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“Wearing a helmet... in a car!” |
At the time, it felt like our trip to Ratanakiri would be a day to forget. However, a few hours later, the humor of life revealed itself and this will be a day to remember.
Tuek Tri. Fish Water.
7 am- our early 90's toyota camry pulls up. There are gaping holes all over the trunk and the trunk is tied down with a piece of string because it can't shut. The driver, well there is only one word to describe the immediate feeling we got when he pulled up, with the car horn just blaring. Sketchmo.
8:30 am- we finally pull away from town, after making several stops along the way. Stops included: paying off the local police, dropping off passengers, picking up goods to deliver, bathroom, picking up three more passengers, leaving a total of eight persons in a camry! Two in the driver's seat, two in the passenger seat and four in the back (BTW- this does not hold the record for most passengers in a toyota camry, ten is the most I've seen. Four in the front, four in the back and two in the trunk). Our packs are obviously being crushed by the amount of force the driver uses to slam the trunk down. Oh, I almost forgot to mention a crucial part of the painting... the woman in the front seat was wearing a motorcycle helmet. A helmet in a car! This is a testament to the roads in Cambodia and the speed with which they are driven.
8:40 am- we begin to smell the fate of our bags. Fish.
1:00 pm and about 100 degrees later- we get out of the car. The trunk opens and Bateman and I pick up the fish that are lying all over our bags. There was no plastic. No wrapper with which one would contain the fish. No bag for the ice that has now become water all over our bags. I'm not quite sure if I'm painting this picture correctly...the fish carcasses were lying directly on top of our bags! We were clearly angry as Bateman and I look at the fish water stains covering our bags and the smell! Oh, the smell. The driver sees our faces and well...
1:03 pm- this next part is somewhat of a blur. He ignores our cries and complaints, runs into the car and peels out, as fast as he can. We soon realize that he still has some of Laureen's belongings in his car. She jumps on the back of a moto and chases him down.
1:05- Laureen returns with her belongings. We have emptied our bags into the hallway. Ryan Phillippe's look alike, from Ohio, comes out and tells us that we smell like fish. Thank you, Ryan.
1:07 pm- the chaos begins. The taxi driver finally realized that we had only paid for half of our ride. We aren't idiots... you don't pay full price before the trip begins. We paid half and the deal was to pay the other half upon arrival at the appropriate destination. Mr. Fish Driver drove off and left us in the dust. Do you pay someone that just peels out? He comes back expecting us to pay him in full when everything that we own is completely covered in fish water. Cameras, clothes, etc. The hallway turns into an argument between seven people that clearly do not speak the same language. The words "TEUK TRI!" were heard about one hundred times. "This is not the cambodian way," was heard about fifty more times. Bateman is displaying her fine charade skills by slamming her bag, as if he were closing a trunk. I've held my clothes up to the driver's nose, so that he can smell the teuk tri. He agrees that they smell like fish, but that means nothing to him. Everyone is displaying a new side of their personality. Anger and frustration.
1:15 pm- Mr. Fish Driver's friend threatens to call the police. We decide to just save face, as much as we can at this point, and pay the driver a bit more money. It'd cost us a hell of a lot more if the police came.
1:20-3-ish- outside scrubbing everything that Bateman and I own with wash basins and a scrubby brush. Probably the best washing my clothes have had in two months.
There you have it. Sure, it's typical for driver's to transport goods when they are driving you to and from destinations. Understandable. If you are unlucky enough to be a part of the fish run... be prepared to put some elbow grease into everything you own.
previous travel blog entry
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