What’s up guys?! After a total of about 17 hours in the sky, we finally touched down in Phnom Penh yesterday. I meant to write a blog about our trip before I got here, but things have been pretty hectic the last month, so I’ll try to cram in my thoughts leading up to this trip, the flight, and our arrival.
Ben and I have been talking about this trip for about a year now, and now we’re finally here. When we bought our ticket two months ago, it seemed like forever before we would get on that plane, I really couldn’t wait. But just days before takeoff, it seemed like I needed more time to say goodbye to my family and friends, and to rest up. The last month has been exhausting. My to-do list was about a mile long, and there were just things that I kept coming up that I had to take care of. Everything is taken cared of now, and my mind is free and clear of everything that I was attached to in the states. I paid my bills, I said my goodbyes, and all I have to think of is all of the goals that I want to accomplish in the next three months.
We flew Cathay Pacific Airlines from LAX to Hong Kong, then Dragon Air from Hong Kong to Phnom Penh. We were both a little sick all week, and it really didn’t help that we drank massive amounts of alcohol the night before takeoff. For the peeps that showed up to the Mai Tai bar in Long Beach on Saturday night to wish us well on our trip, thank you for the headache I woke up with the next morning. I love you guys.
Anyway, the flight was at midnight and it was about an hour late. No one let us know what was going on and no one let us know what time we would be boarding. Bad first impression. When we finally got on board, and up in the air, we both ate, then popped a Nyquil and tried to go to sleep. I couldn’t get comfortable, tossing and turning left and right, switching ass cheeks, resting my head forward, backwards, nothing would work. At one point, while trying to get comfortable, I spilled water all over my crotch and legs. It looked like I peed on myself. I was really just too damn tired to do anything about it, so I put a blanket over me, and I finally fell asleep. Of course I woke up a short time later because I had to pee, but I didn’t want to wake Ben or my other neighbor by getting up, so I just held it in. The plane was having some sort of problems with the temperature, so it went from being cold to hot and hot to cold for about two hours. Cold air blasting on my wet pants while I was holding in my pee really sucked. We finally touched down in Hong Kong after about 15 hours, and we only had about 20 minutes to get to the next plane. I ran to the bathroom, then ran to the plane, and we made it just in time. We would now just be two hours away from Phnom Penh.
At that moment, it really didn’t hit me yet what we were doing. I mean, I knew I was going to be on a plane to Cambodia, but the whole reality of spending three months there didn’t hit me yet. Today, reality has hit me. My boxers sticking to me because my butt has been sweating, the mosquito bites, the stench, the noise, the pollution. Ah yes, I am in Phnom Penh Cambodia. What the hell did I get myself into?
We took a day trip to Phnom Udong today. Ill write more about that tomorrow and hopefully ill have some pictures up to go along with it. Till, then, take care of yourselves.
Peace.
-Tharith