Cambodia

I Bid Thee Farewell Vietnam, Phnom Phen March 15 2012

I quickly devour my last bowl of Pho and Vietnamese coffee and speed walk down the street to catch my bus to Cambodia. I thoroughly enjoyed Vietnam, but I'm ready to move on. On the bus, I meet two Polish girls who happened to stay in the same room as me in Saigon. Now I have two friends to talk to on the way to Cambodia which is nice; Izha and Anna.

Funny translation at Vietnamese restaurant

We arrive to Phnom Phen and the first thing I notice is that there are a lot of Lexus's SUVs mixed in with the other, generally deplorable driving machines (tuk tuks, bicycles, etc) on the road. This is odd because Cambodia is definitely a very poor country, similar to Laos. I never do find out why there are so many Lexus's.

The bus drops us off in an area of the city we didn't expect so we have to quickly orient ourselves before we get off the bus and face the gang of tuk tuk drivers vying for our attention and business. Our map is not the most detailed so it hard to determine exactly what street we are on, but we know the general direction. Getting off the bus, we encounter the tuk tuks. We tell the first guy where we are going and ask how far our guest house is (we already know it's about 1km away) He tells us it's 6km but he will take us for only 3 dollars. We tell him it is definitely not that far away according to our map and I try to use this as leverage to lower the price to 2 dollars. He declines, so we walk. As we're walking he proceeds to follow us in his tuk tuk trying to bargain for about a third of the way to the guest house. He should have just taken the 2 dollars!

The guest house turns out to be uniquely cool. The dorm rooms do not have the typical packed clusters of bunk beds. Each floor is one big room with high ceilings. The beds are just foam pads on the ground; each bed has its own fan and mosquito net hanging from the ceiling. It felt like a slumber party in a warehouse. There is an older gentleman and a couple younger guys in the room already when we arrive. We play the 'guess where everyone is from game'; New Zealand, two Poland, two American, one Japan.

Slumber party guesthouse

Me and the two polish girls spend the evening exploring the city markets, temples, and other interesting buildings.

Death & Destruction of a Society, Phnom Phen March 16 2012

We wake up from our slumber party and grab some breakfast (soup) and coffee to fuel our morning. Today we plan to explore the 'Killing Fields' and the S21 Genocide Museum. It's certainly not going to be a fun day per se, but it should be enlightening. A bit of history:

In the early 70's a regime came to power in Cambodia called the Khmer Rouge. The leader, a guy named Pol Pot, had this brilliant idea to turn the society into a giant farming collective; pure communist idealism and insanity. Upon gaining power, he ordered all citizens to leave the cities and go to assigned farming collectives in the countryside.  Families were uprooted and forced to farm (most of which had no farming knowledge). Many died in the countryside because there wasn't adequate food or medical care. Those who refused to go were killed. Those who were viewed as intelligent or educated were killed. Those who were suspected of going against the new government were killed. Entire families were killed so that no one was left alive to seek revenge. This included babies and small children. In total, the Khmer Rouge killed somewhere between 2-3 million people in their own population out of 8 million..IN THE LATE 70's! This was only about 35 years ago.

We spend a couple minutes flagging down a tuk tuk to take us around to the places. The killing fields are about 30 minutes outside of the city. We decide to go there first to beat some of the heat of the day. Upon arrival we are given a headset and a map of the area. We push play and move from site to site. Saddness begins to trickle into the group. You can see it on other's faces as well. Everyone kind of walks around in silent gloom. 

<Voice from the headset>Here is where the prisoners where brought into the camp by the truckload, here is where they were beaten and thrown in the pits still alive, then they poured chemicals on the bodies to kill them, here is a box of bone fragments and clothes which was recovered, here is a tree where babies were thrown against to kill them, here is a pit where 100s of bodies were found without heads...mostly women, here is a pit where 1000s of bodies were found coming out of the earth because the gases of the decomposing bodies expanded through the earth, here is a tree where loud propoganda was played so that people couldn't hear the screams of the other people getting killed.

After a couple of hours of this, you start to feel a weight on your shoulders. It's all very gruesome and heavy. The thing that really gets you is when you begin to realize that all of this happened below your feet and around you not that long ago. It's not just a story. I stood in a place where countless numbers of people were systematically killed in terrible ways. You begin to realize that humans (you and me) are capable of doing terrible things and you begin to realize the reason why there is no sugar coating anything in this place. It serves as a stark reminder of our dark side. I begin to realize that whatever struggles and hardships I have are nothing compared to the people in this country. As I will learn a couple days later, the people in this place are amazingly warm and nice. It boggles the mind.

