-Track Eleven-
The four marvelled at the sunrise as they looked out of the windows of the plane before it descended through wispy clouds to land at Pochentong International Airport, Phnom Penh.
The four tired old men collected their belongings, cleared customs, and went outside into the warm Cambodian morning air.
They wheeled their trolleys past a group of Cambodians waiting to collect passengers.
A Cambodian man in his late thirty's come up to them, smiled, and said, “Hi guys, I'm Jerry. Brian told me to take good care of you.”
The four looked shocked when they heard Jerry’s American accent.
They introduced themselves and went to Jerry’s car.
While they drove the 12 kilometres into Phnom Penh, Jerry told them about how his family had fled Cambodia during the mid-1970s to escape the genocide of the Khmer Rouge. Jerry was only a child when his family settled in the United States. He told them he returned alone to Cambodia several years earlier and reintegrated himself back into Khmer society, married a Khmer woman, and settled in Phnom Penh. Jerry knew Brian from the States and they had set up Sharkys together, which Brian financed, and Jerry ran.
As they drove along, they gazed out of the car’s windows at the dirty, litter-strewn streets of the capital city.
Jerry took them to an ATM, and they withdrew U.S. dollars after Jerry told them it was the preferred currency, as opposed to the Cambodian Riel. They pulled up at The Amari Hotel, close to the Basaac riverside. Jerry helped them with their luggage and checked them in.
“I will let you rest right now and pick you up at noon,” said Jerry and left.
They went to their rooms and lay on the beds. Exhausted by the events of the past few days, they soon fell asleep.
Jerry arrived at noon.
“You look better guys; did you have a good rest?”
“Yes, thanks Jerry,” said Elvin. “I went out like a light.”
Jerry chuckled and handed Steve a Cambodian sim card.
“I put 10 bucks on it. If you dial 177 before the number, you will get cheap calls to the UK.”
“Thanks mate,” said Steve and put the card into his phone.
“I’ll take you for something to eat and give you a run-down on life in Cambodia,” said Jerry.
While they ate, Steve called Lucy and Cosmo and gave them his number.
He told the others that Lucy and Cosmo were trying to come up with a plan and would keep him informed. Steve passed his phone to Elvin and Charles so they could call their families. Charles called Danni.
Jerry then took them along to Sharkys and showed them the music equipment and a drum set that Wayne could use.
Sharkys, a large upstairs bar, resembled Pier 1, with similar decor and equipment. The bar opened at 6:00 pm, so apart from a few staff milling around it was well lit and quiet.
“That looks straightforward enough,” said Steve, checking out the sound equipment. He smirked and asked. “So Jerry, where do all the girlies hang out?”
Jerry chuckled. “Brian told me to show you a good time, so I will take you out later,” he said.
Jerry looked at the feisty old-timers. He could not imagine how they were the same rockers who Brian had raved so much about.
“Brian explained the problems you had in the Philippines and the UK, so I’ve advertised you as the Sharkys House Band. SHB for short,” he said.
The four looked at one another and nodded.
“Sounds good,” said Steve. “Sharkys House Band, it is then.”
Jerry told them that most of the girls that frequented Sharkys and other nightclubs were freelancers and explained, “Unlike girls in the titty bars, freelance girls were out for a good time but if they picked up a paying customer, it was a bonus. Freelancers speak better English than regular bar girls and ignored the old Cambodian culture, doctrines, and heritage. They just wanted to have fun and enjoy the western lifestyle.” Jerry smirked and said. “I will take you out later and show you some titty bars.”
Except for Charles, the others chortled and Jerry thought they would leave Cambodia in pine boxes.
They spent several hours with Jerry in Sharkys, barraging him with questions about Cambodia. They gave him further details about their problem in the UK. Jerry chuckled when Steve smiled and told him that they were a boy band on the run.
Jerry took them back to the hotel and told them he would pick them up around 8:00 pm. Meanwhile, they should have a wander around and acquaint themselves with the area.
They ambled around Riverside and found small pharmacies and mini-marts stocking essentials, including several brands of Viagra and Charles bought a Cambodian tourists phone card.
“Phew! It feels even hotter than the Philippines,” said Steve, removing his baseball cap and using it to wipe the sweat off his face. “Let's go back to the hotel.”
They milled about the hotel until Jerry picked them up at 8:00 pm. He explained that there were three main areas for titty bars in Phnom Penh. The original one was Street 104, so they would start there.
