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Published: April 5th 2017
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I made my way further to the East closer to the Vietnamese border and found myself in a small, quaint, and relaxing old French Colonial town by the name of Kampot. While I was here an unlikely friendship developed around a game that I have not been around much of late, but that I used to play all of the time when I was younger - billiards. At a worn down and tattered type of bar right on the river front; myself, a very sweet German girl Lea, the Swiss owner of the bar Stephan, and an old traveling gypsy of sorts from England named Gary played the nights away shooting stick, heckling one another, and having a great time together with the rock and roll of The Rolling Stones playing in the air. We were an unusual group with different ages and backgrounds, but these tend to be the best type.
My first night in town, before I had met my 8-Ball crew, I was minding my own business sitting by the riverside watching the sunset (as I do) when a young Cambodian came over to me and in near perfect English invited me to go with him on
a boat with his fisherman buddies and a case of beer. Never one to turn down this type of prospect I gladly accepted and the next thing I knew I was aboard a large fishing vessel with six fisherman who were BBQing fresh fish pulled up from the freezers below deck. We even had a stingray grilled up at one point. No one spoke English except the first guy, but it didn't matter. We all ate, drank and shared in this all human of human natures together. It was one of those organic moments that you hate to take a photo of, which I did and regretted doing it immediately as it changed the mood ever so slightly. Really a super nice group of people and an unexpected welcome to Kampot.
The next day ( against my better judgement) I booked a tour for $13 that would take me to Bokor National Park. The Park is home to some very nice untouched jungle sloping up the mountianside providing dramatic views of the valley below. Due to the cool temperatures of the altitude, it was also a sort of retreat for the Royal Family from the 1950s-1970s at which time
the Khmer Rouge rolled into town and the homes for the families of the elite were abandoned and left to ruin where they stand today. The tour was forgettable for me other than the views of the jungle and that of nature. For the $13 I was also to receive a sunset cruise on the river, but 5 minutes in the engine on our boat broke and I just walked back to town cutting my losses.
Making may way back into town is when I introduced myself to Lea. The nicest girl you could ever meet. Always smiling and taking life in with a positive energy. She had been traveling India for a few months and was now in Asia for a couple more before returning home to Germany. We played a game of pool and as often happens we were challenged to team play. Somehow, someway we beat everyone at least once and there were some pretty good players. We as a team lost only once in the evening. She hit some shots, I hit some shots and with some luck came away with victory after victory. We were dubbed the 8-Ball Killers by Stephan and Gary. The
little brokedown bar in Kampot was a great place to spend the evenings playing pool and I really enjoyed the fun competitive spirit in all involved. It reminded me of my days in Steamboat Springs with fake ID in hand at the old pub where many a pool game and many a gambled bar tab would be won for the evening. That's the way it went here in Kampot for the few days I was here. Late lunches, afternoon strolls, and late night pool sessions. As with all things though, they come to an end. People move on and go their separate ways and this was no different. I departed for Vietnam, Gary for Koh Rong Island, Lea for Kratie in the North, Stephan will remain as proprietor of his little bar in little Kampot. Sadly I will never see these people again in my life. That's not being insensitive, it is just reality. I will however always have an association and fond memories of these three and team 8-Ball Killers anytime I pick up a cue and that is a pretty good gift to take away.
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