Read the sign

Inside Shrine

Outside Shrine

As if the killing fields weren't enough, we then go to the genocide museum which is not really a museum at all. It's the building were the Khmar Rouge would interroge, torture, document, and hold prisoners. It had an eerie feel to it. You walk into a room/cell and there is a old bed and a couple chains. On the wall is an old photo of a dead/decomposing body chained to the same bed. There are photos of hundreds of faces of those that were killed. There are stories of people who joined the Khmar Rouge because they feared for their lives. Better join them and kill others than be killed yourself. This is a decision I hope I never have to make. My god.

S21 Genocide Museum (AKA old prison)

They hung people upside down into filthy water

They took pictures of everyone they killed

That night we go to the market and meet up with Faith Ellie from Italy. We sit on large bamboo mats and eat (I order a whole grilled squid) and compare sugar cane juice from a couple different vendors. It was a long day.

Market Food

Kids taking care of kids in the market

An Unexpected Gift, Kampot March 17 2012

As all my newly made friends head off to Siem Reap to see the ruins of Angkor Wat, I head south to Kampot; a relaxed town on the southern shores of Cambodia. As I wait for the bus, I chat briefly with the Englishman who owns the hostel. I explain that I'm waiting for the bus to which he replies “Yeah, they probably won't pick you up here at the hostel. The tourist agencies tell you they'll pick you up at the hostel, but they rarely do. <I show him my bus ticket> Ok, well that one might pick you up, but you never know.” After this reassuring chat, I decide to just wait it out and trust the travel agency. The bus arrives 15 minutes late (AKA right on time in Cambodia), I get on, and sit next next to a young mother with a kid. She tries her best to curtail his squirming until he falls asleep, then she falls asleep.

At one of the stops I meet a German after asking him where he bought a bag of sugar cane juice. I wander over to the stand and ask the woman for one to-go. She swats away the flies that congregate around the collector and adds another sugar cane stick to the grinder and laboriously turns the wheel to squeeze the juice out. For the uninitiated, sugar cane juice is damn refreshing in the 90+ degree heat of the Cambodian dry season.

Upon arrival, the German and I tag along to find a hostel to call our home. We find one that has a cool atmosphere but crappy rooms, so we get a nicer place across the street. We reason that we can stay at the nicer place and wander back over to the fun place in the evening for drinks. We then set out to explore the town a bit and get something to eat for dinner. I learn that my new friend is a researcher in Cambodia studying the supply chain and health benefits of eating the various insects which locals dine upon. He also goes into small towns and learns out how they catch the crickets and tarantulas (yes, this is considered a food item in Cambodia). Interesting job.

We find one of the local food restaurants, which is really just a tent with a couple lights strung up. Up front, there are about 10 to 12 pots of food and an assortment of grilled meats on a table. Luckily, my friend has been in Cambodia for awhile and knows what most of the things are. We point to various things and sit down at a plastic table and wait to feast on the local Khmer food. About half way through eating the power in the town goes out. A battery powered light glows a couple feet away, so it's not completely dark but it's hard to see what you are eating. This is a problem when the food has bones in it (which most Khmer food does). The power flickers back on after awhile to everyones delight. We leave, and go get some dessert from another stall down the street; a fruit shake and a local dessert with beans, ice, condensed milk, and some kind of dense cake. It's delicious.

To end the evening we head back to the hostel across the street from ours. The bar is fairly lively, and I  chat it up with a Swiss guy. We order a round of Kampot pepper shots for fun. Apparently the town is famous for its pepper plantations. We breath fire for a short time, finish our beers, say farewell to the swiss guy and declare St. Patrick's day in Cambodia a success. Tomorrow we're going to Kep; a small beach town about 25 km up the road.

Adventures on a Motorbike Part 4, Kep March 18 2012

My friend decides to leave at the crack of dawn and do an organized tour around the area. I think it will be more fun to rent a motorbike and ride through the countryside unguided and not behind the window of a bus. We part ways until the evening.

