Red Pills, White Apples, and Blue Pumpkins
This blog entry about the events of Wednesday, January 26, 2005 was originally posted on January 30, 2005.
DAY 466: “I’m not going to be much fun tomorrow,” Noelle said the night before when we checked into the New Millennium guesthouse in Siem Reap at 2:30 a.m. after a long grueling journey from Bangkok.
“Oh, we’re not going to do anything,” I said. With both of us exhausted, it called for a day of rest, relaxation, and writing. For Noelle, it would also be a day of recuperation, for she had developed a cough and cold from all the inhalation of dust on the ride over. I volunteered to be her caretaker — her “canary” as she put it — by running errands for both of us: look up another guesthouse in the book to see if it was any better (it wasn’t), get us food, water, etc.
I mention this not only because it is what I did that day, but because most of Noelle’s friends back in California were worried that she’d be meeting up with a questionable stranger off the internet. “He could be an axe murderer!” they said.
Ha ha! Ha ha ha! This is absolutely hilarious to me; I mean really, an axe murderer? C’mon now, if I was going to kill Noelle, I’d use an ice pick.
Ha, ha, that’s a joke of course; I’m kidding. Really, I’d just poison her with pills or something. That is, if I wanted to kill her.
OUR LET’S GO BOOKS RECOMMENDED a bakery called The Blue Pumpkin in town, which has a name that for me, initially conjured up an image of an old colonial European grandma-type of bake house with a pumpkin painted blue in the window display. When I finally found its new location, I discovered it was the exact opposite of that as it was the sleekest, most cosmopolitan-looking bakery cafe I’ve seen. The brainchild of a Frenchman with a Thai wife and a staff of English-speaking Cambodians, The Blue Pumpkin had moved from more humble digs into its new location of just four months.
No blue pumpkins were seen at all; in fact, nothing was in blue. All the walls, lounge furniture and pillows were in Apple Computer white (picture above) — the color of iPods, iBooks, and Mac Minis — and while that’s nice, the best part of it was that mounted on the wall was a matching Apple Airport Extreme wireless internet hub to provide free wi-fi internet access to anyone with a laptop, Apple or otherwise. Wow, this is Cambodia? I thought. Just down the block, Siem Reap was your normal southeast Asian town with market stalls.
Excited, I ran back to tell Noelle, who was just as much an internet addict as myself. After lunching on our tasty take-out spicy chicken pita bread sandwiches, water, and Orangina in our room with HBO on, Noelle was feeling a bit better and I took her to The Blue Pumpkin. We ended our day of relaxation with a night of healthy yogurt shakes, delicious baby lobster and pumpkin soup (still not blue), and of course, free internet access. With our stomachs full and Blog entries up, we went back to the guesthouse that night, so that I could execute my plan.
“Here, take one of these,” I said to Noelle, handing her a bottle of red pills with the label scraped off. I told her it was “medicine” for her cold.
With my trust, she took the bottle and ingested one, chasing it down with some water. Excellent, I thought. Ex-cellent. After that, my plan of the night was finally in motion…
...to just work on my laptop and hope Noelle would get better.
SAVE THE DATE; DAY 503 IS COMING. MARCH 5, 2005, NYC.
DETAILS AND TRAILER COMING SOON…
Next entry: The Smiles Of Angkor
Previous entry: The Two Backpacks
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Comments for “Red Pills, White Apples, and Blue Pumpkins”
Managed to squeeze one more in for the WHMMR… More to come as I can get them done!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/30 at 11:03 AM
FUNCHILDE: Hey, I’m trying to find your address for the last postcard batch, but I don’t seem to have it in any of my e-mails…
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/30 at 11:06 AM
We have decided that you HAVE to get to Siem Reap - it’s da bomb!!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/30 at 11:11 AM
Looks awsome!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/30 at 01:02 PM
OK, you two are making me really miss SE Asia! Sorry the pumkpin soup wasn’t blue.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/30 at 02:47 PM
Kind of disappointing not finding any blue pumpkins at all!!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/30 at 03:04 PM
blue pumpkin….isn’t that where frank the tank saw our boy blue looking glorious?
free wifi + plus apple white = glorious
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/30 at 04:24 PM
It’s so nice to see a Mac-friendly environment. Very non-Gatesian. I dig it. It’s neat to see you so “prominently featured” on NOELLE’s site.
