the next morning, monique and myself got our bus to kep. We thought we would be there by 12 but ended up not being there till about 1. when we arrived, We were given a map of the town and it didn't look to big, so we declined the tuk tuk saying that we would walk. Well it ended up being more than a kilometer away. So now I know I can walk for a kilometer with my backpack on. I was exhausted when we got there. We took a shower and headed out for lunch and wanted to see about getting a boat out to rabbit island for the next day. While we were walking we were stopped by a guy who said we could get a boat over to the island for $6, no lunch included and get the boat back that evening. We said we wanted to spend the night there not come back the same day. And he gave us the price of $7 to do that. It wasn't bad but we said we would think on it and find him later.
So we headed for lunch at the seafood market, Which turned out to be quite expensive. They even got my order wrong. I pointed to the chicken fried noodle but he guy who took my order and didn't speak English thought I pointed to shrimp fried noodle. Needless to say I didn't eat it and it took a few minutes to figure out why I didn't want it.
Afterwards monique and I went for a walk along the coast. I got myself a coconut to drink and brought it with me. I didn't realize coconut was so heavy. The walk was lovely. We found the beach which was OK, it was more of a brown sand. But pretty clean which is the main thing.
We went to see the naked lady statue that was by the coast. There was a piece of material covering her breasts, which I thought was really funny. Then we walked back towards our guesthouse again. On the way back we ran into the guy for the boat tickets again. We decided to go with him because if we hired a boat by ourselves we would have to pay $20. they asked us for our names and I have found in south east Asia, that they can't say mine. So when I told them my name was tricia, they thought I said teacher and then when I went to say it again, they thought I said future. Which was really funny, because one of the guys there was flirting with me and said that he could see me in his future. And I said yeah when you come to pick us up to bring us to the boat in the morning. Ha ha.
We left them then and headed towards our guesthouse. We weren't sure where to eat as the place is quite small but it is also quite spread out. Our place was dead, so we decided not to eat there and the next place we came across, had a few people in it so we decided to go in there. We ended up joining a table with couple at it and the owner of the restaurant, who turned out to be a funny guy. The couple were American though the guy was actually Irish. They were really nice. The girls name was Eileen and when I told her my name was Patricia. She said oh that's funny my second name is Patricia. And I started laughing cause I then said well guess what my second name is. And she said Eileen. I went yep. She couldn't believe it. It definitely was a strange cowinidence. We had an Eileen Patricia and a Patricia Eileen.
The next morning, we got picked up by our future driver. And got brought to the ticket place to buy our tickets. We were suppose to get our boat by 9 but it was half 9 before we even left the office. And when we got to the boat dock, monique, some other French guy and I were told to wait for the next boat and the tour that paid for lunch included set off. The French guy said they wouldn't let us share the same boat because we paid cheaper and didn't want us talking to the other people about how much we paid. When monique was talking to him, she started to talk in French, but he said talk in English And said that it always happens that when French people meet they always start talking in French We ended up waiting for awhile for the next boat but we eventually made it. And it was really nice.
When we got there we were getting rooms for the night but we had to wait till 4 O. clock when the other people left the rooms. Which was fine. There were some bamboo platforms along the beach for us to lie down on and relax. So we picked one in the sun and soaked up the rays. The sun was really hot and especially as it turned towards mid-day. So we left our posts and went for lunch. I asked for a coconut and the guy came back saying that there was someone just gone to get them so it would be a few minutes. That's when we heard a crack and a bunch of coconuts fall and we saw a guy climb down from a really tall tree with no supports, just his hands and feet. Like a little monkey.
After lunch it was back to more sunbathing, and swimming in the water. It was really nice to relax and just do nothing for once. When it hit after four , we went and got our rooms and hung out by our hammocks. When it got dark and the generator started for our electricity. And all evening we just hung on our hammocks only leaving to get something to eat. The lady of the place came over to us at one stage and was talking about 10 O. clock. She had no English and all she could say was 10 O. clock. So we just nodded and said OK. The only thing we could think of was that we had to check out by 10 O. clock, but it didn't make sense because we couldn't check in till 4 so why would we have to check out at 10? but we figured it out the next day when they didn't come looking for the key at 10 and we didn't check out till 3 that she must have meant that the generator would stop at 10. because that night at 10 on the dot. The generator turned off and the lights went out. It was a good thing that there was a light on my mobile phone or else I would have been going to the toilet in the dark.
The next day was pretty much the same as the day before in that we swam and sunbathed. Not much more to do on a little island. But it was nice and before that I think I was feeling a little home sick and there's nothing like a nice beach and some sun to help you get over your blues.
To get back to the island we had to get the boat that the day tour came on at 4 O. clock. But when we went to find the boat , we couldn't find it. There were two different boats of tours but both said that we would have to pay to use them and both of them left before 4 so we were so confused and didn't know what to do. When we bought the tickets what they said to us was that if we wanted to leave the island before 4 we would have to pay but if we left at 4 we wouldn't have to pay. So here we were being told before 4 we had to pay when the boats were leaving and there was no boats leaving at 4. one of the independent boat drivers called the office where we booked our tickets and the guy from the office said that why didn't we get on the boat from the tour. We said we couldn't find it and that it left early it wasn't suppose to leave till 4. he said that the boat was gone already and that we would have to pay to get off the island. But I said we weren't suppose to pay the deal was if we got the boat at 4 we wouldn't have to pay. And he said well the boat is gone already and I said yeah and its only 4 now. He still said we had to pay for the boat and he would talk to us at the office when we arrived back and would send our future driver to pick us up. I said fine because what were we to do? We couldn't wait till the next day as monique had to get to Phnom Penh to get her flight out of Cambodia and we couldn't get off the island with out paying someone to come pick us up.
