Are we there yet?

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Mentally and physically challenging were themes for today with and an added heaping of patience! We set out down the road for the last 40km of journey, each in our own little bubble....Cars, buses, motos, bicycles and dogs filled the day. For Jeff, each step became more difficult to the point that walking as quickly as he could manage would mean it would take at least 10 hours to complete the day. Nathalie offered time and again to walk through the night but it was time. Ten kilometers into the day, Jeff traded his shoes for a block of ice and retired to the truck.....

The next 10km were Nathalie hammering down the road in the heat and sun. iPod on and mind numbingly loud, focused only on the task ahead. Get as far down the road as possible, as fast as possible. Mombo was right behind her with strict orders to absolutely run down any dog that made so much as a move towards her. This he did in perfect fashion! Next year he gets a riding crop (for the dogs folks, not Nat) to make it that much more entertaining! All PETA thoughts aside, you have to remember that the only thing a Cambodian dog is for is to keep everyone and everything away from their family. Honestly no one cares if you get bit, they will just flip you the cash to go get your rabies shots and be done with the matter.....but no animals were hurt in the making of today's mileage.... only humans.

Finally, with frozen leg and bored out of his skull, Jeff begged to be let back on the road. Pain is relative and it was time to get to work. Well that was the thought in his mind. Reality struck and his was not nice but true to her promise Nathalie put on the brakes and joined in the shuffle and hobble pace....for the next three hours the sun beat down and we walked, and then we walked some more. For a change of pace, we walked some more, until finally, we saw it, the border. Hooray and relief in our minds, all the inner voices screaming the same thing! Mombo pulls up along side us and delivers the news, OOPS that's not it, 2km more to go. Crushed we put our heads down and continue, voices screaming inside.....

Wait is that the border? It can't be it's only a shack and barbed wire! Nathalie's comment was 'that cannot be it, there's nothing there. An international border crossing would be more, well international border crossing like'. Fortunately for us, it was in fact the border! We've done it. Our little team of four people have logged 460km in 11 days and Running Cambodia V2 is completed.

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