It's been a long while since my trip to Cambodia and I've held off on writing about my experience for several reasons. Particularly because this was one of the most terrifying yet amazing trips I took this year. Another being that this was my first time visiting the country in which my parents were born. I had been promised by my dad that we'd go as a family when I was younger but those dreams always fell through so that being said, I was already in Hong Kong and Cambodia was a short $60 flight away.

As a lot of my close friends know, I got a high fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit during my Cambodia excursion which lasted 4 days of the (~) 12 that I planned on exploring my parent's home country. Andrew and I started off Cambodia in the south in Sihanoukville and the island of Koh Rong. Sihanoukville was hyper-touristy and I was frequently asked if I needed my underarms plucked. (Hey, some things just don't matter when you are traveling on a budget and schedule!) Koh Rong was glorious - we kayaked, snorkeled and roasted mini crabs that Andrew caught over a bonfire on the beach. Amid all of our fun, we paid little attention to the awful sand flies that kept attacking us in hordes and feeding on our blood. Thinking about it now still gives me shivers. Any bare flesh we had ended up being covered by these sand flies while each smack we'd deliver to the demons wold leave skinny trails of blood down our bodies. There were so many sand flies, I became slightly traumatized by mass flocks of tiny insects and had mini-nightmares when I returned to Hong Kong...but that is another story!

After our little honeymoon-like escapade, we returned to Phnomh Penh, the capital of Cambodia with intentions to see S21 and the killing fields during the Khmer Rouge reign. I really wanted to see and learn about this because this is what my parents experienced as children in Cambodia and then refugees. However, that night we came back I just became exhausted and knocked out early in the evening fully dressed in my dirty clothes. I woke up at around 3-4 am to shower because I felt sticky and dirty and returned to bed. When I woke up in the morning, I was even more exhausted and fatigued. I felt extremely hot and dizzy which I attributed the humidity of the country and assumed would go away after breakfast. Breakfast came and went with none going into my stomach because I lacked appetite and I told Andrew that I needed to lay down for a bit. An hour past and my fever just got worse and worse. Andrew hesitated to take me to the hospital because I didn't want to go to a third world hospital and I am slightly apprehensive of the idea of hospitals in general. Another hour past and I knew I had to go somewhere for help because my fever and fatigue were not improving.

We took a trike to the nearest hospital which ended up being the French Cambodia Calmette Hospital. To my dismay, no one spoke English and only spoke French and Khmer. I understand Khmer a decent amount but I cannot speak it and I became more than nervous as I could understand them expressing how awful of a position I was in without being able to communicate effectively. I had an IV put in and it was one of the most painful medical experiences of my life and I cried. I tried so hard to not cry but I was terrified and there were nurses around me in flip flops and no gloves in the hospital. I thought that if I wasn't going to die from the fever, I would die from the lack of sanitation. 

4 days and 4 nights came and went with lots of drugs, care and rest. There were a lot of things I wish I could have foreseen or done about what happened but these are lessons for the future. I am glad I wasn't alone during this all because the rare times I was alone were the times I was most afraid. 

If you're reading this, thank you Andrew.

These are notes I typed furiously onto my iPad on the dusk of my first trip this year.
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Recap
Day 1
Flight @ 7:45 am/Left HKU @ 4 am
Kinabuch
First tuk tuk ride (30 pesos!)
First time experiencing everyone in your party being called m'am/sir

Day 2
Island hopping
Snorkeling
Pandan Island aka The Most Beautiful Beach in My Life

• Dragon Henna (a poor decision in retrospect as it is still quite present on my arm nearly 4 months later)
• Buko buko buko ("What is buko?" x a million)
• Halo halo
• People tossing (partially successful)

Luli Island 

• Gorgeous but wildly windy crescent shaped island that disappears under hide tides

Delicious lunch on the beach
Balisasayaw (sp?) dinner
Tuk tuk funsies with extreme overcrowding (I've learned that there are very few laws that rule the road in SEA)
Chocomucho and mangos - a defining aspect of our culinary existence

Day 3
Underwater cave tour (...I didn't mean to fall asleep there...)
"Spelunking"
Zip lining
Amazing boat rides
Mango boom
Kahlui dinner
I love rum
Bumming in front of the ABCD store

• Durian disaster

Tiki bar
Raging Tom and the hunt for a finger pricker

Day 4
Late morning
Kahlui ♥ again for lunch
Glorious half hour massage
Glorious passing out post massage
Fireflies

• First evening boat ride...and very likely not the last
• Ridiculously romantic

Dinner at Gypsy's
Souvenir shopping
Realized that pinoy bands are really quite good
Nyquil drinks....

Day 5
6:30 am 
Amazing amazing day of motorbiking 
New marriage requirement = ability to ride a motorbike
Iwahig minimum security prison
Gangnam style with inmates
No mo' pesos
Sonny Serna
False alarm of Jonah crashing
Followed by Danny falling off his bike :(
Amazing local beach with only us

• White sand, shallow water, lone tree

Funny little kids at the beach
Badjao restaurant by the seashore
Lessons on mankind and myself
Crocs do not fancy me
Bye bye A&A Plaza

Day 6
Manila...is awful
Abandoned baby in subway station
I hate Manila
More lessons on mankind
Ariel - 20 minute boyfriend
Mabuhay Manor
Sharp contrast to Palawan
Midnight wandering

Cheers to the amazing KZhang and new local and mainland friends :)
@ South Hong Kong Island, Stanley Market, wealthy HK celebrity housing. The higher the floor, the fewer the poor.