SECTION EIGHT
sm
COLUMN
SEVENTY-TWO, JUNE 1, 2002
(Copyright © 2002 Al Aronowitz)
LETTER
FROM INDO-CHINA:
A TEXAN TOURS THE KILLING FIELDS
I am off to Phom Phen for
three nights four days at three AM....I'll be back Friday. I saw some great
fights last night with Dr. Kenny and "MY EXTENDED FAMILY" ....what a
story!!!. My "date" with the hairdresser turned into a financial rape
for me. She met me with her sister (the interpreter) and her nine year old kid
(bay-bee) ......It was a baht horror show. I took them to dinner and they
ordered one of every fish known to mankind. Then I tried to ditch them for
boxing but they insisted on coming along which set me back another 2,000 baht
(plus drinks). No more (alleged) nice girls......Ho's only. The sister had the
balls to tell me, "Next Time You Come, My Sister Will Go To Phukett With
You"...I said "Yeah? With how many family members?"
Dr. Kenny sized up the
situation and commented, "If that is her fucking sister then I am your
brother and that Thai over there is our cousin." I think Sis was a baht
facilitator, there to skin my $$$$.... I deserve it...I sensed impending boredom
and financial disaster and didn't bail like I told myself I should...OK.. be in
touch...I'll E you from The Killing Fields...Hope they have lot's of
pics of those Agent Orange Victims...I love those......Skulls dude..Think
Skulls ........OUT.
* * *
Here is a bit about my
side trip to Cambodia...Like I said, the country is a shit hole which makes it a
great place to visit. It is a rather dry account. Not much happened...The
ongoing crisis in my life is my Ahhhhh! relationship with "So" who is
a bar girl. We've been through this before. I start to feel real affection for
her but I know as soon as I go back to the USA she'll be servicing Kraut, Finn,
Limey shank. YAVOOL! Wolfgang will be sticking his finger (or his bratwurst) up
my honey's ass...Oy! The Horror! The Horror! More on this later...
* * *
Here we go:.........Three
Nights, Four Days in Cambodia..... SO and I stayed up all night with some pool
and boom sing. Her first trip out of the country or on a plane. Left Pattaya at
3am for the airport in Bangkok. Slept in the cab, slept on the plane and arrived
in Phnom Penh in the morning. A driver picked us up "welcome Mr. Wayne and
Ms. So" ..drove to our hotel which by Khun Rum's usual modest standards was
posh. Took a shower, more boom sing and ate a French lunch. Off on a half day
tour of the city (which makes Saigon look like River Oaks or Beverly Hills) Went
to a bunch of temples, the National Museum, The King's Palace, and the highlight
of the day Tuol Sleng the infamous torture camp. Ouyie! Those Khmer guys made
Uncle Adolph seem like a piker. Everyone was chained to their metal bed (no
mattress of course), electrodes to the nuts, whipped, water torture, eyes gouged
out....then after all that they executed them by slamming a shovel into the
neck....ouch! I never saw anything like it. Much more gruesome than the Agent
Orange pics in Saigon... Next day, Excellant...Apocolypse Now, Heart of
Darkness....we boarded a cigar shaped speed boat for the river trip to Siem
Reap. Farang on top, sane Asians inside the air conditioned innards of the
craft. Five hours, after a half hour of which all backs were beginning to give
out. So was a real trooper, opting to stay on top with moronic Farang rather
than join her more practical Asian brothers and sisters down below. Arrived in
some smelly shit dump and boarded a small craft for another short ride ..Changed
to a cab "Welcome Mr. Wayne and Ms. So"....Angkor Wat very much worth
the heat and dust..Also impressive was
Last day, get up, boom
sing, breakfast and a long long ride out to a temple...The Mountain Temple or
something. It was 650 something steps to the top. So almost passed out at the
top from the heat....She had to rest for a while before we could go down.... On
the way back we made a quick tour of Zone 11 the infamous Vietnamese whorehouse
district. Called zone 11 because it is exactly 11 kilimeters from PP. Ouyie!
What a shit dump...Garbage everywhere...Plastic garbage....rotting garbage..Some
Farang were sitting around the bars drinking beers. We didn't stop....Off to the
Russian Market. Pay Up time. I bought So a gold chain for $65 bucks and some
curios for myself...Back to the hotel and off to the airport. Was back in
Thailand in less than an hour..
Conclusion: Cambodia is the poorest goddamned country I ever saw. Only about two miles of paved road. The money is worthless. Everyone uses American bucks or Thai baht...Garbage everywhere. No one seems to pick up any garbage....Except for one or two main streets I wouldn't walk around Phnom Penh at night. We strolled two blocks from our hotel to a restaurant at night and saw several armed private guards with automatic weapons patrolling buildings. Beggers all over the place. However, we had a great time and I'd go back in an instant.....The people are outrageous. Very friendly..The prices are dirt (lot's of dirt and dust everywhere) cheap. I'd like to return and take the three hour trip to Sihanookville on the coast. Other places as well. There is lot's more to see and at bargain prices. It has a more relaxed vibe than Vietnam (at least that's what I think) And the Dodge City atmosphere gives it an exciting edge. In short...Highly Rum Recommended.... ##
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