Everything is Amok
We left Saigon contendedly enough. After just over three weeks of slightly more hectic pacing in Vietnam, we were looking forward to a return to the Theravada (Buddhist) groove. We arrived just after sunset, found our hotel and went across the street for dinner. We cheered our 50 cent beers to Cambodia, 4th country of the tour! Cambodia is poor. Anyone who learns the extent of the Khmer Rouge atrocities will understand how those few fateful years impoverished the country - millions killed for ideological / insane reasons like being a monk, speaking another language, or wearing glasses. Recovery was slow. But they're doing better now, Cambodia developed some industry and tourism is booming. The largest freshwater lake in the region supplies plentiful food to the people. But poverty continues to plague Cambodians, there are beggars in city streets, clean water and electricity can be hard to get, and there are lots of kids selling trinkets instead of going to school. Q: So what happened? Hilary: We were cruising the street looking for a breakfast place, probably a little to casually, our heads in the air, we were also about six feet apart. I felt somebody grab my purse, and immediately had the thought, "I knew this was going to happen." We had read about bagsnatching and met a girl whose bag was grabbed, but she held on. Anyway, next thing I know, the scooter was in front of me, the kid on the back was turned around, holding the body of the purse. I tried to grasp the thin strap, but felt it break. They drove away, down Norodom boulevard, Duncan and I chased and cursed after them. And all of my important shit was gone. What did you do next? Where we stopped running, there were actually a bunch of police officers sitting around. A tuk-tuk driver who spoke English asked us what was wrong, and translated to the police the story. Then he took us to the local station. So you filed a police report? Yes, which was tortuous, because we were in this dank, dark room upstairs, the translation process was slow, and also I wanted to get to the embassy asap, because the police couldn't do anything anyway. And because the chances of recovering anything were terrible. No licence plate, hardly a visual. It happened quickly. Later I read that we had to get a Tourist Police report - not the regular police - so we went that afternoon. Their office was a lot nicer. The man behind the desk had giant ruby ring with lots of diamonds, and kept playing with his iPhone 6. He only asked me one question, "Why didn't you come here earlier?" They more our less copied or other police report onto their Immigration Police form. Duncan excused himself to use the bathroom. After the paperwork was done, the second in command explained that a fee would be required, necessary to upkeep the facilities. I instinctively got the waterworks ready, should they be required - we had just hit the ATM, and Duncan had several hundred dollars in his pocket. All I could think was that this stupid piece of paper was just going to cost me another hundred dollars and that the fee just pays for iPhones and diamond rings. And then Duncan pulled out all money in his pocket, 7 dollars, and asked if that was enough - it was all we had on us. It seemed to satisfy Number Two. We got our papers and left. After, Duncan told me his bathroom trip was to sort the money in his pocket, having read that Cambodian police often require such 'fees'. Did you go to the embassy? Ya, the tuk-tuk driver was super nice, and took us to the Australian embassy. There's no Canadian embassy in Cambodia, though I thought we should go to the British. But the tuk-tuk driver said that this has happened before, and he'd taken other Canadians to the Australian embassy. On the ride over, I saw the sorriest looking man, sitting in a pile of garbage, with one foot swollen with open wounds, gashy and infected, and I thought, this ain't that bad. Did the Australians help you out? Ya, super helpful. They have me a timeline for getting a new passport, based on our travel plans. Since we had just arrived and planned to stay in Cambodia for thirty days anyway, it sort of worked out, kind of a best-case scenario for the worst-case scenario. Well that's good. What did you do next? We spent a few days sort of frantically following the steps to getting a new passport, and dealing with my lost phone and wallet - cancelling cards, getting photos, calling the Canadian embassy in Bangkok, sending emails, changing passwords, finding proof of citizenship, and relying on a few key people in Canada to get some of that done. It was the weekend, so we couldn't do too much business, but that gave us ample time to get the new passport application ready to courier to Bangkok. It was hard to enjoy the city that weekend. Now you're just waiting for a new passport? Yup. But the embassy in Bangkok won't answer my goddam emails, so I just hope it gets here in time. I have to go back to Cambodian officials, and pay another $40 for a new exit visa, hopefully it won't cost any more than that. How do you feel about Cambodia now? I like Cambodia, turns out it's a really nice place. It's really poor, and the governments corrupt, but it's really lovely. We spent a few days on one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever been to, and then slowed down even more in Battambang, a quirky and artsy provincial city. Now we're in Siem Reap, and Angkor Wat is definitely all it's chalked up to be! PS. Amok is a traditional Cambodian curry, with seafood or meat, coconut milk, and various random ingredients, depending on who makes it.