…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.

Well, before I get to last night, let me tell you about my morning so far. I was doing my usual internet stroll when the housekeeping crew showed up to clean the room. So, I took a walk while they did their thing. I was looking for a pharmacy to score some cheap Cialis to bring home with me. And then it happened.

I got hit by a tuk-tuk. I was crossing a busy street, looking left for a break in the oncoming traffic. When I saw my opportunity to step out, I moved forward, and the next thing I knew, a tuk-tuk turning left onto the road blindsided me. Luckily, it was just a mirror into my arm; it could have been worse. The arm’s a little sore, but I’ll be fine. I’ll take the blame because I didn’t look to my right, although the tuk-tuk was making what should be an illegal turn in a civilized world. But again, that’s the downside to this city, not really safe for people who prefer to walk.

The pharmacy didn’t have Cialis, but I didn’t give them a hard *ahem* time about it. I was fine with the generic version. I was making my way back to the hotel, and a foreigner walking in the same direction greeted me and told me his tale of woe. He says he lost his passport and wallet and reported it to the police, but no one was willing to provide him with any assistance. He was on his way to a different police station hoping for a better result. Well, I’ll admit there were some “bullshit” lights coming on in my head, but on the other hand, he seemed strident and genuinely upset. Well, I’d hate to be in that situation if his story was true, and I’d also hate to be so desperate that I need to tell lies to random strangers to gain sympathy. He did seem surprised when I pulled out my wallet, gave him the equivalent of ten bucks in the local currency, and wished him well. He thanked me, and I walked on without further incident.

Okay, about last night, then. Denny and I had made tentative plans to do a river cruise, but when we walked to the dock, there were no scheduled departures for a couple of hours. I had done the cruise on my previous trip, and it was fine but not worth the wait.

We started at a place called Harry’s for a beer while we considered our dining options. Denny wanted to take me to pork chop place across town, but when I saw the Sunday special roast pork dinner on Harry’s menu, I said let’s eat here instead.

After dinner, I was in the mood to take a walk back to some of the places outside the neighborhood we’d visited earlier in the week.

Oh, and true confession time. It turns out the river I’ve been calling the Mekong isn’t the Mekong.

After a goodly walk, we finally found the bar I’d been looking for.

There was one incident that chilled the buzz somewhat. Shortly after the young lady pictured with me sat down with me; a customer came over, slammed a drink down on the table, cussed her out, then walked away in a huff. I asked her what that was all about, and she denied knowing. Hmm, well, there was absolutely no excuse for what that customer did, but I’m sure the girl did something to activate his asshole switch. My guess is that he bought her that drink, and she didn’t sit with him to drink it. Regular readers know I also have no tolerance for that kind of behavior, but I don’t scream and yell about it; I just never buy that girl a drink again.

We moved on to a couple of other bars, then Denny wanted to go to a place called One 3 Six Bar. He had a lady friend who worked then he wanted to see.

Two or three drinks into our relationship, I saw her talking with a newly arrived customer. I figured she was just taking his order (the girls are technically waitresses), but then I saw her move back behind the bar and start making a lady drink. When she saw that I had caught her “cheating,” she came back over to the drink I’d bought her. I told her to go be with her customer. I was upset but not yelling or cussing. The other customer saw what was going on and came over to apologize. I told him that wasn’t necessary; I was glad to know the nature of this girl’s character and that she would not be getting any more drinks from me. She was not happy with my response and stormed off. I saw her other customer leave shortly thereafter. Come on, if you are going to be a bargirl, learn how to play the game.

One more drink back at the bar by my hotel, and I called it a night.

Time to pack, then off for lunch at Denny’s house.

The days are winding down on this trip faster than I imagined. I don’t know why, but while taking a shower this morning, the thought occurred to me that I was leaving for the airport on Monday night. I’d somehow got it in my head that I’d be staying until Tuesday. So, I went to check my ticket, and sure enough, my flight departs at 12:45 a.m. on Tuesday. I made the reservation; I must have known that. The confusion arose because I booked a Wednesday check-out when I extended my stay at the Lux. I did that because I wanted to have a room available up until the time I left for the airport. Somehow my muddled brain read that early morning Tuesday departure as being Tuesday night for some reason. Anyway, I’m glad I didn’t further fuck up by missing my flight altogether.

Did a walk around at lunchtime and found an outdoor venue on the corner of Street 130.

Last night was more of the same–beers, dinner with beers, then some beers after eating. I met up with Denny at Larry’s, the venue I’d visited on Thursday.

Denny suggested a Tex-Mex place for dinner, so we caught a tuk-tuk for the drive across town.

