If I Had a Boat...

What the difference a day makes.  I have finally found my love for Cambodia and it was on the water.  You might think that a 7 ½ hour boat ride seems like a long time, but it was amazing.  If anyone wants to come to Cambodia, come to where ever it is I am and enjoy.  Next time I’m going to fly in a pontoon.  You have to go during the wet season otherwise you will get stuck…but in the wet season, you will go to the Floating Forest and it is wonderful.  The people were amazing – we laughed and cheered and joked and blew kisses at each other.  The kids were practicing with their racing boats and playing in the waves and the parents were gathering their nets of fish with a big wave and a smile for us.  This was the Cambodia I expected.  And it is definitely worth visiting.

Here are some photos – I took more than from Angkor Wat. Unfortunately I missed most of the good ones because I was too busy waving and yelling at the locals.  

Before the boat ride, we went to a silk farm which was also really interesting and I got some good gifts!

Our hotel for tonight is another story…It’s Hotel Kakkerlak 2.  The guides strongly suggested we not leave the hotel because it is too dangerous.  Not surprisingly, my room doesn’t have any windows in it – it’s actually a lot like the cells I saw at the Genocide Museum except my bed has a mattress instead of just a box spring (and I can’t find any torture devices, etc).  But the wonderful thing is that the hotel has an outdoor swimming pool so I got to go for a great swim!  I followed this by a shower with flip flops and a swimming suit because I was afraid that without shoes and clothes in the shower I would get eaten by something.


Thankfully, my room has this picture posted and a sign in the bathroom suggesting to "stop sex trafficking of children" which makes me feel much more safe and secure.

The entire group had to leave their rooms because we simply couldn’t be inside them (I am in the hotel lobby right now…I might sleep here).  Then we started drinking which was the smartest thing we could have done.  The end of the story is that the entire restaurant in the hotel (we made a lot of French friends…) were singing the current Cambodian hit “Tonight … We Celebrate Very Much Our Love For You”  The Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack favorite, but with Cambodian English.  We just swayed and sang it together drinking terrible wine.  I fell off the wagon after 2 weeks and got some well deserved enjoyment out of it. 

Tomorrow we cycle 96 km’s!  Will be the toughest ride so far and I can’t wait until it is over.  One of the nurses gave me Second Skin and another gave me Tiger Balm.  I will be ready for this trip and my butt will make it through! 

I haven’t mentioned that at breakfast this morning I had to eat with Jane alone.  She was remarking, at length, on the wonders of room service.  I must be strong because I didn’t start drinking until about 14 hours later. 

I am so glad I finally like Cambodia!