Sunday January 17th
Back in Bali and it is so so hot, the rains have not come and the phrase "When it get's a bit cooler.." is redundant, I have had to get up at four am to get anything reasonable achieved.
Looking back over the last month I have had many interesting encounters, some of which are playing out now in the work that lies ahead in organising the October Youth Conference. Travelling alone, but still connected, allows for these seemingly random but not entirely coincidental meetings to happen as friends of friends and small circles of like minded people are bound to collide at some point.
It was so wonderful to come back to Bali and hang out in Ubud with friends and family.
Bangkok - reboot Saturday to Thursday
Literally reboot ! I got to the park and worked out, I ate my favourite foods and I went to the gym.
On Monday I went twice, I do not know why, it meant I did 200 sit ups and two hours of kicking and punching, it made me feel very good.
I went shopping for boxing gloves, I ate lunch with friends, went to movies on my own, The Big Short, which I really enjoyed. I ate take out Indian foods and went out to dinner with my friends. I love my home in Bangkok.
Friday January 8th
An early departure from Kep via speedy tuk-tuk to Kampot and the mini bus had me in Phnom Penh by lunchtime, and I did not do much as I was encumbered by my bag. I went straight to Hostel 88 and met up with Kosal for lunch, hung out at the cafe, met a friend of Kosal's, a very funny man from Cork, I forget his name but I will never forget his stories of growing up in a middle class home but attending a very rough comprehensive school. So entertaining. Now a photographer in Phnom Penh he was embarking on a new season of football training having been out drinking with his coach til 3am. He was a previous Premier League Player in Cambodia, even though he is not Cambodian, and well, I wish him luck. A coach that uses the drinking of pink cocktails to entice his players to train has come up with a very novel approach.
The flight was fine, I had a bit of an anxiety moment when I discovered I was allocated the window seat and saw the centre seat was occupied by a man who would have benefitted from an option to purchase two seats to accommodate his girth. I was not uncomfortable though, I was cushioned and quite cozy, the only disadvantage was his. I was able to read his book every time I opened my eyes, he was reading a book called What If... and one chapter was titled What If ... two automatic machine guns are attached to a jet pack strapped to your back.
On arrival in Bangkok it became apparent that my ability to attract the weird had not been left behind in Cambodia. The taxi queue was the longest I have ever seen, I stood next to a Yorkshire man, who had been drinking all day and allowed him to keep his place in the queue when he had to top up on beer in order not to get the hangover that was threatening to crash down on him. Instead we told stories about cats, he showed me pictures of his cat on his phone, confessing to being ' a soppy git' and we smiled superior smiles as people with trolleys and purpose pushed past us believing that on a Friday night all the people lining up with bags and backpacks were lining up for the fast food outlets.
My queue companion expressed regret we could not share a taxi, but we were at opposite ends of Sukhamvhit, I nodded but it was a little insincere, there are only so many crazy people one can meet in a week, and I had seen enough pictures of his pussy to know we needed to go no further than the end of the queue and the taxi counter before we would run out of shared topics of conversation.
There was so much to think about by the time I got back, basically everything I had been not thinking about was flooding back into my brain with the flashing regularity of the street lights that lit my way back to Sesame Street, Den the cat and my lovely, lovely room.
Kep..
People said there was nothing to do in Kep, and they are both right and wrong, there is nothing you have to do, but plenty you can do. In Kep this is what I did do...
Rode a bicycle for about 12 kilometres and discovered that there are both Nepalese Restaurants and goats along the main road from Kep Beach to the Salt Farms.
Spent 9 hours on the back of a motorbike driven by my guide Bong Sa, an ex policeman who left the force as he disagreed with the harassment of the poor in the form of traffic violations. We went from the early morning markets, which were a bit sad as, unseasonably, it had rained the night before and many of the crabs had drowned, to the fishing villages and salt farms, into the farmlands and up to the caves. Kep has great roads, and not very much traffic, it has huge empty vistas of fields, carpets of them fringed in beauty with palms and copses of trees, while in the distance, hills tinged blue in the heat shimmer on the edges of the horizon. Yet my knowledge of the history of this land cast a ghostly invisible miasma over all that I saw. Kep was one of the last strongholds of the Khmer Rouge beyond the 1980's.
Abandoned villas, missing people, ruins and the knowledge that anyone of working age had lived through the Khmer Rouge were little whispers in the quietness of the caves and the stillness of the lake. Yet, I am sure that this will soon be gone, the land for sale around the sweeping beach and the wonderful trekking in the National Park will bring more life to the area. Signs are everywhere that Kep is looking to create a community of sustainable tourism ventures with partnerships in foreign and regional NGO's and breathe new life into its pre-Khmer Rouge reputation of Kep-sur- Mer.
Kampot
Kampot was a very quick stop, off the mini bus and into a tuk tuk to the Banyan Tree to meet up with Kosal. The Banyan Tree has a really great spot along the broad reach of the river and played host to a relaxed light crowd of travellers. After a short walk around to see the house Kosal's father is building and the home of Kosal's adopted grandmother we went back to chill out for the sunset, watching the sky bruise over the darkening skeleton of the railway bridge, as boats glowing with the sun's last glimmer made their way up river with partying tourists.
