Sorry for my tardiness at posting. Wi Fi is everywhere, but that doesn't do me much good since I am not traveling with a computer. Some day, I might take the plunge, but the thought of traveling with a laptop or tablet in my backpack is not very appealing. Sometimes it is a little harder to find a computer, which is the reason for the delay.
Anyway, I am currently in the port town of Kratie in Northern Cambodia. It seems like a rough and tumble place where anything goes, the kind of place I like. During the civil war in the 1980s, this section of the country was cut off from the capital, so I think it developed its own way of doing things.
Already, I notice a difference between Cambodia and Laos in terms of the infrastructure. In Laos, the main highway is usually two lanes, and it is in decent shape. Here, there are also two lanes, but every mile or so there is an unpaved section with gigantic pot holes, which reminded me of Haiti. In essence, there is just one lane because only one car can pass at a time.
Earlier today, the bus kept gingerly driving through the holes. At times, I thought the bus was going to tip over. Finally, we came to the mother of all pot holes. One of the assistant drivers jumped out to provide guidance. We made it about half-way through when there was a loud scratching noise, and......we managed to rip off the bumper
So, did we wait for help to arrive? Nope. We were in the middle of nowhere. Who was going to come? The drivers just loaded the bumper in the bus, and we took off.
By the way, as an aside, I love the system of restroom breaks on the road. Every hour or two, the driver pulls over and both men and women find a private place in the woods. It really is easier.
The other difference between Laos and Cambodia is it seems like people are even more laid back than Laos, which is hard to believe, and, as I've already said, anything goes. I guess after all the struggles Cambodia has gone through in the last 40 or so years the people have had to develop a sense of acceptance and rolling with the punches. Keep in mind that fighting in one sort or another was going on here until almost the year 2000.
Once again, as in Thailand and Laos, the people seem really amazing. When I got off the bus, I found a room, and I needed to find an ATM. The easiest and safest way to access money is through an ATM, which spits out money in the local currency.
The owner of the hotel, after I had already agreed to stay, took me to his tuk-tuk, which is basically a motorcycle attached to a cage for passengers, put his toddler daughter in my lap, and we were off to the bank. It was one of my travel moments that make trips all worth it. I wish you could have seen me buzzing through traffic with this little girl on my lap.
Unlike the other countries I've visited in Southeast Asia, here in Kratie, the machines give only dollars, so I then had to find an exchange house. Once again, the man zipped me off in his tuk-tuk. He didn't charge me a dime.
As with Laos, I've been here only a few hours, and already I am in love with Cambodia.
In an effort to catch you up on Laos, I left the wet monk in Vang Vieng and headed south toward the capital, Vientiane, where I made a short stop; afterward, I made a loop in a southeast direction through Thakheck, Pakse and Campasak, which is one of the most southerly cities in Laos.
Campasak is a small town on the banks of the Mekong River. Hey, I entered Laos by crossing the Mekong, so it seemed fitting to end my trip there. Yesterday, I rented a bicycle and toured around all day. I managed to find a dirt road through the rice fields and spent a couple of hours watching the farmers work. They seemed surprised that a tourist was riding along the road.,
I continue to have great luck traveling. This morning, I jumped on a tuk-tuk in Campasak, not thinking I could make the morning bus to Cambodia, but it was running late. I even had time for a quick breakfast. A woman was selling some kind of meat on a stick in the market. I bought what I thought was chicken but was actually fish. It was quite good. I guess there's no better way to start the day than with grilled fish on a stick.
At the border, there were no questions, and no one looked at my stuff. I just paid my $25 for the visa and was waved through.
The only difficulty was again getting immigration to teach me my two favorite expressions - "hello" and "thank you" in Cambodian, and the border agents took everyone's temperature. I've heard of that in China, but I had never been through it. I wonder what would have happened if someone was running a fever.
I really like it here in the port town, which, you guessed it, is located on the Mekong River, meaning I'll stay a couple of days. Then, I'll be heading south to the capital, Phnom Penh.
Before I forget, I wanted to wish my mom and dad a happy anniversary. I could not have been any more blessed to have two such wonderful parents.
O.K., I'm getting hungry, so I'll wrap up for the evening. I'm continuing to have a great time. I can't believe I've been here now three weeks. I'll be in touch.
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