Mar. 20, 2006 - Eat your heart out Ronery Pranet.
Amy and I were incapable of saying "Lonely Planet" when we were away...it was always "Ronery Pranet" followed by a heart-felt
"Ronery,
I am so roneryyy,
I have no body to call my own"
Good to see I'm on track so early on in this blog  .
Finally, we had gotten the report from the police in Cambodia. We had also decided to post-pone the bus trip to Pnom Penh until the next day. We would be collected from our guest house at about 530am. We got our tuk-tuk driver to drop us just on the outskirts of town because after being in a car for most of the day and then after that time in the police station, we thought having a walk would be a great idea. Now, Amy and I were suffering severely from Cabin Fever (hyperactivity as a result from being in a confined space or being serious for an extended period of time). We walked around the Palace Gardens (which are a public park in the middle of Siam Reap) doing a variety of stupid things like impersonations of Gollum by water fountains and pretending to be a witch, cackling while running around with a broom stick between our legs. The security guards were finding our antics and non-stop laughing fairly amusing. We really just had to get it out.
We decided that we would start to make our way home so that we could shower, get dressed up (maybe even do something outrageous like wear makeup) and get drunk. As we were walking down a mainstreet about 4 guys were standing out the front of a building and approached us we were walking past,
"Hello, beautiful ladies!"
"Yes thats us....we look BEAUTIFUL!"
"Would you like to come and see our show?"
"Does it involve ping pongs?"
"Sorry I do not understand...."
"Nevermind. What is your show?"
"It is traditional Khmer dance and dinner"
We look at the sign in front of the building. We have been to a 'culture centre' like this before in Thailand. Obviously they're chock-a-block with tourists but interesting all the same. I look at Amy who is smirking. She grabs my shoulder, pulls it so I have my back to the guys and says
"We have to have a quick conference. Give us a moment".
We stand there pretending we are having a really serious conversation while periodically turning around and pointing to the guys and the building.
Eventually we turn and face them and they look at us expectantly for an answer. Amy and I make some more "hmmmm" "ummmmm" noises at each other and then Amy says
"I have to call, God, give me a second," and proceeds to get some random object out of her bag, pretend to dial some numbers "Hello, God? Yeah how are you? How was last night? Sorry I couldn't come I was busy being a mortal. Ha ha ha yeah. Was that girl there? So I need some advice about tonight.....yeah that's right, the traditional dance. Uh huh...yes yes OK....yep......OK great, thanks! Take it easy, bye!"
Amy looks at the guys "How much is it?" even though it says quite clearly on the board $15 US.
"It is $15 but for you two, $12 each"
"$12?!?" We act suprised, then concerned and then we turn our back to them and have another 'conference'. After about a minute another taller guy has walked over and speaks to his friends in Khmer. He then walks over to us, puts a hand on backs and says
"How about $10 each AND I will take you out to a Cambodian nightclub after".
Amy and I turn and smile at him. He walks to his mates and says something else in Cambodian.Then they stand in a line waiting for our response.
"What time does it start?" Amy asks
"7pm"
"Oh 7pm! I have to check my schedule," I get out a notebook from my bag, turn to a blank page, pretend to show something to Amy and she starts going
"Oh yes, no no not then.....maybe we could squeeze it in then?"
"No we've got a conference then" I say pointing to another page.
Finally one of the guys burst out laughing and so do we.
We show up back there at 7pm, wearing skirts and makeup. It feels great.
We get drunk over dinner and watch the dance. The costumes are beautiful and the dancing is charming. Once the show is over, the taller guy who wants to take us out clubbing introduces himself as Pru and asks us if we wanted to wait in a back area while they finish packing up.
We follow him to behind the stage area to a patio sort of area where there are about 30 Cambodian men watching the soccer. Pru grabs two seats and indicates for us to sit down and then says something in Cambodian. All the men turn around and look at the two white girls sitting in their best outfits holding a long neck of beer each "Susdai!" we say (which means "Hello" in Cambodian). They all smile coyly and say "Susdai" while looking at the floor. One even gets enough courage to say "Hello" and the rest break out into giggles. Pru says "This is the first time some of these men have spoken to white girls". He gets the tv-remote and flicks through the channels while asking us what we want to watch
"No no no, put the football back on!" we say "They were watching it first its OK!"
"But what would YOU like to watch?" all the men are looking at us and we feel SO BAD.
"We would like to watch the football. Please just put that back on".
Pru puts it back on but the men continue to watch us with sly smiles. Soon a couple come and sit near by us and start asking us where we are from and what our names are. They begin to introduce themselves as well with interesting descriptions like
"This is Lai, he will make you laugh so much you will die"
"This is Pan, he likes boys" and Pan would erupt in giggles more feminine that Amy and I could muster.