Kep

Kep Beach

I grab a motorbike and a helmet an set off to Kep. The road to Kep is straight, but full of potholes so the road is always my primary focus and I see the countryside in my peripheral vision. It's mostly farmland with a few cows and villages sprinkled about.

I find a nice spot by the sea, park the motorbike, and walk up to what looks like a couple dozen beach bungalows with hammocks strewn about. A woman greets me with a menu. She doesn't speak any english but I point to a 'shrimp fried with Kampot pepper' and a 'coke' on the menu and she nods and goes off. I set up shop with my India guidebook and the ocean breeze and relax. After awhile, the woman come back with a huge plate of shrimp grilled with strands of raw peppercorns and rice. I eat, take a nap, and read in the hammock until it's time to meet up with the German.

I strap on my helmet and ride the motorbike back up to the trail head for Sunset Rock. This is supposed to be the best spot to watch the sunset over the ocean. It's a half kilometer hike up a mountain. Just as I arrive, I see my friend get off the bus and start to walk up. He's tired but ready to make the hike up the hill. The first thing we notice is that it is unbelievable hot. We're drenched after about 5 minutes of walking. This better be worth it! On the way we run into a French guy carrying a backpack and we immediately complement him on his fortitude. He tells us he is going to camp in one of the abandoned houses we pass on the way up the mountain. Not something I would do in Cambodia but to each his own. He joins us on the hike. We reach the top at the perfect time to see the sunset unfold. We can see parts of Vietnam and a handful of islands in the distance. The town of Kep is also visible below us; great view. As we're resting on the rock a couple more people walk up. We ask them if they brought the beer; they laugh and join us on the rocks.

Before heading back to Kampot, we decide to go grab some dinner at the crab market. Lucky for my friend that I had a motorbike or he would be walking back to Kampot. He hops on the back and we ride down the coast to the market. It's a lively place where locals can buy live crabs which the people keep in baskets out in the water. I get some string ray fried, again, in Kampot pepper. It tasted a little bit like shark.

We head back to town in the dark which was probably the best part of the day. It's rare that you get to ride a motorbike through the Cambodian countryside with the moon and stars lighting the sky up. I take it slow since my friend didn't have a helmet and the road it bad. The villages I passed by during the day are now lit up at night. Many of them have, what looks like, a communal family hut with a t.v. Everyone is huddled around in the open hut watching Cambodian television shows. I imagine how it must have been before they had tvs. I can tell that it is a fairly new addition to the lives of these people.  It takes us an hour to get back into town. We pass by a wedding which is in full force, and head down to get a fruit shake and 'icey bean dessert' and then call it a night.

Just Being, Kampot March 19,20,21 2012

The next three days I don't really plan to DO anything. Kampot is one of those places that's hard to leave. The people are really warm and friendly and the town is nice, so I decide to just stay and be there.

I eat at the local food stall everyday for lunch and dinner and the owners recognize me.

I meet a older Cambodian guy who is in the army. We talk for a couple hours over dinner. He tells me about the border disputes with Thailand and he has been assigned to monitor the situation. He tells me about the Khmer new year which is coming up. His English is not great but we manage to get by. Other locals listen intently, but I'm not sure if they understand English.

Kids see me and say hello in the most enthusiastic and innocent way: “Helllooooooo” I always say say hello back and wave.

I meet a younger Cambodian guy who is a businessman. He rents bikes and organizes trips for tourists in Phnom Phen. He has an iPhone and speaks good English.

I meet a guy and three Cambodian girls about my age who work at a new resort outside of town. They order the duck eggs which are half egg and half duck and tell me how to eat it (i.e. a half matured duck egg, boiled). It looks disgusting but they seem to enjoy it thoroughly. I never do get around to trying this. Next time.

I meet a girl from Finland and a girl from somewhere else in Europe. One of them is going to be in India about the same time as me. We might meet up.

Kampot

Town Center (a durian)

8th Wonder of the World, Siem Reap-Angkor Wat March 22,23,24 2012

Siem Reap is a tourist city, built upon the masses of tourists which come from all over the world to see the ruins of Angkor Wat; the self nominated 8th wonder of the world. Imagine a city comprised entirely of hotels, restaurants, bars, bike rental places, and convenient stores. This is Siem Reap. The real allure of this area is about 8km up the road to the gates of Angkor Wat; a massive temple complex built 1000s of years ago. It takes days to see it all.