So we paid our two dollars each to get off the island and our tuk tuk driver was there. So he brought us back to the office so we could complain. There were a bunch of guys there and we explain our situation and that the tour left early and that had to pay to get back. They were trying to get out of it saying that we didn't look for the boat and when I was on the phone to him I said we would pay the 2 dollars each. Which I told him him we had no choice, we had to leave the island and the tour left early we were on the phone to him before 4 and the boat was gone already. They were really trying to get out of it. So one of the guys said the guy who was on the tour that day wasn't there and that they would have to speak to him to see if they left early and if we went back to the guesthouse, he would come to us about 7 later that evening. So we said OK. but the boat did leave early you cab even check the time of the phone call on the mobile phone to see that we called before 4 and the boat was gone already.
So our driver brought us back to our guesthouse and we thanked him and he hoped we would get our money back. After he left, we went to watch the sunset and I took loads of pictures. It was one of the nicest ones I had seen yet.
After the sun had set we went to go take a shower and on our way to our rooms, we ran into the guy from the tour office. I joked saying he was early just like his boat. And he went on to say that he would give us back 1 dollar each and would be OK. Well we both looked at each other and said not really, since we shouldn't have had to pay at all. And he said that that we wouldn't have any profit if he gave us 2 dollars back. I was thinking yeah right, but monique went to suggest that, there was nothing on our ticket to say we were coming back today and that no one on the island had any idea who we should get the boat with. And also how did they know many people were to come back from the island, did their guy from the tour know that 2 people wanted to come back today? They should know exactly and right on the tickets when the people were to come back and if they changed their minds they would have to pay extra to get off the island. The guy was so impressed and said you gave me a good idea for my business, that he ended up giving us back our 2 dollars each. It was really funny. So all you have to do is give them a good idea and they will refund you. I was actually impressed we got any money back never mind the whole lot. When aoife and I complained in saigon about having to buy a new ticket from dalat, we only got 2/3 back.
So that kept us entertained for the rest of the evening. We only had a quiet dinner at our guesthouse and went to bed early. Monique was getting up early to get the bus back to Phnom Penh and I was getting a motorbike to kampot. I decided against going back to Phnom Penh as I had been there twice already and the whole idea of going back for the third time really left me down. So was going to have write an email to sareth the monk, saying sorry that I wouldn't be able to see his homeland after all.
The next morning I had to say goodbye to monique. She was really great travelling with and it was great having someone there who was constant for a few days when I was really feeling homesick.
So it was sad to see her go and I was on my own again. The plan for me was to get to kampot and try to find a bus or something that would take me to ha tien in Vietnam. the next day. The border is only newly opened so I wasn't sure how easy it was going to be.
I got a bike to kampot and got a room in a guesthouse. The owner there was a really sweet guy and I asked about getting to ha tien for the next morning. I think it was his son, who said that he could bring me to the border of Cambodia and Vietnam. but he could bring me to ha tien itself. I said I would let them know later if I was going to go to that. I rented a bike off the owner and went off cycling around kampot. There wasn't a lot there and I had cycled around in about half an hour. I hung out at a restaurant for awhile just watching life go by and I then went to the local market bought some of those lovely red lycees and changed my book at an exchange book place. Hung out at the river eating my lycees, it was a nice relaxing day.
While I was hanging by the river a guy sat beside me making conversation. When he found out I wanted to go to ha tien, he told me for the same price he wouldn't drop me at the border but he would actually bring to the bus station in ha tien. It seemed to good to be true but he gave his name and told me where I could find him later, if I wanted to take him up on the offer.
I headed off for dinner where a meet a couple who were trying to decided what to do with their last few days in Cambodia, so I told them about rabbit island and that I really had a lovely time there. I think they were leaning more towards sihanoukville, where everyone seems to go to get some sand sun in Cambodia I'm glad I went to rabbit island instead. After dinner they were walking out of the town to this bar on the river to hang out and invited me along, which was sweet. So we walked together with me pushing my bike. It turned out to be a lovely place, a bar and a guesthouse. A little far out I think but still nice. We hung out there for a drink, telling each other stories about Cambodia The guy told me about how he ate a spider and an embryo. Yuck! He said he would eat a spider over and embryo any day. He said that when he went to eat the spider that there was a group of kids hanging around him. He was hesitating about eating the spider but the children where there cheering him on and telling him to eat the back part of the spider first as that was the best part. So he ate the back part and all the kids fell around laughing. He said he wasn't sure why maybe it was the face he was making. I said to him that I had heard or read somewhere that you didn't eat the back part of the spider just the legs and the body and left the ass alone. Maybe that was why they were laughing? The guy looked disgusted. Ha ha he said that makes sense and that the ass didn't taste very good but the rest was OK. The cheeky buggers.
After the sun went down the couple got a motorbike lift back to the town leaving me to cycle back in the dark. Which was fine, it was a good thing though that it wasn't to far out of the town. On my way back to the guesthouse I went to find the guy who said could take me into ha tien itself. I was thinking there wasn't anything I could lose as it was the same price as the other guy even if he just dropped me at the border. But I couldn't find him. I was hoping it was because it was to late already and I would find him in the morning instead. When I got back to the guesthouse the owner was there and he started asking me was neary my family name. I said it was and he said that neary was a Cambodian word as well meaning lovely single lady. He said you can call any young lovely lady who wasn't married yet , neary. Kinda like a pet name I think. I don't know if it is true but I like it think it is.
The next morning, I went to try and find the guy who could bring me to ha tien. I didn't find him but I found someone else. So I was on a bike on my way to Vietnam.
