Battambong to Siem Riep

So I feel like I'm starting to get my traveling shoes back on. I think one of the tricks of this long term traveling thing is to just roll with the feelings you get but keep on going. Also if I just move a bit slower like I talked about it is a lot easier to feel comfortable while always in new places. The last few days in Battambong I also kinda forced myself to do some touristy stuff and ended up having a great time.

After my last blog I didn't do anything with the rest of my day but I did set up a moto driver to take me around the next day. He was a guy who got me right off the bus (actually he rode next to my moto in his moto giving me his speach) and gave me some info on him and a card. He actually worked for the water resource development team in Battambong as an interpreter so that sold me to use him as a guide. He took me to a hill/cave that was used to torture and kill people during the Pol Pot days. Then he took me to an old 11th century tempal on a hill. Next he was going to take me to the Bamboo Train but it started pouring on the way. The roads were terible and I was soked to the bone so I told him to just take me home.

The Killing Cave

The temple

That night I actually met a nice tuk tuk driver who gave me moto prices so I agreed to meet him the next day to go to the bamboo train. The next day his brother showed up but he was nice enough. The bamboo train was really cool. I thought it would be some stupid touristy thing but it was actually a nice thing to see. There are no trains in Cambodia because the railways are so bad so the only thing on the tracks are these little home made things. Its a platform on a pair of axles on the tracks then a little gas motor that has a belt wraped around one of the axles. Then to start the train he just pulls back the motor making friction with the belt and away you go. Another cool thing is that to go backwards they just twist the belt so the axle spins the other way.

The bamboo train, notice the belt is twisted on the second picture

After that I decided to hang out with the driver some more so I went to a winery with him. He showed me some old Khemur buildings on the way and a cool bridge on the way back but the winery was cool. We got there and soon after it started raining so we just hung out talked and drank the wine and brandy that they make at the place. I did buy a bottle of brandy because it was good and I didn't pay for anything I drank so I wanted to buy something.

The winery

The tuk tuk driver on a cool bridge

That night I had a good conversation over dinner with an NGO worker in Battambong. There are so many NGO workers in Cambodia. I've met like 20 by now, and in Thailand I didn't meet one NGO worker. Then after dinner I finally went to the little local bar. I was the only one there at first so I just hung out with the owner and then a couple showed up (one from Spain and the other from France, both NGO workers). We all talked and drank until way to late so that I only got 4 hours of sleep last night because I had to wake up early to take a boat to Siem Riep.

I was going to rent a moto in Battambong and then ride to Siem Riep so I would have the freedom here to do whatever I want. But after that accident I just didn't really feel like riding myself all that way so I opted for the boat instead, plus the guide book says its the prettiest boat ride in Cambodia. It was a really cool ride. We winded up this river from Battambong and there were houses along the river a lot of the way. They were basically shacks built on a platform floating in the water. In some places we would get to towns where there were stores and resturants and everything in these houses along the river. It was cool but at the same time you could tell everyone was very poor. Some people just lived in these little platforms or small boats on the water.

The floating houses on the river

The boat ride was great and there was actually a tuk tuk waiting for me at the end that took me to Garden Village (the cool recomended guest house) free of charge. This guest house is great. One dollar dorm room beds, free internet (but very slow), a rooftop bar/resturant, and a very chill vibe. Right now I just hung out with some locals and people staying here, ate and got on the internet to do this. Cambodia has been harder than Thailand as far as what I see and the desperation of the people, but I've found more of these gem locations where you can just chill and relax for days with mellow people.

Well thats all for now. I'm feeling a lot better but am still thinking I'll just do southern Laos and then go home. One thing I've realized is that traveling is just like life at home, where there are bad days and good days. Just because I'm seeing new things and having exciting adventures doesn't mean that I'll love every minute. Sometimes I may feel like I want to go home but if I just relax for a day and see something new I'll get over it and remember again how lucky I am to see all these different cultures and places. Also I don't think I'll be able to do pictures while I'm here because the internet is so slow but maybe one day I'll be able to. Another thing is the club I went to in Phnom Penh was Heart of Darkness, not City of Darkness (I went back and corrected it). Peace and love to all!

