How I became “Bye-bye”

Cambodia

Were you drinking coffee with cardamom already? once asked Viola. Pride! added, and the next day I got to taste her packet of seeds of exotic spices. Cook coffee seeds and the way you like it with sugar. Warms and as for the smell! - Extolled and I have to say, that there was no exaggeration in this gram. For the next winter weeks cook yourself at morning coffee with cardamom, which gives the drink a slightly spicy lemon-ginger flavor goździkowo.

After entry into Cambodia's southernmost border crossing located at Hat Lek Thailand greeted me Las cardamom. The pardon. First, on the border of three officials welcomed me in a dark room, in which it was held kneading process visa. This process is accompanied by a process obłupiania more or less aware of the tourists from excess cash for this very visa. Duplicate anything already sassy, because instead of the existing 30 USD demand over 40. Because I was more conscious, obłupiono me less, but it obłupiono and it was a pleasant little experience beginning my journey in the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Las cardamom, however, was already a nice experience. It is located in the south-western corner of the country mainly Flatland tropical rainforest belt, wild jungle growing on the gentle slopes of the mountains. Mild as mild, say every passing cyclist way, with the sweat streaming down.. The road is quite challenging, one hill starts second, but the surface is of good quality and the silence disturbed only of up sounds of the jungle (what kind of squeaking!!??) rewards the effort to overcome them. And thus the village shops are at roughly 40 km, and it is in principle only place, where you can buy something and relax. The entire length of the road i.e.. ok. 150 km, there is not a single shelter, in which to shelter from the blazing sun.

Unfortunately, I could not see where the growing cardamom, although I know, that there is a cultivated. Elephants, although their presence inform przydrogowe boards, also did not wish to leave the jungle and happily obtrąbić my arrival in this corner of the earth. He would like a little man can go and touch the jungle, sit on the edge of the, but set 5 meters from the road signs warning of the mines all the ardor cools. Mina, which peppered the area at the time of the Cambodian civil war in the 70s was impossible for people to hide in the forest and enters into Thailand. Las cardamom is also the last refuge of the Khmer Rouge, who took refuge here until the beginning of the 90s. Apparently forest cleared of mines, but the sad legacy of the Pol Pot era seems to remain here, yet who knows how long.

Thanks to the efforts of international organizations Las cardamom so far is being protected from encroachment of builders from Vietnam and China, The local population is engaged in activities related to eco-tourism - thanks to spend even one night in Cambodia using homestayu home for the whole 2,5 dollars. You can stay here for a long time, go for trekking which is supposed to be a whole lot better than those offered in Thailand, canoeing, relax by the waterfall. No I am not a beast trekking and decide to go further, but I would recommend this option to other arriving in these pages.

I've read and heard a lot about the poor quality of roads and infrastructure in Cambodia, but I want to see a few places here so I'm. I thought, that after visiting several Asian countries have little surprised me.. and yet I was wrong!

After three days' journey through the jungle to get to one of the main roads and get a blow on the head. Although covered with asphalt, Road No. 4 is narrow, too narrow to accommodate all vehicles going that way. They were going at full throttle, honking and wymijają on power. Initially, I'm trying to educate hear honking drivers showing, from to overtake me. It worked sometimes elsewhere, but it does not work here. Here trumpeting becomes insistent and observing other orienteering up, trucks and vans that in principle, and so do the grace, honking announcing that its presence. Thee, sleazy down on the bike as another puchom dwukółkach remains poor for only a quick landing of an asphalt located 15 cm below the belt red sand. Hopsasa! This motocross in pure form, pity not poćwiczyłam earlier in his hometown at the local track – how he would. Well, some springs would be handy.

Jokes aside, but when the time, when I'm about to jump aside passes me at full speed riding roadside car (that is, two pass me going in the same direction on both sides) I stand and I breathe deeply. On the one hand, I want to catch up with him, pull out this brainless head out of the car and put the fist, and on the other I only desire to rozryczeć. I can only thank Providence, that this time she had me in her care.

