Good friend of RandBall and sometimes commenter Local Quipster is traveling for a spell through parts of Asia. As such, he has been sending us e-mail updates every couple of days. He's also been sending these to KSTP radio, where they are posting them in full. But we couldn't resist pulling out a few excerpts from his most recent update, received about 12 hours ago. The part about the Vikings, in particular, is key. The rest is just a bonus. Here we go:
--------------
Cambodia is the surprise jewel of the trip so far. Again, amusement in bullet points:
*The Backstreet Boys are just happening here. I feel like I should McFly it up and tell them about the future.
*We visited Angkor Wat, the 8th Wonder of the World just outside of Siem Reap. Picture the grandeur of the Great Wall and the architecture of the Great Pyramids. I had a half hour conversation wtih a Cambodian monk replete in orange robe. He spoke so softly I could barely hear him but it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I handed him some money, more than I thought I would but money that I know will go to the disadvantaged. I shook his hand but he did not shake Danica's because he cannot touch or be touched by women (I have a couple friends who have the same issue though not by choice). I did not mention that my job was to buy millions of pounds of beef. I don't think that would have been enlightening to anyone.
*After seeing the temple, we drove 6 hours to Phnom Penh (and canceled the bus to Ho Chi Minh) because it was the only place in Southeast Asia that was showing the Vikings game, albeit on tape delay. So we drove through the countryside for 6 hours on a 3rd world bus, passing thousands of yaks and shacks on stilts to protect flooding from the Mekong River and when we got to Phnom Penh I checked my email and my Dad told me the score. I'm the only person in the world to drive 6 hours on bus to see the game in southeast Asia and my heart just sank. We watched the game anyway but it felt more like ESPN Classic than the NFC Championship game. Coach Oja in Melrose always told me one thing: "Never throw late over the middle". I heard this advice because I've thrown the same interception many times. Heartbreaking. My friend Jerry felt bad for me too.
*Whenever my friend Jim gives me hell about talking about SJU glory days, I will relate to him that the Cambodians are still enjoying their glory days of the 13th century in the Angkor period. They are the Chicago Cubs of Asia.
*I was a market in Phnom Penh that was like a Babylonian ziggurat: domed, tiny paths that were perfect for the Lilliputians and the temperature was probably 150 degrees. Everyone was sweating and sewing and selling everything from fake Air Jordans to fake Dolce and Gabbana shirts. Name a DVD--they had it. They might have had movies that haven't even been made yet. Just wait until you see George Clooney in Oceans 21; he finally shows his age. You can't be offended at such places; instead, you gotta own it. "Oooh, you are sooooo big. You need big underwear over here." Thank you very kindly.
