January 28, 2024
Day Phmom 8: And We're Off
The police last night had suggested using Google 'find my device' services which I did once activating one of my backup phones at the hotel.
It really was too late. The hooligans who snatched my phone did exactly what my friends had said they would do: they ride off to some interim location, then quickly (emphasis on quick) remove the SIM card, wipe the device, and send it up the chain to another part of the mafia who then takes it to a pawn shop and sells it for second hand. For that reason I decided not to buy a replacement primary phone in Cambodia and would wait until crossing the border into Thailand.
My friends last night said I had been violated, and of course that is correct. Without wanting to dismiss this in the least, there is a factual irony: thieves going around snatching phones from tourists are certainly not looking at their own. Unlike the myriad of people lost in their devices on trips, the thieves are actually alert and aware of their surroundings. I was likely the exception case as I was semi-alert and actually fought back at first. The whole thing played out as I saw it, whereas most other people would have the phone snatched so fast they couldn't see it coming.
We can learn a few things here and that is the need to be more aware of surroundings, and also rely more on other navigation means. Thankfully I grew up early enough to have these skills, whereas now it is absolutely insane how most people can't even drive or walk without a GPS. Thieves know this.
After a decent night's sleep to recover from all this, I took one last linger of the rooftop pool, packed all my stuff, checked out of M Residence, and had a last breakfast at the Sports Bar across the street where the staff all knew me by now. This time I told them I was off to Thailand and not back for awhile. But on a future trip, more than likely. They thought I was cycling around the world.
The challenge was going to find a tuk tuk to attend a meeting and then see my friend Veronica and her family again for lunch. This proved to be extremely difficult without a SIM card. The wifi helped plot the initial course, but the tuk tuk driver didn't know where he was going mid-route and neither did I. Eventually we figured it out. Then it was two more tuk tuks. The first one brought me to the wrong compound (there are two Borey Varina) and he kept looking at me to guide him. I was like, don't look at me bro, I don't know any better than you where this thing is going. The security guard at the wrong location then told me vaguely how to find the right one, so I got another tuktuk. This guy got much closer and I could remember the landmarks, but towards the end we both lost confidence so I then just hopped off and walked to figure it out.
All this meant I was late for lunch but no matter, we made the most of it. This time it was mainly playing with the four kids who were all there. I let out with a random comment, "When I was a kid we watched Inspector Gadget" then the girl Breah who was 11 years old said, "We watch that too!" That led to watching an episode of the new version. It was unreal how the show made a generational comeback. Wasn't the guy supposed to be retired already?
Then later, somehow this led to me asking if they knew how to speak Khmer and apparently all the kids knew words here and there. A crash course then ensued and I asked them all the key words and phrases for common types of food, where restaurants and hotels are, and any other cycle tour survival stuff. The oldest kid said, "You're probably learning all the wrong pronunciation as we're expats" which may have been true, but this crash course was sure helpful anyway.
Then Breah won the award for the best comment of the century. When asked by her Mom to give me any language tips, she misunderstood and thought it was general tips for the travel. Breah lit up with a big smile and said, "Don't trust anyone." She gets an A+ for that. I couldn't hold back my amazement that a 5th grader would get it right on the fucking money. I told her, "After they stole my phone last night, you can be sure I'll follow your advice."
More chatting and lingering ensued. The house was extremely active and then I was playing with the youngest, the 5 year old, and helping him solve a problem to fix a stove. He was a born handy man. He also explained how he knew how to put out fires. Immediately I remembered an ex-girlfriend from Panama back in Shanghai who didn't know to put out an electrical fire. I wasn't in the apartment with her at the time, and she called me in the middle of the night freaking out. I said, "Put clothes on it, smother the thing, and don't put any water on it. Dump as many clothes on as possible. Whatever you do, act right now!" But she took no action, she ran out, and it ended up burning nearly half the apartment with massive consequences and all sorts of legal issues. For goodness sake, if a five year old knows how to solve this problem, then take some action!
But all this chatting with the family, as fun as it was, ended up making it so that it would be very difficult to leave and get any distance in before nightfall. Thankfully the family had somewhere they needed to go, so it was a nice opportunity to set off. Veronica made sure to load up a plastic container full of food which was a greatly appreciated gesture for the road. Based on previous trips, there could be long stretches without anything to eat. All in all I was most grateful for this visit, as were they.
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 3 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |