Not sure how long I’ll have to write this but since I’m also not sure when I’ll connect again I’ll try 🙂
Well I’m all checked in for my Mekong River cruise and waiting for the bus (4 hrs to the boat from here apparently ugh). Bit nervous actually 🙂 as guessed I’m the only person here so far under 60. There are quite a few walking sticks and at least one white cane. Oh there’s a younger couple. Wave!
Yesterday Mr Bun took me out through rural rice paddies and villages on a bone crunching trip to Lake Tonle Sap. I had discovered that being dry season my cruise wasn’t going there. So off I went, intrepid, not wanting to miss a thing, boarding a boat down all that’s left of a river (dried drain really), then meandering out through one of the villages that in the wet sits floor level just at the water line, but now they are 6 m above dry earth like stalks on massive legs.
Lucky there was only one of me since there was only one life vest on a boat for 8 🙂 sorry for the safety moment, I felt very reckless since I sat on the prow (front bit?) the whole way back looking like Titanic, well not really since I was sitting and alone and on an 8 seater flat bottomed diesel tourist boat and in a river and there was no music. But otherwise just like Titanic!
Then it was a bone jarring hour back to the main road and lunch – an amazing steamed fish with veg and mushrooms and vermicelli. Really really delicious.
Then Mr Bun took off down another side road and we were stopping at an orphanage. Hmmm quite tear jerking! Thankfully we went to the workshop where older kids learn a trade outside school hours. Basically wood and stone carving, leather work (carving those shadow puppets. Really amazing) and silk spinning, dying and weaving. I’m a sucker, I purchased!! The teary moment was that each item has the name of the kid who made it – they get a % of the price to keep. But they also come up for a photo with the item you bought. I nearly cried!!
And that was about it for my Seam Reap Angkor Wat adventure. Back into my Took Took for the last time, farewell to Mr Bun, promise to send more friends to see him. And now here I am waiting for a bus to get to a boat, feeling very young and single.
Drinking tea – more from Katherine Hepburn aboard the African Queen in due course! More gin Mr Bogart!!
Wendy's Out of Station 