Leaving Sri Lanka one of the airport security guards asked me for money! Wow, I thought, if only I had some illegal substances to smuggle, maybe it wouldn’t be that hard after all.Back to Bangkok and over to Cambodia, this time via Koh Kong. The Cambodian border guards tried to overcharge me for the visa, and then some English speaking kids did their best to get between me and the locals who provide the transport you need to get to the town. The kid said it would be 50 baht to get me to go with him, and so I did, but when we got to the car the price became 100 baht. I was annoyed at his tricks and walked away but he called me back and eventually agreed to the original price after giving all sorts of excuses.
In Koh Kong I stayed at Cheap Charlie’s and met an interesting chap who did his own personal charity work in Cambodia. Back in his home country – the Jersey islands – he held fund raising evenings, and with the money would come to Cambodia looking to help the locals.
Recently he had found a local in a small village outside of Sihanoukville who knew a little English and offered him $25US if he would conduct classes for 1-2hrs 5 days/week. Now the “school” has about 30 kids being taught the basics of English by one of their own, all for a small $25US/month. In another village he came across a man with no legs, bought him some prosthesis, and now the guy could go back to work as a fisherman. He worked independently of the government and NGOs.
From Koh Kong I caught a taxi to Phnom Penh. I made the mistake of getting the guesthouse owner to organise it for me, and gave him the money. Normally you pay at the end of the journey, and when it came, I couldn’t prove to the driver that I had already paid the guesthouse owner and ended up having to pay twice.
Back in Cambodia I went to Sen Monorom, a less visited town in Mondulkiri province. Getting there required taking a bus (to Kompong Cham), then taxi (to Snoul), then pickup truck (Sen Monorom). Used to crowded public transport by now, I was still no the less surprised to find this guy fit 8 of us into his taxi. That’s right. Four in the back, 2 in the passenger’s seat, and 2 in the driver’s seat. I’ve haven’t been in such a crowded car since my student days, but even then we didn’t try and fit someone in the same seat as the driver. The road from Snoul to Sen Monorom involved the odd stream ford as bridges had yet to be finished.
Sen Monorom is a sleepy, low touristed little town with waterfalls, elephant rides, and ethnic minorities (just as much, if not the, tourist attraction here). A pleasant get away from Phnom Penh, there were a few expat types visiting and living in the place too. I met these missionaries from the Seventh Day Adventist church in America. The mission they had chosen to accept was “church planting” among the Pnong ethnic minority. They told me their work included building relationships with the Pnong people, learning their language (with a view to understanding their development needs & translating the Bible), and ultimately bringing God to the people.
Argghh, people doing good everywhere. Do Godless people need God? Do poor people need materialism? Why is Western man inclined to think everyone one else needs saving? As ugly as it sounds, I am more and more inclined to Ayn Rand & the Objectivists position that rejects altruism and proscribes production and trade as the moral activity of man. Life is a box of warts.
Bou Sra Trip
Bou Sra waterfall has been described as the most impressive waterfall in Cambodia. It is 32km from Sen Monorom, via a dirt track which includes 3 stream crossings. We (myself and a British guy) planned a day trip out there. Half-way through it started to rain heavily and the dirt track turned to mud. It soon became impossible to travel on the 100cc street bike without coming off. The rain was pouring down, I was soaked and muddy.
I ended up staying for Khmer New Year, celebrated by the Thais and others as well. Everyone goes crazy and it becomes socially acceptable to throw water at other people, even strangers, for 3 days.
After Cambodia it was back to Koh Pha Ngan at the behest of a Thai girl who I met earlier. Only after travelling 16hrs by train and boat to get there did I realise that “I miss you” is just something Asian women like to say and should come with a legal disclaimer disowning any implication that she does not have a boyfriend, if you were just so inclined to think otherwise. But you won’t catch me thinking that.. again.
