lone traveller

The reason I’m doing my SE Asia tour is because I will meet up with my elder sister in Cambodia on June 14, and we vowed to scour the ruins of Angkor Wat. She paid for my plane fare of course, as what any loving and good natured ate would do, provided that I pay for my own lodging once I’m in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I agreed to that, although I know at the back of my mind that she’ll be taking care of my food and my stay at a cheap hotel there too hehe…

So I went to a Cebu Pacific ticketing office and purchased a flight to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on June 13^th. There’s no direct flight from Manila to Siem Reap; I wanted to fly to Bangkok originally, but I figured since I haven’t been to Vietnam yet—I said “What the Heck! I wasn’t able to watch Miss Saigon in Manila maybe I can find the real Miss Saigon in Saigon”, and start my way up to Cambodia from there.

I also have a return ticket; Singapore to Manila on June 30^th (I extended another week's leave). Which means I will be out traveling SE Asia for 17 days with a little bit of money (an understatement) and a free Cambodia tour with my sister, that’s it? …or so it seemed… I figured I have an extra 10k with me, so after the “ruins” why not proceed to Bangkok, spend a week there and then take a budget plane (about P3k) or a train to Kuala Lumpur since I have a cousin there, and then take a bus to Singapore (another cousin) which is about P500-800 if I’m buying in Malaysia (a rough estimate).

I figured; most of my money will be spent in Bangkok; fan rooms everyday food and the commute. So my overall gut feeling is that I’d survive a 10k budget (which is all I have, really) since I have someone to cover for me in Cambodia (June 14-19), and cousins in KL and Singapore (June 24-30).

Now here’s the shocking part. My sister called me this morning and said she won’t push through with their plan (my sis and her fiancé) since her fiancé’s conference was cancelled… ergo I have to find money for my Cambodia accommodation and food. It’s half of my budget down the drain.

I thought of canceling the whole trip altogether, but again contemplated that I already purchased to and from tickets, canceling them means I won’t get a full refund and all that horse shit of chickening out of an adventure blah blah.

I figured, Fuck This! I’ll just look for another extra 5k or 10k (highly impossible) elsewhere, and maybe the gods would be gentler on me… or someone might join me in this trip and share a fan room with me in Saigon, Cambodia and Bangkok, I promise a free accommodation once we’re in Kuala Lumpur… any takers? Hehehe

I don’t have a credit card either since I screwed up my last three from 2 years ago (another hehehe) in Toto I don’t have an emergency plan either, zip, nada and kaputs! The best option for me if stranded would be to go to a Philippine embassy and beg for money—ma’m sir pautang po…

With all these being said, all I ask from you now my dear friends, readers and lost souls alike is for you to close your eyes and repeat the Hail Mary three times and pray that I don’t join the Viet Congs, Khmer Rouge and the Military regime in Bangkok just to stay afloat when all I have left is my backpack and buri hat.

…this is a fact: I will need all the rosary I can get... and then some
...sky flakes....