Day 6 & 7 - Cambodia: Going Rogue

You're not going to be infatuated with every place you travel. The riverside town, Kampot, fell into that list for me. Perhaps it was due to my high expectations for relaxation after serenity in Kep & Rabbit Island, or maybe it was because the best way to see the area is via motor bike & I knew I would contribute to tourist motor bike accident statistics if I rented one.

I explored the 1st day with a fixed gear bike. I went off the tourist path because I missed my turn, biking 2 hrs out in the scorching midday, and then eventually back when I realized I could not circle around. Below is me sitting with a local at his stand on the side of the road, helping him practice English while I hydrated on a coconut and studied the map.

I wrapped up the day watching the sunset along the river.

To get outside of Kampot and up to the old French hill station, (Bokhor Hill) where there is a view of the surrounding area, I ended up joining a tour. The road winded up the hill and I laughed at myself for toying with the idea of cycling up the mountain in my fixed gear. The views truly were great and our guide was very nice BUT he would have us stand in the sun as he explained things in 1000 words that could have been said in 150. We were herded along like sheep to various lookouts and were allotted time at each, including a horrible, new casino complex that's being built and will inevitably obstruct the views and destroy the natural beauty of the area. ;(

Right when I was calculating the hours remaining in the tour, I met a Belgian guy, Randy, who was traveling through the national park and seeing the remains of French villas at his own pace on a motor bike. I seized the opportunity and went rogue from the tour, hopping on the back of his bike. I missed the organized sunset tour on the river, but instead soaked up the remaining hours of the sun floating in the sea in Kep with good company and no long-winded guides.

UNIQUE TRAVEL TID-BIT of the DAY

* With the strong Sea, the fisherman pay respect to the Goddess of the Sea to ensure safe waters. How do they pay respect? By offering wooden sculptures of penises & bananas at an offering table.

* Randy (Belgian guy) is luckily a medic in the navy and he came to the rescue of the scene of a motorbike accident. He helped clean the wounds and wrap the ankle of the woman who was left behind next to her mangled bike, while the male victim of the accident was quickly whisked away on another bike, presumably to the hospital. Why they left the woman and what would have happened to her if Randy was not there is unknown.

NEXT STOP: 1st day in Phnom Penh

Day 5 - Cambodia: Visit to the Doris Dillon school in Kampot Province

Before I left for SEA, my mom put me in contact with someone from her church, who helped fund a school in Kampot Province in Cambodia - the Doris Dillon school.

I arranged in advance the purchase of school supplies and books to give to the 182 students. We passed around the books then I went to each classroom to meet the kids.

I have not stood in front of a kid's classroom since I've been in grade school. What do you say, especially to kids who speak very little English and are super shy? I thought of how my friend Jocelyn would have been able to connect with the kids regardless of the language barrier. I had nothing. I looked to the papers on the walls for inspiration and saw the word birthday. My question, "Who has a birthday in May?" was a flop. "What do you do after school?" went over better, especially when I asked the kid who was going home to see his cow what the name of his cow was. I mean, i would name my cow if I had one. The most successful question was asking a kid to say something in English. At first he said a few words in English, then he was on a roll and started listing out a string of words: control, organize, apologize. Regardless of having no semblance of meaning, it was pretty cool to see this kid's confidence grow from shyly standing next to his desk to shouting out big syllable words without a break. Overall, the kids were super cute and stoked to have a visitor.

DONATE to Doris Dillon school through World Assistance of Cambodia if you want to help the school build their computer technology, library and more.

NEXT STOP: 2 days of relaxation in Kampot

Day 4 - Cambodia: My favorite impromptu day... so far!

Today's adventure was supposed to entail a day trip until 4pm on Rabbit Island, returning to my guesthouse in Kep for the evening. However, as soon as we pulled up to the island, I was greeted with tranquility, simplicity, and rustic beauty. Regret immediately set in by the idea of not staying the night there.

A basic bungalow with no electricity, nor running water for $5? Hell yeah!

And so I immediately found someone who spoke enough English to let me use their phone and call my guesthouse to inform them I won't be returning to my room in Kep that night.

