Not my Best Evening

It was a long day in the introduction to Cambodia class. Tired to check e-mail but there was no internet connection.

Some of the volunteers were going to a restaurant/bar to celebrate a birthday and I went along. I walked with the group; by the time I arrived I looked like someone had poured a bucket of water on me. It was HOT.

Prices at the bar we visited are the highest I have seen in Phnom Penh. A diet Coke was $2.50. I splurged and had one, thinking that was 1/100 of my month's allowance.

Back at the common area in my quarters, I tried the internet again but still no luck. I wrote for a while and at about 22:30 I walked back to my room for the night.

I reached into my right pants pocket for my key, not there. I checked my left pocket, not there; I looked my computer bag, not there. I tried the door to see if it was locked, it was. Checked all of my pockets again, NO key. I can call the emergency number but I sure hate to do that.

The door to my room is the thinnest I have ever seen, made of plastic light shining through it. The lock is just about falling out; I could easily push it in. Not a good idea, doing that would break something.

My room is behind the kitchen, there must be a knife in the kitchen. I bet I can use a knife to get in. The knife was not flexible enough and got caught up in the lock works. Back to the kitchen to find a better tool, I looked through the tray of silverware and utensils. The tines on a fork may be more flexible than the knife. It only took a few seconds with the fork to get the door open.

There was my key on the night stand right where I had left it.

Now back in my room I decided to use the large blue bucket in the bathroom to do laundry. In the afternoon and evening the water from the single tap is warm, in the morning it is cold.

The shower is part of the bathroom that means that there is not a separate shower pan, the water just falls on the bathroom floor and then goes down the drain under the sink. While washing clothes there was water everywhere.

I stood up from my washing to hang a shirt on the towel bar, slipped and almost fell. I was lucky, the bathroom is very small, and I could catch myself against the walls.

Tom, be careful, the third time is the charm.