Sat Apr 2, 2011.
J.D. Kindle
East Oregonian
It’s not often that one gets to celebrate his birthday in a foreign country. Since Brian and I were in Cambodia for mine, our attitude was to try to pack it with as much as we possibly could.
My birthday ended up falling on our first day in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Our tuk-tuk driver Chomm, whom we had arranged for the previous evening, met us at the cafe in front of our guesthouse in the morning. I asked him what Cambodians do to celebrate their birthday, to which he replied the standard of cake and presents. When I informed him it was my birthday he became giddy and claimed he could take us out for the evening to where his friends could sing me “Happy Birthday,” but in the meantime we would take in some of the major sights and activities in the city.
Sold.
Our first stop was the shooting range. Cambodia has become somewhat notorious for the proliferation of shooting ranges created by leftover weapons from years of civil war and lax government oversight. Travelers who want to play Rambo for a day can try their hand at an array of assault rifles, machine guns and even hand grenades.
Since it was my birthday, I had to treat myself to a hand grenade. The director of the shooting range led me over to a large pond. He picked up a handful of rocks from the ground and tossed them into the pond in order to show me the the correct throwing distance. After I made a few correct practice throws myself, he stuffed a grenade in my hand and pulled the pin. It’s hard to keep your cool knowing you’re holding a device that could obliterate your presence on earth, which is seconds away from exploding, so I frantically tossed it in the pond like a hot potato. The ensuing explosion in the water was impressive.
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