The first day I rent a bike and go to the closer temples. The second day I hire a motorbike driver to go out to some more remote temples. It's impressive.

Bayon

3/25/2012 Back to Bangkok

From Siem Reap I take a bus back to Bangkok to catch a flight to New Delhi, India. I meet a couple Americans studying in an exchange program in Bangkok on the bus; one from West Virginia, one from California. When we arrive in Bangkok, we eat dinner at a place called Ethos, that I had discovered months ago when I was last in Bagkok. At around 11pm, I catch a cab back to the airport. After unsuccessfully searching for wifi, I find a place to sleep for a couple hours.

Laos

I make a quick pass through Laos en route to Vietnam.  This country feels about 10 years behind Thailand in terms of infrastructure (which is almost non-existent outside the biggest cities), poverty (one water spout per village), and tourism.  It's still a communist country.


Curfew at Midnight, Luang Probang February 20,21 2012

The journey to Laos is grueling.  It consists of a series of minibuses, ferries, pink taxis and night buses.  The first leg of the trip is from Chiang Mai, Thailand to the Mekong River.  My minibus driver is a cigarette smoking, coffee drinking madman.  We race to the river, almost literally, as if he is Mario Andredi being chased by the police with 12 kilos of cocaine in the back.  He'’s driving halfway in the other lane going into blind turns, running motorbikes off the road, and passing everything that moves.  There are audible "“Oh my gods"” and "“What the <insert expletives>"” followed by nervous laughter from others in the minibus.  I’t never becomes clear to me why he is driving so fast, but it was fun for me at least.  I was lucky enough to sit in the front seat and the only one to have a seat belt.  Good times.

We wait at least a half an hour at the river for a boat to get across to Laos.  We cross the river which happens to be the border via a small wooden boat.  We go to Laos customs, fill out the necessary paperwork, pay the Visa fee, and walk onward.

We take a pink taxi/pickup truck looking vehicle to the bus station to catch the night bus to our destination in Laos: Luang Probang.  This is where I meet Andrew, Andrew, Allison, and Kirsten.  Together we are team Laos.  Again, that’s three Andrews, an Allison, and a Kirsten. We stay together for the entire time in Laos, for better and as you’ll read later, for worse.

Andrew #1: reining from Bristol, England home of the famous graffiti artist Banksy, he is a hip hop and drum and bass loving guy with a penchant for doing all things exciting.

Andrew #2: also from England, a calm and loving chap who has been traveling for a couple months with a girlfriend back home; a solid person and good friend.

Allison: reining from Scotland, one of these people who doesn't have an evil bone in their body; sweet, cute, nice.

Kirsten: reining from England, friend of Allison; raw, unreserved, and doesn't care about offending anyone with her raucous demeanor and attitude.

Riding the night bus is an experience.  It looks like a 70’s era disco bus equipped with colored lights and an old t.v. screen up front.  Music videos play on the t.v; terrible American music videos remade with Laos dancers and musicians.  I begin to wonder if this music is popular in Laos or if they think this is what we, the tourists would LIKE to listen to.  Either way it is one of those 'We're not in Kansas anymore" moments.  I am not sure if the music is going to be playing all night long or not but luckily it stopped after about an hour so everyone could focus on getting some crappy bus sleep.  I take some OTC sleeping medicine (which I later find out is just Xanax) and pass into a sedate dreamworld for most of the 9 hour trip.  Upon arrival at 7am we watch, in a tired and hunger induced haze, a long line of Buddhist monks dressed in traditional orange garb walking single file down the street. Apparently every morning at dawn the monks walk for an alms giving ceremony.  We then grab some breakfast, find a guesthouse, and get some real sleep.  We wake up a couple hours later to go out exploring.

Monks in Luang Probang

We grab some lunch at a small place on the Mekong river, and then make our way to a bar to watch the sunset.  I am given directions to "go across a small bamboo bridge, around a corner, and you'll see it.  You can't miss it."  We find the ramshackle bamboo bridge and brave our way across it.  There is certainly some reservations but we all cross without issue.  We find a seat at the bar (which is really just a small shack) just as the sun is setting.  We have a great view and enjoy a beerloa as the show unfolds.

