In some ways very much like Kampot, this was again another
very sleepy chilled out town with friendly welcoming people. Not so much to see
but it was a place to just relax, the town had a nice community vibe and there
were plenty of projects going on to try and help local people.
We once again paid for the keys to a bit of freedom and took
our latest motorbike into the country where we climbed up to hill top temples
and went wine tasting (which was possibly the strangest wine we have ever
tasted).
After climbing a spiraling and extremely steep hill (we’re
talking first gear on the motorbike) we were rewarded with incredible views of
the pancake flat landscape around us. Sitting taking in this view was a
friendly monk who we chatted with for some time about past hardships and
present life in Cambodia.
He wanted to improve things by building more classrooms near his temple to
teach English. Before leaving this apparently sacred hill we followed some steps
down into an incredible mini-valley, framed by dripping rock formations and
guarded by ancient warrior statues. It was a top spot for a breather and a bite
to eat.
One afternoon we volunteered at another project, who’s aim
was to teach kids English and computer skills after school. We both enjoyed reading
books with the tots and the first full class was fun, with a bunch of
hyperactive but really enthusiastic 8ish year olds. Then we were split up into
different classes and it did get a bit tough when the teachers handed over the
chalk with no preparation and expected us to take a class. Ben had a paper
airplane guided his way in a class of grumpy mid teens, payback I guess..
Following a recommendation from a traveling architect we met,
we went on a cooking course at one of the local restaurants. This was brilliant
fun, going around the early morning market, the barrage of smells and colours,
learning how to pick out the best ingredients. We smashed and slashed and
splattered up three traditional Khmer dishes and got the great pleasure of eating
it all at the end.
