The Adventures of Julie

Friday, April 22, 2011

Musings from Cambodia at 6am...

It's 6:10 in the morning in Phnom Pehn Cambodia. I just arrived on a night bus and am waiting for my next bus to Kep, a small mostly undeveloped beach, famous for its live crab and lobster. Picnic platforms line the beach, and the seafood vendors will come to you. Pick your still squirming seafood and 10 minutes later it will come to you cooked. How's that for service?

The city rises early here, maybe trying to beat the heat. I wander along the waterfront, a wide boulevard lined with trees and the Mekong river on one side and shops and temples on the other. There are people everywhere, walking, running, the most interesting being large groups of people doing coordinated dances to music with the Wat temples as a backdrop, makes quite the scene.

I am now about two weeks into my trip, already time has taken on the the timeless backpacker's quality of travel, and I feel as if I have always lived out of a backpack - moving from one place to the next, strangers becoming quick friends, a new adventure, city, country, always a day away. So far I have experienced, the bussle and excitement of Ko San Rd. with $1 pad thai, $6 massages, and shopping paradise; Phi Phi, a stunningly beautiful island with jagged cliffs rising out the of the ocean and non-stop dancing on the beach til the wee hours of the morning, with the Thai New Year Songkran celebration, a giant water fight, thrown in; Siem Reap with the breathtaking temples of Angkor Wat, monks chanting to the sunset, and an amazing hostel with a real mattress, air conditioning, hot water, toilet paper, and a pool :) (hey you appreciate the small stuff while traveling), and a group of awesome new friends; Battanbong with flat, green, countryside, to wander on the back of a motorbike, and a cooking class to truly appreciate Cambodian food - fish amok, spring rolls, and Luk Luk - yum! And now a gorgeous beach, hammocks swinging in the breeze, and fresh seafood before off to Vietnam.

I came on this trip for many reasons, to find myself, to heal from my divorce, to figure out what I believe, to have fun, to meet people, to see the world, to be independent, to prove I can travel alone. and I believe I will accomplish all these goals. So far this has been an awesome breathless roller coaster of adventure, and emotions,and I still have six months to go. Stay tuned!

by jewel30 at 10:59 PM |