When you get to the coastal town of Sihanoukville, I'm barely awake and full of doubts, if I can even ride Cambodia. A few days on the spot helps in regaining strength, but I'm sure, the time on the road again I will pick it up. For now, still I rest, because now I will have to say goodbye to the sea for weeks.

Sihanoukville is a fairly young, because it was created in the 60s, port town. This in itself is rather dull and like almost everything here dirty, covered with dust and piles of garbage lying around, However, there is one of the greatest wealth – beaches. There are a few, larger and smaller, for the rich and the poor, more or less congested. When some of them were built expensive resorts and hotels, tweaked to circumvent the palm trees and swept sidewalks. Second, the greater part of them is a mecca lokalsów and backpackers - thatched bungalows, lazily strolling people rozmemłanym beach dress and more or less stretched pants or more or less exposed bikini. Climate general laziness and doing nothing too intermittent loud music in bars, moving the tuk-tuk sound drone tudzież mechanically extruded cane roadside stall. Often the newly rebuilt hotels bordering the poverty-houses and heaps of rubbish people lie just below the upstart fence.

I do not live on the beach. When barely shuffled and the wheels well after dark, I got to looking around the city but yet I do not see any guesthousu, for that I find on the map where the church and manage. There is no problem with this, I put up in a guest house. From one day doing a few, and I'm not trying to move up to a completed noclegowniami, but the noise stultifying center. Some may seem, from my trip gets too "churches", but for me it does not matter. Where can I meet such interesting people, with whom I talk (popular is French), who will tell me a little about life here, about the country then and now? I meet here three priests three nations - Khmer, Birmańczyk and Frenchman, also arrives every day someone new to crash - volunteers from NGO, nuns working with local people. France is Jeanny, which is a volunteer organization, dealing with the ecology.

Exactly – ecology. It's all rather strange term.. We talk about it. These ton of trash along the roads that human behavior due in part to the lack of education in this regard, and in part to the government of doing nothing, that they do not clean the garbage. Water is a huge problem, virtually non-existent sanitation, when I ask where I can wash my hands indicates prawdopodnie barrel of rainwater. I hope it was a rainwater, I see often, Baniak as people fill with water from a roadside puddles. At the same bajorze the oxen steep mud together with several children happily splashing. Decide to buy a water not only for drinking, but sometimes also for washing.

A few days before I sleep spreading a tent in a roadside village. People friendly, someone brings water to wash, provides, that is safe and even looks like, that he wants to stay here in the room next door. Between the hours of a 20-18tą this village still functioning, voices, I think somewhere in the TV game.. then the current is turned off and darkness falls. Finishing gloom though as the eye lightened full moon glow. Darkness, I know, but with secluded places and not the center of a large village. It is for me a different darkness. Just as in Laos in the shops here do not even get ice cream - ice must be frozen and products here, mainly cooled drinks daily ice dowożonym. Sunrise and sunset mark the passing of the day - kind of like that everywhere, but I realize how much access to electricity is extended to us this day. Here people go to bed early and get up when the dawning.

This is the same. Riding high street illumination of the car reflekorem not only a pleasure.

And the amount of pozdrawiających "bajbajów" and "hellołów" an hour of children in Cambodia are absolutely unbeatable. "Bajbaaaaaj! Bajbaaaaaaj” or 'Hellooooo!!!"Is served with mouth attack greeting me every day with dozens of small throats, when you go through the village. It is very nice, sincere and joyful and to the south yet well I'm doing odmachiwanie, but then I just do not have the strength reply. I have a feeling, that another "Bajbaj" and I drop on the face. Sometimes in this nieodpowiedzianym my "bajbaju" I sense anger - why do not you answer stranger on a bicycle? Przciecież you cry! “Baaaaj baaaaaj!!!”

From now on, call me “Bajbaju”.