Hanoi or not !?

23/3 - I had about 3 hours to wait before the Hanoi flight, so I grabbed a coffee and a delicious piece of cheesecake and caught up with my log. Moved on to check-in after trying to get some Vietnamese dong, but the exchange don't do dong. Got to the checkin and didn't. A visa is needed before I can go. How can someone be so stupid???
"Easily". I say. I thought I had checked, but I guess not. It takes a few days to process one, so I went over to the departures board, sat on my rucksack and sulked. Not for long though, I spotted a 7.00 flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia, so I sidled over to the bookstall and checked the S.E. Asia LP. Visas obtainable at the airport, $20. Sounds good to me. I didn't rush it though, mainly because I don't have a rush in me and the ticket office is not open. I went back to my rucksack and pondered a while. The only other option is Bangkok and I do have to change the date of my flight to Aus and there is a Qantas office in Bangkok, but I don't really fancy Bangkok, so I queued up and got a ticket to Siem Reap. $60, pretty good, cheaper than London on the train. I'm happy and quite excited. I checked in and paid another quick visit to the bookstall to get the name and address of the first Guesthouse in the Siem Riep section. Sounds a bit too much like planning, but I'll pretend it isn't and hope it works out. Onto the plane and shock horror, I slept most of the way. I did surface for a quick butty, then back to sleep.
Into Siem Reap airport and it is very posh, not like an airport, very colloquial, whatever that means. There are statues in the immigration area and the building is typically non-airport, Cambodian at a guess. It is well organised too, the visa desk is obvious and the forms are all out ready, everyone is very polite and smiley. Immigration takes about 1 hour all the way through, even after the officers were doubled, but they have last years World Series baseball on 2 large flat screen TV's, so that kept me occupied. There are more Buddha and elephant statues and everything looks wooden, it is a really nice airport. As usual, I am close to last out, my rucksack is a bit lonely on the carousel, but it is there. I thought I had better get some Cambodian riel to pay my way, but all 3 ATMs only give dollars. I have since found out the currency is dual, dollars and riel, especially in towns. I thought that would mean everything would cost at least $1, but fractions are paid in riel, $1 worth 4000 riel, I think that is a round up or down, local thing.
There is a prepaid taxi stand too, which is always welcome to us non-barterers. I told the taxi driver the name I had plucked out of the LP and then he proceeded to do his best to get me to go to somewhere of his choice. A couple of lines were "It's hot, you'll need a pool" and " The Ivy guesthouse is usually full". I stuck to my guns and we rolled up at the Ivy Guesthouse. I must confess when the cabby said "Ivy 1 or Ivy 2?". I thought there was a scam on its way, but I gave him the address and he took me there. Funnily enough, the rooms here are all Aircon at $20 and I asked for a fan, so the lady said I would have to go to their sister Guesthouse. You guessed it Ivy 2. The taxi from the airport was $5 and I stuck $1 in my back pocket as a tip, when I got out of the taxi the money was sticking out of my pocket, some of the local lads spotted it and told the cabby, who told me to push my money into my pocket. This gave me a nice feeling. The transfer to Ivy 2 was free by toot toot. The lady there showed me the room, $6. That'll do me. Luxury. I thought it had no shower, but I found it tucked away behind the door.
So far everyone has been very smiley and not pushy, even the taxi driver when he tried to get me to go elsewhere and I got a smile out of the deadpan immigration bloke, but I think it was when he looked at my passport photo. I think the change from Hanoi may have been a stroke of luck. I can work my way gently back into the backpacker life from the diver life. I think there will be less hassle here. I also think my life should be that of a backpacking diver, it suits me, apart from the leg thing. If only I'd known earlier. Don't wait people, when the kids are independant, find that niche and go for it.
I settled into my room and in that time I have been mozzied more times than since I left home. These mozzies are 24/7 and they are stealth mozzies too, they can't be seen or heard. They have a cloaking device not even the Klingons can master. I was begining to curse the Health centre nurse for advising me to bring a mozzy net, that I have carried for 2 months and not used. Now I am pleased I have it. Had a quick bite in the guesthouse bar. It is pretty cool too. Took a wander and picked up a bottle of water off the market and picked up my first riel in change. Both currencies are just mixed and matched as available. I saw a swap, buy, sell bookshop near Ivy 1, so I set off in that direction and picked up a LP for Cambodia, $4. 12 quid in the UK. How does that work? Not complaining, just wondering. I was starting to flag and melt after the early start, so went for an efix. They are usually cool places. After a while, my eyes started to close as I typed, so I guessed it was time for a nap. I even took a toot toot back.
I had a good kip and woke up to some heavy beats and a gobby kid on the pool table. Perhaps I should have paid the extra dollar to go upstairs, but I didn't fancy the stairs. I finally hauled myself out of my room and had a coke fix, the sugar boost kind, not the powder kind and hit the streets. I got offered plenty of massages, all above board I think. Lots of toot toot and moto lifts. Motos are a motorbike lift, possibly not a good idea for me. I got offered weed, sex and finally someone asked what I was looking for.
"A bar with the football on." You may not believe this, but I found it down Bar Street. I should have guessed. I worked my way through the crowd of ladyboys outside. How did I know they were??? Come on I'm an expert now. I opted for a green curry while watching the football. It didn't have the kick of the Thai version, but was nice. The ladyboys had not given up on me, but they slowly died off. I had a few offers from ladies too, so perhaps Cambodia is becoming the new Thailand. I had a few beers watching the football, could only manage the 1st half of the 2nd match then headed for bed. I got plenty more offers on the way back. I even got offered a gun. Well, he said "You want boom boom boss". What else could it have been?? A land mine I suppose.
I read a couple of pages and was out like a light.