look, i thought you may be concerned so i'll address the issue here and now:

there's no need to worry... i'm staying over-hydrated with a conscientious daily regiment of diet coke - thank vishnu for its abundant availability. really, at the heart of my overstay in phnom penh, is the fact that diet coke is so readily available whereas for my next destination, i can't make that statement with confidence.

so rest assured, i'm maintaining a daily quota of at minimum, 12 cans of diet coke (which here is called coke light).

Posted by thejerk at 09:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

not much going on in this part of the world except loads of sitting around and sweating under a constant blazing sun. i've found a guesthouse on a lake in phnom penh able to keep me here despite having very little for entertainment or sightseeing during the day.

guesthouse picture

evenings, though, are far from unexciting. most fellow travelers stuck at this place down illegal drugs (as well as socially acceptable drugs) until the sun nearly rises. i don't blame them considering an ounce of marijuana costs only US$2 and beers range between $0.75 to $1.50 depending on the amount of formaldehyde and like substances mixed skillfully in the beer. it really helps when your guesthouse is owned by a police officer and condones recreational drug use under his protectful watch.

prostitutes are abundant and available at any nightclub in town, costing a mere $5 for an entire night of stirring the diseased pot.

i promised myself only another day of this and then move onto greener scenery in cambodia - that was 6 days ago. i promise myself nothing anymore... but don't cry for me. i'm already dead.

Posted by thejerk at 01:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

i'm not sure if this blog notification thing is working so if you've signed up, bear with me. next time i have unlimited internet, i'll give it a good "rogering."

Posted by thejerk at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

waking up to leave bangkok was harder than i'd anticipated. i woke up late not once, but 5 days in a row. it's tough to change your sleep schedule when you've been going to bed drunk at 4am every night.

I finally dragged myself out of bed after 2 solid hours of sleep determined to reach cambodia. after some minor skirmishes at the Thai-Cambodian border with some useless cambodian touts, i boarded public transportation (read: back of a pickup truck) for the 6 hour trip to Cambodia's 2nd largest city, Battambang. Wow, what a city... or should i say series of connected villages. I've never met more friendly people on the face of the earth than Cambodian villagers. this after their recent history of death and terror. in my defense, i'd like to say (in the immortal words of shaggy), "it wasn't me."

You're probably asking, how do the women look, and where do the high school girls hang out in Battambang? answer: delicious, and at the local strip joint.

i rented a hog again, as i did in india and rode my brains out, going to as far away villages as 10 miles away... and with my sore back, i shouldn't be biking that far away!

Posted by thejerk at 04:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

yakshimesh!

finally, china pictures end but with perhaps one of my favorite moments of all time... when i was able to molest an extremely endangered animal.

highlights include:

1) a freckled chinese kid so cute, i nearly kidnapped her
2) panda-monium! judging by the smile on my face, i've never been happier in my life!
3) idealized and stereotypical "chinese town"
4) hong kong w/ the yangs (some would argue, this is the lowest point of my entire china trip)

click here for pictures

enjoy you silly fruitcakes!

P

Posted by thejerk at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

i fear this country as much as i fear nuclear war (and carnies). rumors abound of skyrocketing crime rates and dirt tracks passed off as highways. tomorrow, i find out for myself how bad thailand's poorer neighbor really is. if it costs only about $5/day to get by in thailand, i can't imagine what bargains i'll find in cambodia... dare i dream of prostitutes as low as US$1?

ok ok, it may sound like i may be obsessed with prostitutes but i should mention that one of the reasons i travel is for the cultural experiences. one of the many things i find fascinating is comparing regional economies. a great economic indicator between countries happens to be prostitutes... as well as mcdonald's. the service/product are the same and so should make comparing economies much easier. this also should serve as a disclaimer in case you see more pictures of me chomping on a big mac. it's all for the sake of science, folks.

and to answer the most obvious question you have concerning my fascination with prostitutes is, no, i don't have a nickname for my penis. well i used to call it "the rhomboid" but i'm an adult now.

wait, that's not the obvious question you want an answer to. the answer is no, i have not dabbled in the pay-per-play system so readily available (and affordable, might i add) in foreign countries. when i'm in california, well, that's an entirely different story except in the US, prostitution is legal and is technically known as "dating," or "gold-digging" depending on your slant.

if i die in cambodia, tell them my story!

Posted by thejerk at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

nearing the end of china pics (fortunately).

click here for china 3 pics

highlights include:

- pornographic pastry packaging
- end of the great wall (in west china)
- uighur minority madness
- a french canadian tool
- and the filthiest toilet in the world

enjoy!

Posted by thejerk at 07:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

lunch (pad see ewe) - 30 baht
dinner (pad see ewe) - 30 baht
guesthouse - 120 baht
---------------------------------------------
total: 180 baht (approximately US$ 4.50)

those are for just basic necessities. start adding alcohol and evening "entertainment" and you're pushing at least $7-$10 per day.

Posted by thejerk at 01:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by thejerk at 06:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

6 days straight of pad see ewe, 2-3 times a day equals roughly 15 straight pad see ewe meals. finally the streak came to an end yesterday w/ the adding of thai yellow curry to stomach. i tried my damndest to eat only pad see ewe but i couldn't bear to see another broad noodle last night. today, i begin a new pad see ewe streak. lunch was number one pad see ewe of the new record setting attempt.

delicious:

Posted by thejerk at 01:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

as of last night, the clock is reset!

Posted by thejerk at 09:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)