(Read 'em 'n weep, in) Siem Reap...

The day after Angkor, we rose early in attempt to catch a bus on to the next locale -- we'd done enough temples in one day for what felt like a lifetime, and we felt ready to conquer a new locale. So much moving, all the time. We really didn't set up our idea of "Southeast Asia" with the freedom to relax and stay put much. Always needed to reach certain destinations by certain dates.. bought our visas to each country in advance (which locks you to a date). Now that we are more learn-ed from our first traveling adventures, we would keep things much more open ended with permission to stay and relax More on that during my over-all musings blog of the travels, which is to come (if you can believe in it).

After many attempts to book a bus out, we realized we hadn't planned ahead and our "gooses were cooked", as they say. So we resigned ourselves to the idea of a day in the tourist city of restaurants and knife swallowers. We switched from our nice "expensive" ($15/night) hotel to a cheaper (and still not bad, private bath, cable tv, etc) room and set about meandering:

If I'm being honest, dear reader (that may or may not exist at this point)... everything written until this point was written almost a year ago. And now I'm having trouble remembering the days, which is why I began my first ever blog to begin with. I have always had serious trouble remembering the events in my life, which is also why I click them cameras so often (although have little interest in buying a fancy camera or learning "how" to photograph). Luckily, my traveling companion has a brain quite capable of remembering events to the tiniest detail, and has offered to assist me with this project. I waited so long, essentially giving up on remembering it and completing this blog to any real satisfaction... but even though the trip is now two years past, once I reach the end (and share a few video blogs for your entertainment) I will hopefully feel a slight sense of pride and completion. They do say better late than never, don't they. Although they probably don't mean "take two years off and then finish your last few tasks once the world has lost interest", but I digress.

After the second day of touristing the city, (I remember I haggled my Cambodia shirt down from around $5 American to $3, which felt like far more of a difference then and there than it does now... but it's my favorite shirt, and it's gotten more use than all of my Southeast Asian-made-but-expensively-American-bought-at-Target garbage). I believe we bought our ticket out of town from our guesthouse fellow for the following morning, and watched some of "Monsters Vs Aliens" I believe it must have been?

Alrighty, "Reader". I made some notes from the companion with the magic mind for memory. We found a canned stout called "Black Panther" which was extremely cheap ($1?) and delicious, and higher alcohol content than you usually find out there (8%!). We got a bit drunk and (apparently) grouchy. These things happen. Trying Travel Times, you know. We had a TERRIBLE dinner at a sidewalk eatery.Which may have been the cause of the unfortunate scientific happenings the following few days .. (the rest of this blog may not be for those afraid of knowing about unfortunate scientific happenings.)

Next Day. Wake up. We eat in the 2nd floor of a BEAUTIFUL restaurant with a lovely view of the city: 

 

I am told we ordered coffee, which hit KG first in that scientifically unfortunate way it can have -- especially when traveling. So, I stay and pay the bill while the coffee claims its first victim. The second strike soon to follow. After sad belly times, we board a terrifying rickety bus .. we initially thought we'd be riding in it all the way to Battambang. A horrible prospect, especially for crummy tummies. Luckily, this bus stops at giant bus station where we are supposed to wait for our real bus. So we wait. .  . FOR HOURS. During which time, we got to watch a Cambodian fight break out. Quite a to-do for a few minutes, we'll never know why.

We buy little belly friendly seeming snacks at a vendor and we take our Imodium, dreading the upcoming bus ride more and more. Before the magic pink pill kicks in, we luckily are still not stuck on a bus and must therefore utilize the AWFUL bus station squat toilet.

On my way in, I am halted at the door by a .. shall we say... "shady" family. A scary man, wife, and child. They say I can't go in until I pay them. I only have a bigger bill than I should, and awkwardly transfer it to their hands as quickly as I can while rushing in.

And then, "A Miserable Bus Ride" recalls Kevin. When we get to a stop half way on the side of the road, there were perhaps the "crappiest" squat toilets we'd seen yet. But luckily, the magic pink pill is just that. Magic. Don't. Travel. Abroad. Without it.

And on to Battambang.............

[POST SCRIPT: Yes...  All my companion had to remind me about was the unfortunate science that went on around this time. You can always rely on him to hang on to the best bits.]