They set off from the Amari Hotel and drove past Psar Kandal, one of the local markets. It looked dirty, with old fruit and vegetables, fish heads, and chunks of raw meat piled outside of the market rotting.
Elvin opened a window but immediately closed it.
“Cor, that stinks,” he said, wafting the disgusting odour through the car.
Jerry laughed and said, “You get used to it. The garbage truck will be along soon to take it away.”
The daytime fruit, vegetable, fish, and meat vendors had long since packed up and gone home for the evening, but there was still a lot of activity, with restaurants and coffee shops on the outer edges. Jerry pointed out another of the ‘bar streets’ as they went past Street 136 and Jerry pulled into Street 104 and parked the car.
The street bustled with activity, which was surprising, considering that there was nothing but bars. Food carts dotted about, either hand-pushed or built onto a small motorbike with a food counter and charcoal grill mounted on one side like a sidecar. These catered to the mass of women that worked in the titty bars, as well as tourists and ex-pats. They decided that the best plan was to get out of the warm clammy air and go into the first bar with air-conditioning.
They went into the Bunny Bar and greeted with a raucous “Hello” from the Khmer women. Wayne and Elvin’s jaws dropped. Even Steve was gob-smacked. Bunny Bar had a variety of customers from England, America, and Australia, who sat along the bar and at the tables surrounded by girls, who massaged or talked to them in ‘bamboo English.’
“It’s like a smaller version of the Black Orchid,” said Steve and smirked. “But with more women.”
“Yeah,” said Wayne, and he and Elvin giggled.
The four, still standing in the doorway mesmerised when a girl came and said. “Please sit down sir. What do you want to drink? You want to play pool?” Several women then took their hands and led them to vacant chairs at the end of the bar. None of them knew where to look and Jerry smirked. Steve went to play pool with a young woman and Jerry chatted to the owner, Robin, while Elvin, Charles, and Wayne took it all in, interrupting Jerry and Robin periodically to get an explanation or translation of what the girls were saying.
“It doesn’t look like they 'ave mamasan’s ‘ere,” said Elvin, not noticing any older women overlooking the girls.
“Good,” said Charles.
Jerry came over. “Everything okay guys?” he asked, seeing a girl with her hand up the leg of Wayne’s shorts.
“Yeah, great buddy,” said Wayne, smirking.
“Where’s the mamasan?” asked Elvin.
Jerry laughed and pointed at Robin. “He’s the mamasan,” he chuckled.
“The girls don’t speak English fluently like the Filipinas,” said Charles.
Jerry explained that in Cambodia many people couldn’t read or write because Pol Pot banned education during the Khmer Rouge rule in the 1970s. The country was only now recovering from that tragic time and the people were only now starting to re-grow and re-learn, but what they lacked in knowledge they made up for with their happy, friendly demeanour.
The four old lads felt more comfortable and at ease with Cambodia. Jerry took them to Sharkys before they got shitfaced to see what the venue was like at night full of revellers and the band could get a feel for the customers and their musical taste. Brian had given Jerry a tremendous testimony about Fossils, although after witnessing the elderly men teeter about the Bunny bar, he wasn’t convinced.
Sharkys bustled with customers. They sat at a table while Jerry went to order their drinks and check on the night’s takings.
The band playing was a four-piece Berang, Foreign, band that covered punk-rock songs. The four old guys were impressed but noticed that the audience appeared to ignore the band, and spoke amongst themselves. This unnerved them and they knew that this would be a tough audience to please. They spent a few hours at Sharkys drinking Angkor beer and felt a good vibe about the busy bar.
They stayed in Sharkys until 1:00 am and then Jerry took them back to the Amari. The now contented, spannered old men went to their rooms. Steve called Oggie and then Gus, who told him that they'd had inquisitive English customers at Freeway enquiring about Fossils. However, he had denied all knowledge of them, and Captain Navarro had dissuaded any further investigations.
The following day, they went along to Sharkys, and while Jerry organised staff and managed his business accounts, Fossils set up equipment and rehearsed.
Jerry heard the music echoing through the quiet bar. His impression of the group quickly changed as they belted out ‘Rolling Thunder.’ Jerry listened to the old-timers, astounded by their fresh new exciting sound. He wondered whether the music was coming from the same doddery old farts from the previous night and chuckled to himself. ‘Wait until the Phnom Penh ex-pats hear this,’ he thought as he imagined what his customer's reaction would be.
