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With only 4 days left, our trip was winding down, wanting to make the most of our precious time in Cambodia and trying to see as much as we could. The last leg of our trip took us to Sihanoukville for some beach time, Phnom Penh for some urban life, and finally one last wild night out with the boys in Saigon before heading back to Japan.

Wish I Could Go Back to the Dolphin Shack

Casey Lary
2007-04-27 21:24:40

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I fell asleep. The three-hour drive to get there was sooooo worth it.

That night was the final Last Supper of the Mekong Family since Lisa and Jeff were headed to the beautiful resort on the next beach over the next night. Being loyal to our Dolphin Shack friends, we returned for drinks, which turned into dinner, and one of my favorite nights of the trip. Dan, a worker at the Dolphin Shack, was becoming a good friend of ours. He personally made us our 'death' buckets for the night. When he brought them over he told us 'I made them extra strong for you.' Jeff and I ordered a Mojito bucket, which was basically some Bacardi with a few mint leaves thrown in for decoration. He sat down with us and told us his Cambodia-Vietnam border. His dad had a farm and raised cows for a living. When Dan was a teenager his dad gave him a cow and said that he could now start making a living from this cow. But, Dan had many brothers and sisters and ended up giving the cow's offspring to his siblings, therefore leaving him without profit. To make money he moved to Sihanoukville to work in one of the beach cafes, the Dolphin Shack lucky to have him around. He did not want to work in a factory. It became a family affair for him, as his cousin and sister also came to work in the area. His best friend was a girl named Lili who also worked at the Dolphin Shack. They were only 22 years old. He said he made $20 a month. He used what he needed to survive, the rest of it went to his family who he tried to visit every other month. It was extremely interesting to hear his life story and how different it was from my own. Although people in Sihanoukville were relatively poor, they all sported some
pretty nice clothes. I guess you could considere it a perk for working in or near a sweat shop! We ended up ordering fresh seafood for dinner. Dan gave Lisa and I Dolphin Shack t-shirts as a gift (printed on Gap t-shirts). The alcohol kept flowing and we found ourselves starting a dance ...