Happy Birthday Dave

Awhile back in the month of November, I met who is now my closest friend in Cambodia, Dave. When we found out we were from towns a mere 20 minutes apart, there was an instant connection and within a few weeks we were losing our tarantula-and-scorpion-eating-virginities at Bugs Cafe.

Today is Dave's 60th birthday, and we decided to celebrate last night by going to the first place we met for drinks, a Mexican Place called Maybe Later. While I had no idea what to get him, I decided a cake would be the best gift. I went to the bakery across the street from Joe to Go and picked out a small chocolate cake with HAPPY BIRTHDAY held firmly in place by a creamy layer of frosting. The woman at the counter then said, "Name?" and I proceeded to write down my name on a tiny slip of paper.

When the bakery was finished boxing my cake, I left to retrieve my bicycle which was parked at Joe to Go. A few of the staff members were gathered around my bike, wondering if the cake was possibly for them. Leak, one of the waitresses, looks into the tiny plastic window of the box and asks, "For you?" I then looked into the box as if there was a severed head inside and realized they put MY name on the cake. Turns out the woman wanted the name of the birthday cake recipient. I figured it would be a funny blunder and decided to roll with it.

I tied the cake to the back of my bicycle in bitch black darkness, with nothing but my phone light to illuminate the night. I could see and feel the mosquitoes swarming around, so I quickly fastened the cake to my bike rack with a pillowcase I rolled into a makeshift rope. Once fastened, the cake seemed like it wasn't going to be flung off, but I couldn't help but worry the entire ride that I was going to drop the cake. A cake with the wrong name is funny, but a flattened cake with the wrong name is just depressing.

Luckily I made it to Maybe Later with no issues, and Dave rolled up as I was untying the pillowcase. We sat down and I told him that he would laugh when he saw it, and before we knew it we were engaged in a very interesting conversation with the people sitting next to us; the owner, Will, and a random woman, Lilly, who came for dinner. I would need another blog post to describe Will, as his backstory is extremely complicated yet fascinating. To make a long story short, he came to Cambodia to right his father's wrongs, as his father was stationed in Cambodia during the Vietnam War.

Maybe Later is a restaurant where every employee is an artist, and the point of the operation is to rebuild the art community within Siem Reap. Every inch of the walls are painted with beautiful imagery of skeletons sharing drinks, cactus-es, and other south-of-the-border imagery.

Lilly was a graduate student studying anesthesia, and her humor and frequent cursing provided an energetic dynamic to the conversation. We talked about the hospitals in Cambodia, whether drummers were good in bed, and golf ball sized kidney stones. After she decided to call it a night, I brought out the mislabeled cake.

I explained how I misunderstood the woman at the bakery, and as I expected, Dave and Will thought it was hilarious. Will had a lighter on hand and began lighting the candles, and shouted, "We need birthday singers!!" Dave literally pulled his shirt over his head while we all sung happy birthday, and he wished that no one would ever sing him happy birthday again.

Once the singing was done and candles out, we decided to give each staff member a piece of the cake. All the cooks came out with grins from ear to ear, and I could see the appreciation in their eyes as I handed each one of them a piece of the cake. Will must have expressed his gratitude for what we did a hundred times, as he was beyond thrilled to see his staff sitting together and enjoying some delicious birthday cake.

It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling as well to make so many people happy in one night, and I was more than glad I picked Maybe Later to be our restaurant of choice. One of the artists had me write my name down as he is going to create a graffiti piece for me, and I can't wait to go back and see what he did. It turns out that a cake was the best present I could have given Dave, as it brought an entire restaurant together for the celebration.

Souvenirs

As a souvenir guy, I usually spend the first part of a trip obsessing over which trinkets and objects will make the best souvenirs to bring home. This obsession with souvenirs is so pronounced in fact, that most of my gifts for family and friends were picked out and purchased within the first month of me being here. Over the course of my adventure, my view of souvenirs has changed quite drastically, but I am sure as hell happy I got the shopping out of the way early.

I've realized the best souvenirs are not the ones you buy in little shops at the night market or on the side of the road, but the items you carry with you every single day. Maybe it's an ID card you hung around your neck at all times, or a journal you've poured your thoughts into day in and day out. Seemingly trivial items that weren't intended to be souvenirs are the best souvenirs out there, and for me, these items will be my most cherished trinkets.

The copy of First They Killed My Father (which I finally started) that I purchased from a land-mine victim, the hilariously adorable drawings of "Teacher Dan," and the trove of videos I shot will all be precious mementos that will transport me back here, whenever I decide to free them from whatever storage bin they will surely end up in.

I must say even with my new take on souvenirs, there is one souvenir that I will always proudly display. And that souvenir is a Royal Selangor Pewter statue of beloved Star Wars villain, Boba Fett. Most of the souvenirs I bought for myself will end up as gifts for others, as I've realized more stuff is the antithesis of happiness. In my opinion, learning to live with less and appreciating one's relationships and surroundings is the key to a happy and fulfilling life.