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Saturday night, I was packed and ready to go! My alarm was set so that we would be in time for the 7.30 bus to Kep and then beyond that I had no idea what laid in wait! This would be a week like no other…nothing would be planned. The bus ride was so relaxing. We stopped for a great coffee served by a gorgeous Khmer man and then I proceeded to read my book, bouncing along the bumpy road until arriving in the rain clouds at about 11.30. Kep isn’t what I expected…actually I’m not sure what I expected! The rain on our arrival left the beach looking gray and very small with its high tide, but then as we got ushered into the nearest guesthouse along the beach we set out along the path to explore the town! Setting out in no particular direction, we stumble across the crab market where we grab some food from the bbq and some fruit. After having the first beer of the holiday, me, Carrie and Anna turn back and follow the path we had spotted earlier which led up a hill. The view upon reaching the top was impressive, but what was more impressive was the retro style building which awaited us! The old king’s palace was like something from a James Bond movie and despite its desertion, one could see the potential pleasures that the king would have enjoyed! The three tiered balcony and garden area overlooked a stunning sea view and the bar area looked as though only a restocking of alcohol was needed. Upon entering the building, I had a strange feeling of trespassing. There were obvious squatters that were hard at work at the market or on the stalls along the beach, but the majority of the house was left as it was, save it was stripped of furniture and paintings. The chandeliers still hung from the ceilings, but the sense of emptiness and a scared history was exacerbated by the axe lying in the kitchen. I felt like I was walking around the home of a 70’s movie star and with development, this residence could easily be made into a lucrative tourist attraction or very rich hotel. My thoughts would soon change on my arrival of Bokor.
Next we embarked on to the quest of getting to Rabbit Island. There was no doubt that we wanted to go there the next day so we made it our mission that afternoon to scout out a good price for a boat ride over! But more importantly, Anna needed to find a cash point! My lonely planet (which I hastily admit, told of many a guesthouse and then upon arrival were no longer open!) informed of us a petrol station near the old market, so we all set off down the road, past the huge crab (stopped for photos), past wonderful derelict French colonial buildings (stopping for more photos) and then finding a quaint restaurant where the man was selling tickets to rabbit island for $20 a boat which would leave anytime we wanted it to! This sounded perfect, so after traipsing sand through his nice restaurant we were confirmed and plodded back home along the trail! (the petrol station was closed and there is NO cash point in Kep!) On the way we found some stairs which claimed that they led to heaven…I kept these in mind! The rain had stopped when we were eating lunch at the crab market and by dinner time it was starting to drizzle again, so we opted for beers on our balcony and the cheapest meal ever of fried rice! We played cards with a lady who worked at the hotel and then after the second beer we retired to bed where I snuggled Anna and fought my way to sleep past mosquitoes!
The day began with a horrific storm, but a really nice breakfast and coffee! After waiting for it clear we packed up our bags and headed along the path to the market to stock up on supplies (next time we must remember to pack our own beer for the island, it would have been cheaper! That’s the fun thing about traveling, you learn for the next time!) Boarding our boat we met two people from the school we are volunteering at! It was so weird! Getting to the island was an even more surreal experience, we landed a about 100metres off shore and waded onto the beach. The only thing in sight was a dense jungle mountain, a single house and a path leading through a separate forest! Initially puzzled we followed our guide along the path and after about 15minutes we came across another beach on the other side of the island! This one was strewn with bungalows and a few places to eat and drink…but it was not touristy! $6 