After sunset the tuk tuk driver returned to take me the 22 kilometres to Kep, 22 kilometres that took over two hours. For sure we had a little tour of the town in the evening light and I snapped images of the Giant Durian as we passed the gaily lit roundabout but I was, shortly after this point, really not sure I had done the most sensible thing, and would certainly never have recommended this to my daughters. Single white woman in tuk tuk on a darkened road going in an unfamiliar direction to an unknown destination, with no phone and no one expecting my arrival.
Sihanoukville - Outres Beach, Serendipity Beach, Deluxxe Hotel, Cabbage Pot and the market.
Decidedly dusty and really shattered from the hair raising journey from the border it was a relief to get out at Outres Beach, even though I had no idea where I was. I found a friendly foreigner and borrowed a phone to locate Issam and Cedric, they were literally over my shoulder and made my way to their verandah for a short break and catch up before heading into Sihanoukville proper.
I met my friend Kosal at the DeLuxx Hotel, it's a modern hotel off the main street and the owner Tom is a very pleasant host, the barman Shane however was the best barman ever ... he had stories, and stories and stories... we went out to dinner with him and he had more stories, he was fabulous. He maybe smokes a bit too much but who am I to judge. His stories were a blend of anarchic rhetoric, conspiracy theories and revelations about racism and Hitler. Hitler, he told me, was responsible for creating kindergartens. He could be right, he also had some odd things to say about the Khmer Rouge. I thought as I was a visitor and a guest, and pretty tired, I would not attempt to probe or question him on anything and just let his stories entertain me as we ate the amazing food he had chosen. Later on I was to discover that Kosal's friends all have stories.
View from my hotel room
Early morning walk on Serendipity Beach
Early morning walk on Serendipity Beach
The next day I did a quick tour of Sihanoukville and decided what ever its charms they were hiding that morning, even the market did not have my attention, and I am a market fiend. I did like the way things worked and that the people on the street, and from their houses too, were friendly in their greetings.
Back at DeLuxx I met another two friends of Kosal's Mike and Megan, Mike was a teacher in Canada, he taught maths and Physics, but was "too radical" for the state education system. He thinks students should be guided to think in logical progressions and build up learning and solution skills rather than be tested to pass exams.. we had a lot to engage on, it was a refreshing interlude, a break from the conspiracy theories and it felt like fresh air.
Back in Bali and it is so so hot, the rains have not come and the phrase "When it get's a bit cooler.." is redundant, I have had to get up at four am to get anything reasonable achieved.
Looking back over the last month I have had many interesting encounters, some of which are playing out now in the work that lies ahead in organising the October Youth Conference. Travelling alone, but still connected, allows for these seemingly random but not entirely coincidental meetings to happen as friends of friends and small circles of like minded people are bound to collide at some point.
It was so wonderful to come back to Bali and hang out in Ubud with friends and family.
Bangkok - reboot Saturday to Thursday
Literally reboot ! I got to the park and worked out, I ate my favourite foods and I went to the gym.
On Monday I went twice, I do not know why, it meant I did 200 sit ups and two hours of kicking and punching, it made me feel very good.
I went shopping for boxing gloves, I ate lunch with friends, went to movies on my own, The Big Short, which I really enjoyed. I ate take out Indian foods and went out to dinner with my friends. I love my home in Bangkok.
Friday January 8th
An early departure from Kep via speedy tuk-tuk to Kampot and the mini bus had me in Phnom Penh by lunchtime, and I did not do much as I was encumbered by my bag. I went straight to Hostel 88 and met up with Kosal for lunch, hung out at the cafe, met a friend of Kosal's, a very funny man from Cork, I forget his name but I will never forget his stories of growing up in a middle class home but attending a very rough comprehensive school. So entertaining. Now a photographer in Phnom Penh he was embarking on a new season of football training having been out drinking with his coach til 3am. He was a previous Premier League Player in Cambodia, even though he is not Cambodian, and well, I wish him luck. A coach that uses the drinking of pink cocktails to entice his players to train has come up with a very novel approach.
The flight was fine, I had a bit of an anxiety moment when I discovered I was allocated the window seat and saw the centre seat was occupied by a man who would have benefitted from an option to purchase two seats to accommodate his girth. I was not uncomfortable though, I was cushioned and quite cozy, the only disadvantage was his. I was able to read his book every time I opened my eyes, he was reading a book called What If... and one chapter was titled What If ... two automatic machine guns are attached to a jet pack strapped to your back.
On arrival in Bangkok it became apparent that my ability to attract the weird had not been left behind in Cambodia. The taxi queue was the longest I have ever seen, I stood next to a Yorkshire man, who had been drinking all day and allowed him to keep his place in the queue when he had to top up on beer in order not to get the hangover that was threatening to crash down on him. Instead we told stories about cats, he showed me pictures of his cat on his phone, confessing to being ' a soppy git' and we smiled superior smiles as people with trolleys and purpose pushed past us believing that on a Friday night all the people lining up with bags and backpacks were lining up for the fast food outlets.
