Phnom Penh: Day One

It took 24 hours, but I'm finally here! Gotta say I slept a good amount on the plane rides (thank you, double dose of sleeping pills!), and I was thoroughly entertained by French films and a 13-year-old boy named Billy--who was en route to his own hometown in China.

When I finally emerged from the airport in Phnom Penh, I was met by a smiling Khmer man named Mr. Smith. I felt at ease immediately, as he was holding up a sign with my name on it and immediately knew who I was walking out of the joint. The tuk-tuk ride that followed was a perfect way to survey the sights, sounds, and smells (eep!) of the city. Phnom Penh is definitely on its way to becoming more developed, but old practices (piles of garbage festering in the sticky heat on sidewalks) and ways of being are still in effect. And yes, I had that moment where I witnessed 4 people riding together on one tiny motorbike--hilarious indeed how people make things work.
It's now 4am and I'm definitely tired and adjusting to this whole time change thing. Glad to be out of a plane and one with the ground. Glad to be safe. Glad to be brave and steady in the midst of all of this change.