I had the best last day in Vietnam today and as I sit here in my hostel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, I am appreciating it even more now.
My afternoon yesterday was spent taking the neighborhood kids including the Doty boys for a walk to get some ice cream down the street. A priceless photo opportunity that I unfortunately missed with all of them with ice cream dripping down their arms and all over their faces :)
We followed that up with an intense game of playground soccer which involved playing off fire hydrants, tree trunks, benches and more! Then we were ready for our night of American Idol!!!!! woooo hoooooooo
Today began with playing UNO FLASH before school with the Doty boys. Its a high tech version of the regular UNO card game which is pretty fun. I got to walk to school with Blair and the kids before saying my farewell.
I tried to avoid the rush hour traffic to get back into the city so went for a very SLOW run around the neighborhood...first time in a while to stretch out the legs was good for me.
I headed into the city in a cab and treated myself for a 1 hour massage at the massage institution down the road from the hostel I stayed at earlier in the week. It is a very special school and the massages are performed by people whom are blind. My massage was incredible and I was so humbled by the experience. It was full body for $3....and I made sure I tipped the lady. I still can't believe how little they charge.
After that, I met my newest Vietnamese friend that I met on my first day sitting at the local market eating lunch. I feel so lucky to have experienced a wonderfully authentic Vietnamese lunch with her topped off with a motorbike ride to the restaurant as well. I got to try and eat my favorite dishes of this country for the last time!
My bus to Cambodia left at 1:30pm and as I stepped on board I realized I had purchased a ticket on a local bus with local Cambodian people on board....very cool! The gentleman taking our passports immediately asked me if I was Cambodian because I looked Cambodian..hahaha Wow!
Anyway, our border crossing was quite smooth about 2 hours into the trip and the highlight of the trip for me was probably crossing the river in the form of the bus pulling in onto the ferry packed like sardines with other vehicles and people and making the 10 minute crossing to the other side.
The Cambodian people on board were so kind, offering me food to eat that they purchased at the stops, specially boiled cobs of corn. I have heard how incredibly kind and friendly Cambodian people are and I am excited to experience the culture.
As we pulled closer into Phnom Penh city, I had mixed feelings about what this place is about. Firstly, I could see the poverty with people squatting and living on roof tops, and trash all over the road. But then, we passed a casino close to the border, a HUGE flashing lights building offering ballroom dancing class, many fast food restaurants like KFC and more.
I was happy to see my name on a sign held up by a friendly smiling Cambodian woman and her 3 year old daughter when I got out of the bus. We hopped on a tuk tuk to get to my hostel for the night. I have a 3 person dorm with A/C and mosquito nets. Hot water was definitely not needed for my shower.
A big day of sightseeing tomorrow to the museums and the night market. I have learned that Cambodia works with the US dollar including with the ATM withdrawals. So you pay in US dollars and get change back in Cambodian Riel.
I have booked myself here for 2 nights but may make it 3 depending on how much I get to see tomorrow.
More soon!
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