for our room with a bed (a bargain at $2 each) and nice bucket and hole we shimmied up the beach and took a stroll and our first beer of the day at 11am!! Afterwards we continued up the beach and dived into the water for a swim! The water was gorgeous, so warm and inviting! After getting dry and changed, Carrie and I embarked on another expedition into the dense area of the island and following a cow up the hill, we reached a pool of water where the cow left us and we continued to make our own way up! Armed with sticks we battled through dense trees, ants, bugs, more ants, mud, jackfruit trees and even more ants. Reaching what seemed to be almost at the top we had to turn back when I was attacked by a thicket of ants swarming from all sides! Stuck in a bush and screaming like a little girl, me and Carrie made our descent down the hill (mountain!) we were passed by a local man carrying a huge root of some sort and we felt very western as we gingerly made our way down the slope, gripping our sticks for dear life! After falling on her bum once, Carrie was determined to not fall over in front of the Cambodian carrying the heavy root! As gravity and luck would have it, she found herself giggling on her bum and sliding through the mud! Towards the bottom we found a different cow which awaited us and guiding us back out of the jungle we peeled off our clothes and plunged head first into the sea to get rid of the mud and ants which had invested our clothes!! Anna came to met us and we had another well deserved beer with the two guys from CWFl! After relaxing for a bit we roamed a different path (one not through the jungle) and walked along the most beautiful scenic path! After dinner at a little stall we sat to watch the sun slowly go down! I have never seen anything so beautiful and what made it more amazing was the fact that we were the only people on the island. It was so deserted! After dinner we went for a swim during the sun set. The water was cool and refreshing, definitely not cold and we strolled back along the beach to our guesthouse before the last of the sun left us! Playing cards and talking, we then stumble happily home and curl up all three in the bed and sleep soundly! Until the dogs howl, the wind crashes and the rain thunders! We wake up in the morning, a little less than refreshed but so angry and sad to leave the island, all wishing we hadn’t booked bus tickets!
The boat was pleasant back and our tuk tuk ride to the hotel meant that we could have another nice breakfast and coffee waiting for Anna’s bus! She leaves Carrie and I, and we have about 4 hours until our bus to Kompot! After letting our breakfast go down I remind Carrie about a stairway to heaven and we follow the trail up another steep hill! Not realizing what we had gotten ourselves in for, we find ourselves huffing and puffing in our flip-flops wishing we were wearing our soggy trainers! We see a sign saying sunset rock (very far) and a nun’s retreat (not too far) so we aim for the nun’s retreat! We reach an oldish looking temple and meet a lovely lady who invites us in for a look, then feeds us fruit and tea, and gives us a botany lesson about all the flowers she grows on the hill. Our Khmer gets us somewhere but still we remain confused and then she shows me pictures of her with the king and queen of Cambodia! Claim to fame!
We say farewell and go down the nice easy slope back towards the town. After fending off wild dogs and walking along the beach (which is so much nicer when it is not raining!) we sit patiently (and early) at our hotel. Because we are early the owner tells us there is a tuk tuk who is going back to Kompot…would we like a lift!! Without paying extra we depart Kep in a tuk tuk (paying only $4 when it should be $15) and we have the most beautiful sunny ride!!! Being dropped off at another cheap and nice guesthouse we take a stroll round Kompot (an easy one) and we have a think about what to do…whether to go home or try to get up to Bokor hill. After talking to a few tour groups, we arrive at the decision that Carrie would like to go back and I will spend the money on a trek up the mountain! If only I knew what I was in for!! We find somewhere great for dinner and get a bit merry on a few drinks and talk solidly all night. It was great spending time with Carrie, it made me realize how much I will miss all of the volunteers!