Practice over, they returned to the Amari and spent the rest of the afternoon strolling along the Tonle Bassac riverside. They were due to perform five nights a week at Sharkys, so looked at what other things they could do or places they could visit to discover more about their temporary refuge.
That evening, the old men sat in the Sharkys watching it fill with customers who came to see the live music at 9:00 pm. An excited tension built as it usually did when a new band made their debut. However, this turned into merriment and jovial mockery as four old men teetered onto the stage and went to their instruments. Several customers heckled and sporadic laughter reverberated from the crowd as the band tuned up. Jerry stood behind the bar smiling and waiting for the crowd’s reaction when they performed. Wayne, Steve, Charles, and Elvin ignored the heckling, and played, ‘Consider Me Gone.’ Halfway through the song the crowd had gone silent and stood aghast, listening to the tenor-rock song exuding from the speakers. Fossils went straight into their second number and continued playing until they had completed their first set.
They received a rapturous round of applause from the tamed audience. Jerry knew that the word would soon spread around the city’s Berang community about the group and called Brian to commend him on this amazing discovery.
Fossils debut gig was a complete success, with everyone happy with the outcome. At the end of the evening, Jerry brought the old rockers over a bottle of champagne to celebrate.
“Great job guys,” he said and sat with them.
It was 1:30 am. Sharkys was now quiet as the last customers left.
The five continued talking and then Charles jolted upright.
“What’s up mate?” asked Steve.
“Are you okay, Charles?” asked Elvin.
Charles smiled and said. “Yes, I’m fine, but I didn’t realise what day it was,” he paused, took a sip of bubbly, and announced. “Today’s my 70th birthday.”
The others looked at him, cheered, raised their glasses, and said. “Happy birthday Nobby.”
“Life begins at 70, or so they say,” said Charles, chortling.
“That’s 40, you old duffer,” said Steve and grinned.
“We will see,” said Charles, with a wry smile.
Jerry, impressed by these jovial old-timers, looked forward to spending more time with them.
Apart from a few nightclubs, such as ‘Heart of Darkness’ and ‘Martinis,’ which attracted the younger foreign customers, there was little nightlife after 2:00 am in Phnom Penh.
They went back to the Amari, deciding to celebrate Charles’s birthday when they had a night off. Charles phoned Danni, then John, Peter, and Lorraine. Steve called Lucy to find out any recent developments with their predicament and reassured her that everything would be okay.
The success of Fossils debut gig at Sharkys soon spread around the Phnom Penh ex-pat community, with the venue packed to the rafters over the next five nights. Fossils soon relaxed into a routine, enjoying Phnom Penh's diversity.
Wayne had his eye on a Cambodian girl in Sharkys, who danced every night by the side of the stage. She had given Wayne sultry looks and appeared coy. However, every time the band took their break and Wayne tried to find her, she had vanished.
Fossils played at Sharkys for five nights and on their night off went to the titty bars to celebrate Charles’s birthday in style. They went along to Street 104 to begin their raucous night out in Bunny Bar. Robin, delighted to see them again, gave them useful information on the routine for the bar girls. He pointed out the difference between Cambodia and the Philippines. They had fun messing around with Robin’s happy staff. After an hour, they tried other bars that Robin recommended. Steve wasn’t sure he liked the Cambodian method of payment, which was to pay the bar a nominal amount and negotiate the price with the girl. Steve felt this was unsafe and it sounded too easy to get ripped off, but Robin convinced him otherwise.
Charles had no intention of going with a hooker in Cambodia. He already had one in Angeles City, although still unwilling to accept the fact.
Robin explained that it was the only way for uneducated girls to support their family and find a foreign boyfriend to give them a better life. Robin took care of all his girls, and they looked upon him as a father figure. Wayne and Elvin didn’t give a shit; they just wanted to try out the Cambodian Viagra. They went into several other bars along 104 Street, had fun until they felt spannered, and headed to Sharkys.
The four went in Sharkys and although there was a good crowd in attendance, the group performing could not capture the audience’s attention as the crowd chatted amongst themselves ignoring the group. Fossils sat at a table at the back of the room and Jerry came over to join them. He bought over beers and asked how their night out was going. While Charles, Elvin, and Steve spoke to Jerry, Wayne’s attention focused elsewhere.
