Having threatened Kris with abandonment if he didn't get up and then realising that probably would have suited him the way he was feeling, I paid our bill and got him to the front of the bar ready for our our lift. Our friends from the night before emerged to catch the bus. Yes, we had done the discussion the night before about why I was going by boat! We said our goodbyes and said we would possibly see them later in town, depending on how big the next town was! We sat and we waited. Just as I thought our lifts were not coming, two moto's arrived with instructions to take us to the boat. I hitched up my sarong and climbed aboard, flip flops once again in my bag and with the wind in my hair we headed for the boat. Helmets are obviously not as important in Cambodia as else where or maybe it was just here in the deserted streets of Koh Kong that no one bothered!
The boat resembled a railway carriage on a hull and I began to question my choice of transport. Inside there were two rows of bench seats, dark tinted windows and the strong smell of diesel. I asked if we could sit out front. Just as we settled ourselves among the packing cases of fruit and vegetables a boy came up to us to say we could sit on the roof. We moved our bags and ourselves up onto the roof and into the blazing morning sun.
Soon we were racing along the coast and I was in my element. Sun streamed down, Kris found the only shade and went back to sleep while I did my impression from Titanic on the bow roof.
Five hours of powering through and bouncing on the waves. We had one stop that Kris did wake up for at one of the bigger islands. Houses on poles, raised barely above the water, lined the shore. Children ran calling as we arrived and a growing crowd began to load and unload the supplies from the main land. Two large dressed pigs who had been my companions for the first leg of our journey were handed over the side. The sun had warmed the cooked carcasses during our three hour trip, the aroma of Roast Pork filled the air and even to me it smelt good. Food hygiene regulations popped briefly into my mind and were quickly dismissed!
As we watched the people come and go Kris pointed out a man carrying a huge blue cold box balanced precariously on his shoulder. It took two men to help him get it balanced as he began the tentative walk across the plank that linked us to the jetty.
Half way across his balance went and both he and the box fell into the water below. People grabbed for him as children dived in to retrieve his belongings. He was bodily dragged up the side of the boat and deposited on the narrow walkway that ran down the length of the boat. His belongings were gathered back up, returned to his box which was then lifted onto the roof and secured. The loading continued, the huge pile that had been deposited onto the jetty was loaded in the most astonishing ways onto motorbikes and hand carts and had disappeared by the time the last rope was untied and we were once again on our way.
As we reached the shore of Sihnoukville and as the motor powered breeze fell I realised that maybe 5 hours in the full sun of Cambodia hadn't been one of my better ideas. The heat was incredible and I wasn't sure how much of it I was producing myself. We called a Tut Tut, OK we looked up and three guys offered! We chose one asking to be taken to the Vietnam Embassy so Kris could sort his Visa into Vietnam.
Once there we paid and dismissed our man, who had offered to wait, as we didn't know how long the process would take. Kris was totally organised and had neither application or photo. The Embassy man inside quickly got the forms Kris needed and seemed very impatient as Kris slowly filled in the various boxes. Eventually he took Kris's passport from him and filled in the form himself getting Kris to simply sign the bottom. It must have been coming up to lunch as when Kris confessed to having no photo the guy just said '$40 dollars' and stamped his visa anyway. Four minutes from beginning to end and we were out of the door visa's in hand!!
Our Tut Tut driver was still there and offered to take us to the bus stop in town as we now wanted to arrange the bus to Phnom Penh. We declined as it was only 500m away all down hill, he said he would take us for free so Kris asked what the catch was. He got commission for everyone he took to the depot he explained and that was worth more to him than the fare. Kris liked his honesty so we climbed back in and free wheeled down the hill to the bus stop.
