I'm flying JetBlue on its All-You-Can-Jet Pass. Total cost: $599 + $89 for taxes to Bogota. There will be a lot of waiting around. Luckily (1) I love airports and (2) I'll have my laptop.

Yay!

Guy One (Chinese dude in the forefront of this photo) was speaking to Guy Two (Japanese dude in-focus in the photo). It should be noted that their English isn't great. But hilarious it is.

G1: You're very good looking. [slight pause] Are you a model?
G2: Mo-dull? Mother?
G1: No, model. Model.
G2 [shrugs + nervous smile]

Before Southeast Asia: OMG! There's a bug in my food. I can't eat this anymore!
After Southeast Asia: Hmm, there's two bugs floating in there. [removes bugs, resumes eating]

• The bugs in Cambodia seem extra vigilent about biting.
  
• Certain things seem cheaper in Cambodia (e.g. hotels thus far are about $5 - 8 a night, compared to $15 in Saigon), but food seems just a tad bit pricier for some reason. In Cambodia's defense, I did just have a hamburger (yes, a hamburger) for $1 and it was AMAZING!!! I might get another before I am to board my night bus to Siem Reap (checking out the Tomb Raider temple, y'all; yes, that is how I will be referring to it!).
• I had a decent time in Sihanouk Ville. It would have been better if the Universe weren't against me on this one. Win some, lose some, eh?
  
• It's been rainy here. Damn this wet season!
• I just got a massage for $8 ($6 + $2 tip). It was interesting. In a good way, I suppose. I'm too indifferent to know an excellent massage from a passable one.
  
• Sometimes I have existential out-of-body experiences because what I'm actively engaged in at the moment is too surreal and stupid to believe. For example, today, I rented a motorbike ($4) to cruise around the city. I'm driving pretty fast because, well, I'm in a hurry to nowhere-ville. And I'm in a hurry, apparently. So I'm driving on this highway'esque road to the airport when I realize that I don't want to go to the airport so I turn the motorbike around. BTW, this motorbike? The gauges are broken. It's always empty, and I have no idea what's the actual speed I'm driving at. Yay. So I turn around and I'm in the middle of effing nowhere when the bike stops itself because, hey hey hey, THERE'S NO MORE GAS. And so I'm pushing the motorbike up a little incline (d'oh!), and it starts to rain (double d'oh!). Luckily this guy stops over to help me out. He takes me to a nearby gas station and I get $2 worth of gasoline and get back to my motorbike. BTW - riding in the rain is SO PAINFUL. And at times like those, I need to detach from reality because it's just so ridiculous the things that I put myself through. D'oh!
• I've been thinking that there is not enough romance in the world, especially in terms of the grand romantic gesture. I've decided that I would like to make a grand romantic gesture (GRG) of my own, but I don't know the who, when, how, what, where of this GRG just yet. I think who is the most important, yes? So, we'll see about that. But in essence, I want to put myself out there and make a very strong, very silly, but also very genuine declaration of intention. And if I get rejected, so be it. But it'll be out there. And the world will be better for it because there can never be too much love. Never!

• Got into Phnom Penh around 3PM today. Headed straight to Toul Sleng Genocide Museum. It was a high school, but in 1975, the Khmer Rouge turned it into a prison and torture chamber of sorts. It felt really eerie and spooky to be there. The exhibits came from people who worked there, a Swiss man who visited Cambodia during the regime and mistakenly supported it without knowing fully the extent of the situation, etc. - just all different perspectives. I learned so much in just one visit. I think I'll skip out on the Killing Fields, though. As much as I am a fan of learning more about human depravity, I think I got my fill. (Yes, I enjoy learning about human depravity because it actually makes enjoyment of human love and joy that much more genuine. You gotta know bad to know good, right?)
• The boat rides down the Mekong were quite the experience. We're talking hours at a time. I napped for some of it, but it was basically two days of nonstop traveling and I'm kind of tired. I don't know if I necessarily that journey for most people. Talk about roughin' it.... (: Still, quite an experience.
• I went to my hometown of Bien Hoa, Vietnam. But not having my aunt's address (duh) deterred me from visiting her. The thing is, though, I saw my hometown again. And realized that I grew up in the bible belt of Vietnam. Seriously. There were churches every 500 meters, it seemed. Nuts, eh? The bus ride to Bien Hoa was OK, but the bus ride back to Saigon was interesting. First, I sat right in front of this girl who either doesn't go on transportation much or is pregnant. Because she was puking very audibly for quite a bit of the trip. Again, I was sitting right in front of her and feared for splatter. Second, the guy sitting right in front of me was PASSED OUT. The dude who worked on the bus actually tried slapping him awake to no avail (don't worry - he moved, so he was alive). Finally, the guy wakes up and the bus employee asks him where he wants to get off. He says, "Thu Duc." Guy says, "Thu Duc is coming up soon, you better be ready!" He argues, "THIS IS NOT THU DUC! I'M NOT GETTING OFF!!!" Ten minutes later, he wakes up again and of course we're in another city altogether. He says, "Where are we!?! I needed to get off at Thu Duc!" Umm, yeah, seriously. This was around 5PM, so I don't know what he's drinking at so early an hour to be that wasted, but there you have it. [:
• Michael and I met up for dinner at Mitau, a Hue restaurant in Saigon. I love the proprietor. I really do. She's such an awesome lady. Co Oanh is truly one of a kind. She loves to travel by herself, loves to take photos, is an independent spirit, and OMG her cooking is phenomenal. I need to take up cooking!
• I need a new hat. Le sigh. My hat probably fell behind the bed in Saigon and I didn't pack it when I left. I'm a little sad because I really liked that hat, even though I got it for $3 at JC Penney. *audible sigh*
  