Phnom Pehn to Battambong

Its been a while since I last posted but I've had a hard time moving fast. I'm not sure if its because I've been traveling for a while or because of what I saw but I just can't seem to move fast. I spent about a week in Phnom Pehn and then came here to Battambong yesterday. I actually liked the city a lot but thats mostly because of the lakeside area and the guest house I was in. Let me see if I can quickly go through what I did.

The day after my last post I went into the city with Elena (The girl from London that was in the shared taxi with me). We went to the center market, which is a large market that is in the old main bus terminal building (so now there isn't a main bus terminal). She had some stuff to get and so did I. Then we walked to the riverside and went to the FCC which is a resturant called the forign correspondence center. Its an old building that reporters have been going to for years, so there were war photos everywhere. The drinks were expensive so we just had one beer then went to a pizza place.

The view from the FCC

The Grand Palace

At the pizza place I ran into Ty and Cy (two of the Hawaii guy's that were with Moo when I first met her). We hung out and talked and then they walked to the lakeside with me while Elena went to the Vietnamese embassy. We hung out at Same Same for a while and then arranged to go to the Killing Fields and S-21 with paul (one of the tuk tuk drivers, my favorite). I think that night I went to the Moskito Bar nearby where one guy at the guest house works, and the manager helped open Bhodi Villa's.

The next day the Killing Fields and S-21 were hard things to see. At the Killing Fields there are so many bodies that in the pathways you are actually walking on bones and pieces of clothings from the bodies. It was hard to take pictures so I didn't after a couple. So many people died there in such horrible ways. There was one pit of all beheaded people, another of just women and children (there was a tree next to this pit used to smash the kids against the tree in front of the mother). Then S-21 wasn't much better. Its a high school and elementary school that was changed into a torture and detention center in 1975. They had pictures of the last bodies they found there, old torture equipment, and blood still on the wall. Again it was like you could feel all the horible things that had happened there. For the rest of that day I just relaxed, played pool, and played chess.

The Killing Fields

The next day I went into the city with John (a tall tatooed buy from london with a bald head and a huge beard) and Christian (a german guy) who both live at my guest house. We went to the shopping center for ice cream and then went to the top and saw and amazing view. There was a skating rink on the top of the shopping center also. John left to do some CV stuff (he is applying for jobs here) and Christian and I went to the Russian Market. After Christian got presents for his family we got a tuk tuk back to lakeside but a storm had just begun.

The tuk tuk driver went slow but it was still a crazy sight. The city basically began to flood. Some roads just turned into rivers a couple of feet deep, but the moto drivers and cars just went right through it. We didn't see the worst of it and got back to the guest house safe but other people told me about how the water was deeper than their motorbike, or how outside our guest house the water was about 2 feet deep in the street (it was half a foot when we walked through). It is crazy to me that the city would flood that much because it may have been a two hour long downpoor but I have heard in the rainy season those same rains can last 24 hours and imagine what would happen then. I also wonder if the bad flooding near lakeside has anything to do with the fact that they are filling in the lake.

That night I did the staying out all night thing. I was with John and other long time people, it was a group of 6 total, and then 8 later in the night. We went to some girly bar to pick up one guy's girlfriend, then went to Pontoon, and then Heart of Darkness. Pontoon is a club on the river in a boat that plays trance music all night and people dance and stuff. Heart of Darkness is a famous club from movies like pontoon and city of ghosts. It was a high roller club with lots of rich Cambodians and was in an old french building.

The next two day I literally did nothing. I hung out at the Same Same guest house, played pool, played chess, drank beer, and watched some movies. I got to know everyone at the guest house and got really comfortable so I just didn't want to leave and go out traveling really soon. I also planned to do the internet both days but just didn't get out of the building. Its nice because the city is chaotic but at the guest house the lake is right there, and lots of cool people are about so its easy to just hang out and move from one conversation to another forgetting how crazy the city is.

The Lake from Same Same

Yesterday I came here to Battambong by bus. There are not many farang here. Its a small city basically, similar to Kampot but without the river (there is a river but its smaller and very polluted). I'm not sure what I think about it yet. I just went out to eat last night and met a large tour group, and today I walked through the market. Maybe tonight I'll check out the main bar in town that I've gotten a couple of flyers for from a guy who lost his legs.