We had only planned to get the bus as far as Phnom Penh but there on the desk of the office was a huge sign that said 'Bus to Ho Chi Minh City $17'!! As we didn't have time to do the trip to Sein Riep there didn't seem a lot of point stopping at Phnom Penh. Following a very brief discussion we booked the trip straight into Vietnam. We confirmed we has Visa's for the border crossing as these had to be arranged before you entered Vietnam and our tickets were booked. Our driver had been very good to us so far so we go back into his tut tut and asked to be taken to a hotel of his choice, as long as it was a quiet and near the beach. He dutifully dropped us at Markara Hotel right across the road from the beach. Kris asked him to come back for us at 7am the next morning so we could go back to the bus stop. Having found a good man we were happy to put more business his way.
Our room was great, two large twin beds, hot shower, fans and a wash line just outside the door – this close to the beach they knew that wet towels and cossies would be around. I washed my few clothes and headed for the roof top restaurant that provided wonderful views across to the beach and the beach bars.
Having eaten our fill we walked across the road to Chiva's, a bar on the beach and 20m from the sea. Drinks were ordered as girls of varying ages crowded around offering brackets, scarves and other variations of body decorations. They flirted outrageously with Kris, eventually talking him into a game of pool. I went into the sea to cool down as the sun burn was really beginning to show now.
Having played half a game of pool, Kris's attention was drawn to the swinging hammock next to him as his name was called. Murphy a fellow dive instructed from Vietnam lay nursing a beer and looking in disbelief at Kris.
Murphy and his girlfriend, Maria, were on their way home after 6 months of work and travel. They had worked with Kris in Nah Trang for the past month or so but hadn't got around to swapping contact details before Kris had come to meet me. The chances of us all meeting up in that particular bar on that particular day were amazing. Introductions were made and a party was hastily arranged. I popped back to the room for a shower, Maria and Murphy did the same and we left Kris to continue playing pool with his following.
By the time I returned 15 minutes later Kris was in the company of three Canadian boys. They were also on a 6 month trip but were only 2 months in and had plenty of time to go. They had been in Sihnoukville for the past week and were not yet ready to leave. They had worked out a good route through the 'Happy Hour' s that each bar put on to entice evening customers, the best 7pm till 8.30 slot was here at Chiva's!!
Needless to say we joined them. Murphy and Maria were introduced and buckets were ordered all round except for me as Kris had made me promise not to drink as I embarrassed him too much. The boys though this was hilarious and when Kris went to the loo, a beer miraculously appeared in front of me compliments of Murphy. This was followed by one from Jason and Kris gave up!
As Happy Hour ended a huge thunder storm erupted. Unable to leave they ordered another bucket and I had another beer as lightening lit up the sky highlighting the tiny boats out to sea. The rain was intense, dousing the fire lit by the bar next door, huge droplets bounced off the tiled roof and pooled in the courtyard to eventually overflow into small streams down the side of the bar.
An hour passed, the rain abated, lightening still lit the sky far out to sea but it was deemed safe to venture forth by our not altogether sober party. We headed up the beach to the boys next recommended stop. This one did beers with free shots – tequila sunrises to be exact. Having downed the shot we took the beers out onto the beach, rearranged the beach furniture to suit ourselves and continued our revelry.
Huge flashes and loud thunder signalled the return of our storm but as yet the rain hadn't arrived so we stayed out watching the beach light up with each growing flash. Forked lightening strikes could be seen out to sea and then on the point at the far end of the beach. Just as our beers were coming to an end the rain arrived so we ran (staggered over the sand) quickly (ish) to the bar for another shot of tequila and a free beer!?!
Cushions were gathered from the sunbeds and artistically arranged on the stepped area – believe that and you are drunker than we were – we threw half a dozen cushions on the platform and climbed up being joined as we did so by a sweet wet dog! Buckets were ordered as Happy Hour had now finished and the rain was lashing down preventing us from leaving again. Conversation flowed, heated discussions on Hip Hop verse Rap,
the pros and cons of having snakes to solve your mouse problem and who's dog was it anyway!!
By 2am the boys quit leaving Kris, Murphy, Maria and myself in the bar. By 3am I too quit and wandered off to our room. At 4.30 Kris got in and at 7am the alarm went off!
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