Wayne saw the girl who danced in front of the stage during their performances. He smiled at her, so she walked over to their table and stood in front of him. She said something, but because Wayne had his hearing-aid turned off, as Sharkys was noisy, he read her lips and mouthed. “Hello.” Wayne invited the girl to sit down, switched on his hearing-aid to a low setting, and ordered her a drink. The others heard the girl speaking with an incoherent, high-pitched squawk.
“She's deaf and dumb and often comes here,” said Jerry.
Unaware of the girl’s impediment, Wayne chatted away and read her lips, oblivious to the fact that neither of them made any sense to the others who thought it was a match made in heaven.
Jerry mentioned a festival called, *Pchum Ben. He had hired a minibus to take him, his wife, and a few Cambodian friends to Sihanoukville, a coastal town, four hours’ drive away.
“They have a big festival with concerts and shows on the beach. It’s fantastic, and there’s room on the bus if you want to come,” he said.
Charles, Wayne, and Steve nodded and looked at Wayne engrossed in weird conversation.
“Thank you, Jerry,” said Charles. “We would love to come.”
“Great,” said Jerry “I’ll pick you up at 8:00 am and we will stay overnight in Sihanoukville.”
A friend of Nit’s, the deaf and dumb girl, came over to the table and spoke with Elvin about her concerns over Nit talking to Wayne. Elvin reassured her about Wayne’s respectability and, before long, Elvin and the woman chatted about her going back to the hotel with him and Wayne and Elvin took the two girls back to The Amari.
Steve and Charles went to their rooms. Steve didn’t feel tired, so he went outside to a bar across the street, grabbed a girl, and took her to his room.
Jerry picked them up the following morning.
The city fell away to Cambodian countryside as they drove along the potholed motorway towards the coast. The four chatted in the back seat of the minibus. While they took in the scenery along the route, they saw that Cambodians did not seem to have any concept of litter control. The scenery along the route, apart from the litter, was how they had imagined it. They saw stilted wooden houses, lush green trees, rice paddies, and water buffalo lazing in the small streams. The journey was uneventful, except for the odd toot on the horn from Jerry as he passed other vehicles or warned cows that ambled along the roadside. Charles and Steve noticed that whoever had the loudest horn had the right of way.
They arrived at Sihanoukville mid-afternoon and Jerry took them to Coasters, a popular resort on Serendipity beach, a quiet section of Ochheuteal, the main beach.
They checked in and met up in Coaster’s restaurant. Jerry, his wife, and their Cambodian friends went along to a local Pagoda, temple, to make the Pchum Ben offerings and pray with the masses alongside the monks.
Jerry suggested the four explored the beach and they would meet up later to watch the festivities. On a hot, sunny afternoon, the four old men strolled along Ochheuteal Beach, dipping their feet in the warm tropical South China Sea as tourists swam and snorkelled just offshore.
The old lads felt contented and relaxed being back by the seaside. Sihanoukville had a homely feel, which made their troubles seem a world away. They spent several hours on the beach, occasionally stopping in one of the beach bar restaurants for shade, and escaping the constant badgering by the beach vendors, tour touts, and beach massage girls.
After watching an amazing sunset over Sihanoukville Bay as the daylight gave way to the darkness of night, they returned to Coasters. After showering and changing, they met up with Jerry and the others for the night’s festivities. They had only eaten western-style food since being in Cambodia, so at Jerry’s recommendation, they tried the local Khmer cuisine. They ate seafood Amok, a mild, aromatic, coconut-based curry, and beef Luk-Lak, a spicy beef, onion, and garlic-based chow mein. Wayne, Charles, and Elvin enjoyed the aromatic Cambodian flavours. Steve thought it tasted okay but knew from the rumbles in his delicate little belly he would suffer later.
Fossils had now been in Cambodia for almost a week.
Steve phoned Lucy who told him that Fossils were still headline news, but she and Cosmo were working on a plan
Cosmo read the morning Daily Nation looking for any reports on the search for Fossils, which so far had uncovered nothing. He smiled to himself, pleased that his old-timers were continuing to evade their pursuers. Most newspapers now latched onto the story and virtually the whole of the British public knew of, and fascinated with, this elusive group. Cosmo saw more photographs of Kipper in venues with celebrities and leaving nightclubs with gorgeous women. Cosmo, angry with his stupid friend, wanted nothing more to do with him. His only concern now was to help his old, frightened friends come home unhindered. Cosmo read an article showing readers sketches of how the newspaper imagined that the Fossils band members looked. Cosmo laughed at the images of four handsome young men. ‘The real Fossils have underpants older than them,’ he thought. He stared at the picture and an idea sprung to mind.