Bamboo Bridge

Sunset on the Mekong river

We then go bowling...that's right, bowling.  The bowling alley is a late night backpacker drinking hole which also happens to have lanes.  We enjoy 3 games and make it back to the hotel before our 12am curfew.  This, of course, was not self imposed.  The city mandates the curfew, and subsequently our guesthouse did as well.


Memories Lost...Then Found at a Waterfall, Luang Probang February 22 2012

 We wake up and decide that our daily mission is to ride to a waterfall and spend the day swimming and looking at Asian bears in the bear sanctuary nearby,  Team Laos finds a Tuk Tuk driver, bargains for a decent price, and piles in the back for an hour ride to the Kuang Si Falls, a large multi-stage waterfall.

The drive through the countryside was interesting.

We see girls on bikes holding umbrellas to block the sun.  In the west, tan skin is considered attractive because it signals that you have the time to go to on vacation to the beach.  In Laos, tan skin is considered unattractive because it signals that you are doing manual labor in fields.  We have tanning cream, they have whitening cream.  We have the same underlying idea expressed differently in each culture.

At the park we see an Asian bear sanctuary.  The Asian bears are smaller than the ones I'm used to...kind of like big dogs.

The actual waterfalls are quite good; the water is turquoise green, yet clear.  It's one of those places where you think "whoever stumbled across this for the first time must have been absolutely shocked!"  It's just not something you would expect to see in the area.  We spend some time exploring the area around the falls.  We get to the top of main falls and look up to see that there are people higher up, so of course we climb up the dirt path higher.  At the top we find another set of falls and a pool.  It looks like one of those swimming pools, when viewed at the right angle, looks like a cliff.  The edge of this pool was actually a cliff.  We jump in the pool at the top of the falls and swim around for awhile.  Swimming toward the actual waterfall proves difficult as the current is so strong; you swim in-place. Obviously staying away from the other edge is important for continued life.  The water is cool and put everyone into a good mood.

Team Laos

Top of the Falls

Top of the Falls

We hike back down the path and find another pool further down with a small waterfall cliff an a rope swing.  We play around here for awhile as well.  Good times had by all until the girls drop Andrew's (not me) waterproof camera in the water and it sinks to the bottom of the pool, taking with it all of the memories from his entire trip so far.  Disaster!  We search for what seemed like hours to no avail.  The girls feel terrible and Andrew's anger starts to mount.  The bottom of the pool was filled with rocks, crevasses, sticks, and leaves.  Digging your hands and feet around the bottom was slightly uncomfortable.  I really didn't want to find a snake instead.  We start to give up after awhile; it started to get cold and we've searched with 10 legs and hands for awhile.  Finally, amazingly, against all odds, Andrew pulls the camera up form the bottom with his toe by the string.  To say the general mood of the group improved would be an understatement.  Success!  We celebrate with a beer at a small bar and finish them on the tuk tuk back home.

Rope Swing

Fun!

We wander through the night market, and head out to a bar for the evening.  We share on of these beer towers and enjoy the music and conversation.  We get back for curfew at 12.

A Teenage Wasteland, Vang Vieng February 23 2012

Out here in the fields
I fought for my meals
I get my back into my living
I don't need to fight
To prove I'm right
I don't need to be forgiven

Don't cry
Don't raise your eye
It's only a teenage wasteland
          -The Who

If teenagers ruled the world, it would probably look like Vang Vieng; a right of passage for travelers in SE Asia.  The main draw for the town is tubing down a river which passes through the town.  Bamboo shacks (bars) line the sides of the river and the amazingly accurate bar staffers will throw ropes to your tube and pull you into the bars.  It's spring break on steroids...or giant buckets of Lao whiskey and red bull to be more accurate.  The town has plenty of bars which play episodes of Family Guy and Friends on a loop with comfortable beanbag and pillows to sit on (no chairs).  Many have 'special menus' which include anything from marijuana to opium to cobra infused whiskey.  All of this is technically illegal of course, but many of the bar owners are friends with the police.

We arrive in Vang Vieng via a minibus which is packed to the brim with people.  It takes hours on the Laos roads which, in some places, are hardly roads at all.  We pass by a lot of small towns with primitive bamboo houses and just one water spout per village.  The mountainous countryside is mesmerizing.