My queue companion expressed regret we could not share a taxi, but we were at opposite ends of Sukhamvhit, I nodded but it was a little insincere, there are only so many crazy people one can meet in a week, and I had seen enough pictures of his pussy to know we needed to go no further than the end of the queue and the taxi counter before we would run out of shared topics of conversation.
There was so much to think about by the time I got back, basically everything I had been not thinking about was flooding back into my brain with the flashing regularity of the street lights that lit my way back to Sesame Street, Den the cat and my lovely, lovely room.
Kep..
People said there was nothing to do in Kep, and they are both right and wrong, there is nothing you have to do, but plenty you can do. In Kep this is what I did do...
Rode a bicycle for about 12 kilometres and discovered that there are both Nepalese Restaurants and goats along the main road from Kep Beach to the Salt Farms.
Spent 9 hours on the back of a motorbike driven by my guide Bong Sa, an ex policeman who left the force as he disagreed with the harassment of the poor in the form of traffic violations. We went from the early morning markets, which were a bit sad as, unseasonably, it had rained the night before and many of the crabs had drowned, to the fishing villages and salt farms, into the farmlands and up to the caves. Kep has great roads, and not very much traffic, it has huge empty vistas of fields, carpets of them fringed in beauty with palms and copses of trees, while in the distance, hills tinged blue in the heat shimmer on the edges of the horizon. Yet my knowledge of the history of this land cast a ghostly invisible miasma over all that I saw. Kep was one of the last strongholds of the Khmer Rouge beyond the 1980's.
Abandoned villas, missing people, ruins and the knowledge that anyone of working age had lived through the Khmer Rouge were little whispers in the quietness of the caves and the stillness of the lake. Yet, I am sure that this will soon be gone, the land for sale around the sweeping beach and the wonderful trekking in the National Park will bring more life to the area. Signs are everywhere that Kep is looking to create a community of sustainable tourism ventures with partnerships in foreign and regional NGO's and breathe new life into its pre-Khmer Rouge reputation of Kep-sur- Mer.
 |
| Sunrise at Kep Crab Market |
Kampot
Kampot was a very quick stop, off the mini bus and into a tuk tuk to the Banyan Tree to meet up with Kosal. The Banyan Tree has a really great spot along the broad reach of the river and played host to a relaxed light crowd of travellers. After a short walk around to see the house Kosal's father is building and the home of Kosal's adopted grandmother we went back to chill out for the sunset, watching the sky bruise over the darkening skeleton of the railway bridge, as boats glowing with the sun's last glimmer made their way up river with partying tourists.
After sunset the tuk tuk driver returned to take me the 22 kilometres to Kep, 22 kilometres that took over two hours. For sure we had a little tour of the town in the evening light and I snapped images of the Giant Durian as we passed the gaily lit roundabout but I was, shortly after this point, really not sure I had done the most sensible thing, and would certainly never have recommended this to my daughters. Single white woman in tuk tuk on a darkened road going in an unfamiliar direction to an unknown destination, with no phone and no one expecting my arrival.
Sihanoukville - Outres Beach, Serendipity Beach, Deluxxe Hotel, Cabbage Pot and the market.
Decidedly dusty and really shattered from the hair raising journey from the border it was a relief to get out at Outres Beach, even though I had no idea where I was. I found a friendly foreigner and borrowed a phone to locate Issam and Cedric, they were literally over my shoulder and made my way to their verandah for a short break and catch up before heading into Sihanoukville proper.
I met my friend Kosal at the DeLuxx Hotel, it's a modern hotel off the main street and the owner Tom is a very pleasant host, the barman Shane however was the best barman ever ... he had stories, and stories and stories... we went out to dinner with him and he had more stories, he was fabulous. He maybe smokes a bit too much but who am I to judge. His stories were a blend of anarchic rhetoric, conspiracy theories and revelations about racism and Hitler. Hitler, he told me, was responsible for creating kindergartens. He could be right, he also had some odd things to say about the Khmer Rouge. I thought as I was a visitor and a guest, and pretty tired, I would not attempt to probe or question him on anything and just let his stories entertain me as we ate the amazing food he had chosen. Later on I was to discover that Kosal's friends all have stories.
View from my hotel room
The next day I did a quick tour of Sihanoukville and decided what ever its charms they were hiding that morning, even the market did not have my attention, and I am a market fiend. I did like the way things worked and that the people on the street, and from their houses too, were friendly in their greetings.
Back at DeLuxx I met another two friends of Kosal's Mike and Megan, Mike was a teacher in Canada, he taught maths and Physics, but was "too radical" for the state education system. He thinks students should be guided to think in logical progressions and build up learning and solution skills rather than be tested to pass exams.. we had a lot to engage on, it was a refreshing interlude, a break from the conspiracy theories and it felt like fresh air.
Comments
Post a Comment