Cambodia: The final episode

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Helloo! hello! hello! hello! (A Khymer-style chorus welcome whenever you go anywhere)
Since I last wrote I have had 2 trips out from Phnom Phen, first to the South coast and beaches of Cambodia, and then to the far East jungles of Ratanakiri National Park. But not before some fun at the Phnom Phen Water Park being big kids on the waterslides!
On our trip down south I travelled with an ozzie chick, Brianne, to the dusty, empty town of Kampot (famous for its peppers before the civil war). We took a day trip into the Bokor National Park where the French once built a town (about 1917-1920) on top of the mountain range to escape the heat. Now it is a ghost town, complete with the eerie old Bokor Palace Hotel (straight out of The Shining) looking out through the clouds over the Gulf of Thailand. We walked through the jungle to a waterfall and saw several huge spiders the size of a hand span, with their 3 metre wide webs hanging over the path.
From Kampot we hired a share taxi with two British brothers to the seaside resort of Sihanoukville (named after King Sihanouk). Altogether there were 7 in/on the car - the driver sat on another guys lap and one guy sat in the boot! We had a swim in the dark when we arrived but woke to monstrous thunder and heavy rain, so much for a summer holiday! We also met up with a Kiwi girl, Caroline, from Otumoetai College and Wellington! The sun came out and so did the young girls with their fruit platters which they would park on our tables at the beach and then never leave even if we did buy from them, but they did provide free entertainment. Cambodia's version of seagulls! Saw a few dodgy old white guys with 12 year old girls frolicking on the beach, yuck.
So then back to Phnom Phen for 2 nights. From there I headed off with a Dutch guy, Mart, to Kratie where we took a boat out on the Mekong River to see the fresh water dolphins. They don't jump around or come very close like normal dolphins, but it was peaceful floating in the middle of the river and hearing them as they came up for air all around us. There were some babies but apparently there are only about 100 dolphins left on the whole Mekong because the Khymer Rouge (yes them again) used to catch them for oil. A kiwi girl is running a conservation programme for 2 years educating the locals and setting up responsible tourism.
From Kratie we caught a fast-boat up to Stung Treng near the Lao border. We had to leave as soon as we arrived that night as the Prime Minister was due in town the next day to open a new school (excitement!) and so all public transport was to be shut down for a day. On the taxi ride to Ban Lung I sat in between the passenger and drivers seat on a cushion and had to restrain myself from hitting the driver everytime he swerved all over the road trying to hit any animal he saw! He splattered one cat on the bumper, right in front of a little family that had come out to wave at the only vehicle to go past that day. Scary guy! But it was interesting driving in the dark and seeing the little huts with only candle light, and families playing cards together - no tv out here! And plenty of malaria but no hospitals.
In Ban Lung we finally found the crater lake I had been dreaming of for three hot weeks. Crystal clear, deep water surrounded by thick jungle. Alot like New Zealand really, but clean water is hard to come by in Cambodia. We met up with an English man, Tom, and Belgian woman, Else, who were about the only other foreigners in town. We just swam and ate papaya salads and mangoes all day. We had a big day on motos with Mr Yuk, a minority (hilltribe) tour guide who spoke several minority languages as well as Khymer and English. The hilltribe people aren't as modest as most asians and walk around in loincloths (males) and their shirts open (women). They are the cutest little people too, even smaller than normal asians (I am about the same size as most male khymer) and they carry big baskets on their backs to collect food from the forest. We visited a minority graveyard where they had made effigies to resemble the dead - although I didn't see any locals with sunglasses, cellphones and watches like the effigies were wearing! The graves had a strong polynesian style with wood carvings and bright tapa-like painted patterns.
Ban Lung is the only place I have experienced in Cambodia where no one begs, even though they are probably the poorest of all. They are very cut off from the world, with very little electricity, even at our guest house and internet access costs about US$20/hr. Most of the hill tribes have an unfortunate farming practice of slashing and burning the jungle a few acres at a time. After they have cut it down they go and sleep and if they have good dreams about the land they will farm it for up to 3 years otherwise for only one year before slashing and burning some more. So the jungle is disappearing very fast, despite the signs saying 'do not cut down the trees!' - most of them are illiterate anyway. It was going to be a world heritage park but because of the illegal logging that plan has gone out the window. There are still tigers, elephants (the hilltribes main form of transport) and maybe even rhinoceros out there deep in the jungle.
To leave we decided to take a pickup (ute) to Kratie. This turned in to the trip from hell with 19 people on the pickup (four of us barang/foreigners) and 11 hours of dusty 'road' with potholes the size of craters the whole way. It was like an 11 hour beating - I have the bruises to prove it but fortunately no broken bones. We were not happy barang by the end of it and only our eyes were showing from underneath the layers of dust. And the Khymer weren't fazed or dirty at all! When we arrived I came down with stomach cramps and the delights of asian infections - mm mmm!
Back in Phnom Phen we have been visiting an orphanage that is near the guesthouse. The first time we went the children (mainly toddlers) were very cautious and uncertain about us but they relaxed after a while and started playing and laughing. We took fruit for them, as money often ends up in the wrong hands, ie. their carers as they don't get paid much, even their toys get sold off! Alot of them are malnourished or have HIV but they are all such cool kids. Quite a few get adopted by foreigners. I went back yesterday and they got so excited - four little boys jumped on me all laughing and hugging - its a great mood booster!
Today I finally met up with my old boss, Rob from the theatre, who is living here for 2 years with his wife who works for an aid trust. It was really great to catch up and talk about Wellington and home again. They have been told to prepare to be holed up for a few days if the elections turn messy, or even be evacuated to Thailand in the worst case scenario!
So tomorrow I leave for Vietnam, alone! I have heard mixed reviews, apparently the Vietnamese are very aggressive in their selling techniques, but I'll let you know how I get on! First stop Mekong Delta then onto Saigon. It may be a quick trip as my 1 month visa started 2 weeks ago!

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