We arrive to a seemingly mediocre town with dusty roads and nothing to be amazed by on first impression.  We book the first hotel which we are propositioned for while looking (unsuccessfully) for another place.  The place turns out to be excellent; the highlight is a rooftop which has a couple lounge chairs and a great view.  As night falls, the town awakens from its slumber.  The lights from the bars flicker on and music starts to radiate into the streets.  We decide to go to a bar with a pool table.  At the bar we order one of the infamous buckets of Lao whiskey with a dash sprite.  I look down and there is a paper on the bar advertising 'free shots of whiskey all night long'.  In disbelief, I ask the sarong wearing, shirtless bartender if it is true.  He confirms his answer by dumping a couple shots in my mouth straight from the bottle.  It  probably takes me 5 gulps to get it all down.  It tastes terrible, but then again all whiskey is pretty bad.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

View from rooftop

I come back after my bucket is finished to call home with my newly installed Skype account.  It is morning in the US, midnight here.   The others follow about an hour later and we end the night playing cards and listening to English hip-hop music on the roof.

Tubing...Then Disaster, Veng Viang February 24 2012

The next day we decide to go out tubing on the river; the quintessential experience in the town.   We rent a tube and hop on a tuk tuk with a roof rack for tubes and head off up-river to the starting place.  The second we step out of the tuk tuk, hear the music blasting, and see all the people we immediately understand why people migrate here from all over SE Asia.  It's a playground in every sense of the word.

We go to the first bar, get a bucket, and find a nice spot by the river on a bamboo mat.  One of the bar staff put a bracelet around are wrists.  We ask what it's for and the guy tells us the kids in the town make them and it's a good way to give for them to earn money.  The previous night we saw a couple people with about 100 of these things all up their arms.  I'm not really sure how a human being can party that much; It's only a teenage wasteland. After finishing our bucket and talking to some fellow travelers, we hop on our tubes and float down the river.

Andrew, myself, and a bucket of whiskey

The river

Yea tubing!

Look in the background and imagine loud music playing

We float for awhile and catch the next rope that is throw to us. This bar has a rope swing into the water that is somewhat intimidating  (read: really high off the water).    Andrew and I take turns jumping off it and swimming back to the bar.  Other tubers watch on, and the music from the bar is pulsing.  We go onward to another bar where we play jenga with two foot pieces of woods on the deck overlooking the river, onto another bar where people are spray-painting stencils on each other, and onto another bar which has a small puppy for people to play with.

High Rope Swing

Jenga!

Careful!

We float onward to one of the last bars with some locals.  We form a little floating island by grabbing each others legs and arms.  The last bar we make it to has a campfire and another rope swing.  We play around here for awhile as the sun starts to go down.  We decide to leave so we can make it back to the town before it gets completely dark.  I grab my tube, turn around, and start walking down the ramshackle bamboo steps (no railing), and immediately see someone at the bottom with blood spattered all over themselves.  It's Allison!  She slipped and fell on some rocks while climbing down to the water.   I drop by tube and go down to help.  I notice a huge gash on her head, she can't walk, and her friend is starting to panic.  The other Andrew and another guy carry her back up to the bar, the owner finds some paper towels to cover her head, and Andrew runs off to find a tuk tuk so we can take her to the hospital to get stitches.  Her friend Kirsten and I help her across a bamboo bridge across the river explaining what has happened and where we are going (me in a calm, comforting tone; her friend in a panic, alcohol induced yell).  We get in the tuk tuk and head off to the hospital. A dirt road combined with a fast driver leads to a bumpy, dusty ride to the hospital.

We arrive at the hospital and are greeted by a nurse.  They won't do anything without getting money first, so Kirsten goes off to work out the payment and Andrew and I accompany her to a room.   The room is not dirty, but I wouldn't want to get any treatment there.  The nurses don't speak any English.  I hold Allison's hand and tell her to squeeze it as the needle goes through her skin.  I get a front row view and learn how stitches are performed.  Andrew and I try to distract and calm her down.  Eight stitches later we are done, they give us some antibiotics and painkillers, and send us on our way.  I never want to see the inside of a Laos hospital ever again.  So much for getting our tube deposit back. ; )  All kidding aside, I'm glad she was ok.  It could have been worse.



-----

Laos was definitely a bipolar experience.  The good times were great and the bad times were horrible.  In the end, I can certainly say that it was memorable.  The mix of people I was surrounded with were interesting, albeit dysfunctional; we had the best of times and the worst of times.