Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
We awoke, at 5am, this morning to the rise and fall of a yammering monk (the kind with a shaved head, dressed in beautiful orange garb whose appearance belies a voice that could turn fairies to dust!) he lectured, chanted, welcomed the dawn and blessed the rain. Well, that's what I imagine he was doing... He could just as easily have been predicting the apocalypse or chastising me for not using enough repellant! (The bites on my ankles are huge)
As a pit stop, (from the 4000 Islands to Siem Reap) that nobody was really bothered about going to, Kratie turned out to be highly entertaining. Monk aside, we had the good fortune of safely depositing our bags about 5 minutes before a monsoon started. The drains were blocked within 10 minutes. (in a country where they have 4 months of weather like this!) within 12 minutes motorbikes were at a standstill as the water reached their exhausts, the water rushed over the pavements within 15 minutes and children commandeered the roads, lying in the torrent, pushing each other in boxes, Kung Fu Fighting with epic sprays of water and begging us to photograph them.
While I obliged, abandoning my burger in its overly sweet bun, it was also revealed to me that the kids are fearless! Apart from the fact they grabbed onto the back of a huge truck and hung off the back, water skiing, until they got thrown off, wildly exhilirated and not at all perturbed, one particularly valiant sprog came to my aid, picture it: me snapping away and feeling the dreaded weight of something on my foot. I flicked before looking! Then I saw the beasty, the size of my thumb, and was just giving it a hard stare (hoping to telepathically warn it away from a second attempt) when afore mentioned pint sized hero stepped forward, picked up the armour clad enemy and threw it away before striking the obligitary 2 fingered gangsta' pose while I guffafwed and clapped like a high school cheerleader.
Well hello Cambodia: Home of the most welcoming people in South East Asia (and, in my humble opinion, the best looking) it's a pleasure to meet you.
I have tried to avoid regaling you with too many tales of bus journeys gone awry, but every single one in Laos was awful: never enough room to have knees directly in front of you, not even on 12 hour/overnight journeys on VIP (translates to most expensive) buses, leading us to angling our bodies awkwardly, the unrelenting karaoke songs, with their 1 type of cringe worthy video accompanying (girl happy, boyfriend cheating with girl of opposite hair length, protagonist girl crying, kiss and make up... No girl power here!) played on loop for entire journeys, at FULL volume, even on the sleeper buses! Air conditioning that leaks water all over whoever has the window seat everytime the bus stops, and an infuriating amount of rest stops (usually at the side of the road where you have to fear snake attacks while trying to pee!) that all involve turning the lights on and shouting, on the SLEEPER bus!
With all this in mind, we already had low expectations of our bus from the border of Laos into Cambodia, but nothing prepared us for being left in the mid-day sun, for 2.5 hrs, because we refused to pay the corrupt bus driver (and his 3 friends brought along as karaoke accompaniaments) to sort our visa at the border. (It would cost you more and mean relinquishing your passport when you can just get it stamped yourself and have to change bus anyway!)
In brief we:
1. Disembark bus A at Laos border to get exit stamp, (which we were charged for, as evil bus men were in cahoots with officials and stood at the front of the queue quite obviously sneering at us)
2. Get entry visa to Cambodia, (after paying a dollar for a health check, literally a man hovering a thermometer by our cheeks, which incurred more laughter at our expense)
3. Round off the debacle with a 20 min food break and then board the waiting bus to Kratie. (All organised and paid for in advance)
But no. This would be too simple... All goes swimmingly minus the second bus bit. I trot over armed only with my most winning smile, as everyone else starts loading bags, I'm rewarded by being told, by the new and improved friendly driver, that my ticket is indeed for that bus only to have this statement revoked my the smarmy guy we'd refused to buy our visas from! He'd come marching over and muttered emphatically at the driver before, once again, sneering at me and saying our bus would be two hours later despite the fact the bus being loaded, calling at Kratie, was half empty. My choice words fell on deaf ears and the bus left us eating dust.
However, just as we start pacing, gesticulating and fretting a local woman comes over smiling, "Tom and Jerry" she says grinning and signals for us to follow her back into the 'dining area' (plastic chairs, rickety tables, lines of huge angry ants scuttling on the floor, napkins disintegrating into the dust) where it's true, an old TV is playing that old kids classic. She promptly, and proudly, starts pulling chairs up behind the 7 children, laughing all the time, "no words! Sit!" and sit we did, whiling away the hours, soothed by the familiarity and her kindness, smiling and laughing at and with the locals. We were not asked once to buy anything (most of us had wolfed down snacks there earlier, in anticipation of getting on the other bus) and given a host of warm waves when we finally left. It was worth being abandoned!
The key difference between Laos and Cambodia, possible to distinguish within 10 minutes of arrival, is the level of interaction between tourists and locals. In Laos you were often found with arms flapping in the air to get attention from waiters and frequently owners of guesthouse would avert their eyes as you entered or departed. There is next to no begging in Laos, an oddity in such a poor country, whereas in Cambodia you are bombarded with outstretched hands, grins, shouts of, "hello Lady/Sir" and waving children. Even the signs seem more boistrous and attention-seeking; my favourite being for 'Sham Tyres' (the reason we see so many bikers stranded on the side of the road per chance?)
We're introduced to a new breed here too: The Pyjama People. Smart elderly ladies, young women with caps at jaunty angles, children in arms... All wearing immaculate sets of pyjamas. As a fashion statement! You know the kind... A two-piece, brightly coloured set, finished with some sort of pattern (Ben 10, bunnies, flowers etc.) you can see fine examples of them in Primark if you want to follow their lead. In truth, I'm a little jealous that I can't rock that look either in the UK, because of ridicule, or Cambodia because of the stifling heat... On that note, no, you have not been having a 'heatwave'... it's hovvering around 35 degrees here everyday!
- comments
Howard At two degrees below body temperature you can see why they don't wear fleeces. But pyjamas? Having said that we were in Morrisons in Penrith yesterday and saw an 18 year old girl wearing a bubble gum pink jump suit with spray on tan. All of the spirit drinks had newly acquired security tops and we put two and two together to get Appleby Horse Fair!
Debbie I have been rocking that look for ever!! Love my PJs :) oh and we know have weather warning sof torrential rain and storm force winds :( hope you are still enjoying Cambodia xxxxx