Howdy, All - we are now in Kampot, Cambodia - a quaint, dry little town - so very nice! We made our way via bus from Saigon to Phnom Phen, capital of Cambodia; it took about 8hrs including a bit of a stop at the Vietnam and Cambodia borders (exit and entry). We arrive in Phnom Phen in the late afternoon and take a tuk-tuk to the "Lake District" where we find a hotel - easy and cheap at $10a night but very dirty little area - and FULL of other backpackers. We head out of the district towards the river to get some cash from the ATM (all spit out American currency in this country) and head out to see the city. Perhaps it is because we arrived later in the day and were walking around in the night, but our first impressions are not great - and we decide that rather than staying here for the planned 3-4 days, we will head off in the AM. We wake in the morning an grab breakfast and take a tuk-tuk to the S21 Memorial site - I cannot even express how awful the horrors inflicted here were - the actual memorial has changed over the past years and is now a few stories of skulls and chemically cleaned clothing found in the mass graves enclosed in stone towers and glass. What a shock to think that these atrocities still occur in this day and age! We left the memorial site and drove back into town, bought a book and promptly hopped a bus to go to Sihanoukville - a smaller town on the coast.
Sihanoukville - well, it is a beach town and has lovely white sand, but I must admit we did not wander much fom Serenity Beach. We had planned on taking a boat to an island about 3hrs away, but when we went to inquire, we found they were fully booked until the 18th - a lot longer than we had planned on waiting - so with out idyllic island escape plans dashed, we stayed in Sihanoukville for 3 nights and chilled out. 2 nights we ate on the beach, at a little hut like BBQ place, and on the 2nd night, I got a little ill (not sure if it was the meat, the rum, or the raspberry mojito). The next day was spent with me in bed, and Kiev on his own. I did manage to get up later in the afternoon, however a bit shakily (and have been ill now for about 4 days - think I am not getting better as I am managing to hold everything in - so far -and am trying to pump my body with sugar, salt an water to replenish).
We left Sihanoukville and went to Kampot - a nice little trip via minivan with a few other travellers and booked ourselves into a room. We found a little place called the Green Man Restaurant and Bar run by an Irish guy name Derek and his Khmer girlfriend Nita - fabulous people and really wonderful food. We had a great time chatting with them and eating yummy salad and all good things....The next day, with the food from the night before not sitting well, Kiev went on our planned trip with a moto driver to see the sights of Kampot - the pepper plants/plantation (apparently the best pepper - so good that the aristocrats from Paris would have nothing else in their homes and restaurants) and he also saw a beach and had some seafood and went to some caves...he had a good time - and I stayed in bed. After a lengthy lie-in today, we have ventured back to the Green Man and ordered up some veg soup to make me better and then Nita gave me some majic medicine ment to cure all stomach ailments - so far, so good and we are now chilling in the Internet cafe....
Anyways, that is the past few days for us - in the next few we are going to go back up to Phnom Phen (to see the museum) and then head up to Battambang and Kratie and then to Siem Reap...before heading to Thailand to take a flight to Manila- Philippines here we come!
Oh, an it is Mom and Dad's 31st Wedding Anniversary! Happy Anniversary - I tried Skyping you to let you know but anyways, hope all is well and that you are celebrating - no matter where you are!
Lib - Kiev says he added more photos - hope you can find them! I haven't seen them so I wil have to look....and I will work on getting more up...
Hope everyone is well and we hope to hear from you soon...
