It's Bohemian

As I wander the world aimlessly, I find myself constantly in wander of my surroundings. I love how different things are around this little globe. Some things are modern, friendly, and beautiful, some are definitely NOT. I spend lots of time contemplating the world around me, but I haven't been doing much to share with those who are less fortunate, SO I am starting to share my tales, adventures, and lessons to you… In hopes of a better understanding, of the science of human zoology.

It was the middle of August when I found myself in a murky, old market in Cambodia. It was the rainy season so my once pedicured feet were ankle deep in mud and whatever other juices flow on the ground of a dirty fish & fruit market. I am by far a foot taller than the people surrounding me…They all stare at me. So many brown, worn eyes, with happy wrinkles covering their faces. I'm not sure if it's my size, my build, my blonde hair, or my blue eyes that makes them all stare and laugh as I bump my head into a metal awing holding up a blue roof-like tarp, protecting the little people from getting rained on. I don't mind it so much, I know there is alway someone looking out for the Foreigner who is clueless as to how things are ran around here. It wasn't until I rubbed my elbow up against the severed head of a plump pink pig that I decided I needed to get out of that stinky market as fast as I could. With bags full of fresh Mangosteen and Japanese Pears (for $1.00) I proceeded to sit at a little chair on the corner of the road and eat noodles from a family of girls who didn't speak my language. I pointed at what I wanted and ate happily with my chopsticks while the young girls checked out my foot tattoos. It wasn't until sitting down to a steaming hot bowl of delicious broth did I realize how my day had went….

I woke up by the beach with the rain gleefully taping on the tin roof, proceeded to do some bed yoga before actually rolling out and washing my face. Once I downed my Muesli with fruit and yogurt, and said a polite 'no' to legless beggars and bracelet-making children, I read my book (The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson), packed by bag, and went to wait for my bus to the next Cambodian town. I didn't know much about this town…just that I liked its' name: Kampot. Apparently they were a big producer of pepper?…I didn't really find it too bizarre that I had to wait about and hour past the time the bus was supposed to pick me up, but I knew i'd come sooner or later. Time doesn't mean much out here. I always appreciate the indefiniteness of it all. While waiting I repetitively get beat by a 7 year old Khmer girl in a game I had just taught her. I have to admit - I was pretty distracted by her CUTE little cousin with his big  white pouffy dipper and orange mohawk… Finally the 7 year old girl who just conquered me in Rummy, asked to see my  bus ticket, went in spoke a few words to the tour company, then all the sudden a mini-van appears!

I say my goodbyes and hopped into a van with some fellow travelers. 4 Spanish speaking older backpackers, 3 Frenchies, and a proper Englishman. All of our bags were thrown behind the back seat and a rope was used to lassoe everyones belongings in. We rode for hours wondering whose stuff was going to pop out and be lost forever. The bus trip was supposed to be and hour and a half long, but we kept making stops. At each of the stop we would pick up more people, pack their stuff in the back as well, and continue along our path… We picked up more and more people, wandering how they and their stuff are going to fit in the van, and are on our way again….It was a  cluttered stinky van jam packed full of people. There were about 10 Cambodians squeezed in the front seat of the van, boxes of smelly fish and dead ducks, and somehow we were all smiling and singing Karaoke?…That trip was a trip.

I'm currently on a bus from Kratie (pronounced Kray-chi) to Laos… Listening to all the foreign accents on the bus makes me giggle…People are so different in the way they express things. I love to think no matter where your location may be around the world, you can always laugh together. I think that's the most universal form of a bond. I enjoy watching the environment around me and interpreting what I think is going on. People have so many ways of doing things and I always try to understand why different cultures makes people tick differently. I love watching people interact. It's a great form of entertainment, especially in foreign lands.

As I look out the window, I see tiny thatch roofs made of bamboo, and straw. Most of them atop stilts to keep what little things they possess, safe from the wet season floods. Most people simply dress in long pants and long sleeve shirts. They toss their trash outside their front windows, and hang out on wooden platforms while watching the activity pass by. Little naked children run around splattered in mud, but happy as clams. So much green floods the countryside it makes you feel alive and healthy. You'll see elders hunched over with big hat brims and wrinkly, ancient hands plucking away at the rice fields. Just a seconds glance would tell you they have worked hard their whole lives, and are ready to conquer the rest of it. Their children, who have their own children, are riding on a rickety old wagon that barely functions while being pulled by a tired old pony in hopes of making it to town to get some money for the productions of their hard labor. I have much respect for these families. They have endured many hardships here in Cambodia but they still continue to work out in the scorching hot sun everyday, enabling them to have enough to eat the rest of the week.