Maybe its because of what I saw but I'm not as keen on traveling around a lot right now. I want to see Ankor Wat and a nice guest house people have told me about there, and I think I want to go to the 4000 island group in southern Loas but that might be it for me. I've been gone for a while so I miss my friends and family and am a bit tired of traveling. Before being in large multi cultural groups was new and exciting but now it is normal. I hardly have the drive to learn about people or cultures anymore, I just want some relaxed people to play a game with or something. Recently I've met a lot of people who kinda feel the same so its been easy to just relax and play games without really talking too much.

This could just be how I've felt recently and will get back into the spirit of traveling in a few days, but if its not, then I can go home whenever I want. One couple I met in Bangkok showed me how you can just show up there and get tickets through the travel agencies cheaper than you could buying tickets over the internet, so that is probably what I'll do to get home. I'll go to Siem Riep and see the temples and then will decide if I want to make my way up to Laos or just go back to Bangkok.

Well, thats all for now. I don't have many pictures and don't have the camera with me so I'll post whatever I have later. Also I'm sorry for sharing such a graphic image with everyone. It has been hard to deal with having seen a life lost so I think I described the experience in a bit too much detail to try to help it leave my brain and just infected all of you with the image. Anyway, peace and love to everyone.

In Phnom Pehn

Now I'm in Phnom Pehn. I like the area I'm in even though it will be destroyed within the next year, and I've seen one of the most graphic things I've ever seen. I can't seem to get this image out of my head and its been affecting me all day. It's like a bustling Asian city here without skyscrapers, without all paved roads, without rules (which is normal in Cambodia) and with a lot of bicicles and motorbikes. Its hard to be away from Bhodi's but its nice to be on the move again.

My last day at Bhodi's I went on a boat ride up the river. When Chenda (one of the people that work at Bhodi's) asked me if I wanted to go I figured I might as well or else I'd just sit around all day. Before the boat ride I swam down to Jess's to help her move some big things, then she came on the boat also. It was a nice calm ride up the river with a bunch of people I'd come to know kinda and we just drank beers and went for a ride.

On the boat

Sunset from the boat

The last night there was also fun just hanging out with the bar tender, who also lives there, and drinking and playing pool. Then in the morning I did my normal morning swim but this time swam all the way to the other side and hung out in the abandoned building over there. That was nice, and a good ending to my time on the river. I booked a shared taxi with another girl from the guest house that also wanted to go to Phnom Pehn.

The shared taxi was an interesting experience. The two of us shared the front seat of a normal car, there were four people in the back, and another Khemur person shared the drivers seat. It was a spectical but normal to the Khemur people. The roads were bad and unmarked for much of the way. The driver kept his left signal on most of the time and passed everything he could but also had to slow down a lot for the dirt sections. Also there were oxen driven carts sharing the road also. Then, near the city a horrible accident happened.

We were very close to the city so the street was packed with mostly motorbikes, but also cars, large trucks, and bicicles and people are always trying to pass people in a generally chaotic patturn. We were maybe two cars back when it happened. Basically I saw a teenage girl on a bicicle start to wobble bad (I think a moto cut her off), she did maybe two to three wobbles and then toppled over. She fell right into the road, right inbetween the wheels of a large gravel or dump truck. Her head landed under the truck and the back wheel just went right over her head squashing it like a watermellon.

We were so close I could see everything very clearly. There is no way she lived and I knew it the second that wheel went over the head. It was so fast, she was alive one minute riding the bike like so many other people and dead the next. I can't seem to get the image of the wheel riding right over her head out of my head. We drove right passed her then turned around and drove passed her again to go into the city. I think the truck stopped right there and wasn't going anywhere so the taxi spun around and went into the city a different way, but it made it so we saw her body up close twice. The second time there was a huge puddle of blood that was not there the first time. This is all kinda hard to write. It was all like something you'd see in a movie but I actually saw it happen before my eyes. I don't know if I'll ever be able to look at a crowded street the same again.

