Phnom Penh Aagain! (26.03.22 - 04.04.22)
Saturday 26th March 2022
This has been the worst day of my trip without a doubt. It started with a minibus journey from hell. The guy behind me had his phone on loud speaker and was playing tick tock rubbish for the first part of the journey. Then a guy got off early so he moved to next me and started talking to everyone in the loudest voice possible. The road was so bumpy and I was so hungry and then I got a message from Rory telling me that he has gone to Silk Island, which is not far from PP. The only problem being is that I paid in advance £80 for 9 nights in this room and cannot afford another room elsewhere. Then we stopped in the middle of nowhere for the guys (I was the only female on the bus) to have a piss and, after we just started to drive off, I noticed one of my shoes missing. The guy who got off early must have kicked it off – all the guys on the bus thought it hilarious, but I have flip flops in my rucksack – I so wanted to cry. I put my headphones on and could still hear the guy next to me shouting to everyone else – totally did my head in. So, after being stuck in a traffic jam for half an hour we finally made it to PP and I got my flip flops out, these are now my only footwear. My tuk-tuk driver dropped me off outside my hostel, but could I find it? No! I walked up and down three times then a guy from RSII helped me out and it only turns out that Diamond Palace hostel is also RSII, which is rright next door to Scodo – can you adam and eve it – I’ve now stayed in all three hostels that are actually one and the same hostel! After I had a shower, which I couldn’t turn it off – I must have tried the on and off button a billion times, I had to leave it running while I dressed and then went and got one of the guys, who showed me how to turn it off at the shower head – I felt like a fool. After that I went for a walk to the tourist office to sort out my Vietnam visa – after all that is my main reason for coming here and guess what, they cannot issues visas and I have to do it online – FFS – so there was absolutely no reason for me to return to PP and I could have stayed in Battambang or returned to Siem Reap. I tried to see if Paul wanted to meet for dinner and drinks but he is too busy so I had dinner alone and then went and bought a cheap bottle of vodka and a couple of beers. When I got back to my room it took me 10 minutes to get the door open – I was in tears by then but was sweating so profusely that no one would have noticed. My room is so noisy, it faces the road, I suppose the only positive is that I get up early anyway. Glenn gave me a Xanax for the bus journey, I didn’t take it, but in some ways I wish I had, although now I am glad I have it. I’ve got one more beer to finish and then I’m going to knock myself out with it – tomorrow has to be a better day – it’s also Mother’s Day – I look forward to Yas video calling – well at least I hope she does.
Tuesday 29th March 2022
Help, I need advice – what do I do? Vietnam is open but you can only get a 30 day e-visa which will mean a boarder run to renew it, this option is expensive as I have read that not only will I have to pay for a Cambodian visa when I leave, but also another Vietnam visa to re-enter, and you also have to give the Vietnamese boarder control guys two back handers, one as you exit and one as you enter again. So, my choices are, do I stay here in Cambodia or go back to Thailand? Weighing up the options – it is the hot season here, April gets even hotter, and they also have a new year celebration coming up on the 14th – this could be fun, especially if I am back in Siem Reap, which is the cheapest place I’ve been here and also one of the nicest (Kampot included), but there are limited beaches and the islands are expensive, so bumming around on one of those for a month is not really an option. Thailand is cheaper and I could spend a week with Tracey in Samut Prakan, there are more beaches and also several places that I still would like to see, and the food is also more appealing. However, I will have to pay for an AQA hotel and get a PCR and quarantine for one night. I need to decide today as either way I need to get my visa sorted and today is the last day for both options.
