Phnom Penh: The Adventures of Kenny G-Spot

So, it turns out that there was no feasible way for us to head out from Siem Reap to Laos. Our best option was to take a VIP bus down to Phnom Penh, and then fly out from there. Wasn't exactly what we wanted to do, but we're trying to roll with the punches out here, so we figured we'd make the most of it.

The VIP bus did mildly exceed expectations. First, it was Air Conditioned: we were bracing ourselves for a 6 hour ride without it, so that was a welcome surprise.  However, there were certainly some interesting characters on the bus.  First, was the Cambodian gentleman who legitimately sounded like he was going to die. He coughed up at least one of his lungs on the way down. Second, was another older gentleman whose cell phone went off no less than 14 times down there. Apparently, he really liked his ringtone too, because he would let it play for 10 seconds before he answered. At around 1:30AM, we arrived at our final destination, and headed to the hotel.  There, we found that the King size bed they promised us was actually a Queen.  The two giants got a little closer then they wanted to last night, but we were so exhausted, it didn't matter.

Now the fun part.  We woke up and went down to get breakfast at the hostel.  This is where we first met Kenny G-Spot. He's a 21 year old Cambodian who works at the Hostel while also studying at the University. He really likes to practice his English, so we spent most of the meal chatting away with him. After a quick break to hit the Internet Cafe, we were back at the hostel bar / restaurant, again with Kenny G-Spot.  Now, he was also joined by Tony Montoya (another Employee) and Cambodian Tammy Dorje. We spoke about America for a bit, and then the conversation turned to music. Kenny G told us he is a gangsta, and is into hip hop, especially Jay-Z. At that point, I took over the hostel iPod, and started playing some of my music. I hit him with some Arrested Development, which he liked, and some Wiz Khalifa, which he really liked.  The ultimate highlight was when I played "Big Pimpin" for him.  He loved the song, but when we asked him if he was Big Pimpin in Cambodia, he was confused.  He took out his phone to try to find the definition for "Pimpin", and once he found it, he started cracking up and showing everyone. Needless to say, Kenny G-Spot has a new word in his English repertoire now.

Though we only spent 12 hours on the ground in Phnom Penh and had absolutely no expectations for the place, turned out to be a bunch of fun. Tony Montoya, Cambodian Tammy Dorje and especially Kenny G-Spot will always have a place in the hearts of the Two Giants.

Two Giants: Teaching Ebonics since 2011