Anyway after that we had to haggle for a tuk tuk into the lakeside area of Phnem Pehn where some travelers have recommended that I stay. The area is nice. Its a little allyway tucked away but is full of guesthouses, bars, resturants, and internet shops. Its like Khao San but better, or kinda like the streets in Phi Phi but better. All the guest houses are long and narrow and have decks that overlook the lake, and the sunsets over the lake. Last night I just checked into the guest house ($2 a night) and then went out to the deck to talk to people and relax. The girl from Bhodi and I drank together and ate together but didn't tell anyone about what we saw. I think it was too upsetting for either of us to have a big conversation about people dieing with these poeple we had just met.

The only problem with this area is that they are filling in the lake right now to build on top of it. You can see to the left that they are filling it in with sand and gravel. They will fill in the entire area where the guest houses currently are, destroying the whole area, and then will build some kind of development or buisness area. It really makes me sick to think that this wonderful lake and area of the city will be completely destroyed within a year. The company doing it is some Malaysian company. This whole counrty is up for sale and its obvious everywhere, especially when your watching a beautiful sunset over a lake that will be some sort of development.

Today I woke up slow, and moved slow. I was going to go on a walk around the city but left late. I met some kids I had met at Kho Phan-gan and then also in Sihanoukville at a little cafe. I sat down and three of them caught busses to leave the country and the fourth stayed around. We just watched a movie and now I'm here. The rains have come early this year so its rained hard the last few days but its a welcome rain because it cools it off and most of the time its almost too hot to walk, or even sit. Anyway, thats all for now. Peace

PS. I added pictures and two video's. The oldest video is from the floating market.

Still relaxing at Bhodi's

It is really nice here at Bhodi Villa's in Kampot. For the last couple days I've ventured out some but I really like the vibe here at the guest house. I was going to go to Kep, and to Rabbit Island which is right off the coast from Kep, but instead I decided to chill out here longer and take a day trip to Kep. The plan now is to head to Penom Phen tomorrow and then towards Siem Riep.

My bed in the dorm room

The chill area

The bar area

The deck down on the water

The floating bungalows from the deck

The chill area from the deck

A few days ago after I posted on here I was going to go to town with Jess and the Israelie couple but my back tire went flat. We went from Bhodi's to Jess's place which is called the Blank Canvas and then when we left there the tire went flat when going on the road. I decided to turn back and hobble to Bhodi's and they continued to town.

The girl here called the bike guy's and the tire was fixed pretty quickly but I got food in the meantime. I still went to town and hung out with the paper people at the Rusty Nail. There has been a group of people staying here that all work for the Penom Phen post. They have been getting so drunk and partying so hard it is interesting to think that some of the articles I've been reading were written by these guys.

Anyway, after drinking with them a bit, I left when there food came and went over to Jess's place to hang out for the evening. We just chilled on the water and talked and went skinny dipping in the river. After a while we ate some rice and vegetables and then I went back to the guest house to sleep. Its cool walking around here because there are fire flies so it does feel magical.

The next day I relaxed again in the morning having my normal morning swim and then an interesting character came into the bar. It was an older guy with two mixed Khemur kids. He was insulting to the Khemur people and just kept talking about it and talking about how in Norway he would be arrested for drinking a beer like he was and letting his kids run around. So this strange character got most of the people in the place leave and eventually I went into town to eat the ribs at Rusty's and all the Bhodi people were there. I sat down and played cards with some of the guy's and then ate the ribs. They were actually the best ribs I've ever had. The tire on the back wheel of the bike was going flat again so I just went back to the guest house and relaxed.

Yesterday I traded bikes and then went into Kep for the day. First I went to the Epic Arts Cafe in town which is a performing arts center and cafe for disabled people in Cambodia. That was nice and then it started raining so I stayed there for a bit. When the rain cleared I left for Kep but did end up driving through a down pore but by the time I got to Kep I was dry. Kep was nice and very busy with people. I walked through the crab market and then went to the beach. The beach was narrow and golden in color and again full of Khemur people. I think there were so many people because it was the Saturday after the new year. Anyway, I drank a beer and then went back to Bhodi's and played pool until I went to sleep.