Thursday 31st March 2022
What a nightmare! Rory came to get me the evening before last and took me to Silk Island, well he didn’t, he got his driver friend (Phally) to drive me and he followed behind on his bike. What a fool I am – to cut a long and horrible story short, I ate bbq chicken feet, which were delicious, got pissed, laughed and joked and then a series of incidents happened that I’m not happy to publish. At one point I freaked out, packed my stuff and left. I didn’t get far what with all the dogs that wouldn’t stop barking at me let alone the fact there were no streetlights, and I didn’t have a clue as to where I was or where to go. Eventually Rory and the landlady came and got me and the long and short of it is I slept in the yard, on top of my rucksack, until Phally woke me. I woke everyone else up and Phally drove me back to my hostel. You know the thing that hurt the most is, no-one believed me, they all believed ‘his’ bullshit, claiming that he is a good friend and loyal husband! Can I just re-assure you I was not raped. I spent the whole day yesterday in tears and, in my desperation and need to leave PP, booked tickets to Thailand, which I instantly regretted – should have booked Vietnam as planned – however it’s the visa run needed in order to stay two months that is putting me off – but such is life – all I need now is a Thai Pass – it can take 5 days to arrive, I only have 4 – however, my first pass took 3 hours, so I live in hope. A few days at Tracey’s simmering down from all this chaos will do me good, and guess who contacted last night, totally out of the blue – Wallop – he must have a 6th sense!
I am feeling a bit more cheery today, but still so fucking miserable. I really can’t wait to get out of here – Cambodia is a tough country, too tough for me.
Sunday 1st April 2022
Still no Thai Pass ☹ beginning to feel a bit nervous – but such is life. Feeling so much happier and that’s especially thanks to the 3 guys on my landing, one is from Iraq, one from New Zealand and the other from Newcastle – every evening we all sit out on the balcony drinking too much and laughing too much – the owners have called this the party balcony and I am the nice girl with big hair. Last night me and the Kiwi went for dinner – he has a Thai girlfriend so don’t get any funny ideas – but he is handsome and cute and he’s a Pisces, just like me – lol – I seem to be attracted to them. This morning I woke at 5:30 to some really loud music, I popped my head out to see where the party was and it was the kiwi guy – pissed as a skunk on rum – he turned it down and I did manage to get back to sleep. I then spent the rest of the morning procrastinating about going for a walk – eventually I got my act together and ended up in the bar where I usually meet Mighty. I was in the middle of my first beer when this black girl came towards me with a humongous smile – she recognized me from Siem Reap and I do remember a girl crossing the road and walking in front of me and wondering if she had dread locks under her head scarf – she doesn’t. Anyway, we sat and drank beers for a good couple of hours, she starts fasting tomorrow so I suggested she go to Koh Ta Kiev – she said she would pray for my Thai Pass to turn up in time. I am now so bored of PP – Rory is ignoring my messages – I left my e-cig and a white shirt there but doubt very much that I will get them back. It’s a cheap loss the most important thing is that I am moving on mentally from all the shit that happened. I’m pleased to say, bar my boredom, life is feeling good again.
Monday 2nd April 2022
Yesterday afternoon I had a cat nap and in my dream there was a speaker message from Judy Harloe for Ruth Lawes telling me to ready for my flight. When I woke, I checked my inbox but still no Thai Pass. I made a coffee and then suddenly thought to check my junk mail and guess what I found in there – yes my Thai Pass, it had actually been sent two hours after I had submitted my application – all that stress for nothing. And my dream telling me that it was there – so bloody happy and time to celebrate – so me and the kiwi guy – I think his name is Jake, started on the beer – OMG – that soon ran out so we went and got 2 small bottles of rum and when that run out we went and got a large bottle of rum – lol – we were up all night singing drinking and smoking a shit load of fags. Some miserable German guy came out twice and told us we were being too loud, and that he was an old man, nearly 60 (LMFAO) and needed to sleep, it was only 10.30 the first time, but we were really polite and turned down the noise, I even laughed quietly. The second time he came out, about an hour later he was fuming – so we moved down the balcony and disturbed the Iraq and Newcastle guys instead – neither minded, in fact the Iraq guy found it quite funny, and when we woke, he even made me tea but said he would take valium tonight. So me and Jake, after serenading the tuk-tuk drivers, ended up snuggled together on my bed at about 10am and slept for a couple of hour, it was so lovely to have a cuddle, I miss having a cuddle. And no, nothing happened, however he did adopt me about 10 times over the course of the night and due to my sense of humour, said I was officially a kiwi – lol – gonna miss you Jake.
I really do need to stopped drinking so much – I keep getting really wasted – lol. I think going to Thailand will help, although Glenn is planning on meeting me there and he’s another alcoholic – I think Jake is also one – but his poison is definitely spirits, he has a spirit nose. I seem to be good at attracting alcoholics at the moment ☹