A Quiet Day

Friday, 6 January 2012, 2:15 pm, Cambodia time

Today we have no excursions. Around 6:30 am, the other ship moored next to us, La Margarite, repositioned to allow us to depart, so when I came out of the shower, the room was much lighter.

I went up on deck and had tea and chatted with the other early risers. Around 8 am, I went down to find dad and we had a leisurely breakfast, chatting with others. Then, it was back up on the sun deck.

Many people have been complimenting dad on the Tommy Hillfiger shirt he bought in Phnom Penh, so he's planning on getting some more in Saigon. Only these, he hopes, will have pockets in the front where he can store his glasses.

I was sitting with several of the smokers (who agreed to tolerate my non-smoking) and we told bad jokes, loudly. I heard that Mr. Krohbuy's obnoxiousness has extended to the staff. After Hanoi, we filled out evaluations and he ripped the guide for everything, getting the guide in trouble. Many of his group now intend to include a comment in their evaluations indicating that not only has the service been excellent, but that one member has been unduly critical of the staff.

Apparently, his wife has gotten used to the social rejection that flows from his behavior, and is quite nice herself. Unfortunately, she has to deal with the consequences of his boorish and insulting comments. From his comments yesterday, it appears he has hated everything about the trip, including the people, the culture, the food, the art, the architecture, the accommodations, and the environment. One wonders why he came.

I was talking to Steven and Terri this morning and we all agreed that we really needed more time in Phnom Penh to get to know the city better. They went out to dinner last night with their guide, and talked about watching people strolling and playing along the corniche, and then going to a dance club.

Today, it's been very quiet, with jungle and villages on one side of the river, and rice fields on the other, and the occasional sampan fishing. Lunch was ok. I stuck to salads and the pasta buffet, while dad ordered a hamburger. The apple tart was the first really good dessert of the voyage. We've all agreed that the food on board has been so-so. Not sure why. It's really been the only negative of the entire trip.

In about half an hour I'm going to change into my bathing suit and blind everyone on the sun deck with my pale whiteness. We're about to reach the border between Cambodia and Vietnam and will have to wait for about three hours for them to do all the paperwork. By tonight, we will be back in Vietnam.