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Published: March 4th 2006
First of all, I would like to say that I feel i haven't really been able to farewell Cambodia properly, and in a way, I wish I were returning home, so that I could digest all the wonderful things I have experienced so far. We ventured into Vietnam today via boat(s), and the trip was so overwhelming in a sensory way, that I failed to find the quiet time to just think about everything I experienced in Cambodia.
Since my last blog (to which I haven't been able to read the comments, as the internet provider in Chao Doc is barring me from the page as it contains pornography????? Karla?!) and our exit from Kampuchea, I have tried to think of ways in which to help this country, which still ranks amongst the 10 poorest in the world, with many provinces entirely without power, sewage and safe drinking water. But I have been thrown into the deep end (Vietnam) of another adventure, and have unfortunately come up with very few ideas. More thinking to come, and definitely actions to follow up. We will be in touch with Kirk and the Happy School on our return to Australia, as we are all keen to help, even if it means only fundraising money for certain projects, such as rice for the families of the children or building another classroom. Something will come of it, I am sure. Another brief, unfinished thought of mine was to write a biography of some of the characters from the Happy School, and give all profits back to the organisation and the people about whom I have written. Plus it would give me a great reason to return and embark on many more colourful adventures for a few months whilst researching. Hmmm.
So in close of Cambodia, our time was definitely too short, but our experiences perhaps therefore all the more treasured. C'est la vie!
...Vietnam...
So far, in one sentence, it is something like the Umpa Lumps in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In Chau Doc, where we arrived late this afternoon, there are little Vietnamese men, women and children with their conical straw hats on bicycles, selling goods, cleaning - it is like a mini version of the world with the Bassac River as the ocean, and the village of some 100,000 residents the land mass. They seem entirely self-sufficient, and totally isolated in their little fishing and rice village, though I am sure this isn't the case, as I am typing on a rather powerful computer with headphones and camera! Entirely ITed up!
I will start from the beginning... After a early rise at 6am, we got onto a minibus to go to the boat docking area, which we thought was just south of Phnom Penh. Two hours later, we arrived somewhere south of Phnom Penh on the Mekong! The road was extremely bouncy for Western standards, though it was sealed, so fine for Cambodia. We passed lots of colourful scenes, including road works sponsored by the Japanese Government (???) and a truck which had literally broken an axle, as it was without the entire back wheel. It looked very funny, stranded in the middle of the road with its full load of cargo, though I am sure the poor driver wasn't laughing.
We strapped on our packs, and walked a rickety plank onto a small motor-powered boat, which seated about 20-30 passengers. The driver sat at the front on the only comfortable-looking spring-loaded chair and smoked one cigarette after the other, as he stared out into the distance down the enormous river (Eva and I thought it spanned about 2kms, though we could be entirely wrong).
We were so excited to finally be on the water, that we clicked away on our cameras, trying desperately to get shots of anything in sight that was moving. And there was very little moving, especially through the insufficient lenses we had on us. The trip was pleasant and interesting, as we sat at the front of the boat taking in the surrounding rice fields and agricultural lands.
We arrived at the border crossing around lunch time, and had to get off to be stamped out of Cambodia, then get on the boat again to inch our way downstream to the Vietnamese checkpoint. Here, we got off again with our entire luggage, had our passports stamped and were told to wait in one of the local cafes whilst our entry was beng processed. One hour later, we literally jumped aboard another boat, this one much smaller with only two long benches stretching its length, to finish the journey to Chau Doc.
We made our way to the Bassac River through a smaller tributary of the Mekong, which was only about 10m wide. It was wonderful, as we could finally see up close the life of the river people - children, buffalos, chickens, even 'monkey bridges', which are single-poled bridges over which the locals balance their way across the river! These people had obviously not seen too many tourists, for they were so enthusiastic when we passed by, waving and crying 'hello!'. : )
Once we were on the Bassac River, we passed some larger rice mills, which literally dumped their rice husks in the river, covering it with a layer of yellow matter. Hmmm. Other than this, the river systems here seem a lot cleaner than in CAmbodia, though one should not forget that this country is much further developed, of which the hundreds of TV antennas are a legacy!
We pulled into the mayhem of Chau Doc around 6pm tonight, and climbed four flights of stairs to get to our room. We are absolutely buggered!
Bon nuit!
Maz x
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Gabi K.
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No, the pornography was from me!Ha,ha,ha! Do yous know that they sell Vietnamese catfish here in A. as barramundi fillets, doubling the price during that process? i don't want to be negative, but the Mekong ranks as one of the most polluted waterways in the world.Anyway, my favourite thing would probably have been the 10 metre gap on the river to the shore, photo opportunities gallore 9and they can't really do much about it, or could they have jumped in and sunk the boat?But really, do the locals in Camb. mind having their pics taken?I guess you don't know yet reg. Vietnamese people...We were very careful in Thail. and tried to always respect their privacy, although sometimes just could not resist... Have a great time,I sent an e-mail to both of you. Many kisses, mum