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Day 228
Getting a Vietnamese visa in the middle of nowhere over Chinese New Year has proved virtually impossible. We're kinda stuck in our paradise-eco-village and I am feeling a little trapped and hemmed in. I can only do rural Cambodia for a few days and can't kid myself any longer; I'm still a city girl at heart and I really want to put on jeans, wedges, lip gloss and wander about the shops. I've canoed and slept in a straw hut and quite frankly now, am bored to tears. I've got to endure a night on Rabbit Island and a few nights in Kep before we make it to Vietnam - this will give us time to get the blooming visas - and then I get plonked in Ho Chi Minh which promises 'a buzzing glittery treat'. Right up my street. On the plus side though, Jason Connery has turned up in our resort although mysteriously with a thick French accent and looking way younger than his actual years. Still, its nice to have him here.
Moved to Kep. It is a nice little seaside village that used to be fabulous until the late 1970's when Pol Pot ruined everything. In fact, I get the impression ALL of Cambodia used to be fabulous and is still in the middle of a slow rebuild. It's getting there, though. So Kep is nice, with a famous crab market and a busy beach. The accommodation we had booked and I had a confirmation email to prove it.......had never heard of us. I resorted to my usual behaviour of crying in the lobby and shouting at Rufus. The nice receptionist was apologetic but as the hotel was full (STILL Chinese New Year, how many days do they need?) he could only offer 'a friend's place up the road'. I glowered at him. This always fills me with dread. However, we had no options and jammed back into the tuk tuk with all our luggage AND the receptionist and chugged up a steep dusty hill. And then..... walked into the most beautiful place ever. It really was somebody's house, a nice American couple named John and Lorian who retired here and built their dream home, three storeys of terracota and stone with a dramatic sea view, and four 'guest' bungalows. John told us he had built the bungalows for family and friends but that nobody bothered to visit. Shame. Their loss. Anyway, we were thrilled,. They don't serve food as they are not a restaurant - or even a hotel for that matter, so Rufus trotted back into the village for some local Cambodian fayre - squid on a stick and some barbecued banana wrapped in a bamboo leaf. I discovered the three best things in the world while he was away - a man with two daughters (exactly the same age as Fern and Clover), a pair of chain-smoking French lesbians next door and a giant pool full of inflatables. Something for everyone. We have another two days here until we can get our visas for Vietnam and move on, but it's a hell of a nice place to hang about in while we wait. Didn't sleep too well the first night due to incredible, torrential, tropical rain. We've become so unaccustomed to rain we actually all woke up to listen to it in utter shock and horror. I was bolt upright first shouting 'What the hell is that?'. We all stared quizzically at the roof. Only on opening the door were our fears confirmed, it was pissing down in spectacular fashion. The Froggy lezzers have turned out to be a disappointment, they're rude, they shout at each other in deep voices and showered together noisily at 7am. They've gone off for breakfast now, probably demanding du vin, du pain, du Boursin, leaving us groggy, resentful and cross. Hopefully Clover will now ruin their quiet, smoke-filled day by shrieking, singing, crying, splashing and generally just being Clover.
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