I got a tuk tuk for 10am but didn't end up leaving until around 10:30 in the morning. I was running around taking care of little things and eating this delicious fruit that my roommate Dany got for me. I wanted to have it one more time before I left. I have no idea what it is in English, but I got one in Hilo, Hawaii, at a farmer's market, too. I just remember it was $1 for one, and the woman didn't know any English, but she did show me how to open it. The ones in Cambodia are way bigger though, and I love them!! I think that those fruits and mangosteens are my favorites. Once I am home and caught up on things, I'll post pictures of the different fruits with names.
Here is a picture of my and my roommates for the past six weeks (Savada, me, Sreyhak, and Dany):
But, before I get off on a treatise on fruit, let me get back to my trip home. I finally left and Savary, Dany, and Kimleang came with me. It was so sad to see everyone when I left. They are all so amazing, and I just really hope that good things come to them all - and I am sure it will! Speaking of which, I managed to do seven interviews before I left, and I think I'll do at elast four more via email once I am home.
All of my luggage (my big new fancy coach bag!):
Waving goodbye to some of the girls and "my" little street:
The airport in Phnom Penh is VERY far from the dorm and through a lot of industrial areas, so the air wasn't very pleaseant to breath, but it is nice to see everything more slowly than in a car.
Kimleang and Dany in the tuk-tuk. Notice the masks they are wearing....
I was able to take a few more pictures on the way out of town. Things like the mini gas stations with people selling gas out of glass coke bottles. I'll get those things up later in a post of photo higlights.
Of course, there are still scenes that I wish I had pictures of, but taking them would feel too intrusive. I'll just have to keep the pictures in my mind instead!
Anyway, we finally made it to the airport right at 10:45 - exactly two hours before my flight. You have to show a passport to actually come inside the airport, so the girls weren't able to come in. I gave them money to pay for the tuk tuk going both ways, and off they went! I waited in line forever to check in, but it all worked out fine. I have to check in again in LA (3 hour layover, so not as stressful as the flight out, I hope!), but my bags are going all the way to Dallas. And, unlike on the way ehre when my backpack had no tags or identification on it, this time both bags have two tags on the outside and one on the inside! I was crafty the night before with packing tape, paper, and a pen. (update: all bags made it safely home - the home made tags worked!)
The airport, which I didn't really get to see when I landed, is actually really nice. This surprised me a little for some reason. And, check out the crazy Dairy Queen in the airport. I couldn't believe it! I guess they knew I was flying to Texas, home of the Dairy Queen!
It wasn't too long before the flight boarded - just enough time to pay $2.50 for a bottle of water versus thirty cents that it normally costs in town!!! Now that is a crazy mark up....
GOODBYE CAMBODIA!
Once on the plane, I changed seats a few times because people around me were trying to set iwth their kids. I am just glad I thought to finally check the EVA Air website two days ago about seat assignments instead of waiting until check-in like Orbitz said! There were hadly any seats left open - like 5 on the Taipei-LA flight and onlye 1 that wasn't a middle seat. I got a window on the first flight and third flight but am a little nervous about an aisle seat for the long flight. At least I have my little inflatable pillow, and it will make it easier to get out for the bathroom or to walk around. I need to do that some because on the way here, my legs got really swollen with fluid around the ankles, especially the left one that I broke. I think the heat and humidity affected it, too. It took about 2 days to finally go back to normal. I'll try to avoid that this time!
On the flight from Cambodia, we got lunch. As last time, mine was the strange veggie meal. Better than the porridge that I had a few times on the way in, but still not appetizing. I have no idea what this stuff is, but it is NOT tasty!! I didn't eat much of it, but luckily I was expecting the food this time and packed a few snacks in my bag. In Taipei I got a few pastry things at the airport for the next flight. One kind was really good. This little round thing covered with sesame seeds and with spring onions inside. Yum! I also had some macadmia nut ice cream :) Anyway, this was a good purchase because I got two strange meals on the Taipei-LA flight. For breakfast, everyone else got a croissant, eggs, sausage, and yogurt - so not fair!! Next time, I will just order the regular meal and eat around the meat. At least that way I will get something to eat!!
The Taipei airport is really nice. They have these themed boarding gates - remember the Hello Kitty one from my flight to Cambodia?
My themed boarding gate. How nice is this?
They also have these prayer rooms and relaxation rooms where you can get free tokens to use the massage chairs. And, there are special exhibits set up all over the place that talk about Taiwan - the environment, animals, native tribes, etc. It is definitely interesting, and Taiwan itself (from the exhibits and the flight in) looks beautiful - hills, mountains, trees, and green everywhere. I was in the part not affected by the typhoon, so I am sure things are a mess down there, but Taiwan and parts of China defintiely hold some appeal. Maybe I will get there one day for a visit!
The swanky "relaxing room" with free massage chairs:
Update from mid-air between Taiwan and California:
Not sure how far form LA we are now, but a promo for the state just interrupted my movie. How crazy, in the promo for California, there was a whole section on Solvang (this pseudo-Dutch town near Santa Barbara), which is where one of my roommates for two years in Arizona is from. What are the odds? Anyway, I am super tired now but am trying to stay up a little so that I'll be able to fall asleep when I get to Texas. Too bad I still have a three hour layover in LA and another three hour fligth left ahead of me.
Just as a note, info online may say Cathay Pacific is way better than EVA Air, and maybe it is, but EVA seems plenty nice, too. Everyone gets a pillow and blanket (more like a mini conforter, really - and the pillow seems to be feathers!). Each person also gets their own tv with tons of movies, tv shows, music, and even games. The flight attendants are very nice and wear these cute little aprons when they are serving food and drinks :)
Also, let me just say that the LAX airport is ridiculous! And by ridiculous, I mean bad!! I am so glad I had three hours between flights, or I am not sure I would have made it. After landing, we had to go through customs, which went pretty quickly, and then I went to this other line to give them my customs form since my bags were checked all the way through. The guy taking the forms was sooooo rude. He asked where my bags were and said I needed to get them, and when I said that they were checked through to Dallas, he asked if I was trying to tell him how to do his job! What an ass!! So, I went back to wait for my bags, which took over 30 minutes. They finally came, and I went back through the line - to a different person! The rude guy was busy being mean for someone else. Jeez.
Everything ended up working out fine even though as soon as we got our bags, we went around the corner and dropped them off again where they went back on the plane (so stupid!!), and then I had to go check in for my flight. At this point, I was pretty much the the walking dead and needed something to eat. Rather than pay $10 for a puny little sandwich, I just grabbed some fries and a side salad from burger king. I also tried to turn my phone on and get my service started up again, but my phone kept turning off. I think I need to a new battery or something. Sigh. Anyway, my dad was waiting for me in Dallas - we got my luggage and left. I didn't sleep too well last night; my mind keeps going like crazy! Soon we are leaving and meeting my mom and grandmother at my other grandmother's place in Fort Worth, and I just talked to my sister on the phone. Guess I am home!
Weird note: Can't figure out where they are from, but I have a ton of mosquito bites on my legs and feet! It is so strange. Did they stow away on the airplane?? Maybe those vitamin B pills really did help, and I should have taken on the last two nights instead of packing?? Guess I'll never know....
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