Pausing in Phnom Penh

I am pausing in Phnom Penh.

It is hot here, hotter than normal, even for Cambodia at this time of year.

This stop-off is more a prelude to my vacation than anything important; I am here for some rest and relaxation and have no serious plans. The adventure starts later.

Air Asia, a Southwest Airlines/Easyjet-type airline of sorts delivered me to Phnom Penh from Bangkok on a leased 737 with no trouble and on time.

The hotel http://www.darareangsey.com/ had a familiar face waiting for me at the airport with a "Joe Ehrlich"sign.

My $13/night room has clean sheets, an air conditioner that burbles and a color TV with all the channels that I could possibly want. I catch the headlines on BBC World as I am only there in my room to sleep off a ferocious jetlag. I *did* have some chores to do, but the hotel took my chores away from me.

I needed to apply for my Vietnam visa, the hotel took care of that.

I brought along a few meters of cotton material from which to make tacky shirts, the hotel found someone who sews custom shirts for $8.00 each.

I needed someone to translate a letter for me into Khmer and then mail some photos and a newspaper clipping to a NGO in Battambang; they took care of that as well.

They did my laundry, fed me strong coffee and baguettes in the morning, plied me with Beer Lao (the best beer in Asia) in the afternoons.

All I have left to do is eat.

The Banana Bar is where I settle in every day. They have an extensive menu of French, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Continental food at embarrasingly low prices. (I highly recommend the steak for $3.99) . They have pretty girls who know my name, who have lovely smiles and are not for rent .

The Banana Bar also has a very fast internet connection with modern equipment, decent keyboards and optical mouses. For this I pay a premium; double the usual amount around town: $1.00 an hour.

With little to do but eat, drink and sleep, I did what anyone would do in my flipflops, I got myself a haircut and then went shopping.

I loaded up on DVDs at $2.00 a pop (Golden Globe winners are already in the market), treated myself to an $8.00 wristwatch and had fresh spring rolls for lunch. Then I took a nap.

Tomorrow I may whine a bit, but today I am a happy camper.