The Kep beach

Now its the morning here and I've had my morning swim and am using Jess's computer again. Its interesting here at Bhodi's because besides the long term travelers who stay here a lot of people from NGO's also stay here for days off. They do intense work around Cambodia and then come here to unwind so much of the time they are getting very drunk. Its very interesting.

A kitten and mom that live in the dorm also

Well, I need to leave here soon or I'll get stuck so the plan is to go to the city tomorrow. Till next time...

In Kampot for the Khemur New Year

Kampot, or more specifically the Bhodi Villa guest house on the river (I actually haven't been to the town yet), is very nice and relaxing. There is a community here that consists of a bunch of long term travelers or people that decided to stay and live in this area. The place is right on the river and you can swim in the river which is nice in the heat of the day, and there is plankton in the water so at night you can see all the colors as you swim (like places on the ocean). I think its kind of a magical place where time slips away and you can completely relax.

A few days ago I left Sihanoukville in the morning and got here by 10 or so in the morning. It turned out that someone didn't show up to stay at the floating bungalow on the river the day before so I got to stay in it. It is an amazing bungalow that is literally floating on the river so you can feel the ripples and your sleeping about 1 foot above the water level. I swam right away and laid in my bed feet from the water. I was still not feeling great so I just slept a lot and relaxed all day.

Back of the sunset from the floating bungalow

The floating bungalow

The river view from the floating bungalow

That first night was the beginning of the Khemur New Year so at exactly 1:36 am all the Khemur people lit incense and did prayers to the spirits, and the new year began (its a three day celebration). I stayed up for the 1:36 celebration and lit some incense saying my own prayers to whatever I believe in. The new year here is more of a spiritual celebration that has to do with their version of Buddhism than a huge party. Unlike the Thai new year which is also happening right now but is more of a huge party throwing water around.

I really didn't do much the next couple days because I just wanted to enjoy my bungalow and get better. The second day here I met a girl from the US that is living two doors down the river. She is renting an art place with group paintings on the walls that anyone can contribute to and there are also canvases with art all over the place. It was fun to relax there, talk to the girl (Jess), and swim of course. That night she showed me the plankton, which I can't believe I didn't notice because I swam at night the night before.

Jess's place "Blank Canvas"

The next day I met Jess in the morning and then we rented bikes to go up to Bokor Mountain. Bokor Mountain is a cool place that was used for a huge casino/resort for the french near the turn of the century. Then due to the hatred of the rich that the Khemur Rouge had it was sacked and burned along with all the rich residents that were also on the mountain. For a long time it was fought for by the different armies because of its stategic location and today the building are still standing and burned.

View of the area from about half way up Bokor Mtn.

Me at the top of Bokor Mountain

Right now Bokor Mountain has been closed because of some huge development that is going to happen up on the hill (development is rampant here and without regulation, so if your connected and have money you can do whatever you want) and opened up just for 4 or 5 days for the new year. Because its open only for a few days for the celebration and then will close for another year there were tons of Khemur people up there. There were large groups of families having picnics in the abandoned buildings, even in the old casino.

Some cool art in an abandoned building

Jess and I had a great time seeing the burned out buildings and all the happy Khemur families. Also the casino was very big and had large halls and balconies and it was fun to imagine what it would have been like if it wasn't completely stripped and burned. The view was also amazing with a huge cliff that went down to the flatter land next to the coast. The last cool aspect was that up on the mountain you were at cloud level, or above it, so clouds would drift in and then flow over the ridge adding a cool misty-ness to the area. Overall it was a really cool place and I feel extremely lucky to have been there for the only 4-5 days its open in two years.

The casino

The main hall inside the casino

Then last night after we got back from the mountain there was a party here to celebrate the end of the new year. It was an interesting party but I mostly just played cards at the bar with some of the regulars I have met. I didn't stay up too late and then went to bed in the dorm room (I had the floating bungalow for two days and now I'm in the dorm). Today I've just been relaxing and am using Jess's computer that she has left at the bar for people to use with the wifi. My plan is to use the motorbike I used yesterday to go and actually see the town of Kampot.

