23/7/09
Said goodbye to 'No have', Massage' & 'Where you go' land!!!
Hmmmm how do I explain the journey from Pakse in Laos to the Cambodian border & then onto Kratie......You know those trucks you see on the motorway at home that have cattle stuffed in them with just about enough room to breath, flies all round them with the thought that they will soon be slaughtered?
Well it's kinda like that, you are stuffed into a minivan(not the nice VIP one you have just seen leave with the travellers that have yet again got the whole ticket thing sussed) with Argentinian travellers playing strange hippy music, flies & muddy seats, travel to weird villages down mud tracks stopping now & then to drop off & pick up new people or to collect the drivers shopping, when you do stop you have to pay to use the worst squat toilet ever & the woman smiles as she takes the money & looks on bemused while you frantically squirt on hand sanitizer!
At the 1st border to leave, yes, leave Laos you have to pay $2 each for the exit stamp, must be $1 to raise the arm & the same to lower it, straight into their back pocket. Then walk 1/2 a mile in the heat with your bag across no mans land to enter Cambodia where again they charge you $2 each for a stamp & of course are very moody as they ask for it! Then you go through customs where for the first time ever he asks to see our immunisation records & passports again (give this guy his due he was smiley & nice) then lets you on your way.
Back on the minivan, then you arrive at the lunch stop & the cheese baguette (if I see another one of those it will be too soon!) you ordered arrives with 2 Laughing Cow triangles (yes even the cheese laughs at you over here)& ants all over it, you then get your seat on the next minivan 1st, to ensure you have one only to be told 'You BIG, you sit in the front' so you get sat next to the tiniest Cambodian girl you've ever seen just to rub it in! Face masks are passed out by the driver to his fellow Cambodians so we asked for one too for a laugh, well I'm sure we have more to worry about than they do!
Eventually we arrive in Kratie & wave goodbye to the suckers that are doing the trip all the way to Siam Riep (another 5 hours, stay overnight then another 4ish hours)!
Bonus, the hotel we sort of made a b line for is $13, great & the boys on the desk are great fun. Wow the shower never felt so good! We even get free flip flop slippers, no robes though!
We are assured that we will see the rare, critically endangered Irrawaddy Dolphins. So with the thought in our minds that that was what they said about the bloody elephants we hand over our $28 & book the trip! Suckers!!!!
Sat in the bar next door & found cheap vodka & orange's, J had his first 'Angkor' beer, planned our next steps in Cambodia, dinner then bed to dream of dolphins!!
24/7/09
Luckily we woke up as the alarm didn't go off, shot out for brekkie before 8am when we leave to go & see the dolphins.
J had Heinz Baked Beans on toast, no not the ones he got for his birthday!
Bought a couple of books too, Treasure Island & 'A Cooks Tour' by Anthony Bourdain for when we've finished all the Godfather/Mafia books!
Got picked up by our 2 man motorbike tuk tuk & drove for about 40 mins along the mighty Mekong River through various little villages with all the people waving & saying 'Hello' as we went by. The kiddies are soooo cute & smiley! Saw a few pigs & some mud for good measure!
Got on the boat & surprisingly didn't have to walk in any mud, what's going on? Met our nice smiley boat driver & headed out to dolphin watch!
WOW, we saw them! I know this sounds like a proper'you've turned into a traveller' comment but we both felt so, so lucky & privileged to see these dolphins as they are so rare. Took loads of pictures which was fun as the water is so muddy you have trouble guessing where they will pop up next but we got a few & some film clips.
Spent about an hour just watching them........
Back at base we walked around, booked the bus for tomorrow am to Siem Riep, only a 9 hour journey hope JJ gets enough leg room or I'll chuck him in the Mekong!!
J got a well needed hair cut for $2, well funny all the hairdressing team came out to watch, still amazed by the ginger locks!
Well we're in Cambodia now & have been greeted with happy smiley faces everywhere we go bring it on!!
Things we have noticed just crossing over the border:
1. Mechanical farm equipment has been replaced with horse/cow & cart.
2. Mopeds have no electric start, they are all kick start.
3. Saw the first rubbish bins for a long time & a big sign warning people not to drop rubbish in the Mekong. Shame, a walk around & it seems to be that the bins are not being used.....
4. Poorer people but seem really happy & would do anything for you.......
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