Where to begin... hmmm... oh! Okay. I've decided one of the absolute worst things that could happen to me would be if I was diagnosed as being celiac (sorry Tori). My name is Dustin George and I have a severe addiction to all things bread. Ever since I was little my favorite Thanksgiving food was homemade rolls, a favorite before-bedtime snack has always been toast with butter or honey, and I have a weak spot for donuts. I say all of this because Cambodia has some of the best bread of ever. Cambodia used to be French colony so it still has a large French influence in the baking department. There are bakeries EVERYWHERE in Phnom Penh and generally the baked goods are extremely cheap. In fact, if you go to most bakeries an hour before closing you get everything half off. Hooray for making already cheap things even cheaper! This only feeds my addiction. I have this intense need for delicious pastires and breads. In fact, my breakfast this morning was a small individual french baguette dipped in sweetened condensed milk and some purple dragonfruit. Quite delicious is you ask me.
Here's one of the best bakeries in Phnom Penh. I had an amazing strawberry frosted and filled donut here. And the filling was like real strawberry jam, not the fake strawberry crap you get in the States.
There's my food plug quota for the day. Hope you enjoyed it. Well, as all of you know, the World Cup is pretty much dominating the international scene and Cambodia is no exception. I'll admit, I've actually gotten quite into it. Dan and Zoya have spread a love for the World Cup amongst us interns and I've caught that bug. There's a really nice sports bar in the heart of the city that I've gone to at five in the morning to support the US team. It's been quite the feeling to chant "USA! USA!" with all the other Americans in the bar each time a goal is scored and hear our chants echo through the streets of Phnom Penh. It's kinda sorta a blast. You can get World Cup jerseys for super cheap over here (like $5-$6) and I may or may not be wearing one to the USA v Germany game this Thursday. #IBelieveThatWeWillWin.
So we interns went on another excursion this past weekend! This time we went even further southeast to a coastal city called Sihanoukville and decided to be beach bums for a weekend. I think I'll do what I did in the last post and show show you pictures with some of my obnixious comments scattered throughout.
To start off, I'll show you a peek into the bungalow I stayed in! I know this is a weird picture but I'll show it anyway. And yes, I know my bed isn't made; so shoot me. I've never slept in a bed covered by a mosquito net before and that was an interesting experience. As you can see the walls were wood but we had nice tile floors. Another nice feature was a nice little bathroom with hot water for showering! I hadn't had a hot shower since I'd been in Cambodia so it felt incredible. I approved of this place.
We took quite the risk going to Sihanoukville becuase the forecast said it was going to rain the whole time. But, we were SO lucky because we had beautiful overcast and occasionally sunny weather for the big event we did on Saturday.
Our day started off by eating breakfast at a local restaurant. I had pineapple juice and a veggie omlette inside a small baguette (bread addiction, remember?) and then we headed out to our boat for our 'three island' tour.
One of the benefits of being tall is having calm waves only reach your waist; therefore making walking out to a boat like this far easier than if I was short. I loved that water btw. Although it was incredibly salty it was super warm and I could've sat in it all day long. Oh wait. I kinda did.
Anyways, we then embarked on a decently long but enjoyable (I don't get motion or sea sick... suckas) boat ride to a nearby island where we were given pretty sketchy snorkeling equipment that I'm hoping and praying didn't give me herpes or something. Less than desirable gear aside, the sights were pretty cool. See?
I mean, it's no great barrier reef or anything, and granted the water wasn't as clear as it could've been because of the recent rain, but it was still pretty breathtaking. There were some parts where the water got more shallow and the coral was like centimeters away from my body. And with all those sea urchins it kinda freaked me out. I'm not the only intern who experienced this but when you get freaked out, you start to pant more, and usually start sucking in ocean water; which then makes you put your head above water and your feet start to slip closer to the coral, which makes you freak out even more. It's a vicious cycle. But hey. I enjoyed it nonetheless. Oh btw, all the photo creds other than the first two go to Dan. He has a sweet waterproof camera. I alas do not.
Off to the next island!
We spent probably two or three hours on this island just chillin' in the water, eating grilled fish and cabbage, and playing soccer. We schooled a group of Americans who decided to challenge us. That's what's up. Oh. And look what I'm holding in that picture. Bread. I'm telling you I have a problem.
After a last snorkeling tour at the third island, we ended the evening by going to an outdoor concert in downtown Sihanoukville. Some members of the US Navy were present and one of the Navy bands performed live for us. We were like the few token Americans there and for two or so straight hours we jumped, danced to, and screamed songs written by Paramore, Miley Cyrus, Neil Diamond, Pharrell, Brian Adams, and Journey. I was pretty much drenched in sweat five minutes in but ho'ma'goodness was it fun. I think we either amused or terrified the Cambodians watching us. Either option is highly likely. We also had amazing crepes filled with Milo (again, I channel my inner Miley with bread, I can't stop and I won't stop) I must comment on this picture though, despite the sunscreen I put on, the beach trip made me get baked like a cake. Not in the marijuana sense (although it was defintiely readily available at the beach), but man, I look so red in that picture. Ah well, c'est la vie.
Imma post this baby before my internet decides it wants to crap out again. I can't tell you how frustrating it's been to write this thing but here it is despite it all. Just FYI, I'm leaving this Friday on a nine day adventure to parts of Cambodia and Laos! So I won't be posting again until I get back but I promise at least two post detailing my experiences. From what I've been told about our itinerary, I know it's gonna be epic. So stay tuned.
Until text time.
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