3/19 Journal entry
I decided to blow the coop, and venture out on my own this afternoon. I first went to T&C (Tea and Coffee) with Nate to grab quiet possibly the best strawberry smoothie in the world. Once I finished my smoothie, I walked outside to find a Moto driver to take me to Riverside. After negotiating the price, I hopped on the back and we hit the road. Most of the inner-city travel is done by tuk-tuks and motos. Both give you a thrill and maybe a scare while you journey to your next destination. Once arriving at Riverside, I paid the man 4,000 Riel ($1), and I, began exploring the shops and checking out the riverfront restaurants and cafes. Nothing really grab my attention, so after stopping at a DVD store and buying “Into the Wild” for $1.50, I set out for the Wat Phnom, the oldest and largest Wat “temple” in Phnom Penh. The city gets its name from this temple. It’s a strange story, but according to legend, “Penh” was the woman who discovered the Buddha that was deposited here by the Mekong River in 1373…And we’re back…I walked around the temple and took in the sites and sounds. Wat Phnom is surrounded by a park that is full of crazy monkeys doing crazy things. I saw a monkey steal a lady’s shoe, run up a tree with it, and begin to enjoy the new flavor. I had one monkey jump up on the bench I was sitting on, which startled me of course. He then reached out and touched my arm, which also startled me. I walked to and fro observing the monkeys wrestling, eating, and all-around putting on a show. There is also an elephant here you can ride for a decent price, but I’d rather wait til next month in Thailand to ride one in the jungle.
There are many beggars of all ages throughout the city, but many congregate in high tourist areas like this. I had two young girls follow me for a couple minutes asking for Riel, but instead of giving them money I decided to talk with them. Once they noticed I want to just enjoy them they asked my name, and they starting being silly. One of the girls began to braid flowers into the other’s hair. We hung out for a little while taking pictures and laughing at the pics until they scurried off smiling and laughing. I was once again walking around taking pictures of everything I saw. It wasn’t yet dinner time so I found a bench to sit down and write about my day……………..I’m off to find somewhere awesome to eat, and the adventure continues.
Now where was I, o yes on my way to dinner. As I was packing up my stuff to search for somewhere to eat, a older Cambodian man camp to me to let me know it was getting dark, and that apparently meant I shouldn’t be in the park alone any longer. I put some pep in my step and heading back to the riverfront to find dinner. I had seen a place called Bojangles, and thought surely this isn’t BOJANGLES, and it wasn’t at all, but I chose to eat there anyway. After searching the menu thoroughly, I decided on the club sandwich (ham, grilled chicken, egg, lettuce, tomato, and something that tasted like thousand island) with fries. Might I say, I made an excellent choice. Throughout dinner, I observed the people cruising up and down the “strip” which was quite entertaining. After finishing up with dinner, I walked toward the Royal Palace to find a Moto driver to take me back to the YWAM (youth with a mission) base. I was able to negotiate for 3,500 Riel, less than a dollar, to go across town.
Well that was my day. It was great to get away from everyone for a little while. I hope you enjoyed the story, and of course, the adventure continues…