During the meal, I observed something that I’ve been noticing all week. It really stands out for me because it is something that is extremely rare to see in Barretto.

Anyway, after the meal, we headed back to Street 136 and visited Yaya at the bar where she works.

That’s not really fair. She was glad to have me there. And so were her friends.

I don’t recall if I mentioned that Yaya dances. There is no stage at this venue, so she uses the bar.

Anyway, I stayed too long and drank too much. Hey, I’m on vacation. I’m a little unclear on how the evening ended in the bar; it seems she wasn’t happy with the amount I tipped or something. I stumbled across the road to my hotel and went to bed. I only recall there was some dispute because I had sent her a message saying I was sorry to be a disappointment. She hasn’t responded.

Well, this is my last full night in Cambodia, so I’d best be getting on with it. I’ll be back to share whatever adventure I encounter tomorrow.

It was a good day here in Phnom Penh yesterday. And I’ve got the pictures to prove it. Are you ready? Let’s go!

I started my day with a very pleasant river walk.

So, that was my morning. Later that afternoon, I hooked up with Denny, and we started our Friday festivities. He had made arrangements for us to be joined by two lady friends for dinner at 7:30, so we had a couple of hours to fill until then. I find that drinking beer is a grand way to pass the time. So, we started at the big building I had seen on the morning walk. It’s six floors of bars/restaurants, so I suggested we get as high as possible.

A Facebook friend had asked me to visit a bar called Sundance on Street 172 and say hello to his friend, the owner. I’d never been to that part of town, so we set out to find it. As I mentioned before, the street numbering system makes no sense here, but once we reached Street 154, we knew we were getting close. And then we found it. I was pretty surprised to see a street with several bars and foreigners milling about on this side of town.

I had another laugh while using the restroom at Sundance:

After greeting the owner and chatting some, we started making our way back towards more familiar territory. We passed a bar where Denny knew some folks, so we popped in there. There were lots of friendly bargirls, and I was enticed to give a couple of them something to drink. One of them took a liking to me, and we became Facebook friends right then and there.

It was time to pick up our dinner dates, so we grabbed a tuk-tuk and headed out. First stop was Sharkey’s, the bar where Denny’s girl works. Then it was on to Xanadu, a bar across the street from my hotel where I was going to meet my companion for the first time. With our gals on board, we headed for the restaurant.

After our meal, we decided we’d have some live music for dessert at Hard Rock Cafe.

Our drink and dessert tab came to around twenty bucks, and I once again attempted to use my “old” one hundred dollar bill. And once again, they at first declined to accept it. When I pretended not to have an alternative method to pay, the waitress left for a bit, then came back and told me they would accept the old bill but only value it at $90. Okay, deal.

The next stop was the rooftop of what I understand to be Phnom Penh’s tallest building (57 floors). Very fancy and nice.

Then it was time to call it a night. The tuk-tuk dropped Denny’s gal off at her place, and the remainder of our group went to Yaya’s bar because she said she had to work. I was pretty much toasted at this point but went in for a last beer. Denny told me Yaya really liked me, but honestly, that’s not the vibe I was getting from her. She hasn’t responded to a message I sent this morning, which probably confirms that she has no interest in seeing me again.

But her bar is right across the street, and I do tend to get thirsty, so we’ll see.

And by reef, I’m referring to language. It came down to the Philippines and Cambodia when I was contemplating where I might retire. I chose the PI primarily because English is more prevalent there. Now, after over four years in the country, I can say that having deep, meaningful conversations with a Filipina (at least the ones I tend to meet) is a rare event. Even so, this trip has been a reminder that not having the ability to communicate, even on a surface level, makes life much more challenging. There are English-speaking locals here, but nothing like back home.

I had a very nice full-body massage yesterday morning. I was offered some extra service at the end and accepted. When she finished the job with her talented hands, I encountered a severe breathing attack. The last time I had one that bad, I was at home and able to use my nebulizer, which provided almost immediate relief. That option wasn’t available, but I always carry an inhaler with me, and I breathlessly put it to use; it took some time before my lungs opened up again and accepted oxygen. The incident freaked out my masseuse and gave me a few “oh, shit, is this how it ends?” moments as well, but I lived to write about it here. This time.

After the massage, I retraced my steps to the small mall where the Hard Rock Cafe is located. There is a Smart phone shop there, and I spent two bucks for a week’s worth of phone service. On the way out, I popped into the Hard Rock gift shop to see about getting me a new ballcap (my Hard Rock–Seoul cap is on its last legs).