‘Of course,’ he thought.
He ate breakfast while he planned. He knew he and Lucy would figure out something.
Cosmo dialled Lucy’s number and while waiting for a reply, he said aloud, “You’ve fucked up big time, Billy Bullshit.”
Lucy answered the phone, “Hello Cosmo.”
“Hi, Lucy,” said Cosmo. “I have a plan.”
The beach was alive with activity for the Pchum Ben evening festival. Khmers and foreigners packed the beach with stages set up along the sand at Ochheuteal Beach. Crowds gathered to watch Khmer bands perform, playing both the traditional Khmer music, along with the more modern brand. Vendors went around selling long, thin, Roman candle fireworks on a warm balmy night.
They got a good vantage point around one stage and watched the opening band. Several Cambodian men on stage dressed in a traditional Dulman costume, with some playing on ‘Tro Sau Toch’s, a 2 stringed fiddle, others playing Khloys, vertical duct flutes made from bamboo. The percussionist was tapping away on a large Roneat Khmer, a wooden xylophone. The music droned on, accompanied by several Khmer women traditionally attired in colourful Ikat silk Sampot dresses performing apsara dancing; swaying, stepping and rotating their hands and wrists in time to the music, which went on for about an hour. The stage cleared and technicians set up amplifiers and mixers for a local band who performed Khmer pop songs.
The next band, dressed in jeans and t-shirts, played modern hip-hop music, and although the songs were in Khmer, even the foreigners seemed entertained by the fast beat music.
Once the band finished, pyrotechnic displays exploded along the beach. The air filled with multi-coloured, thunderous explosions and smoke; large fireworks went airborne, erupting into a blaze of colourful, explosive lights. Sihanoukville night sky was ablaze with colour.
The four old men gazed wide-eyed at the spectacle. They saw people holding the long thin fireworks and pointing them over the ocean, now awash with red, green, and blue orbs. It looked like an alien invasion.
“I ain’t seen nuffing like this before, it’s amazing,” said Elvin, lighting a Roman candle and pointing it out to sea.
“Me neither,” said Charles, as Elvin’s Roman candle puffed out green, red, and blue orbs, with a cordite haze drifting over the beach and the atmosphere felt electric.
Magnificent displays went on for thirty minutes, and then, as if someone had turned off a light switch, the sky became silent and dark.
“That’s it for tonight guys,” said Jerry. “We are going to a Cambodian restaurant further along the beach to eat fresh seafood right now. Do you want to join us?”
The four saw the crowds flooding into the nearby restaurants, but with the sound of explosions ringing in their ears and the smell of cordite lingering on the beach, they decided that they’d had enough excitement on the noisy beach for one night.
“I think we will explore the town if you don’t mind,” said Steve.
They left the warm sand and strolled onto the beach road.
They walked up several small streets as the noises from the beach faded into the distance behind them.
Sihanoukville, a sedate, seaside town, catered to tourists wanting to unwind and take things easy after the stresses of Phnom Penh and the Angkor Wat Temples of Siem Reap.
The four strolled a short distance along the road until they noticed lights coming from a small beer bar complex. Hot and sweaty, they headed for a sign that read, ‘Golden Lion Plaza.’
They stood at the top of a concrete slope leading to rows of covered bars. They walked down and went into the first bar.
“I’m sweating like a nun with a condom,” grunted Steve, gulping down his cold glass of draft Anchor beer, one of the main beers of Cambodia.
They looked around the small complex of ten bars, which appeared lively with happy foreigners and girls. They noticed the nightlife more sedate than in Phnom Penh and, although several of the bars had Cambodian girls, they seemed more content to serve drinks as opposed to latching themselves onto foreign men.
“This makes a refreshing change,” said Elvin. “Nobody 'assling us for anything.”
Jock, the bar owner, came over and introduced himself, the bar displayed many signs relating to Scotland and Jock chatted with them.
