Cambodia: Arrival

The Incheon Airport is incredible. It is enormous, and despite being one of the busiest airports in the world, it never feels crowded. On this snowy day, all flights were departing on schedule leaving us ample time to sample all the airport had to offer.

As I mentioned in a previous post, we skipped Burger King and went for one of the Korean joints. I had soondooboo chigae (soft tofu stew) and Sami had bulgogi gook, which is a sweet beef soup with vermicelli noodles. She orders it every time it is on the menu.

After our salty meal, I HAD to have me some Baskin Robins. Mint chocolate chip, no doubt. I was in one of those moods where nothing was going to stop me from that cold minty goodness, so Sami didn't put up much of a fight, even though she felt our soups were a little pricey, and maybe we shouldn't be spending so much so fast. She might have been a little off her game, because somehow we ended up purchasing a $50 backpack, a $12 paperback (you know they mark the English books way up), and beers upstairs in the resting lounge. Boarding the plane was the only thing that stopped us from blowing our entire allowance.




There are many things I love about Korean Air. The flight attendant uniforms and free cocktails are two that come to mind immediately. I get so excited just following the little in-flight entertainment schedule. I know exactly when I am going to get my plastic cup of pinapple juice, and I turn downright giddy given the opportunity to choose between beef, chicken or bibimbab (bibimbap every time son). Sometime during the flight, they always show a cheesy video which demonstrates head, neck and back exercises for passengers- kind of like seated yoga. Sami hides her head in embarrassment as I stretch along with the actors on screen.

After a couple of long naps and a few quick gulps of pineapple juice, we land. We exit out of the plane down a ladder and onto the runway. It was completely quiet outside with the absence of jet engine noise and the night air was hot, but not too humid. Sweet, but not tropical. Inside, we somehow manage to navigate our way through the myriad of customs officers, get our passports stamped and wonder what happens next.

It doesn't take long until we are met by a man holding a vaguely familiar sign "Joe Hayden." Close enough. He leads us to a thuk-thuk, which is essentially a covered cart with two benches attached to a motor scooter. Riding in the open air through a dark town that seems 50 years back in time is indescribable. We pass by worn down European-style buildings and mini street markets with barefoot children playing in the dirt next to skinny chickens and even skinnier dogs. This is nothing like modern Seoul with it's high-rise apartments and neon lights.

After we checked in to our hotel, Sami commented that I hadn't stopped smiling since we arrived. As I cracked open a beer from the mini-bar I thought "I can't disagree."



Coming in Part 3: The Kazna Hotel, a mystery temple and a show