When dinner time rolled around, I went to the bar downstairs for a beer and waited for Denny to arrive. He was running a little late, and I was on my third brew when he arrived. Alone. My “blind date” hadn’t responded to his messages, and the girl he was supposed to bring was a no-show too. I was a little surprised when the “hairy armed waitress” from the previous night joined us in the tuk-tuk to go to the restaurant. Unbeknownst to me, Denny had invited her last night.

It took a while for the driver to find the Korean restaurant, which was in a part of town I’d never seen before. Always good to see new places.

She (sorry, her name escapes me) left early, needing to go to work. So, Denny and I did our best to eat all that food.

Denny insisted on paying for the entire meal, and the tab came to $95. He pulled out a crisp new one hundred dollar bill, and I said let me try and use one of my old ones. I gave it to our waitress, and she came back and said the cashier wouldn’t accept it. I said, well, that’s all I’ve got; what do we do now? We did a little back and forth; she checked with the cashier again and came back and asked if I had a credit card. Hmm. Well, I did bring my card, and so I used that and kept the new Franklin that Denny had given me. At least I saved the ATM fee.

We caught a tuk-tuk back to our side of town and went in search of a bar named Sharkey’s. Denny has a friend there, and she wanted me to meet her aunt. Hmm. Well, it was a bar, and there would be cold beer, so why not? Sharkey’s was on Street 110 but way outside the area where other bars are located. We found it after a goodly walk and headed up the stairs.

We hit a couple more bars after Sharkey’s, but I was pretty far gone by that point. Still, I’m impressed with my ability to stay up past midnight on this trip–and it is actually an hour later back home. It will be interesting to see if my body retreats to its non-vacation schedule when I return to the Philippines.

Still, I’m a little out of rhythm, and my timing feels off. But I’m still breathing, so there’s that.

More adventures to come in tomorrow’s post. Stay tuned!

Here’s the rundown on the first full day of my visit to the lovely city of Phnom Penh.

I did a morning walk about to reconnoiter the neighborhoods surrounding my hotel. So, I’m at the end of Street 136 on the riverside. One block up, the next street is numbered 130. The street after that is 118, and the final road I explored is Street 110. If there is rhyme or reason to this system of numbering, I can’t fathom what it is.

I wouldn’t call the streets themed, but each of them tends to have the same type of businesses clustered, although not exclusively. For example, Street 136 is where most of the bars that cater to foreigners are located. Primarily girly bars, but I’ve not been inside any of them (yet), so I don’t know if they have dancers or not. I plan to hit a few of them this weekend, and I’ll report what I find out. There are also some bars on the other streets, but more spread out. I prefer bars where you don’t get accosted by thirsty girls, and I’ve found a couple of those already. I’ve enjoyed observing some of the creative names on many of the bars. I already posted a photo of the Step Wife bar; here are some others:

Again, I haven’t actually been inside any of these venues yet, but I’ll at least sample a few soon. I took the photos on the morning stroll, so most were not open.

I returned to my room to blog and nap. It’s a nice enough room for my purposes and seems reasonably priced at $45.

I met up with my buddy Denny in the afternoon, and we did some more exploring. Our first stop was his favorite massage parlor. He got a leg massage, and I received an overdue and much-needed foot scrub and pedicure. The girls were very friendly and cute. I’ll be back soon for more!

Next, we walked to a big park that featured some structures and shrines that I assume were in honor of Buddha.

After exiting the park, we did some more walking on the city streets.

I’m learning that being a pedestrian here is almost a talent. You need to have faith that the drivers will avoid you and keep moving. If you stop or make a sudden move, it throws all the vehicles maneuvering around you off and increases your danger. It was a similar experience walking the streets of Saigon.

Our next stop was the Hard Rock Cafe.

After enjoying the happy hour promo (buy two, get one free), we made our way back across town. Traffic was much heavier at this time of day, but all the drivers successfully avoided hitting our sorry asses. The next stop was Denny’s regular hangout, a bar/restaurant on Steet 130 called Larry’s.

Denny is very popular with the ladies in this venue, that’s for sure. I got introduced to the American owner, coincidentally also named Larry. I ordered some chicken quesadillas for dinner, and they were outstanding. It was one of the girls’ birthdays, and Denny bought a nice cake for her and a round of drinks for all the girls. I bought the second round or at least thought I did. When it came time to pay the tab, we were advised that Larry had comped everything. I’ll get the occasional free drink, but I’ve never seen that kind of generosity in a bar before. I felt a little bad because I’d been feeding my new favorite quite a few drinks thinking It was out of my pocket. Oh, well. Thanks again, Larry!

