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I crossed the border from Vietnam at the most remote place it the south, it was my favourite border crossing. I was with Karim and Monica. This border had just opened but so many people was using it, it was like a market, so many things were going on, they were even planning to build a casino!! I was supposed to provide them a passport photos that i ccould not find so i spent quite a while looking for it and meanwhile the officers were joking with us, everyone very smiley and Friedel. We crossed the border from Vietnam to Kep in Cambodia with motorbike, around 2hours journey in total but landscapes were absolutely stunning, the road was not great but i had the best driver so we were always fast and it was not such a nightmare. We met 2 other foreigners at the border who decided to follow us.
Kep
In Kep, we met Tyler, the american guy we traveled with in Vietnam, who was waiting for Monica! So all together we arrived at a first guesthouse, i was a bit pissed off as we had lost Karim on the way, it was getting dark, everyone was tired but also everyone was relying on me to deal with everything, looking at the room and deciding. I can do it for myself but i can t hold other people s hand!!! ! But above all, Monica and I had decided to split as I refused to travel with a couple but they also had decided to stay in Kep with me!! We finally decided to stay in Kulu Kulu, a guesthouse on the seaside and I was fine after a while as Karim was with us. Later on, I met the owner of the place, Fabrice and his friend Thierry. It was nice to find some french people in the middle of nowhere, as Kep is not the most touristic place (yet). We stayed in the dorm from my bed I could hear and obviously see the sea, it was so nice. Monica, Fabrice and I stayed awake almost the whole night trying to sort out Monica’s pictures as this was the excuse she used to not split ;-) as it was on my SD card. But we did not manage that night. The following day, the four of us, with Karim went to visit rabbit island. At first it was very beautiful where we landed, but we decided to walk around and it did not look as nice as it was very dirty on the other side. We were just looking for a quiet place to lie in the sun but we could not find it. After some adventurous trek to cross the island, as we had had enough, we finally got back to the place we started. We just had time for lunch before a big storm arrived, it was fascinating to see it, it felt like a cyclon, but we could definitely not lie in in the sun! On the way back we were a bit tensed as Monica was supposed to leave the following day and the pictures were still not sorted. I was staying longer in Kep as I really liked the place, I felt at home. I got on very well with Fabrice, he showed me around on his motorbike after he drove me to find an internet place (quite difficult to find in such a place)! The following day, Monica and Tyler left to Kampot, another small town 30min away from Kep. I was meant to meet with them later during the day to get my sd card and say good bye properly. Fabrice took me to Kampot, showed me around, markets, etc… I absolutely loved the ride, a 800cc with stunning landscape and excellent driver. While in Kampot, I found Monica by chance crying alone close to the river. Fabrice dropped me off and I hugged her when I realised she had had bad news from home, she had just lost her cousin. I took her for a drink, we cleared our heart about everything that happened between us and in one second, i had changed my mind. I was meant to carry on on the seaside towards’the’ beachtown of Cambodia, Sihanoukville and without even thionine twice about it, i decided to go to Pnohm Penh with Monica, i definitely could not leave her alone (even wit Tyler), she had been my family and everything else since i had met her and i felt like i had to be with her. They had already checked in in a hotel in Kampot, we went there with karim to have dinner with them but we finally managed to make them change their mind and we left to go back to Kep even if they had paid the night already. Karim and I had rented a scooter in Kep so there was so problem for us to get back but Tyler had rent his scooter from Kampot so to go back Kep that late was quite a challenge. It would have been too expensive to rent a moto taxi. Fortunately, the guy from the place where he rented the scooter accepted to give them both a lift on one motorbike whith all the luggage!! He was our hero that night! Especially when Karim and I broke down as we run out of petrol in the middle of nowhere on the way. He went to get some petrol for us. It was quite an adventure! When we got back Fabrice was laughing at us after all the drama. We had a fun night, more travellers had arrived and i was fully managing the place and serving drinks when Fabrice went to bed. Another night where we did not sleep much but at least we were not tensed anymore and we laught so much.