Still can’t believe it’s Cambodia, I would never have guessed it. Once again Erik, you have opened my eyes and corrected miscomprehensions I had of the world. You ROCK.
BTW, with you coming home so soon, what’s a gal gotta do to get one last postcard? Angor Wat would look awesome next to my other TGT2004 cards. (hint, hint)
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/30 at 04:36 PM
I laugh everytime I see that clamp!
Posted by anthony on 01/30 at 11:43 PM
Anthony - you and me both - it’s the most hi-tech piece of equipment ever!
Christy - I’m not as skilled with the blog thing as E, so I can’t hide as many entries as Erik does - but I’ll get better…
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/31 at 01:30 AM
STEPHANIE: Wow, that’s for the unexpected and generous donation! See you on 503.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/31 at 01:57 AM
ANTHONY: The only thing blue in The Blue Pumpkin was my clamp.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/31 at 02:01 AM
:O the clamp was in one of the pictures? i didn’t see it.
Posted by Alyson on 01/31 at 02:34 AM
Re: The previous Nepal or no Nepal debate.
King Gyanendra has put the country on lockdown… good thing you went, made your mark, and left (with a mark) when you did…Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/31 at 01:03 PM
Ugh, I’m behind again… Will catch up on a two-day journey of bus, ferry, and train travel… Stay tuned!
ALYSON: The clamp was in the picture of the day on Noelle’s blog, linked above…
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/31 at 01:55 PM
Damn! i think I saw a blue pumpkin
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/31 at 04:00 PM
Holy sh*t, I can’t believe that’s Cambodia!!! I never would have guessed!! I’ll definitely have to check out the Blue Pumpkin (if it’s still open) when I go to Cambodia in a few years!!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/31 at 04:23 PM
Hey Erik,
I?m in Ecuador getting ready to leave for Peru. I check your blog archives for reccomendations, since we started on the same path.
I hope to find a free Apple Airport somewhere, that would kick ass, I have a PowerBook.
I?m ready for day 503, can?t wait to see what your creativity stirs up!!
Posted by HeatherB on 01/31 at 04:50 PM
Erik TGT: man, you little schemer….I never would have guessed.
And I’ve been wondering: does SE Asia have any kind of cheese related to cows that laugh? Support your hypothesis that this is univeral.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/31 at 10:04 PM
you should have an auction of your things that you took on your trip when you get back. I want the clamp. and maybe the pen that hangs around your neck.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/01 at 01:49 AM
Love that Blue pumkin! Usually placed with couches are o-tay in my book! Place looks like some sort of sterile environment, nice contrast from the outside. - k time to go ta bed for me, thanks for more great posts Erik!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/01 at 03:10 AM
Hey Erik!
Thought I’d see where you are now and was trying to do a little research on Rajasthan. I’m headed back to Chennai next Monday and plan to meet up with my boyfriend in March. Thought I’d check out your comments and photos. Good stuff! That bakery is definitely the most stylish one I’ve ever seen! My how things have changed since I was there four years ago!
Take care,
Amanda
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/01 at 07:10 AM
Hey Erik!
Thought I’d see where you are now and was trying to do a little research on Rajasthan. I’m headed back to Chennai next Monday and plan to meet up with my boyfriend in March. Thought I’d check out your comments and photos. Good stuff! That bakery is definitely the most stylish one I’ve ever seen! My how things have changed since I was there four years ago!
Take care,
Amanda
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/01 at 07:11 AM
For the auction, I want the sign that fell on his head. Although I’m sure you left it in South America.
sebastian I saw the laughing cow cheese in Asia!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/01 at 03:08 PM
E!
hey boy, i sent you my addy via e-mail. Can’t wait to get my postcard!
