Siem Reap

 With mild temperatures and less rain, it's the busy season in Cambodia, particularly in Siem Reap.  At dusk, an army of tourists descend upon the city center to sample the restaurants and night life.  Westerners of all ages crowd the streets.  There are young backpackers wearing fisherman pants and retired couples wearing sensible shoes.  And I joined the crowd.  It is my duty as a tourist.  I browsed the stalls selling pirated DVD's, opium pipes, and bottles of oil containing scorpions.                                      

 

The people-watching is great.  One night it rained, and the hanging umbrellas filled up with water.  I sat at a table and watched with amusement as they randomly tipped over, dumping water on unsuspecting pedestrians.  There were "fish massages" where people sat on the edge of a large tank and let the fish nibble their dead skin.  Clever signs advertise with: "Please feed our hungry fish."  "$1 for 15 minutes."  "No piranha."                                                                                                                     

Cambodians drop word endings.  For example, they say 'pri' for price and 'lun' for lunch.  As I passed the spas, the girls would say, "Massa lady?"  This girl gave me a massage for $3.  It was brutal.  I'm still sore from the beating she gave me.  And I'm not exaggerating here; she literally hit me, punched me, and walked on top of me. 

In any Asian country, the female experience is very different than the male one.  I was talking to another tourist, and he told me that he was constantly harassed by women saying, "You want boom boom?"  "Come.  I show you pretty girl."  He said there's a place where a girl shoots out ping pong balls (without using her hands).

I was terribly offended.  No one asked me if I wanted boom boom.  And hey, I like live shows. 

It is not uncommon, however, to see a pretty, young Cambodian girl having dinner with a disgusting, fat, old man whose tongue is practically hanging out.  Usually, she looks bored and is texting on her phone while her "friend" is busy showing her off to his buddies.