The interesting thing about Asian men that we had noticed on our trip is that they are extremely touchy-feely with each other. For example, while we had been sitting there, a guy had walked up, sat down behind his mate and pulled him onto his lap, then just sat there holding him. Neither of the guys found this odd. Men in Asia (well in the countries we visited anyway) had no qualms about walking down the street with their arms around each other or hugging each other when riding on a motorbike or sitting on each others lap. Amy and I loved it. There's nothing more annoying that dudes who are constantly trying to be macho and calling each other "poofs". I hate that attitude.
Anyway, we eventually got to the nightclub with most of the guys coming along too. Amy and I were so excited because we hadn't been out drinking let alone clubbing in ages. We were so excited about hearing LOUD music and being able to dance.
Well the HiNRG was very loud. So much so that we could hardly talk but the club was so cool. It reminded me of a club I had been to in Dublin. Basically, you could sit upstairs a look down onto the dancefloor or be on the dancefloor or stand around the edges of it on the lower level. Only in Asia would they also have Karaoke booths attached to the nightclub. The guys tried to get us there on numerous occasions but we politely declined.
Now, if someone asked me in Sydney to choose between going to a club that is playing HiNRG or eat dog poo, I have to say it would be a tough decision. But being in a foreign country and not having been out clubbing for ages and having a few drinks on board meant that we really didnt care. We jumped around on the dance floor for ages, being stared at by most people because we were the only anglo's in the place. We were also getting some pretty filthy looks from the girls there.....interestingly enough, we found out that most of the women you will see in clubs in Cambodia are likely to be married because its not good for an unmarried girl to go out clubbing. It makes her less valuable in the potential-bride market.
Suddenly, the wonderful lyrics "You're gonna be my number one love in the skkkkkyyyyy" and complimentary HiNRG beats finish and a slow song starts. The words are in Khmer and Pru explains that this is a very big local song. Everyone on the dance floor has paired up and are now slow dancing. Amy and I head for the bar but Pru grabs me,
"Where are you going?"
"To get a drink"
"Get one later you have to slow dance"
"No, I don't really do slow dancing"
"Please, I have taken you out to show you what Cambodian clubbing is like, you must slow dance with me".
I haven't had to dance like this since we were forced to a school dances in year 9 (abruptly I have a flashback of borrowing my friends chunky shoes with platforms, putting tissues in the toes and falling over in front of a group of guys in their school hall.....I am comforted when I look at my feet and see that I'm wearing thongs).
So I slow dance with Pru for a while. He is looking at me trying to have a conversation, I find myself with my hands on his shoulders but with my body off centre so I'm not front on to him with my eyes looking everywhere but towards him. I'm really not the slow dancing type. I hate the idea of looking into each others eyes while slow dancing....the very thought makes me want to upchuck. I notice Amy holding two beers, looking at me and laughing like she is about to wet herself. She knows me well and knows how much I am hating this. Finally the song ends and I say I need to go to the bathroom (in the bathroom there are 2 kids sleeping in the corner while their mother does her job making sure the bathroom is clean).
When I come back, there is music being played similar to what we had heard at the show earlier. It is traditional Cambodian music which is very slow and calming. Everyone on the dance floor is doing traditional dancing while moving slowly around in a big circle. I return to Pru, Amy and co. and Amy and I giggle while joining in with the dancing. We suck at it because it requires graceful, slow movement. We do this for a couple more songs until they mix in a HiNRG song into the end of a traditional song and everyone starts to jump around to the HiNRG again.
Well at the least the DJ didn't stick to one genre of music.
At about 2am, Amy and I are starting to get tired. We go to pay the bill from the bar and realise that we don't have enough money. There are 2 ATM's in Siam Reap and we are no where near them. We have plenty of cash back at our room but that is a while away as well. Finally, I ask Pru if we could borrow money but he has to come with us when we leave so we can give it back to him. He insists we dont have to pay him back but after learning that he works 3 jobs to support his mother and 7 brothers and sisters, there is no way in the world I am letting him do that......I don't even accept drinks off guys at home!
When we arrive out the front, we head inside. I grab some money and run back out to the front gate where he is waiting with the tuk-tuk. I give him extra money to give the driver, give him a hug and thank him for taking us out.
"I don't want to take the money, Elissa"
"What are you talking about? That's why you came all the way back here. Don't be stupid, just take it. We're so grateful for you taking us out!"
He accepts it and I walk back in the gate and wave goodbye.
I tell Amy this conversation and finish by saying
"What a nice guy....he doesn't have much money and yet he is saying he doesn't want to take our money".
"Liss, you idiot, I don't think he did want the money, I think he wanted to stay over".
"Ooooooooooooh".
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