We were lucky to be able to spend a day in Taipei; exploring a city so different from our own, especially Taipei 101 (The worlds tallest building and an engineering marvel), was absolutley fascinating. By the end of the day, we were all completly beat. we had been up for almost 40 hours with only a few minutes of sleep here and there along the way. Before we went out again for the evening, at about 3:45 pm, Luke and I decided to take a short nap. We both woke up around 2:30 am throughly refreshed, and with our body clocks throughly messed up. The flight to Cambodia was short and mostly uneventful.
Within a few moments on the ground, our world views were irrevocably and quite literally expanded. A complete lack of road laws left traffic a giant game of chicken, and the goats and chickens everywhere give free range a whole new meaning. Arn and Sol May (phonetically spelled) have wonderful hosts, helping us get used to a completly foreign culture.
We explored the back roads of Phnom Phen for several hours before feasting on the simple fare of a nearby resturant. After lunch Arn had arranged for a fleet of cyclos - think reclineing lawn chairs pushed by a bike - to give us a tour of the city. Our first stop was Wat Phnom, meaning literally the temple on the hill, a beatiful building with scenic views. On the way up we saw a baby monkey, and instantaneously the cameras came out. The temple was beatiful, and for a as yet undetermined reason a ceremonial group of musicians were playing.
We loadeed up into the cyclos and and set off for the squatters camp. On the way we saw an elephant, which was pretty cool. My experiences at the squatters camop has been by far the best part of the trip for me. The human to human connection is incredible, especially considering the vast differences in culture, status, and language. Little interactions, smiles, handgames, reinforce the point (sorry if i'm a bit heavy handed and cliched) that were all pretty much the same in basic ways.
Inside the squatters camp we got visit the most famous musician in Cambodia. Blind with almost no use of his legs, Kong Nay presents an image that is eerily reminiescint of Ray Charles. Kong Nay is one of a select few individuals that exudes charisma, just being in a room with him can brighten your day. After grabbing dinner at the FCC, we all returned to the hotel and hit the sack.
More To Come Shortly
Connor Henderson
1 comment:
Hannah, Sarah, Steve, Karen and the Gang,
Great to here about the first of what will be many adventures! I ran across the quote the other day and though of you all and Oaxaca travelers (who are having a great time):
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely. Broad, wholesome, charitable views can not be acquired by vegetating in one's little corner of Earth." - Mark Twain
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