We left Larry’s and headed back to Street 136. We decided to have one move before Denny left for home. I don’t remember the place’s name off-hand, but it is a regular type bar.

That’s pretty much how the night ended. Denny went home across the river, and I went to my cozy hotel room.

Meeting up with Denny again this evening. He’s taking me to his favorite Korean restaurant. Oh, and he has also set me up with a blind date who will be joining us for dinner. I’m not sure what to expect, but just in case, I went to the pharmacy for some Cialis.

Look for a full report on the outcome tomorrow.

Mission accomplished! Boots (well, Sketchers) on the ground. Out of the Philippines and into Cambodia!

So, I’m not a big fan of Manila in general, and I dislike the airport in particular. The worst part about NAIA is the traffic you have to negotiate to get there. Well, that used to be the worst part. Since the last time I traveled to the airport, a “skyway” has been constructed that leads to the airport and avoids the maddening traffic on the surface streets below. That’s a HUGE improvement. The trip from Barretto all the way to terminal two took about three hours–I’ve spent that long in Manila traffic jams in the past.

I had done online check-in, so it was just the bag drop line for my luggage. Then on to immigration, where I turned in my exit clearance paperwork and got a new stamp in my passport. Through security and into the international departures pavilion of terminal 2–the worst I’ve ever experienced in any of my travels. For one thing, it is tiny and very crowded. And for some reason, other than at your departure gate, there is nowhere to sit. Even the food places that have tables don’t provide chairs. I’m not sure what’s up with that–maybe a remaining piece of stupidity from the scamdemic.

I was a little surprised about the lack of masking–I’d estimate that 1/3 of the people in the terminal were unmasked, 1/3 were improperly masked, and the other 1/3 were being good little sheeple. I took mine off, and no one said anything to me.

I was there a couple of hours early, and it was frustrating not to have a comfortable place to sit. I was willing to pay a premium to use the Philippine Air VIP lounge, but my money was no good unless I spent it on a business-class ticket. Oh well, I bought some cans of beer and drank them at my gate while waiting to board.

And that was another frustration–when I arrived at my gate, the Phnom Penh flight was not listed. When I inquired, I was told it would be listed nearer the departure time. I pointed out that the flight to Guam, which was later than mine, was on the screen. Just a shrug for a response. Hmm. Later I heard the announcement that the Guam flight was being moved to a different gate and when I checked again, my flight was at last shown on the departure screen. I just didn’t want to miss my flight because I’d been directed to the wrong gate.

The flight was scheduled to leave at 9:55. We began boarding at 9:15. Well, by boarding, I mean we got on a bus that took us to our plane parked on the tarmac. I guess all the passengers made that first bus because the doors closed at 9:30, and we began our take-off roll. I’ve been on delayed flights many times, but never one that left earlier than the posted time for closing the gate (15 minutes before departure).

The plane was only about 1/3 full, and I had a whole row of seats to myself. That assisted me in taking a nice little nap en route. We arrived in Phnom Penh thirty minutes ahead of schedule. My e-visa worked, and I was through immigration quickly with no questions asked. Grabbed my bag and headed out the door to meet my friend, Denny, a long-time resident here. Because of the early arrival, he wasn’t there yet, so I walked around, rejecting the entreaties of numerous taxi drivers. I did find a shop that sold sim cards for five bucks (yes, I actually had a five-dollar bill in my travel wallet from all those years ago), so I should be good to go phone-wise. Saw my friend looking for me, and we exchanged greetings and caught a tuk-tuk (like a trike, only bigger) to my hotel.

We went to the place next door, and I had a beer while Denny (who’s not a beer drinker) enjoyed a smoothie. I was immediately smitten by my waitress; these Cambo gals are sexy as hell! Perhaps I’ll see her again during my visit. Anyway, it was getting late, and the joint was closing, so we said goodnight, and Denny headed home.

I took a brief walk up the street from my hotel, and it is wall-to-wall bars. Nothing like Barretto at all (maybe a little like Walking Street in Angeles).

It was 3:00 a.m. by the time I made it to bed. Slept in until 8:00, then showered and went downstairs for the complimentary buffet breakfast that comes with the room.

My phone charger stopped working for some reason, so I decided to take a walk around to see if there were any phone shops. I couldn’t resist starting out on the riverside:

My mission to find a new phone charger was a success. Only $4.00, and I had a twenty-dollar bill. No one seems to want my “old” style Franklins. I guess it will be the ATM for me on this trip.

So, that’s the beginning. I think it’s a good start overall so far.