Phnom Penh-

After Siem Reap I took the bus to PP. I was already stoked because I was meeting up with my neighbors' nephew who is from PP and was going to show me around the city. I also had dinner plans with the Australian couple who I met in Pakse so that would be fun too! The first night Mr. Sithuel picked me up and we went to a hole in the wall restaurant where his friends were waiting. I was glad to find out that they had a couple of friends who had a pretty good grasp of English because my Cambodian consists of "hi how are you" and my favorite kind of fish dish called "amuk"(fish doused in coconut and baked in banana leaves, yummy). It was a cool environment because kids would come in selling things and then the owner of the place who was these guys' friend would cook it up adding whatever spices or things we wanted. Most kids had fruit, chickens etc. till one came in with crickets! Yes i ate two crickets fried up with peppers and spices mmmmmmmhhmmm. I took more pictures but on film only. The picture above is when we went to lunch the next day at one of the friends' house where chickens, frogs, cockles, and rice of course! I also ate some leaves wrapped around a sliced piece of cucumber and dipped in a fish soup.... as soon as the food touched my mouth i knew it was going to be bad but there was no turning back now............ the leaves were extremely bitter and the soup was some kind of fishy blah! Why did I take such a big bite??!?! The Cambodians just laughed I guess they know that its not popular with Westerners but they wanted to see my reaction anyway. I did not disappoint. Later that night after running around town all day to different museums and etc. I finally got to meet up with the Aussies at the FCC (Foreign Correspondants Club), a really nice bar on the riverfront. The bar couldn't have been a more different place than where I was the previous night but it was still cool. Then we walked down a little further and had some Lak Lok beef which is really tender steak in a savory sauce served with rice and cucumbers.

Alas, I was ready to leave Cambodia and the 3rd world for that matter. Sick of no soap or tp in the bathrooms. Tired of using a squat toilet and pouring water down after inorder to flush. Sick of flies and ants onh me and in my food. Tired of muddy/dusty streets. I know I know it sounds like I am done with traveling... and honestly there were a few times (like on those bus rides from hell )when I thought about getting on the next plane home. I was really being tested I can attest to that. I am glad I didn't though because now I am in Malaysia and its been really great so far. I thought the food was great where I had already been but I hadn't even tipped the top of the iceburg on food till I got to Malaysia...