The storm hit during the night! I woke up the walls vibrating and the TV blaring; the storm had shaken the building so violently that it had turned itself on! After listening to the thrashing rain I wondered what lay in wait for me tomorrow and my trek up Bokor hill! The morning comes with clear skies and I roll to the market to stock up on apples! The ground is so muddy and I come back to hose down my legs before breakfast! I had eggs and bread, set for the day! Then no sooner than I had polished off my last bit of egg, the driver came to collect me and some others from my guesthouse. I climbed aboard the truck, meeting a girl from London called Roshan, and two from Austria called charlotte and lotte! They were on internships during their final years at uni and rosh after doing charity work was heading to uni after this trip around SE Asia! Sam and her boyfriend Kieron from South Africa climb aboard and two guys, Bret and Patrick from Canada pile into the back with the guide. We are on our way…not really fully prepared for what lay ahead! We are dropped off on a dirt road and the only way is up! About half hour later we arrive at the base of the dense jungle and begin a steep and mountainous climb! Sweating our way to a waterfall the brave men jump into the cool water while the girls admire the view! We are told that the steep climb we endured was the hardest bit of the trek…until the rain came! An hour or so up the mountain, the guide stopped and shouted for everyone to put on their jackets. Then I heard it. Like a steady hum, pulsing towards us, it hit so suddenly. Within seconds, those that hadn’t brought jackets were soaked to the skin and those that had we soaked within minutes as it tore through the plastic lining! I was thanking my lucky stars that I had been cautious and tied everything in plastic bags within my bag! We walked through torrential rain for another hour and came to the road which we crossed and then plunged back into the jungle. After about two hours the rain subsided, but the damage was done; my soggy feet were slipping on the leaves and sand and it took a lot of effort to drag my sodden shorts up the steep and rocky paths. I was fortunate to have found an ideal stick. Without it, my little short legs would not have vaulted the sheer sides during the climb. 11.30 we hit the main road where we would continue the ascent to the Black Palace. At the Black Palace we would have lunch and then a 10km walk to the hill and rangers’ station. Well, as luck would have it, our chain-smoking Canadian friends stopped for their lunch because they couldn’t continue (as it turns out, I was the only one to have breakfast and pack a spare change of clothes!) then we heard the truck…roshan leaps from her seat and starts flagging it down. The driver pulls over and we climb in and speed up the mountain, past the black palace, straight to the ranger’s station. We save about two hours and arrive at the ranger’s station at 12.00. We try to dry off and everyone realizes that they haven’t brought spare clothes…I really am surprised at tourists sometimes! One was even an experienced trekker!! So I loan out my sarong, trousers and shirt and hang everything in the sun to dry. We eat lunch and then explore the abandoned buildings on the national park! The sun had just come out from behind the rain clouds and our bodies were warm in minutes! I can’t begin to describe the abandoned buildings. They were built in the 1920s by the French colonialists and were originally sued as hotels and casinos. They were all abandoned when the king came back to power in the 1950s/60s, but when the Khmer rouge descended upon Cambodia; the buildings were used to hold prisoners and a base for the anti-aircraft guns. The Old Catholic church was the landing strip which gave the best view of incoming attacks. After the Vietnamese invaded, the buildings were once again abandoned and left to ruin. Everything had been stripped; only the outer shells remained. They were so beautiful to look around and to try to imagine the torment that had occurred through almost 100 years of change.
At about 3.00 we headed back to the ranger’s station exhausted! Our guide showed us pictures of what was to become of the national park and I have never felt so angry. It is at present a conservation area, but a company has bought the rights to the land and in the name of a Cambodian construction group and hotel corporation (but owned by the Vietnamese), a resort is under construction. It will be equipped with its own fake volcano, obscene and ugly buildings and will destroy many of the trees and natural wildlife that is preserved among to ruined buildings and gorgeous rock formation. I understand the need to improve the area, maybe restore some of the old buildings into their former glory, or even build a few hotels and the road so that it can be enjoyed by all, but what this company has in mind is disgusting. A tacky, plastic resort for tourists! Bokor hill is phenomenal, the views breathtaking and the atmosphere enchanting; this is all going to be destroyed by greed and money.