Today I saw a solar panel laying around on a sidewalk in the 'city' and it made me so happy to see that dingy restaurant not having to pay the recent 200% increase on electricity. Cambodia is quickly gaining recognition among foreigners on the traveling circuit and it's easy to see why!…just look at the Cambodia Picture Album on my Facebook page

Traveling all over the world often makes me daydream about finally having a place to call home, with the luxuries that will once again become part of my daily life. Pressing a button to have a hot steaming cup of coffee, or being able to wrap myself in a fluffy blanket on my couch admiring the artistic options of decor that surround me. Being close to family instead of being on the opposite side of the globe. One day I will have that again and completely appreciate every aspect of how I molded my life around me….But for now- I can't shake this travel bug.

I have got a through taste of South East Asia (with the exception of Indonesia & the Philippines, which I plan to visit in due time) and absolutely loved every moment of it. Sure I haven't cooked a meal for myself in half a year, and sure I often have to battle bugs in guesthouse rooms, and sure I have to scrub my feet free of dirt every night, and yes, I have to constantly  monitor how much American dollars I am spending, but right now- I don't think I would change the way I am living one bit?!… I contemplate future options, and the problem is I have every option. I pretty much can do whatever I want to do. I like that. That's how it always should be for me. I know I don't want to be tied down to a job I have to go to, but I'd really like to have a base to set up camp for awhile…maybe get a pet and have a regular yoga class to go to. I'd like to have friends that I get to hang out with longer then the frequent swapping of traveling stories with fellow backpackers. Anyways, one option i've seriously been contemplating is possibly opening a guesthouse on the beaches of Thailand. I'll call it 'Happy Buddha Guesthouse'. It will have a nice Zen Garden, hammocks all around, and a nice beach bum vibe…I just know that I don't want to go back to America yet, and I really fell hard in love with Thailand- That's where my heart got left behind. I'd like to produce work that isn't online, so naturally I'll make this place a paradise for relaxation- Jess Style. Ha. I think it'd fun a fun challenge. Lots of kinks to work out like Visas situations and Land ownership and what-not, but if there's a will there's a way right? This place will be a lovely haven that I can eventually get all my family and friends to come live at!…just another one of my crazy ideas I suppose, but it will probably happen one day?!...

(*Sidenote*)…I've really come to enjoy meeting fellow Farangs - You get to know about life wherever it is they call home, you get to learn about life wherever it is they are coming from, and if your lucky enough, you get to enjoy their company for a couple of days before continuing along to the next destination. And the same goes for the locals your lucky enough to get close to - They are the real inside source of information. They help to understand where you are, why it is like that, and how it came to be that way. I always try to make a point to express my gratitude for allowing me to be around, from the tuk-tuk driver to the old, chirpy ladies making my meals.

While I write this the bus driver is casually honking massive cows off the gravel road we are hauling down. The DVD, that is blaring on the flip screen at the front of the bus, consists of modern music videos, Karaoke Style, from Korean Pop sensations that are the craze in Asia these days. It's kinda hard to keep focus, you can probably tell from my writing…so I think this is a good place to stop for today. We're about to arrive at the border crossing.

I know you probably find this random stream of consciousness, that I call a blog, somewhat compelling….You should really plan a holiday of your own sometime soon. Just go somewhere you've wanted to, get out of your comfort zone, and absorb every moment of it. The hardest part is leaving…but you will be so glad you did! You will without a doubt grow from it, and will always have and cherish the memories you've created!…Your always welcome to join me wherever I may be if you need a starting point!?...

Anyways, Acun Tran, Thank you, Cambodia for allowing me to smile so much, for allowing me to inquire, and allowing me to feel free. 

I always enjoy entering new countries. I feel so many concurrent emotions and an overwhelming rush of sensations…I get satisfaction out of every stamp pounded into my Passport, every attempt in figuring out the money exchange, and in finding the cheapest way out of the airport while the less prepared tourists are paying triple what I am. I look at my life everyday and feel happy to be where I am, and fortunate to do what I am doing. Sure it is somewhat of an extended vacation, but I work sometimes. I find odd ways to make money, like building websites for businesses cheaper than anyone in America would dare…I don't need a whole lot of money to survive out here, so for me a little bit goes along way…Not to mention it gives me some sort of temporary purpose.

