I had been eyeing it for awhile. Walking down the streets in Thailand, you see people with their legs knee deep in huge fish tanks. The sight looks like something out of a horror flick, but apparently this is their rendition of a spa. My curiosity for the weird never fails me. I knew I’d do this, I just never knew when.

After a glass of wine, on Pub Street, I gave my feet over to the fish in Siem Reap, Cambodia. They eat the dead skin off of your feet. It feels crazy and is so much more psychological than, I think, it is physical.

Insane!

Cambodia ignited more life into this experience than I had ever felt prior to crossing that border. There are definitely notable days in Thailand (i.e. waterfall as a group), but there was something alive in me while traveling to another country I’d wanted to for so long. Something organic. Something special. Something real…something that I connected to with the people on my journey.

On this journey, the life of a traveler, you come into contact with so many people within the places you see. So many people leave imprints on your life, for the rest of your life and I find myself wanting to hold onto many of them. But they are a part of the ebb and flow of the life of a nomad. These are a few gems I met along the way to and from Cambodia.

“Are you singer?”- Polin

“No, I’m a writer. I work in television in New York.”- Me

“Are you single?“- Polin

“Oh, am I single? Oh, no. I have a boyfriend. And you? Do you have any family, children?” -Me

“Yes, I have one daughter.”- Polin

“Congratulations! Are you married?”- Me

“Of course. No wife, no daughter.”- Polin

Polin was my guide and driver throughout all of Ta Prohm, Angkor Thom, and Angkor Wat. He shuttled me around in his tuk tuk through a horrid downpour and sunshine to make sure I saw everything I wanted to, and those I didn’t know I wanted to. He was sweet. There was a genuine innocence to him that really struck me as kind. After getting lost for twenty minutes in Ta Prohm, I needed to eat before continuing the journey. I’d already decided that I would pay for Polin’s lunch before he even sat down. I had no idea how frequently his income came,or how plentiful it was. I had to make sure he ate well. Our conversation webbed into talk of other countries he’d love to visit, as well as the fact that I was his first customer all month. It was September 29th. He spoke a lot about different salaries people could make in varying countries doing different types of work, especially in New York. His fee was $10 to drive me around the ruins from 1pm until close, and back to my hostel. I slipped him a tip him, as he slipped me a piece of paper with  all of his contact information (in perfect English), in case I needed a ride the next day.

While eating with Polin, I couldn’t help but meet eyes with Vahtaa (I apologize if the name is spelled wrong), a young man with the most beautiful eyes and chiseled face I’d seen in Cambodia. He smiled when all the children came up asking for me to buy something off of them. Not because of the rush, but because they would all stop and stare at me. He told me that they had never seen a foreigner with a feather earring like mine. They liked it.

“Are you from South Africa?”- Vahtaa

“No, America. I’m from New York.”- Me

“Oh because I am studying South African culture in school and you look like their style.” -Vahtaa

His English was impeccable. We spoke about how he was working in Ta Prohm when they shot Tomb Raider. His tales of Angelina Jolie and them shutting the site down for a time were entertaining. I was really captured by him, as he was so young and intelligent. I gave him my card with the link to the website on it, telling him it could help with his English reading. I really hope he stops by. More than that, I hope his future is as bright as his smile.

In the midst of my painful bowel before the Cambodian border, I hadn’t really noticed that Yalan had been one of the many people on the bus. From China, she’s traveling around and we ended up having only one person sit between us in the minivan ride from the Thai border back into Bangkok. It was in this ride we realized we were going the same way, to Chiang Mai. We now had a traveling partner in each other. We left Khao San Road, journeyed to Hua Lampong station to acquire tickets for the overnight train to Chiang Mai. Downtown, we ate dinner and got to know each other better. She is an amazing artist and allowed me into the world that is the pages of her personal journal. Though in Mandarin, it read like a comic book. She had little illustrations that depicted what she was talking about in words…well, characters. We were together from Cambodia all the way up to Chiang Mai, the next morning. I couldn’t have asked for better company.

