As I expected, when I arrived in Phnom Penh, I was overwhelmed with the new world around me. Just as last summer, I am to expect the unexpected. In getting off of the plane, I was immediately struck with the dense humidity and hotness of the country. I got lost in the airport, as I always do, but made it through!
Once I was through my visa checkpoint, I wheeled my overweight, obnoxious luggage toward the woman standing outside the door holding a yellow piece of paper reading, "Welcome Leslie." From there, my host, Mrs. Lo, called her Tuk Tuk driver. (Tuk Tuk, pronounced took took, is an open motor vehicle that hold 4-5 people. It's carried by a motorcyclist.) We drove 15 minutes to their house, all the while I stared and smelled, taking in my new environment. Many memories from Africa came back as I looked around. There are numerous street venders and many of the foods being sold on the side of the road smelled similar to the foods in Africa I had passed.
I noticed that there are fewer cars than bikers, cyclists, and small motor vehicles. Mrs. Lo told me on the way to her house that "filling in the space on the road is the primary law."And boy is that so. People drive so fast and so precisely! They whip around each other, they honk, and they zoom! It's remarkable to see!
I am off to lunch with some Mrs. Lo and some friends, so I have to resume my writing later, but HOW EXCITING.
The days of waiting to arrive are over, I'M HERE...and I can't wait to see what happens next!
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