my last stay here, and I plan on travelling with them while there. I have no idea where we are going or what we will be doing, but that is have the fun of travelling. I will be back in Phnom Penh with about 2 weeks before my final departure, yet I have no idea what I will be doing (except for a 4 day visit to Siem Reap). I might volunteer with a local organization here, or I might even go back to Wat Opot for a few days. Who knows.
Anyway, thats all for now and I will make another post whenever.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Back in the City Again
So I am once again in Phnom Penh. Life at Wat Opot has been pretty standard. Like always, I continue to teach and spend time with the kids. Volunteers have come and gone throughout my stay, which has been really nice. There have been groups from Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, the US, and Germany, just to name a few. The past week an Australian man named Steve stopped by for a few days. He has been visiting Wat Opot for several years now, currently lives in Vietnam with his girlfriend. Steve is very friendly and gets along with everyone. Steve, Wayne, and myself enjoyed staying up late, sipping on Johnny Walker, and listening to music. If I plan on travelling to Vietnam before I leave, it is nice to know that I have a friend to visit.
By now, almost everyone has gotten used to me. It is fun to joke around with people, because you know that all the while they are talking about you without you understanding what they are saying. It situations like these, I simply nod my head and smile. Ignorance truly is bliss. The older kids enjoy watching WWF Smackdown on tv. They know that I wrestled in high school, so they always try messing around with me. They have big mouths, but when it comes time to "smackdown", they scream like little girls.
The weather has been pretty gross over the past couple of days. On Tuesday, it honestly rained for 8 hours straight. An interesting phenomenon takes place during heavy rainfalls. There are about 8 small ponds throughout the community, holding enormous walking catfish. During heavy rains, the fish liteally walk, using their extraodinarily strong fins, towards ponds with deeeper water levels. It is very bizarre to see these huge fish flopping around on land, knowing that they will eventually reach water. I will try to get some pictures next time it rains.
So yesterday I once again took a van to Phnom Penh. Everything was the same as the first trip, except this time the chickens in the back seat were death and defeathered. Susan and I had originally planned on going to Siem Reap this weekend, but she got tied up at work. I will now take this oppurtunity to celebrate my birthday in Phnom Penh, and we will go to Siem Reap within the next few weeks. As opposed to staying in an air conditioned hotel, this time around I decided to stay at a backingpacking guest house. This place is awesome. For 6 dollars a night, I get a room with a fan. There is also a full restraunt and bar here too. The people staying here are great. Almost everyone is a Westerner, and everyone wants to hang out. There is an enormous congregation area on the top level of the hostel where everyone hangs out. There are a few Americans staying here too, which is nice because I havent seen many of my native people since I have ben here.
Susan organized a nice dinner for my birthday tomorrow night (September 4th, for those of you who were wondering), then I will probably go out with a bunch of people in the hostel. I'm pretty stoked about everything. I plan on going back to the village on Sunday, but until then im just going to relax. It is nice to see that the Braves are still hanging around the playoff picture, and thank god college football starts this weekend. UGA plays Oklahoma state, which should be intersting. It looks like Georgia is going to start the season with a loosing record. Anyway, thats all for now, but I will try to get another post up before the weekend is over.
By now, almost everyone has gotten used to me. It is fun to joke around with people, because you know that all the while they are talking about you without you understanding what they are saying. It situations like these, I simply nod my head and smile. Ignorance truly is bliss. The older kids enjoy watching WWF Smackdown on tv. They know that I wrestled in high school, so they always try messing around with me. They have big mouths, but when it comes time to "smackdown", they scream like little girls.
The weather has been pretty gross over the past couple of days. On Tuesday, it honestly rained for 8 hours straight. An interesting phenomenon takes place during heavy rainfalls. There are about 8 small ponds throughout the community, holding enormous walking catfish. During heavy rains, the fish liteally walk, using their extraodinarily strong fins, towards ponds with deeeper water levels. It is very bizarre to see these huge fish flopping around on land, knowing that they will eventually reach water. I will try to get some pictures next time it rains.
So yesterday I once again took a van to Phnom Penh. Everything was the same as the first trip, except this time the chickens in the back seat were death and defeathered. Susan and I had originally planned on going to Siem Reap this weekend, but she got tied up at work. I will now take this oppurtunity to celebrate my birthday in Phnom Penh, and we will go to Siem Reap within the next few weeks. As opposed to staying in an air conditioned hotel, this time around I decided to stay at a backingpacking guest house. This place is awesome. For 6 dollars a night, I get a room with a fan. There is also a full restraunt and bar here too. The people staying here are great. Almost everyone is a Westerner, and everyone wants to hang out. There is an enormous congregation area on the top level of the hostel where everyone hangs out. There are a few Americans staying here too, which is nice because I havent seen many of my native people since I have ben here.
Susan organized a nice dinner for my birthday tomorrow night (September 4th, for those of you who were wondering), then I will probably go out with a bunch of people in the hostel. I'm pretty stoked about everything. I plan on going back to the village on Sunday, but until then im just going to relax. It is nice to see that the Braves are still hanging around the playoff picture, and thank god college football starts this weekend. UGA plays Oklahoma state, which should be intersting. It looks like Georgia is going to start the season with a loosing record. Anyway, thats all for now, but I will try to get another post up before the weekend is over.
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