Not a Single %£*! was Given That Day

Our plan for the remainder of our time in Cambodia was to get bored.  A slightly strange plan but after nearly eight months of constant stimulation (not to be confused with arousal) from all kinds of extravagant religious erections, bloody historical feuds and peculiar cultural happenings we wanted a break.  With a golden beach, an excellent Italian restaurant and crystal clear waters Otres seemed to be the perfect place to do it. We were also guaranteed peace and quiet as we were far enough down the social pecking order that seemed to have been installed by the endeavouring young hippies that we were safe in our anonymity.  Seemingly trying to escape social conformity in their own countries they had ironically created a new order with social standing not coming from physical beauty, intelligence or wealth but instead from a strict criteria of;

a.       The number and size of horrific tattoos emblazoned on your body

b.      The length and squalidness of your dreadlocks

c.       The quantity of cigarettes smoked per 10 minutes

d.      How many life changing experiences you had when finding yourself backpacking

e.      The dirtiness of your clothes

The track behind Otres beach 

Despite scoring high marks in the final category the 30 year old version of me failed miserably to fulfil the standards set and we spent eight days in splendid isolation swimming, eating copious amounts of pizza and reading to our hearts content.  Although the occasional local got carried away and decided to hold a mini festival in their bar until the early hours (7am) it was incredibly relaxing.  The most stressful decision of the week was to decide what combo to put in my toasty and what time it was acceptable to have a beer.  Over the week it seemed to get hotter and more humid, so much so that we even saw a ginger with a sun tan (although this may have been a mirage).  My favourite part of the day was at sunrise when the moon and sun were reflected perfectly in the flat waters and the beach was deserted save for a few people who had decided the best thing to do on a beach was to go for a run (mentalists).  I watched on most days with a full English and a coffee and puzzled over the motivation to run on a beach rather than swim in the beautiful waters.  I failed to reach a conclusion. 

Sun rise over the Gulf of Thailand

..... and sunset

John leading us along Kep beach

After eight days we had achieved the sum total of our ambitions (bugger all) and we felt sufficiently recharged to carry on our journey through Cambodia. We headed three hours east along the coast to Kep, an old colonial resort for the French that had become another victim of the Khmer Rouge (despite its recent resurrection).  Set next to a protected jungle on the coast and housing a quaint beach and town it was even more laid back than Otres had been.  We stayed for $10 a night in a beautiful bamboo bungalow on a project where an American had built a school to help locals regain traditional art skills that had been eradicated under Pol Pot.  Rising early one morning we set off for a walk through the jungle to the beach, accompanied by a dog called John that had decided to adopt us for the day.  Thankfully we completed the 15 km shortly before midday as the heat had become unbearable but unfortunately John abandoned us 3km from home at the famous crab market.  We felt a little guilty about eating a crab as they were taken out of a tank and placed onto the BBQ alive so we headed back towards our bungalow for lunch and shade.  We were making use of a pool in a more up market hotel along the track from us when John appeared drinking water from the Buddhist shrine in the hotel reception area. 

Kep National Park

The Royal Palace in Phnom Pen

For our final few days in Cambodia we had Hannah’s birthday to celebrate and so we said goodbye to our bungalow and checked into a nice hotel in Phnom Penh for a few days.  It stirred memories of a time when soap, hot water and toilet paper came as standard when staying in a hotel!  Continuing the theme from Otres we spent the few days relaxing by the pool (and drinking very strong cocktails) although I did manage to go for a walk around the city.  I quickly learnt why people do not walk in Asia as the heat was unbearable after an hour.  A lot of Phnom Penh is being rebuilt through charitable donations and plaques are on a lot of the university and state buildings around the city centre showing the various contributors. Adverts for aid groups dominate the centre, notably those warning of child slavery and trafficking.  One of the most popular restaurants (and our favourite), Rondeng, is part of an alliance that trains orphans and people in need to work in catering, using the profits to help support families and children with education and developing new skills for work.  With our VISA due to expire and feeling rejuvenated and enthusiastic again to start exploring Vietnam beckons for the next step of our trip.

Hannah received for her birthday a voucher for Lend with Care, a great organisation that loans money to entrepreneurs in developing countries for everything from tuc tuc maintenance to buying pigs.  If you have spare money in your bank it is a great way to help!