…and a mission accomplished. Or, as Tolkien might say, there and back again.

Here’s the story of my final day in Cambodia. A couple of Denny’s female friends volunteered to prepare us a traditional Cambodian meal as a going-away present. That was a sweet offer, and since I’d been dining on everything but local food, I wasn’t about to refuse. Plus, it gave me a chance to see where Denny is living.

After a fine meal, I needed to head back to my side of town to pack and shop for pasalubong, the Filipino tradition of bringing gifts for friends and family after returning from a journey. I was lucky that Ahya knew of a marketplace where I could do my shopping, so we all piled into a tuk-tuk and went together.

After I finished packing (and cramming all that pasalubong into my small suitcase was a challenge), I still had a few hours to kill before departing for the airport. I started killing some time at the little place next to my hotel while waiting for Denny to join me.

I didn’t want to be drunk when I got to the airport, so I was consciously pacing myself. When Denny arrived, I suggested we move on to Larry’s place. I wanted to do a little walking between beers, and I also wanted another go at the chicken quesadillas there.

And hold on to your hats; I did something I almost never do after dark–ordered a cup of coffee. I was serious about boarding my flight home in a state of sobriety. Well, what I didn’t want to happen was to fall asleep at the airport and miss my plane. The coffee (they grind their own beans) perked me up, and Denny suggested we hike out to Sharky’s, the bar where our lunch cooks work, and give me another chance to say goodbye. So, off we went, about a 15-minute walk.

I needed to go back to my hotel, grab my bag, and check out. Accomplished that without issue, although the desk clerk was afraid I was checking out early because I was dissatisfied with the lodging. Not at all, I told him, I’d just messed up my reservation, and Agoda has a no-refund policy. “Sorry, sir.”

Still had thirty minutes until it was time to catch a tuk-tuk to the airport, and you can probably guess how I spent it.

Arrived at the airport more than two hours before my scheduled departure. All my documents were in order (the first time I had to display my vaccination card), and I was given my boarding pass. No trouble with Cambodian immigration either. So, it was just a matter of killing time. And when the time had died, we began boarding the plane. I was shocked to see the flight was almost entirely full (it was nearly empty on the outbound trip), and I didn’t have a row to myself again to facilitate sleeping. My beer medication was kicking in, so I managed some upright sleep for two of the three hours we were airborne.

Landed in Manila, deplaned, had my health pass scanned, and headed to the immigration line. The officer there asked me the standard questions, then inquired as to when I would be departing (you get 30 days on arrival), and I told her December 3rd. She wanted some proof of that, and I’d had the foresight to buy an onward ticket (well, to buy the reservation anyway). She scrutinized it some, consulted the officer next to her, and then…

The purpose of the trip to Cambodia had now been achieved. And I had some fun along the way. I especially enjoyed catching up with my long-time friend Denny again and reminiscing about the good ol’ days. Next time I’ll plan to stay longer.