Arrived!

After 16 hours in transit from Tokyo, I’ve finally arrived in Phnom Penh. My experience with the flights was surprisingly pleasant, despite a 7 hour layover in Singapore (from 1:30 to 8:30 in the morning -- nothing to see even if I left the airport). I managed to get four hours of very good sleep on some chairs in the airport, so I feel great. Well, that’s an exaggeration; I’m almost certain the body aches I’m experiencing are symptoms of the flu. Not the best way to start my trip, but my excitement overwhelms any self-pity I’m tempted to feel.

The airport at Phnom Penh was tiny. There were only two spots for planes to park, and the runway was a single lane. Fairly surprising for a capital city.
I met up with my friend Drew (another Kiva Fellow), whose flight arrived 45 minutes after mine, a fairly incredible coincidence since we scheduled our flights over a month ago without any knowledge of each other’s existence. The guys from my MFI, CREDIT, were waiting outside with a sign. It was hot. It’s still hot. I guess I expected that. We hopped in the truck, and I noted that it looked a fair amount like Thailand, just a bit dirtier and less built-up.

We stopped briefly at our guesthouse to throw my bags down, and then I was off to the office to meet CREDIT’s employees. Everyone is very friendly, and most people speak English beyond the level I expected. I was quickly invited to the communal lunch, which only costs a dollar and tasted great: white rice, a fish and green vegetable soup, and a spicy meat dish with green beans and bell peppers that was somewhat reminiscent of a Thai dish. The format works out well because I don’t even have to tell them I’m a vegetarian -- I just avoid eating the meat!



I spent the afternoon learning names and asking about work. The guys are very friendly and seem excited to take me out with them when they hang out playing pool or table tennis. I would have taken them up on their offer to show me around tonight, but I already arranged to meet two other Kiva Fellows tonight to celebrate our arrival!

Here’s a shot from the hot, dusty balcony, a good summary of my impressions of Cambodia so far.