Its nice to be away from the touristy areas of Cambodia. There are not people trying to sell things to you everywhere here, and I feel safer. Cambodia is a very strange country, beautiful and ugly at the same time. Its a religious country but due to the years of Khemur Rouge rule much of the culture has been destroyed and replaced with a desperateness that you can feel. People were forced not to practice Buddhism and just work as slaves, so today people care a lot more about money than anything else. But so many people can't earn money, most people make 1-2 dollars a day. Most people don't even have a place to live because the land prices are actually pretty high so they just squat wherever they can. The number of abandoned buildings is astonishing.

There is also so much corruption in the government and just everything. Most things you would want here you can't buy but need to know someone who can buy it for you, like sim cards can't be bought buy foreigners. Even the motorbike rental was just that the people here called someone and then about 15 minutes later the bikes were dropped off for us to rent. The land thing is where the biggest amount of corruption is because very few own land because of the price but people live everywhere. Because of this when someone does something with land, like an ugly misplaced development, a bunch of families are pushed off the land. This financial crisis could not have come at a better time for Cambodia because the land prices are going down, and the developments are stopping so people aren't getting kicked off their land as much and the natural beauty is not being destroyed like it was only one year ago.

Anyway, overall its a beautiful place and anything you would want to do you can. Thats what a lot of people like about Cambodia. There really are no restrictions on anything. If you can pay for it you can do it. There is even a place where you can shoot a tank if you have 300 dollars to spend. Also, you do use dollars here. I guess 5-10 years ago they decided to start using dollars because the riel was having so many currency issues. Today you use dollars for everything and riel is used for change. You can spend riel for anything also but its always translated into how many dollars that riel would be worth. Because of the riel/dollar thing there are no coins here which is kinda cool. Well, thats all for now, no pictures again because I'm using Jess's computer but I'll get them up eventually. Peace and love to all

Still in Sihanoukville

Now I am traveling alone again. Basically we were all just crossing paths. Dharma left first then Gabe left the next day and then Sarah left today. Sarah and I were going to go to Kampot today but I got very sick. Most travelers know what kind of sick I'm talking about but starting two nights ago I could hardly get to the bathroom, couldn't keep anything down, couldn't hardly move, just slept and sweat. Now I'm feeling better. At least I've been able to move around today and have kept everything down.

I haven't really done much in Sihanoukville, just a lot of catching up with friends. After my last blog I got desterbing e-mail from a friend that got me very worried. I think everything is fine but for a couple days it was hard for me to think of much else. Also everyone else kinda just wanted to relaxe on the beach. They have had much more of a culture shock than me coming to Cambodia starting with scams right across the boarder. Then there are the crazy stories you hear. It just isn't as safe here due to the poverty of the people. You can tell by all the armed guards protecting the guest houses here.

Chillin on the beach

Chillin in front of Gabe and Sarah's room.

That night Dharma, Gabe and I went out to the beach to party a bit. It pretty fun. There were those comfortable chairs all around to sit on and the music was the same as it always is, this house stuff or whatever. We ended up staying up late dancing and talking to people. I ended up meeting the owners of one of the clubs. Even in the party scene you can tell a difference because anything goes here. If you can pay for it you can have it. Corruption is rampant and in your face. Even the prime minister is an ex Khemur Rough officer.

The next day after Dharma left Gabe, Sarah and I had a mellow morning and then went to the market in the city in the afternoon. The market was a big market with stuff you would need, not touristy stuff. I needed some stuff and so did Gabe and Sarah so we shopped around a bit for what we needed. Then looked for a place to eat but decided to get closer to our guest houses before it got dark.

Gabe in the tuk tuk going to the market

We ended up eating at a pizza place and meeting a middle aged guy who is engaged to a young Khemur girl. He just seemed completely in love with her and I'm not sure about how she felt. I'm sure she was very happy to get a more secure life and probably money for the family but he was so much older. Also the language barier seemed pretty big. We thought she would speak more english base on how he talked about her but when she came she could not speak much.