Honorable mentions in this blog are:

Anthony, Georgia, and their Mom who I teamed up with in order to get Cambodian visas (sketchy) and make it across the border in one piece.

Also Ms. Jo Peeps, who was my right hand woman the entire time I was in Siem Reap. We shared a room, and the fish spa!

You all mean more than you know. Thank you.

So, I’m headed to Cambodia. It’s official. The packing is done. I’m writing emails to everyone and catching up with the family back home before I begin this strenuous trip down and over to Cambodia.

The only female in the group is ditching the guys and headed to Angkor Wat by her lonesome.  This trip is long overdue in my life. I have been psyched about seeing, touching, and inhaling the air at Angkor Wat for a good year now. The time has come. The excuses are no more.

In a few hours, I’ll be starting the first leg of this trip, headed right back to where we came from, Bangkok. The field producers and other cast members are not coming, for financial and visa limitations. The show must go on, even if I tape this portion myself. I will officially be on my Lara Croft, Tomb Raider shit! I am PSYCHED! This is where I’ve really been wanting to go… here goes something.

I don’t generally like crowds. I understand that some things – like the Pyramids of Giza, Ankor Wat, the Taj Mahal, etc. – are always going to be packed because those are amazing sights. But outside of that, I don’t usually enjoy places that are crammed with hoardes of people.

Apparently everyone in Cambodia had the same brilliant idea as me to head to the beach for Chinese New Year. When I arrived in Sihanoukville, on the southern coast of Cambodia, I was not prepared for the sheer amount of people that I would find there. I stood on the beach, shocked, with my jaw gaping. It was crazy. I don’t recall ever being on a beach that was that busy. Here’s what I saw:

Not quite the quiet beach time I was craving. I couldn’t even hear the sounds of the waves over the screaming of the children. *shudder*

Luckily, there were options. About 4km south of the main beach, there’s another beach called Otres Beach. It’s just far enough away that the locals can’t be bothered to go. So everyday, I would get on my bicycle and take a ride out to find my own slice of paradise. I just had to work a little harder for it.

Sunset from my beach chair.

I’ve had some good luck with timing along my travels. I wanted to go to the abandoned French hill station of Bokor while in Kampot in Southern Cambodia, and chose the first day of the Chinese New Year to do so. Normally the main road is closed due to construction, and anyone who wants to visit the hill must start the day out with a serious 3 hour hike just to get to the top. But because it was the holiday, construction had ceased for a couple days, which allowed us to drive all the way to the top, and even get in a scenic jungle trek just for the hell of it. Lucky!

The area was abandoned in 1972 and has remained uninhabited ever since. There’s a Catholic church and an old post office but the highlight of the trip is what is left of Bokor Palace. It’s a four-storey building that housed a ballroom and casino and is now in ruins and covered with a creepy orange lichen. The fog increased as the afternoon passed and was literally rolling in through the windows, creating a super-eerie ambiance. There’s a local tale that exists which claims that people would sometimes lose all their money gambling at the casino and, seeing no other solution, would throw themselves off the cliff behind the building. Stories like this only helped to add to the spooky vibe.

Sadly, there is major development happening up in the hill station. Our guide proudly showed us where the foundation for a major five-star resort has been laid. Rumors for a golf course exist. Considering that the allure of the hill station is the fact that it’s deserted and atmospheric, I’m afraid that the addition of a resort will definitely take away from all that and make it less desirable to visit. But, in Cambodia, money talks.

The abandoned church.

What is left of Bokor Palace.

Orange lichen growing over many of the surfaces.

There’s a bridge which crosses Prek Kampong Bay and connects the two parts of Kampot, Southern Cambodia. It was destroyed during the Khmer Rouge period, and was repaired in three distinct styles. It’s quite strange looking – almost like they couldn’t agree on a common architectural style so each took a section.

I had heard that there were caves to be found in the limestone cliffs outside the city of Kampot. I hired a moto driver for the afternoon and we took off in search of them. I knew it was going to be an interesting afternoon when within 5 minutes we had sprung a leak in the back tire (he stopped at a friend’s house and “borrowed” another motorbike).