Fun
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/01 at 11:46 PM
E!
Hey, I sent you my addy via e-mail. Can’t wait to get the postcard!
Fun
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/01 at 11:47 PM
HEATHERB: How are you liking traveling so far? And how is your Spanish? Muy bien?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/02 at 12:42 AM
SEBASTIAN: Funny, you should mention it… Yesterday, I was talking about you because I ate nothing all day but bread and laughing cow cheese sandwiches… (There were no olives around unfortunately.)
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/02 at 12:44 AM
MICHELLE: Sounds like an idea… But the pants, shirt, hat and boots are mine, to be put in a display case and hung on the wall… (Right next to my nutsack Halloween costume).
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/02 at 12:55 AM
AMANDA: Glad to see you’re still reading along! Keep in touch with any one else of the GN Chetty crew?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/02 at 12:57 AM
GREETINGS FROM BACK IN BANGKOK (again)... Hope to get two more before heading down south this evening… Stay tuned!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/02 at 01:00 AM
My Spanish Blows! La cuenta por favor. Uno coke y hamburguesa solo queso. And my fav a sand"douche”.
Been on the road for only a month, which pails in comparision to you, but having fun so far. We take things a little less extreme and slower then you do, we have a 6 year old after all.
Posted by HeatherB on 02/02 at 02:19 AM
Erik TGT: touche.
(e as in ‘eh’)
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/06 at 03:17 AM
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This blog post is one of over 500 travel dispatches from the trip blog, "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World (Or Until Money Runs Out, Whichever Comes First)," originally hosted by BootsnAll.com. It chronicled a trip around the world from October 2003 to March 2005, which encompassed travel through thirty-seven countries in North America, South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. It was this blog that "started it all," where Erik evolved and honed his style of travel blogging — it starts to come into focus around the time he arrives in Africa.
Praised and recommended by USA Today, RickSteves.com, and readers of BootsnAll and Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree, The Global Trip blog was selected by the editors of PC Magazine for the "Top 100 Sites You Didn't Know You Couldn't Live Without" (in the travel category) in 2005.
Next entry:
The Smiles Of Angkor
Previous entry:
The Two Backpacks
THE GLOBAL TRIP GLOSSARY
Confused at some of the jargon that's developed with this blog and its readers over the years? Here's what they mean:
BFFN: acronym for "Best Friend For Now"; a friend made on the road, who will share travel experiences for the time being, only to part ways and lose touch withThe Big Trip: the original sixteen month around-the-world trip that started it all, spanning 37 countries in 5 continents over 503 days (October 2003–March 2005)
NIZ: acronym for "No Internet Zone"; a place where there is little to no Internet access, thus preventing dispatches from being posted.
SBR: acronym for "Silent Blog Reader"; a person who has regularly followed The Global Trip blog for years without ever commenting or making his/her presence known to the rest of the reading community. (Breaking this silence by commenting is encouraged.)
Stupid o'clock: any time of the early morning that you have to wake up to catch a train, bus, plane, or tour. Usually any time before 6 a.m. is automatically “stupid o’clock.”
The Trinidad Show: a nickname of The Global Trip blog, used particularly by travelers that have been written about, who are self-aware that they have become "characters" in a long-running story — like characters in the Jim Carrey movie, The Truman Show.
WHMMR: acronym for "Western Hemisphere Monday Morning Rush"; an unofficial deadline to get new content up by a Monday morning, in time for readers in the western hemisphere (i.e. the majority North American audience) heading back to their computers.
1981ers: people born after 1981. Originally, this was to designate groups of young backpackers fresh out of school, many of which were loud, boorish and/or annoying. However, time has passed and 1981ers have matured and have been quite pleasant to travel with. The term still refers to young annoying backpackers, regardless of year — I guess you could call them "1991ers" in 2013 — young, entitled millennials on the road these days, essentially.
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