Anyway, that night after hanging out in their room after dinner I decided to stay because I was really tired, then I got sick. I basically could not leave the room the entire next day and just barely kept the water down. Gabe left that morning, and Sarah left the next day, which was this morning. By this morning I could walk and even ate some toast. I've been doing ok all day. Its a good thing I know how to take care of myself when sick, just drink and sleep.

Tomorrow I'm off to Kampot. I still want to go there and I'm feeling well enough to travel. I bought a ticket today from my guest house (which I haven't spent much time at becuase I was always at the other guy's place) and then a girl next to me suggested a place to stay at, but then realized it may be full because of the time of year. The Khemur new year starts tomorrow and so rates in Sihanoukville are going up, another reason I wanted to leave. The girl dialed the guest house and I talked to them. They had some shared rooms, or dorm rooms available so I booked. Only 3 dollars and it should be a relaxing place to get through the new year. Thats all for now, and the usb doesn't work here so I'll all pictures later. Peace and love to all.

In Sihanoukville

This morning I woke up early to knocking on the door from my guest house manager waking me up for the bus ride to Sihanoukville. The ride was not too unpleasant. I was taken to the bus terminal on a bus from my guest house then we went to Sihanoukville. I slept most of the way, or I should say tried to sleep. The road was pretty good because they just finished building four bridges over rivers along the way and repaving the road. I guess just last year you had to take four ferries in order to get from Sihanoukville to Koh Krong.


As soon as I got off the bus there were taxi drivers all over me but there were enough tourist that I got out pretty good. A nice moto driver ended up taking me to the place I asked him to, which I guess is not that normal. When I got to the guesthouse I got a room and then tried to call Sarah (she called me on the bus from Bangkok to Trat and gave me the Cambodian number). Again I have lost my phone. It must have fell out in the bus, but now its really gone. I'm not sure if I'm going to get a new phone because now it seems like its not destined for me to have a phone in Cambodia. I still might buy another one but for at least a few days I'll see what its like without one. At the guesthouse I just borrowed a phone from worker there to call Sarah.


It turned out her, Dharma and Gabe had come to Sihanoukville the day before in the afternoon and evening. They were staying at a guest house only a couple minute walk from me. Its the guest house that most of the moto's take the people to no mater what they say, even my moto driver mentioned it to me. So I walked down there and it is really good to see close friends after you've traveled with them for a while, and then seperated for a while. I'm used to seeing them while traveling and know what it is like, plus now its the four of us that know each other the best as a group in Seattle also.


We all caught up on what we have been doing and soon after I got there I ran into the British girls that I met in Sukhothai. I ate some food with them while the rest of them got ready to go to the beach. We also caught up on what we've been doing because they have gone to Lao, Vietnam before coming to Cambodia 5 days ago. But I did realize how diferent it is catching up with close friends compared to people you've spent 2 days hanging out with.


The beach was interesting. There were really comfortable chairs everywhere under umbrellas with shade, a nice perfect sand beach, and little kids selling bracelets and all kinds of stuff everywhere. Dharma and Gabe started buying a couple bracelets and soon there was a group of 5 to 10. I did buy a newspaper from one but then tried to just sit and read. Some of them were really pushy but they were only kids. It definately affected the beach experience. One of the kids said that down the beach where most of the tourists are that they are not allowed to go.

The sunset tonight




I haven't done much else with my day, just catching up and eating food. Now everyone is tired because last night they all partied for Sarah's birthday, and I'm tired because I've traveled a lot. We are all trying to figure out what we are doing in Cambodia. I think Dharma and Gabe will be around tomorrow and then go back to Thailand the next day, and Sarah and I are going to try to travel to gether for the next week or so before she moves on to somewhere else and then I see Penom Phen and Anchor wat before I go towards the Loas boarder.


Cambodia is a very different county. You can tell just from the roads, but the desperatness of the people for a sell is also apparent. The guy's have been telling me that the harassing by kids like today has been almost a constant along the tourist trail. I have to keep telling myself that I am in a different country becuase I was getting so used to Thailand. The people here act different, they look different, and have such a different history. I'll go through the tourist trail but I'm excited to see some towns most people don't see also. Well, I'm tired and need to sleep so thats all I got. Goodnight or good morning.