Filling in the gaps...

Hello again :)

It is time to start filling in some gaps as we catch up on the time since we left the coast heading North to Siem Reap and the land of temples in the forest.

There are a few more moments from the seaside to share...























- a motorbike riding through the internet cafe in Sihanoukville, all the way to the residence behind!















One last view from our bungalow balcony. This one, looking towards Occheuteal Beach. The next image is from the other side of the hill, where we spent most of our time.
















I did not spend most of my time in the air! Only during brief moments, when it seemed appropriate to leave the ground.
Here is a more sensible image of the Otres Beach side of the peninsula, with one of the cute bungalows visible in the trees.















On our last night we decided to eat dinner at Durian Boy's cafe.
Much to our disappointment, he wasn't there... but we soon learned that he was out with his cousin getting supplies from the market. The supplies he personally returned with were not quite essential items for a beachside cafe, but we did all have fun together as the kids ran to Naomi and myself demanding that we inflate balloon after balloon.















After all the hard work (from hammocks, of course) of blowing, we were entertained by gentle balloon play for the evening.

Much fun for all, of course - although it did interrupt our meal as the kids were quite insistent. That was the last we saw of Durian and his family. I'll leave you now with Naomi playing the bizarre and ever evolving "hello" game, that the young girl had improvised earlier in the week.

With a taxi booked for 7am, we woke at 7:30, after an alarm clock malfunction and quickly packed our bags. On the road at 8, heading for Kampot...
















where school children fill the streets to hear speeches over loudspeakers in the morning,
























and interesting architecture pops up every now and then. The interesting elements were by no means limited to the outside of buildings! in our guest house, there was a mysterious small entrance on one of the stair landings.
























Just what does the Love Doormat signify? Passing by one time, there were two wet footprints on the heart. This only confused me more, as there can't be enough space behind for a swimming pool - let alone a bath, probably not a shower and I seriously doubt even a hand basin.

I did not allow the mystery of the heart mat to bother me for too long. There were other oddities to ponder - such as this collection of items pinned to the wall at the top of the stairs -

















Many structures here have small Buddhist shrines dotted about the place. Could this be such an installation? I was confused by the symbology represented by this collection, but maybe it is linked to the heart mat in some mysterious way.

From Kampot we wanted to head to Rabbit Island - Brasil (what a great name! He was also very smiley) the moto driver offered his services, promising his bike was really good - new, fast, safe.

We walked with him to where his bike was being repaired at the side of the road. Not so reassuring, but it was amazing to see the grizzled mechanic work his magic on a busy street corner.


































In no time, the tyre was repaired and we were on our bone-shattering way down the coast to the seaside town of Kep.



















Weeeeeeee! Brasil was very zippy, and we were soon on a boat to the island.















The boat drivers seemed like ordinary teenage boys at first, but have a look at the closer image of the driver's teeth -
















I think he might be a vampire! A real one. Not one of those Transylvanian/Hollywood pretenders.

(and why was he plucking his chest hairs?!? Maybe vampires prefer the smooth look and feel)

Anyway - the boat took us to Rabbit Island...















Not a real (or imagined) vampire in sight, just smooth water, beautiful palm trees and empty beaches. No rabbits ;)
One of the real charms of Rabbit Island is the peace and quiet. There are no motos, or petrol vehicles of any kind there. A welcome change after the mayhem of the mainland.
























A nuggety little local man scurries up one of the tall and mighty palms... his agility was inspiring to watch.

Puppies have been pulling at my heartstrings here in Cambodia, and the following one was no exception! He had made himself a small divet in the sand, and promptly dropped off to sleep in the shade. So adorable.
























Looks a little like Paco when he was young! Of course, Paco is still particularly handsome in his twilight years :)















We did eventually have to leave the island. It was a wonderful refresher to see the water again, but our time on the sand has come to an end.

On the way home, Brasil's speedy bike had some more mechanical issues. The following image is of the children sleeping behind yet another roadside mechanic's impromptu workshop.

Not quite as cute as a puppy, but about as close as you can get ;)

Ok. There is now only one adventure to fill in before we start on the temples around Siem Reap. Our trip to Bokor Hill Station deserves a post of its own, and that is what you will hear about next time.

We will leave today with some Phnom Penh memories... a gorgeous girl abusing the monkey across the road from our hotel... a young boy in pink silk pyjama pants who spent hours going back and forth... and the hotel room key - fashioned from a former key, that had been snapped in half, the name scrubbed off, and the new room number written on a makeshift sticker. Who said the hotel was dodgy?!?

Much love from both of us,

- Naomi and Guy.