From Super-Chill to Ulcer-Mode in no time flat

Friday - December 21

Not only is it our last day at work, but the last at our Phnom Penh apartment AND (as we realized this evening) two years TO THE DAY that we pulled out of the driveway of our home in San Francisco, first embarking on this trip! We've spent the week trying to wrap up our Kiva work at Maxima, mailing stuff home, burning photo cd's, saying our goodbyes... but as these things go, it always takes much longer to finish than planned. Now, we're down to the wire and scrambling to even get our airline tix to India + visa dealt with. Code Yellow.



Saturday - December 22

STILL packing up, the post office for package shipping is closed - What are we going to do with all this stuff?! STILL haven't bought our tix, but at least the visas are being processed - If our timing goes right we'll be back in Phnom Penh next Sunday night so we can pick-up the visas Monday morning the 31st, mail our package, and still catch a bus down to Sihanoukville for New Years Eve on the beach. I'll keep my fingers crossed! Code (Dark) Yellow.



Sunday - December 23

Woke up this morning and cooked up + packed up the rest of the food. Paid the landlords and they fortunately offered to store all our stuff 'til we get back. Went to an internet cafe to finally buy the plane tix only to discover they issue paper tickets only for this flight - Agh! Rushed to an agent to see what we could do with only 45 minutes to spare before the last bus of the day leaves for our destination. Tickets are available for the same price, but the agent has to wait for a call back from the airline to confirm seats. We go to the ATM and each withdraw our daily limit to buy them in the meantime. Then, I run over to the bus station to get us seats there. The bus is full, but I find out that there IS a later bus, which will give us time to wait for the call back and confirmation of our air tix. Please, no more glitches! Code Red.



Monday, December 24

In a small town of Kampong Chhnang now, 2 hours North of PP. Got the airline tix and got our asses out of town - which was no easy feat! Enjoying Christmas in a chill village on the southern end of the Tonle Sap. It's a full moon and super-quiet, with sugar palms silhouetted overhead. Time to chill on down. Code Green. :)