Eat, drink, fight!

The Penh Diary Week 5

I had two days of this week and I decided enough of staying cooped up inside due to my inherent flaw of not being able to go out alone. I stepped out.

I did a Dj night, an open mic comedy night, several night clubs, a gay bar and explored several fabulous eating joints by myself. I also made an effort to talk to fellow solo travelers. Getting out every night started to burn a hole in my pocket as I have decided to double the duration of my holiday. Shit!

I tried to convince myself that the new me didn’t require the luxury and comfort of my old life, to hell with the weekly beauty salon visits, massages, taxi’s and shopping I could live simply and be happy. I questioned the fact that given my current situation I didn’t have a choice but to rough it out a little, but once back home would I continue to gain happiness from this frugal life? I doubt it, but for now I have chosen the mid way there are days when I feed my stomach on others my vanity.

But trying to stay happy in any given situation and accepting things that are happening to you in a very important lesson that I learnt this week from the Siberian guy whose wife divorced him and wiped him clean, to the girl from Argentina whose parents got separated; neither of them wanted to take her responsibility. My favourite conversion was with an Irish gentleman who after gauging all my so-called knowledge about this world and its ways asked me ‘so are you happy now’ I promptly replied that I was far happier than I had been back home and am working hard to up the happiness quotient. I felt obliged to ask him the same question, he gave me a long pensive look, smiled and left … Well!

I also had a nasty showdown with my flatmates this week, my boss got involved and at that point I felt unfairly took sides. I was fuming it was 2 am, long chat dissecting the situation with my brother and sis in law helped marginally calm me down. Early morning chat with my other brother helped put things in perceptive but i still felt I had been wronged and if that wasn’t undone I was ready to pack and leave. I was amazed at the cities and countries I was willing to move to in an hours notice, it would cost me more but nothing was more important than my respect. My local friend heard me out and commented pride is expensive.  I tried very hard to remove the ‘I’ from the situation as advised by the Gita that I have been reading but was still convinced that I was not wrong.

 Didn’t sleep a wink, was livid all day, afternoon showers calmed me down and I made an effort to talk it out with my boss, several misconceptions from both sides were addressed and just like that the issues evaporated. Had I given in to my ego and stormed off I would have constantly lived with the guilt of not clearing my stand.

I have always believed that you have not really lived in a place if you haven’t visited a few important venues, had a meaningful interaction with the locals and eaten their food, partied, thrown up in the pot and had one good fight.

I have evidently done it all :)