Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009 - Day 9

I woke up late Sunday and Buddha and I headed to the Royal Palace, one of the must-see sights of PP, after he drove by the river to show me the sights. The river was cloudy brown, and it looked cholera-inducing. Moments later, we arrived at the entrance gate of the Royal Palace. I paid $6.25 per ticket, or 25,000 Riels per person. I gave Buddha his ticket after he parked his motobike and he kept staring at it. He says "this is too much. I am Khmer. Maybe it's cheaper." So we go to the ticket booth, and he says in Khmer "I am Khmer. I need to exchange tickets." (At least that's what I think he said). He gives me back my $6.25 and I pay 1000 Riels (about $0.25) for his ticket. Foreigners pay either a lot more or pay when Khmer don't have to pay. (For example, my trip to Siem Reap this coming weekend will cost $40 in 2 days admissions but it is free for Khmer).

I need to get my guidebook to label each building here. This may take awhile as I am not good with directions =).




The prince used to open these golden gates and overlook the river. I think Washington's view of the Potomac was grander.





Napoleon III Pavilion. It is in need of a new paint job. I couldn't go inside.




I don't know what this was but it was scary-looking...

Ganesh, the Hindu god.


Oooohhhhhhhmmmmmmmmm........

Interesting flowers in the courtyards...


Buddha!!
Prince riding a horse.

Beautiful wall paintings that are now colorless...




Miniature of Siem Reap's Angkor Wat, the largest religious building in the world. The prince used to live here. It is surrounded by water... like moats of castles. Will see the real thing this weekend.

Fishes galore!



I thought this table and bench were made out of a real tree but it's artificial.

Maps!!!!!!





They love elepants here.
Payphone...

Family of elephants...
My left-over Indian naan bread that they sealed in this baggy, along with the tikka masala sauce!

Later that day, I walked to the Russian Market, like the Central Market, but geared towards tourists. I started walking at 4ish PM... and got there around 5 PM - I walked too far and had to backtrack. I got there and was unsure where it was so I got lost for a bit before I realized the market was really a makeshift square with TONS of little shops crammed side by side. I was not ready for this. And then I realized I drank a lot of water. I look for a restaurant to grab a small bite to eat and the first place I sit in at does not have an English menu. So I get a Khmer menu and I hoped that there would be pictures.... no such luck. I asked for a small plate of mixed fruit and am told they don't carry that. Now 2 waiters and 2 waitresses are waiting on me and someone sets a glass of water down for me. They are all confused and another girl comes over and says "You know Chinese?" We converse in Mandarin briefly and I leave b/c they only sell entrees. But they were nice. I walk around a bit more and hit another mini restaurant. They're closed. I walk around another block and about 100 meters down (I finally understand what distance that is now, b/c I'm so used to feet and miles) there is this cute coffee shop selling sandwiches and dishes. I sit down and read the English menu =). I look at the specials of the day and order mixed fruit for $1.95 and fried chicken for $1.95. I am so curious about the fascination with fried chicken here. So I sit and wait and read my tourguide book and figure out the best plan to attack this huge market with at least 6 different entrances selling electronics, clothing, bags, school supplies, food, books, etc.
My meal comes and an orange smoothie is set down, along with a piece of chicken leg and wing. And hot sauce in packets. I exchange the hot sauce for ketchup and am confused about my mixed fruit. Turns out mixed fruit was missing the word "shake." And the fruit salad on the sign is what I was actually looking for (but I thought it meant mayo). The waiter apologizes and I drink my really good shake. He brings me the check and only charged me $1.50 for the shake.

So I am ready to conquer the market. ... Almost everything is now closed. What rotten luck... or good luck for the wallet. I walk into the first shop and look at lots of suitcases, backpacks, purses, etc. I finally settle on a real-looking North Face backpack and Le Sport Sac shoulderpack and the woman says $21 for both. She goes down to $19 and I say $13. She says $17 and I leave. I walk around and all the stores are closed or closing. I hit a couple more shops to see how much their bags are and it turns out her price of $13 for the backpack was similar or less than what others were asking. So I go back and say $15. She says $17. I say $15. She says $16.50. I say $15.50. I should've argued in Riels... then we both really would've been doing this for a while. We finally settle on $16. She puts everything into a black bag and I start walking but I have no idea where I'm heading towards home and it's dark. There was a group of tuk-tuk and motobike drivers near the store but their comments earlier to me passing by made me get as far away from them as possible. So I start walking. And I realize the funny irony of this city. Whenever I feel like walking and don't need a ride, I am asked by at least 5 different people. When I DO need one, they are either busy/taken/or not searching for passengers. So I find one and he'll take me home for several thousand Riels after showing him my map and I pinpoint EXACTLY where I live b/c he doesn't understand English at all. He's so nice.

We near my house and I tell him where to go b/c by now, I finally know my neighborhood. Kind of. As we round the corner onto my street, the entire neighborhood's lights go out. It is pitch black except for a house that has a generator and still has lights. I give him the money and walk quickly home. I arrive at the gate and Buddha comes with a mega flashlight in tow. The lights are out!!!! He and Bruce are both chilling. I'm all questions. How long? How often? What now? What place has generators? I pull out the bug repellent spray and begin my daily shower of DEET, especially at nighttime. I stay outside with everyone b/c I'm afraid to be in the big house by myself. I finally leave to go read a book (The White Man's Burden given to me by a friend) at a nearby hotel/restaurant that definitely has lights.

I arrive there after a 3 minute walk and the restaurant is packed with ex-pats. The waiter says I could share a table with a guy reading a paper or sit at the bar. I grab a seat at the bar wedged between a white woman on a laptop sipping red wine and a white dude impatiently waiting for his food and tapping on his phone. I order a tropical fruit screwdriver. The bartender digs out the fruit, seeds included, adds OJ, and vodka in a blender and moments later, I have my first alcoholic drink in the country, on a Sunday night no less. After a few minutes, the man sitting to the left of the laptop lady begins smoking and the wind is, as luck would have it, directing the smoke straight at me. I ask for another seat and the restaurant is packed. The manager is stressed and says he has no 2-seaters available. I ask the man I was originally to be seated with and see if I can take one of his four chairs. He says of course. I set down my drink and begin reading. Moments later, I hear him talking to me.

We begin chatting and it turns out his friend is the director of Thailand's WHO CSR department, in influenza work as well. (I think, hmmm Thailand next??) He works for a NGO for wildlife preservation in Thailand, Cambodia, and elsewhere in Asia. He's from Australia but has lived in Thailand for the past 10 years and speaks fluent Thai and some Khmer. He also did his PhD at UCSD (San Diego) and drove all over the US. I bet anything that he's seen more of the US than most Americans. We chitchat for a long time about NGO's, America, Cambodia, his work, my work, etc. We leave after 9 and he pays for my drink after the waiter asked same or separate check. My drink was $2.50. We shake hands and walk in separate directions.

I arrive home and the lights are back on! Sweet.