$7 Shirt in $7 Room in Phnom Penh
[Mộc Bài, Vietnam on 12/26/24]
Within 24 of arriving in Phnom Penh, all my problems were solved. In a hurry to leave Vung Tau, I brought just one shirt. I also forgot my camera battery charger. If just one tiny component is missing from a complex system, it’s useless. Supply chains span this increasingly unstable and less cooperative earth. In Tây Ninh, there was no shop for a Canon charger, and it would have taken too long to have it delivered from Saigon. There’s a great camera shop in Phnom Penh, but that’s 120 miles away, in another country.
After just three nights in Tây Ninh, I hired a taxi for $20 to reach Mộc Bài border crossing. Along the way, I had a nice chat with the driver. Driving passengers into Cambodia years ago, he didn’t linger and had not returned. He had no interest in seeing it. Most people don’t want to travel or only do so reluctantly. They get off their cruise ship just long enough to buy souvenirs and take selfies. They peer at the foreign from tour buses. In Philly, a man in his mid 20’s told me he would never go overseas because he loved America too much. Couples argue on trips because one or both can’t stand the anxieties and uncertainties of being away from home.
Hugging the US/Mexico border 18 years ago, I noticed there was just one car behind me for over two hours. As we neared Presidio, I waved for them to pull over. “Let’s go to Ojinaga together!” I suggested. “It’s a great little town. I’ve been there.”
“No, thanks,” said that old couple. The alien couldn’t seduce them.
Across Mộc Bài is Bavet. Since I had only caught glimpses of each, I was excited for a closer look. There were all these cafés and food stands. I noticed a cluster of foreigners, with one holding a sign, “HO CHI MINH.” In his early 20’s, this tall, white guy didn’t even have a backpack, only a plastic shopping bag.
The cheerful Brit was traveling through Asia on no money! It’s a YouTube challenge. He said his name was Cottle. (I haven’t found his YouTube channel. Perhaps I got his name wrong?) Starting in Chiangmai, Cottle had crossed Thailand and Cambodia.
“How do you eat?!”
“I ask restaurants. They give me food.”
“And you have absolutely no money?”
Opening his wallet, Cottle showed me Vietnamese currency worth less than five bucks. These bills had just been given to him by travelers leaving Vietnam. Eager to get my border crossing hassle out of the way, I didn’t ask Cottle more questions.
Crossing from Vioolsdrif, South Africa into Noordoewer, Namibia in 2021 took 4.5 hours. The South African border guard had some fun with me. Seeing my US passport, he asked if I knew Bill Gates? Fishing a bottle of Castle from my bag, he asked, “What is this?” Castle is South Africa’s most popular beer. Entering Poland from Ukraine in 2016 took six hours. With war already raging, many Ukrainians were trying to flee.