After a half-hour drive, the driver dropped me off next to a row of dried-up rice paddies (apparently they only harvest one rice crop per year, in the rainy season), and pointed off in the distance. “You go over there”, was his only instruction.

I started to zig zag my way through the fields when two young Cambodian boys joined me. One was 9 years old and one was 12. They insisted they didn’t want anything, only to practice their English. I was happy to have them along for the company.

I could tell you about the fantastic views after climbing to the cave entrance, or the beautiful and well-preserved 7^th century brick temple dedicated to Shiva found inside, but the highlight of my afternoon was climbing through the caves, getting dirty and sweaty as we took “the hard route” to get out. They hammered me with questions about my life while we clamoured over boulders, squeezed through passageways and hopscotched over the cave pools. I asked them about their families and school (one came from a family of 9 children, the other from a “small” family of 5 kids).  I emerged from the cave absolutely filthy and soaked but totally happy about the new friends that I had made along the way.

Walking through the dried-up rice paddies and farmland to the caves.

My new friends and I at the cave entrance. Doesn't that formation look like an elephant?

The view from the caves.

I’ve had my fair share of massages; I consider myself a sort of expert on the subject.  If I were to give out awards for the massages I’ve received, it would look something like this:

Best Massage

Tie: Mui Ne beach massage and Sihanoukville (Cambodia) beach massage

-       note the theme of beaches in both of these. The emphasis was less on “adjustments”, and more on oil and rubbing. The smell of the salt air, the warmth of the sun and the sounds of the waves crashing mere feet from the massage table didn’t hurt either.

Most Painful Massage

Lotus Flower, Bui Vien

-       this was our “go-to” massage parlour in Saigon. I think the woman had a bee in her bonnet this particular day and she took it out on me. I was much too polite and let her continue with the “strong massage”. It was a series of chiropractic adjustments and painful physiotherapy-like moves. I was sore for 3 days afterwards.

Most Awkward Massage

Our Hotel Room, Cat Ba Island, Halong Bay

-       this story sounds bad, but it’s not – trust me. Jen and I were eating dinner in a restaurant on Cat Ba Island. A man approached and started rubbing my neck to demonstrate his massaging prowess. I said I wasn’t interested right then but “maybe tomorrow”. He asked what guesthouse we were staying at, and I told him (a common question). I let him know that I would find him at the restaurant around 8pm the next night for a massage.

At 7pm, he showed up at our room (we were the only ones in the whole guesthouse so not hard to track down). Him and his friend (also a man) then proceeded to give Jen and I massages in our room, on our beds. It sounds scandalous, but it’s not. No happy ending, but definitely super awkward.

Most Unconventional Massage

Seeing Hands Massage, Kampot (Cambodia)

-       while in Kampot, I heard that there was a massage parlour that only employed blind people to do the massages. Intrigued, I decided to give it a shot. The result was a great massage – that knot under my shoulder blade which would have been glossed over by the average masseuse was immediately discovered by my guy and worked out. He felt his way around the table with no assistance, and even climbed up on top for the standard adjustments. A really cool experience!

Anyone who has travelled with me knows that I’m not a big fan of monkeys. But sometimes they are just so damn cute I can’t help myself.

These photos are from Wat Phnom, a Buddhist shrine set on the top of a hill in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

I’ve been quiet these past few weeks, and it’s not without good reason. I’ve taken the dough I made teaching English in Saigon and have been slowly backpacking my way west. Normally I would update as I went on the things I’ve experienced, but I chose some locations where internet was simply not an option. Sometimes there was a cafe available but the town itself was without electricity. Makes things difficult when trying to stay connected with the rest of the world, but I wouldn’t have traded a second of it.

I consider it “JetSetZero with a twist”. I was able to make a substantial amount of money in a short period of time, and instead of continuing to work, I’m gonna blow it. It may seem a bit irresponsible, but that’s life. You have to grab the opportunities as they come, and finding myself in Asia with a wad of dong and some amazing places at my doorstep, I couldn’t resist. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting stories of my adventures.

Sunset over Boeng Kak, Phnom Penh, Cambodia