And voilà, my plans changed & my home for the evening was my basic bungalow with a day pack containing a sarong, mosquito repellant, camera, e-reader, iPod, journal, tissues & enough $$ for the next 24hrs. What more did I need?

My highlights on the island:

- Engaging in random conversations with other travellers, like the English crew who intertwined the word 'nob' in every sentence, the French organic melon farmer and designer, who hiked in the Cambodian forests with local hunters, eating red ants and spiders and Bill, the 60-something years old from Minnesota who comes to Rabbit island every winter and recently discovered his health condition was due to gluten insensitivity & how his life has changed since becoming gluten-free!

- Playing with kids who followed me as I circumvented the 8km island and they had a 30 minute photo shoot with my camera until they got bored. One kids creative inspiration came out as he took pictures while putting a flower in front of the lens. Here are photos of some of the kids & the boy taking a photo of me.

- Devouring fresh crab for each meal.

- Watching the sun plop down from the clouds into the sea from my hammock.

- Peeing under the starry sky with silhouettes of palm trees and calm, glassy water reflecting the moon light.

- and finally, waking up early to watch the sunrise on the other side of the island where the locals live, which clearly upset the dogs to see a Westerner at 5:45am. They encircled me & barked until finally I backed up to stand in the water & yelled "help me" until a local came out and called off the dogs. Of course, they instantly transformed from Cujo into fuzzy fur balls. At least I have the ability to laugh at myself!

Needless to say, it was the best extra $5 I've spent to stay on Rabbit Island.

NEXT STOP: Visit Doris Dillon school to donate school supplies and meet the kids!

Day 3 - Cambodia: Mekong Delta boat to Cambodia + "I'll have what shes having"

After a 5hr boat ride along the Mekong Delta to Phnom Penh,

 I was greeted by Evan who was a Tuk Tuk driver for a friend of a friend that I reached out to before I left the states. He recognized me from Facebook and called out jeanne at the dock, making me feel as if I was arriving home and getting picked up by a friend!

(Side strange note: American dollar bills come out of the ATM instead of Cambodian Riel.)

Evan dropped me off at a restaurant he likes and they gave me a modified English menu. a guy at the restaurant offered me to sit at his table and try his dish. So, of course I ignored the English menu and told the waiter in When Harry Met Sally fashion:

"I'll have what [he's] having!"

NEXT STOP: Keep and day trip to Rabbit Island

Day 2 - Vietnam: Floating Market & Hollywood look alikes

4:30am wakeup to check out the floating markets in Can Tho. Fresh fruit and vegetables sold wholesale and individually from boats.

As an aside, Day 1 tour guide was convinced I looked Like Sandra Bullock from Miss Congeniality...surprisingly not the 1st time I heard that although I don't see any resemblance besides us both being white. Day 2 tour guide thought I looked like some chick in Gossip Girl, which I've never seen. I find it funny that the tour guide from Vietnam was more versed on american culture than me ( although some of you won't find that surprising)...

Next Stop: travel day - boat ride up the Mekong Delta to Phnom Penh Cambodia & bus to Kep (Cambodia beach town)

Day 1 - Vietnam: Food Coma

4 savory dishes and 3 desserts consumed from food stands throughout Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) - all reached via the back of a motor bike (www.Backofthebiketours.com). And despite how it may look, I did not drive the motorbike. I went perhaps 3 inches in my quick lesson and my driver took back the lead, thankfully.

 Reallllly excited about this crab apparently... 

On transit to the next food stand...

Needless to say, I finished the tour and embarked on a 3hr bus ride to Can Tho with a complete food coma!

the bus experience did not disappoint:

- neon lights on the ceilings
- Vietnamese TV shows and/or music blaring from the speakers
- a few bumpy roads here and there
- ac blasting
- driver Honking horn every 30-60 seconds. (I could not decipher if it was an FYI I'm passing you honk, get the hell out of my way honk, 'hey what's up' honk or I'm falling asleep at the wheel so I will continue to press the horn to jar me awake honk).

Regardless, I arrived to Can Tho.

Next Stop: 5am departure for the floating markets

And She's Off...

And after a 20+ hour flight to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, I arrived safely.

NEXT STOP: Back of the Bike Food Tour! http://backofthebiketours.com/