Notes on a Visa-Stamped Happy arrival

- Phnom Penh is 15hours ahead of the US west coast. Whoa. As little or much as I have traveled by airline, I refuse to "get over" the incredibly fascinating experience of flying across time zones. I boarded my flight in San Francisco 1:40am of the 14th, slept for what seemed like the night, and completed the 11-hour journey only to arrive in Taipei, Taiwan mid-morn on the "15th"!

-I try to check in online whenever I'm flying. I always have an inner struggle involving the pros and cons of the window seat versus the aisle seat. Naturally, aisle wins. Always. But this time, it was hard. Wouldn't I be missing out on some glorious views of the Pacific Ocean, as we sailed across the skies? Well, as luck would have it, I was too tired to stay awake for the show in any case. But the few times my eyes fluttered open, thanks to the nasal flight attendants, I met with a disappointing view: a relentless, inky black curtain that refused to part.

-I was told that when I arrived in Phnom Penh there was a chance I would be asked for proof of my return journey. So, it is important that you know, for the purpose of realizing the urgency in this story, that I didn't in fact have a "return ticket"! Whoops? Not really. My stay in Cambodia ends June 2011 - there's no way to get a ticket nine months in advance (of course, for obvious reasons I didn't consider the "open ended" tickets that cost a heap more). I was also told that upon showing Cambodian visa officials World Education's official letter of hire I would be whisked through the short process. After a few mini-episodes of miscommunication, the blessed letter was "recognized" and, well,...all's well that ends well, eh?