...So I close the door of our hotel room and put the "do not disturb" sign on the doorknob. I don't think the g/f can handle dealing with Khmers at the moment. I'll let her watch Thai TV and pretend she is in Thailand.
About 200 meters from my hotel is an outdoor market. It is basically a jumble of street vendors hawking their food under canvas tents. Like everywhere else in Battambang, the flies swarmed around the food and people. The vendors would occasionally half-heartedly wave their hands, but they didn't seem to be bothered. Same with the customers. Picture slabs of beef and fish swarming with flies. And unlike the Thais, the Khmers don't use plastic to cover their curry trays. After wandering around aimlessly for a few minutes and seeing nothing edible, I randomly picked a street and started walking. I approached a wat about 300 meters south of the market. It looked like a pleasant place to take a stroll for a while. I planned on looking at some Buddha statues and then heading back to the hotel and see if the g/f has recovered. I spot a group of monks talking in front of their dormitory. One of them yells out "Hello!" to me and starts laughing. I say "hello" back and give an exaggerated wave. Thai monks in the provinces do the same. Then the Cambodian monk said,"Please have a seat here. I would like to practice my English with you." Something I've never had a Thai monk say to me. He has learned English solely from books and a few communal audiotapes at the wat. Considering the materials he had to work with, his English skills were impressive. Better than most hi-so kids whose parents spend a fortune sending their kids to private lessons. It's true what they say, money can't buy motivation. So he asks a few polite questions about where I'm from, what did I see in Battambang, etc. I show him a photo of my girl and he almost loses his head. I forgot that monks can't have sex or even whack-off. The kid entered the wat when he was ten and is now nineteen. Never had a g/f. The rest of the questions were about how to pick up women and the mechanics of intercourse. A Cambodian monk in his teens being lectured on the fairer sex by an Indian-American in his late 20s. Whoever thought globalization would lead to this scenario? Before we started singing "We are the World," I left for the hotel.
On the way back to the hotel, I see a street vendor with French baguettes. If you are ever in Cambodia, try one. Although they left the country in a mess, the Frenchies did teach them how to make a proper baguette. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. Nothing like the cake they call bread in Thailand. The baguettes are filled with cucumbers, processed chicken and ham, some soy sauce, sauerkraut, and some native pate. All for the princely sum of 2,000 riel (20 baht). And it's ten times better than anything you'll get at Subways. Obliviously munching away at my sandwich, a moto-driver starts yammering at me in French. I look confused and he switches to English without missing a beat. I'm a bit caught off guard, but he isn't like the scumbags at Poipet so we talk while I head back to the hotel. He agrees to take me to the tourist attractions in Battambang the next day for $8.
So I finally arrive at the hotel. I am standing in front of the room door, dreading what the g/f reaction will be. I am really not in the mood to comfort her or listen to her whinge about the Khmers. I just want to watch some TV and sleep. I take a deep breath and open the door. The g/f practically jumps me. She gives me a kiss and says "Aap nam si." Maybe that nap can wait a little while...
Sorry for the false advertising, next part Losing a debate on the effectiveness of supply side vs Keynesian economics with my moto-op will be written shortly.
Market
Can't see the flies? Trust me, they are there.
Enlightening discourse on Battambang, Buddhism, and Banging....