When it rains, it pours. Please let me indulge in a little self-pity here. After I finish typing this, I will be OK. So... I caught a little cold, which wouldn't be so bad except that I'm traveling on my own and, to make matters worse, I have back spasms from doing who knows what? SCUBA diving? Wearing uncomfortable shoes? The possibilities are limitless.

Anyway, that was it. I know I'll be OK in due time. Right now I'm still in Nha Trang and will be headed to the mineral mud bath thingie that they have. Supposedly it's good for you? I hate baths, mud or otherwise. But I need to slow things down and take it a little easy on my body so hanging out for a few hours and doing didley squat doesn't sound too bad. Maybe get a massage?

Tonight, a night bus to Saigon. I'm praying there are no creepy boys that I end up sitting next to. *keeping fingers crossed*

(Why the picture? Just 'cause. hehe)

See? I feel better already! /end bitchy whines/

N 12°13'54.39", E 109°11'25.17"

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• A Canadian boy met an Israli girl during traveling and I guess now they're going together. That's great and all, except at about 9PM, they got into a heated debate about the whole Israel/Palestine thing. She, of course, got completely emotional about it (understandable). Did I mention that I was sitting directly in front of them? It reminded me of this.
  
• Oh, and I was supposed to get two seats because I booked a "sleeping" bus but got stuck with a "sitting" bus. Bummer. So this cute'ish Vietnamese boy sat next to me and tried to talk to me, but I was totally curt because, well, I am like that sometimes when PEOPLE TAKE MY SPARE MOTHEREFFING SEAT! (Why didn't I speak up about the discrepency? Because I'm lame and can't defend myself. Duh.) So, the seats are small, but luckily so are both of us. You would think it'd be smooth sailing, right? No, not so much. After he fell asleep, his leg would very so slightly take up some space on my side. Normally, that would be fine, I would just move my leg over to be nice. But after a while, it just got ridiculous and there was nowhere to go. But I figured - and BTW, this is naive Chung talking - that he's so asleep, it'd be kind of mean for me to perpetually move/wake him, right? Right? Especially after being so curt in the beginning? Oh man. Long story short, I guess the guy takes that niceness to be an "OK" to be all chummy with me. At about 4AMish (I'm so tired by this point because of lack of sleep), he's holding my hand. Like, "you're my girlfriend and this is how we hold hands" holding my hands. I'm sitting there thinking, "What. the. fuck." (Yes, pardon my French.) So I took our hands and promptly let go of his on his own lap. Seriously now. Sheesh!
• This was the second "sleeping" bus SNAFU, and thankfully the last. I've been so tired from these journeys, that I've had dreams about transportation while on the bus - that's how traumatizing it was. The first time, I dreamed that I was having an AWFUL bus ride only to wake up to realize that the dream was, in fact, a true nightmare in real life. Le sigh. This time, I dreamed I was getting coffee. mmm speaking of which, haven't had any today....
• So I got to Nha Trang around 6AM, sans-Vietnamese-pseudo-boyfriend. I went to 3 different hotels before finding a room. I'm walking down the street to go find a particular dive shop when I stumbled upon one that offered certification for $190. Pretty cheap! It's Russian owned. My instructor is French. And was translating the lessons from his French cards into English. ZOMG. Seriously. And usually people teach you in the pool? Nuh-uh. I got hands-on, sink-or-swim training out in the ocean. Verdict thus far? It's not too hard, but it hurts the ears. Apparently you get used to this. (I'm still waiting for my hearing to return, several hours later.) But the crew is pretty cool. Reminded me of America because there was a tall, thin Russian named Dima on board. (:

N 16°28'13.07", E 107°35'42.55"

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