Hello from Cambodia

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Hello and welcome to Cambodia, my third country of this south-east asian tour! After 2 weeks in laos, we felt it proper to move on, and our visas were running out!


Post our 10hour bifter bus ride to pakse, we eventually caught a small truck further south close to thge Laos-Cambodia border. This truck was only small, yet 32 people were either sat down, squashed in, or hanging off the back of this truck (about the size of your car dennis!). Sweat was felt in abundance! Our destination was the area known as Si Phan Don (or 4000 islands) and basically is a massive region on the Mekong River of thousands of islands, varying in size from small to mahusive!! We stayed on the relatively small island of Khome, which was the least touristy of the big 3, but utterly beautiful. Here we took cycles to tour the islands and the many river side bungalows, with hammocks in the porches. I can just see myself getting old here, playing my harmonica whilst writing some good honest poetry!! We made it to one corner of the island, where we cuaght a boat out to see the Ayawaddy dolphins (or I like to call shawaddy waddy!). We did glimpse a shaol of them about 50 metres but it was the sunrise over the river that was more remarkable! I would have liked to stay here longer but Cambodia calls, and we are pressed for time now to make the full moon party on the 14th March.

The following morning, having got the worst cramp pains in my calf in the middle of the night ever, we retraced our steps and advanced to the border of Laos-Cmabodia. Here, however, we had to pay 2 dollars just for the "admin" costs and as it was a sunday to the Laos border controllers, who then probably put it in their back pockets! This is after the 20 dollars we paid for our visas- oh the corruption!!! We then went through literally no mans land (neautral ground) to the Cambodian border where we had to pay a further one dollar. This was getting cheeky now!!

Once away and into Cmabodia, we already miss Laos's relatively good roads. The roads here are practically dirt tracks and more wholly than the pope. The view from out mini bus was extraordinary. The land is so sparse and burnt down here that its amazing anything lives. Then there are interspersions of Cambodians working on the roads in the spearing heat- as Chris Kamara would say: "thats unbelievable jeff"! (i think Ive used that one before.) We seem to be travelling quite alot at the moment, but thats only because we are covering long distances on shit transport and even worse roads! Think of the worst road in England, double the worseness- well thats the main Cambodian motorway!!

Hope all is well back home?

Jonny x

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