Goodbye Cambodia

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PHOTOS FOR THIS ENTRY ARE AMONGST THE NEXT BLOG!!


That's right, it's time kids to blow this popsicle stand and move onto Vietnam.
After returning to Phenom Phen briefly (just long enough to watch the end of a 15 day Budhist festival, climaxing in the hilarious launch of a funeral-looking boat into the river - obvioulsy either they have never practised this, or they were having performance anxiety, but the fairy lights got caught on the shelter, and it looked for a moment that they may have to cut the thing free. Andrew and I tried our best not to laugh as the locals seemed to be watching on with great seriousness and I guess one really shouldn't laugh at a religious ritual.)
Apart from that we also had dinner at Cambodia's FCC club (Foreign Correspondance Club), traditionally for members of the Press only (and what do you call TIN radio I may ask?) but has now been opened up to anyone willing to pay the extra price for sitting in Western luxury and being transported back to the 1950s while sitting on the rooftop lounge on heavy wicker furniture, being attentively waited on and watching the world go by.

We jump on a minibus where we meet Karl (Austria) and Thomas (Germany) who are also leaving Cambodia for the greener pastures of Vietnam. The four of us get on quite famously and amuse one another till we get to the Cambodian border by boat, hand in our Departure cards, get another stamp in the passport and stroll down the banks of No Man's Land while our boat to Vietnam meets us. In the meantime we are confronted with the super-friendly Vietnamese kids selling us anything thinkable, and giving us massages while we try and eat our noodle soup. But we did get a crash course in basic Vietnamese words to assist us over the border.

Checking into Vietnam, we head south on the Mekong entering into the Delta region (good thing we've started those Malaria tablets again) which has risen approx 3m in the last month, creating totally new river systems for us to access that are usually just rice paddy fields.

We putter along to Chau Doc and choose to stay on the Monte San which is about 5kms out of the main bit of town, but has amazing views over the region and sunsets to die for.

The 4 of us have some lazy afternoon drinks after checking in, and decide to get of our backsides and walk to the top. This is a popular walking circuit with the locals, and I just wished i had an Aussie tracksuit like Johnny to do our country proud.

Night creeps in and we decide to head into town for dinner, hopefully to find some snake to try for tea. Our wonderful guide Sun meets us for dinner, and we immediately have a great feeling about Chou Doc as people bring out their deck chairs to sit on the road in the central square.

Dinner was at an authentic road-side eatery where courtesy of Sun we ordered some local dishes, and had a taste of the Pork Brain soup that she had chosen. mm mm mmmmm. I have to say, the soup itself wasn't bad, but I couldn't bring myself to eat the actual brain.

Next on the agenda??? KARAOKE!!!
Richards' pullled out a beautiful rendition of "Brown Eyed Girl", followed by Karl's version of "Nikitta" which he began to sing in German - sorry mate, can't understand you - and Thomas then finished off with some Frnech song that he sung with an accent and wooed all the girls. But nothing could really top the combined band that brought the crowd to tears with "I just called to say I love you". That one was inspired by Sun.

And just as midnight was approaching, we find a restaurant that serves snake.

Served up in a hotpot on the table, the delicacy was swimming in a papaya and vegetable soup. The black rubbery substance sank to the bottom and only surfaced when the soup was stirred to be dished out to all and sundry. What can I say. Yes, I tried it. No, I'll never do it again, but Richards was well up for it having more than anyone else on the table. The only complaint was that there was too many bones.

Trundling home in cyclos puled by eldery men (three of us to a cyclo) we waken the neighbourhood with chanting "snake snake snake", transfering to moto-taxis and returning to our beds for an early 6.30am start - eek.

Next day, awaken, realise that the mountain also sports a great sunrise, and head off to a minority village where they weave fabric and sarongs etc, and a fish farm which they export to America.

We get in the bus for the long ride to Saigon (6hours) and stop briefly at an incence making house where each stick is made by hand. CRAZY. I was then lucky enough to be presented with one as a present and have been carrying it around till I find a nice shrine to pray for all those I have met along the way.

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Comments

[Cath]

crazy adventurers!
Hey guys, sounds like you are having some great adventures, reading about it is giving me the travel itch, keep the great stories coming- Shkell I think you would make a great travel writer hmmm... new career path maybe. Stay safe and see you soon! .....Bon Voyage to Soph P whos off on a brief trip to india on Saturday! xxxxx