I enjoy being homeless. Essentially that's what I am… Sure I have my families houses all over America- where I know I am always welcome, and I could always rent a place of my own, but I am perfectly content having nothing but a backpack. I'm really not responsible for anything and i'd like to keep it that way for awhile. Since leaving the states, I have lived in 46 different guesthouses all over South East Asia, and felt completely at home in each one.

Currently, I am sitting under a bamboo hut at Tranquility Guesthouse on Serendipity Beach in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. I'm about 25 ft. from the waterfront and tucked away so the little Cambodian children can't hustle me for Bracelets and fruit. These kids are clever and smarter than anyone gives them credit for. There's boats scattered all along the coast, men fishing off the dock, and kids jumping in the water right beside them. There's colorful umbrellas lining the beaches and tourists mixed with new Cambodian friends sunbathing in reclining beach chairs. While in the shade you can feel a nice breeze grace your skin, but in the direct sun, you will instantly feel perspiration start to develop. The sky is clear but on the brink of the coast you can see a storm-a-brewing. The weather is perfect right now, but I wouldn't mind a good downpour. The sound of the rain hitting the bamboo thatch, and the lazy feel of the day seems like a good way to cure my Absinthe hangover.

When I first arrived in Cambodia, I had an instant prejudice towards this country. (I'm embarrassed to admit this because I usually pride myself in my impartial ways). Cambodia at first glance seemed very aggressive. I wasn't too receptive of this having came off a month in laid-back Thailand. Without having a chance to observe the land outside of the airport, the Tuk-Tuk and Taxi drivers bombard you to take your destination for $1. We found a Guesthouse next door to a place our Lonely Planet book had listed, and set out into the night in search of food. Phnom Penh is the countries capitol and it is an overwhelming place. Certainly a bustling city with endless energy. It took me quite some time to feel comfortable here. I was always overly aware of my surroundings, so much it almost drove me into a type of paranoia. With so many people moving about and motorbikes zooming around, I thought it was inevitable that my purse was going to get stolen, so I was…and still am…very aware at all times.

We only stayed one night in Phnom Penh before hopping on a bus to Siem Riep, the location of the Angkor Wat Temples. For $20 you can see as much of this place as you possibly can in a day, but most people splurge and buy a 3 day pass to be sure to fully explore the sights of the 8th Wonder of the World. Our first stop was by FAR my favorite. The Temples of Bayon. Millions upon millions of blocks of stones placed on top of each other and carved into perfect faces of a Buddhist King. These structures were built in the 12th century, and I found it SO amazing that after all the war and destruction that the country has faced over the past 900 years this wondrous architecture still survived. I'm going to save the rest of Angkor Wat for another blog…possibly a blog by James to describe the complete magnificence of this place.

Back to life in Cambodia… I discovered the reason why I look into the eyes of Cambodians and instantly distrust them. It is a man by the name of Pol Pot. Everyone knows how rough Cambodian life has been over the years, struggling with war after war, but it was after a civil war in 1975 when this character Pol Pot took over with his Khmer Rouge cronies.

He was well educated in Paris, where he started to develop radical Marxist yeas that later metamorphosed into extreme Maoism. Under his rule, Cambodia became a slave labor camp, and he basically had the idea of 'cleansing' the country in type of holocaust manner. His goal was apparently to 'restart civilization' in Year Zero by killing all the intellectuals, people that wore glasses, or speakers of another language. 1.7 Million people died under his rule. This mass extinction probably would have continued for quite some time if Vietnam hadn't invaded making Pol Pot flee into the jungle, and his Khmer Rouge government collapsed with his disappearance. Rumor had it he was poisoned in 1998.

It's just crazy to me that as modern as the world is, we still have people like Pol Pot with his 'god complex' who less than 35 years ago started slaughtering his own people. I actually went to a place called 'The Killing Fields' where hundreds of mass graves were dug and pillars of human skulls rested. We saw the devastation of the aftermath with our own eyes. Children were killed by the Khmer Rouge by bashing their sculls on trees or bludgeoning them to death because they didn't want to waste their ammunition….Sorry for the vulgarity- I almost didn't write this because it was a little too much, but I think people should know how things went down here...

I understand that for the Cambodians to make a comeback after the hellish abyss they have been sucked into, they are a strong people. You can see the lingering sadness in the older generations eyes. But on the surface Cambodia seems to be a nation of smiling, happy people. Sure there is patchwork of light and dark, but that's the way it is everywhere I suppose?

Tourism is slowly starting to bring money into a country that needs and deserves it. After all of my travels so far, if I were to invest into a business, this Beach would be the place…It's like Thailand 15 years ago. Give it time and it will slowly become a new tourist haven.