Another early start to get to the express boat to Phnom Penh. I ate breakfast, went to check out and pay for my room at the front desk and was told I did not owe any money, and then tuk-tuk a few blocks to the boat dock for the 7:30 AM departure. While I was waiting to board the boat, one of the men working there handed me his cell phone as the woman at the desk was calling to say I did, indeed, owe the money for the room. She wanted me to give the money to the man to bring back to the hotel. I did not have exact change (for the $14) and as they had my credit card on file in case I did not show I told her just to charge the credit card and not add the usual Vietnam 3% surcharge since it was her mistake. She was not happy about this, but in the end agreed and said she would discuss with her manager.

Luggage was loaded on the boat which seemed to be a real boat with a real engine that would not cause diesel engine brain and then we all boarded. The ride itself was uneventful. After about 2 1/2hours we stopped at the Vietnam border office to leave the country which took about 20-30 minutes then after another 5 -10 minute boat ride stopped at the Cambodia border office to get visas and that took at least 30 minutes. Once into Cambodia, the scenery changed. In areas where people lived, it was not nearly as crowded and homes were different, up on stilts and with some color on them. The shoreline was neat, not the piles of trash and garbage and junk that seemed more prevalent in Vietnam. Children stood on the shore with big smiles and waved, the smaller ones either clothed or naked. There appeared to be many pagodas dotting the countryside.

After about 7 hours the boat arrived at Phnom Penh. A taxi driver proposed $5 to drive to the hotel which I didn't think was so far away. I found a tuk-tuk driver for $3 (later learning it should have cost no more than $2). The hotel, La Voile Rouge, is fairly large with a large restaurant/night club or karaoke bar, and, of course, no elevator. I was on the second floor and got situated in my room which was large and seemed nice decorated in black and red. I set out on foot to see what I could in Phnom Penh. Nearby was Wat Phnom, set on top of a 27 meter hill (the only hill in the city.) From there, I walked south, sort of following a guide to an architectural walking tour that I had previously found and a suggested walking tour in The Lonely Planet. I found the architecture quite interesting with many varied buildings and styles. Many buildings were built by the French and are older and the good features are now somewhat obscured by aging, conversion to shops and/or apartments. I stopped to get a late lunch at a restaurant on the Sisowath Quay which runs next to the river. The area I was in had a number of restaurants and many guesthouses and seemed to cater to backpackers and tourists. I walked up to the very large central market which is filled with clothing, jewelry, and souvenirs, not a food market, but got there close to the time the shops were closing up around 5 PM.

I continued walking a few blocks and stopped at a corner to look at the guide book to get my bearings and some idea as to where I should go for dinner. After a minute or two, a short Cambodian woman approached me and asked in very good English if I needed help. I replied, "No" and told her I was just reading the guide book. She proceeded to tell me she is an English teacher, had spent a year living in the U.S. in Virginia. We talked for 10 minutes or so. She then told me her 7 year old nephew was having a birthday party the next day and invited me to the birthday party. I asked what time and she told me to pick a time (that should have been a red flag - stay tuned) so we agreed that I should meet her for lunch at 12:00 in front of Swensen's Ice Cream at the mall. I thought this would be a nice thing to do and even had a gift (a coloring book I had brought about animals to use as a gift for a home stay. She then said she would take me to the restaurant, made a quick call on her cell phone (in English) to her brother and about a minute later, a man arrived driving a motor scooter and we both jumped on. At her direction, he drove around and she pointed to various restaurants, none of which had any tourists and probably nothing on the menu I could read. Given that this was my first night in Cambodia, I wasn't keen on her choices so got off close to the restaurants in the area I had eaten lunch and assured her (Ara) I would meet her the next day. I walked around and found a lovely restaurant, contemporary décor, soft jazz music in the background, a professional looking chef, and me as the only customer. It was slightly more expensive, entrees $5-8. I ordered a dish with soft shelled crab. While I was there, an Australian couple came in and after exchanging a few words invited me to join them. He is a retired biology teacher and she a midwife, just like the couple who stayed next to me in Phu Quoc (retired teacher and midwife). We spent quite a bit of time talking, exchanged contact information, and bid each other adieu. I returned to the hotel and after entering the room flipped on the bathroom light and round about an inch of water on the floor surrounding the toilet. I called the desk and someone was sent to check it out. It turned out not to be a toilet leak, but I was told when the air conditioner is on, water gets on the bathroom floor. I ended up changing rooms and the staff turned on the air conditioner. I got ready for bed. About two hours later when it was time to use the bathroom, I turned on the light and the whole entryway to the bathroom was flooded. I was not happy because this was not a safe situation, but I figured there was nothing to be gained so just went to sleep trying to remember that I could get to the toilet with the 1" of dry space next to the wall. This hotel will not get a good Trip Advisor Review!