The Suitcase Lied to Me: Last Day in Siem Reap

The Suitcase Lied to Me: Last Day in Siem Reap

Let me start with my first mistake. I bought a suitcase. A reasonable, sensible-looking suitcase. Then I went and picked up three small Khmer swords for my nephews back home, figured I had plenty of room, and started packing. Turns out I did not have plenty of room. Not even close.

So I headed back out and grabbed one of those big bags everybody hauls around over here. Worked out fine, actually. Once I had the extra space, I realized I had way more to bring home than I'd been admitting to myself. Funny how that goes. Give yourself room and the room fills up.

Then came departure day.

Breakfast first — my last one in Siem Reap. An omelette with crumbled cheese, a couple slices of toast with butter, a little pile of greens, and a latte with a heart drawn into the foam. Nothing fancy, but it was a good send-off. I sat with it longer than I needed to, the way you do with a place you're about to leave.

After that, the bus. A big green thing parked under the trees, security guard standing by with his phone, taking it all in stride. That bus is my ride to Phnom Penh — about six hours of watching the country roll past the window. The plan is a day or two in the capital, then I start the long haul toward the USA.

Somewhere in the middle of the ride we hit a rest stop, and that's where my willpower got tested. There was a display of snacks in clear plastic jars — nuts, seeds, dried things, every color you can think of, stacked up in a pink basket. I love that stuff. I could happily make a meal out of a single jar of mixed nuts. But I'm trying to drop some weight, and a bag of snacks riding shotgun with me for the next few hours is exactly the kind of thing that quietly undoes you. So I admired the jars, took a photo, and walked away. Small victory.

The best part of the day, though, was a kitten.

There's always a cat somewhere in this country, and this one had claimed a chair at the rest stop, paws dangling over the edge, completely unbothered by the world. I crouched down to take its picture and it just looked at me like, yeah, another camera, I know, I'm famous. Insta-famous. Totally mellow about the whole thing. Probably been gawked at by a hundred tourists already and decided a while ago that fame is exhausting and naps are better.

And that was the day. A suitcase that lied to me, an extra bag that bailed me out, one last good breakfast, six hours of green bus, a basket of snacks I didn't buy, and a cat who's seen it all.

I'll post more photos a little later on. This trip's only getting started.