Pnomh Penh
The following day, the four of us took the bus to the capital Pnom Penh, 4 hours journey when i felt more than ever that i was making the best decision to stick with Monica, afterall it was not easy for us to split. When we got there, Tyler, who had already been there many times was not able to take a decision to advise us on a good place to go, not always so easy to travel with many people and make décisions!! After a while, we finally decided to stay at the place he was last, next to the lake. It was for some reasons the backpackers place but it had nothing special in itself. It felt dark, dirty and it was so so hot. The following day, we rented a scooter and went to visit the killing fields just outside Pnohm Penh. It was quite touching but not as much as the old prison turned into a museum that we visited after in central Pnom Pen which showed images of that time and explained what happened and how thousands of innocent people were killed for no reasons. We drove around time for a while which was nice but nowhere as fun as in Saigon as there were too many cars here in Pnohm Penh. Just before dinner, Fabrice met us as he was also in Pnohm penh for the week end We went to have a drink in a very traditional place where Cambodians probable celebrate weddings. Then Fabrice took us to a very nice western restaurant, then it took us for a dance in a bar and finally we ended up with a bottle of whisky and some biscuits at 4am on the side of the Mekong. For at least the 4th times, we were celebrating the last night we all had together, as Monica and Tyler were leaving in the morning to carry on as Monica had to catch her plane in Bangkok a few days later. That was a very long night… Together with Karim, we took them to the bus station at 7am. Tyler was setting off to Bangkok when Monica was stopping in Siem Reap to see Angkok Wat. I knew at that point that this was still not a proper good bye. As we walked back home we stopped for breakfast at one of those little delicious stand on the street. We went back to the hotel and slept!! For lunchtime, I was invited to meet Fabrice and his friends who live in Pnohm Penh. I also met his friends’ adorable daughters (half French half cambodian) who loved me straight away and we spent the afternoon at the swimming pool of a hotel. For me all this was quite new. I was not used to so much luxury, having been a traveller for so long. I was seeing Pnomh Penh from a expat point of view, french who live here and have a comfortable life. In the night, Fabrice took Karim and I to a pool bar. It did not take me long to realise what kind of bar it was and that I was the only western girl! I had discussion with his friends that completely pissed me off. I was not only seeing from a western point of view Pnohm Penh but also from the side that people take advantage of sexual tourism, that s what it call it. Men, no matter what age dating young asian girl. Most of the time the girls don t even speak English. So no matter what, this is not because they are interested in each other but because there is sex and money involved and it is revolting!! As a woman, looking at this, it made me sick, I hated Pnohm Penh for this reason, because it was everywhere and tolerated by everyone. Such a lack of respect towards women!! Gosh, I miss Gentlemen from England and Latinos men from South America, who definitely know what respect is!! Karim left a day before me as he was going to a different place before we would meet again in Siem Reap. So I spent my last day in Pnohm Penh with Fabrice, hehad come to Pnohm Penh to look for a freezer so I did freezer shopping with him, I also taught mathematics to his friends daughters, it was so much fun, and I tried to solve my mobile phone problem and unlock it but the guy erased all my numbers which pissed me off quite a lot!! We had many very interesting conversation with Fabrice as he had set up this business not long ago, so we talk business and I was involved in meetings with his partner as I was bringing new ideas to their project, it was fascinating and it gave me some ideas for the future maybe. It was very interesting the way he was approaching the situation. He was not hear to make money, he already had other business for that. He just wanted to live there for free in a way and help the local people. Cambodians are usually paid 40 dollars a month and he paid them 70 and gave them 2 days off per month when they usually never have any day off. His management style is based mainly on trust between him and employee which is really nice, He wants to help his main employee to build his own house. He’s full of good intentions and it is nice to see that some people see it this way. His friend from Switzerland that we met with his Cambodian wife, the last night I was there was such an interesting person who came to Cambodia travelling only 4 years ago, felt in love with a Cambodian girl (which gave me hope for real love between asian and westerners) , set up a business there and he is doing very well now and announced us that he was about to be father for the second time. Great!!
Siem Reap
I left in the morning to Siem Reap, as I had felt it (I started to know her by that time), Monica had changed her ticket and was waiting for me in Siem Reap!! She was leaving a few days later so we could travel a bit more together. I had met a very nice Argentinean guy on the bus, Alejandro who came to Siem Reap just to pick up his passport that he had forgotten in the lockers a few day ago!! It took us almost twice the normal time to reach Siem Reap as the bus broke down on the way, it was so hot, we did not have places to sit so we were on the floor. I met Monica and Karim when I got to the hostel but I was sick so I went straight to bed and slept through the rest of the day. The following day, Karim s friend was arriving from Germany and we chilled a bit in town then we took bicycle to go to Angkor Wat to watch the sunset but we got a bit lost of the way and were helped by a very friendly Cambodian police officer who spoke Spanish!! We got there just in time to see the last sunlight on Angkor wat which was absolutely breath taking! Back in town, Monica and myself went for a massage before we met the boys for dinner at a street stand where we had very tasty food. We woke up for sunrise on Angkor Wat the following day and spent the whole day visiting some of the temples around, as there are thousands of them!! The night before we arranged for a tuk tuk to take us there and in the morning he did not show up, then we found another one who took us for the sunrise but after Ankgor Wat he dropped us in the middle of nowhere as he did not want to drive us around until sun set, so once again we had to look for another one!! The day was fascinating as every temple were very different, Monica and I had much fun taking pictures but obviously the boys had enough of us! Towards the end of the day, we were all tired, it was very hot and like a real couple, Monica nd I had our first and last argument! I had enough of organising everything all the time and she had had enough of me not being straight to her, as I said a proper couple argument about nothing important at all!!! But after calming down we talked and laughed about it all, I wish relationship between men and women could be like this all the time… Monica and I is a long love story and we definitely had troubles to be apart from each other! So together, we decided to cross the last border that we had in south east asia and go back to Thailand together, where everything started! I had changed my plans in Cambodia for Monica, stayed very little time there, barely 10 days and did not see much of the real Cambodia as I mainly had a western point of view but not once I regretted it, I did what I had to do, I am glad I was there for her when she needed me. We were not ready to split anyway! As I already said before, the main thing in travelling is not the destination but the path. On my way, I found Monica and I am so glad she is in my life now. Cambodia can be part of another trip…
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