The other foreign owners and customers were friendly with the old chaps and they went to several bars in the complex. They drank beer, chatted, and played an occasional game of pool. They enjoyed Sihanoukville, which felt a world away from the hustle and bustle of Phnom Penh.
Sitting in Pacino's Bar, Charles tapped his fingers on the table, bobbed his head for several minutes, and said. “I think I could incorporate the eerie melodic style of the Khmer music into our songs.”
Wayne thought and said, “Good idea, buddy. I want to try out one of those wooden xylophones; it sounded gentler than the drums and not as noisy.”
“Okay,” said Charles sounding excited. “We will work on that when we get back to Phnom Penh.”
“I can alter one of my little falsies to play that upright fiddle thing to pluck and bow it,” said Elvin grinning.
Steve laughed and said, “And for my contribution, I will castrate that cat at Sharkys with a cheese grater so it will sound the same as the Cambodian singers.”
It was getting late, so they headed back to Coasters. Leaving the Plaza, they walked along the road until Charles said, “We’re going the wrong way!”
They all stopped and looked.
“Yeah, it’s that way,” said Steve.
“Are you sure buddy?” asked Wayne.
Steve looked again and said. “No, maybe not.”
“We’re lost,” said Charles.
They stood outside a resort with 'Aqua' displayed on the wall.
They decided that they should either walk back to the Plaza and ask for directions or ask at Aqua.
“Hang on,” said Steve, who went up a small ramp that led into Aqua resort. He saw a small restaurant with a group of foreigners sitting around a bar drinking. He thought it would be just as easy to get directions from here, and, they could have another beer for the road, so he beckoned the other three.
Sitting around the Aqua Bar, Bob, the owner, came over to them and introduced himself. He then introduced the other foreigners around the bar, including his sister, who was on vacation to visit her 70- year-old brother. The old men could relate to Bob, a friendly American from Hawaii. They were impressed when he said that he had become a father for the first time at sixty-four-years-old and had a six-year-old daughter named Sarah.
Charles chuckled when he heard Bob’s story and said. “I told you that life begins at 70.” He took a cool swig of beer and smiled smugly at the others.
The planned 'one for the road' beer turned into four. Fossils chatted and became merrily spannered until Charles noticed the time. “We’d better get back to the resort.”
Bob gave them directions for the short walk back to Coasters, and they returned to the resort, which was now quiet after the night’s raucous events. They went to their rooms and got a peaceful night’s sleep.
Waking early, they sat in the restaurant and enjoyed the warm sea breeze as they ate breakfast. They joked with Karen, a jovial little Irish woman who had recently purchased the resort. Feeling relaxed, they looked out over the ocean at the islands. The long-tail boats with their noisy two-stroke engines were leaving the beaches and ferrying customers to the nearby islands. The sea was calm and people snorkelled around the rocks in front of the resort. Steve spent most of the morning on the toilet. His previous night's encounter with Cambodian cuisine had given him rather loose stools, he said. “I’ve been shitting through the eye of a needle all morning. I wonder if they have anything here to sort it?”
Fortunately, thanks to a supply of poop pills given to him by Mr Onions, the resort manager, along with Royal-D re-hydration drink, he felt better. Much to the relief of the others, who didn't want to put up with his rancid, foul-smelling windy deposits on the journey back to the city?
They’d had a wonderful time at the beach and disappointed to be leaving so soon. They drove back to the capital city around lunchtime, to get ready for that night’s gig.
Refreshed after their seaside break, they played that night with renewed vigour, which went down well with the Sharkys crowd. They bought Khmer instruments and over the next few days Charles and Wayne incorporated several short additions to their songs. Elvin plucked and fiddled on a Tro Sau Toch. Charles blew a few notes on a Khloy, and Wayne soon knocked out a beat on the Roneat Khmer. The old musicians had fun as they experimented with this new sound, and Sharky’s cat avoided Steve.
They had been back from Sihanoukville for several days and had settled back into their Phnom Penh routine, playing to the appreciative audience. The Sharkys crowd were unsure about the Khmer additions at first, but the more the band got accustomed to the instruments the better they sounded.
Charles and Elvin became fascinated with ancient Cambodian history. Wanting to learn more, they got brochures and information about Siem Reap and its magnificent ancient temples.
Wayne and Nit stared at each other gooey-eyed at every opportunity, much to the merriment of the others. They thought it strange, how the pair always seemed engrossed in conversation. With Nit’s high-pitched incoherent