Dinner was at 5.30 and we huddled into the kitchen where a gorgeous rice dish had been prepared. After dinner we listened to our guide tell us stories about Cambodia and his understanding of the Khmer rouge. There were two groups; Chinese led and Vietnamese led. They provided weapons and in turn sought to destroy the other Khmer rouge (the lesser Cambodian). As a result, almost one third of the Cambodian population was killed. Our guide is adamant that in the name of money and corruption Cambodia was turned upside down. It was the other countries that decimated Cambodia and the only way to change that is for unity; which unfortunately is so far behind due to corruption still encased within the government. The guide did however confirm my feelings about the killing fields. I felt that it no longer felt like a place for the Cambodian people; instead it was a site for tourists to remember. The Cambodian people remember in their own way and are looking forward to the future, rather than falling into the past. They look to developments that will help the country, however, the transformation of Bokor hill shows that it is still the other countries which are still in charge of Cambodia’s fate and without a remedy, I fear the same situation will happen again and the discontent will bubble over. Lack of jobs, money and the divide between the rich and the poor, leaves many hopeless and turning to crime and prostitution. Granted it has changed significantly during the last 10-20 years, now there is a transport network, schooling, some form of healthcare, but the provisions are bad; doctors are unqualified and inexperienced so many travel to Vietnam for major operations, teachers are underpaid, and do not wish to leave their homes to teach somewhere else where they are needed, also most of the time they are also unqualified or not fit to teach. As a result the standard of schooling will keep dropping. This is a situation improving with each generation, they want development, but not by the hands of another country
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So back to Bokor, we have eaten, talked and grabbed a deck of cards and a few beers. The Canadian and South Africans were wise enough to bring 3 bottles of vodka and we all exchange stories before we get the warning that the lights will go off at 9.30! The Austrian girls and myself retire to the dorm and the others continue drinking by candlelight. In the morning we find that they explored the casino at night!
6.30 breakfast (and it was a decent breakfast; hot coffee/tea, huge rolls and cheese or jam!). The others don’t look tired at all, and at 7.00 we make our way down the mountain path. After about 45minutes of walking we meet a truck going back down the hill. Roshan again jumps at the chance and we hitch a life halfway down. Just as this one stops at its destination another one pulls up! We climb into it and soar past the black palace (still no idea what was in it…maybe one day) and ride down the road. It was the scariest ride of my life! Clinging onto a piece of rope, standing next to the other 9 people in our group and three Cambodians and a motorbike. Because of the conditions, the truck kept slipping out at the back and my thighs worked overtime holding me up! When we got off my legs were like jelly, but I was glad that we had managed to save almost 3 hours of walking and only had about an hour and a half to go. But what a way down! We thought it would be bad, but could not expect the sheer drops caked in leaves and slippy sand after the rain the previous day and during the night!! Cautiously we begin the descent and finally reach the small waterfall at 10.20! The last bit was the worst! Sheer drops and nothing to hold onto…I was so lucky that I had found my stick and had clung to it throughout the treacherous truck ride. I fell over once and another girl took a fall on her bum but others remained slipping but upright! The Canadians leapt down the hill, and I was actually pretty impressed! Upon reaching the bottom, I treated myself to an overpriced mango from a farm house and was relieved that we had landed in one piece! We got on our pick up back to Kompot and arrived almost three hours early! I relaxed and read my book on the ride home, watching the countryside zoom past. We stopped at the same service station and realizing that I only had 1300riel (not enough for a moto back to the house), I bargained with the gorgeous Cambodian man making coffee! It should have been 1500, but he let me have it for 200riel cheaper! I climb back onto the bus and watch the sun slowly set as we pull into Phnom Penh. Having no idea of the time and no money to my person, I set off walking back to the house, chasing daylight I walk the streets of the city, taking in the full beauty of the twilight and then when I am about 20minutes away from the house, the light fades and I watch the city at night come to life. Arriving back at the house I have the most amazing shower; finally clean of sweat and dirt! Then I sit on the roof showing my photos and telling my stories to Carrie!
During the trek, roshen got me thinking when she said that the only thing in life that you can truly own are your stories. This is true. I am sad to leave Cambodia in less than a week, but I know it will not be the last time I am here. I have fallen in love with the people, the culture and I hope to have a share in its future. But I am looking forward to studying again. I’ll be taking with me, every experience, every story and every adventure I find myself creating!
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Chaffe
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Laura
You are a shining example of a human being and im sure that Cambodia will be disappointed on your departure!