Sihanoukville - ''love u a long time''

Trip Start Sep 06, 2007
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Trip End Sep 04, 2008


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Flag of Cambodia  ,
Monday, November 5, 2007

Once again our faithful, but slightly mad friend Paris brought us to the next town to get our bus to Sihanoukville.  He stops half way down the road to visit a 'happy tree'!  I then realize that I forgot to pick up my passport from the guest house, at his stage Paris is practically crying!!!  It turns out I had it in my bag....Paris tells us the bus is a bit mad and takes forever but he has a friend who will do taxi for us.  We decided to take the taxi as chickens and hens are transported in the buses... We eventually arrive in Sihanoukville...paradise by the sea...it is so beautiful here.  We ate dinner most evenings on the beach, red snapper and tuna.  One evening Anna (Oz girl) is eating her tuna and this young girl who begs on the beach asks Anna for her tuna.  Anna gives it to her and it becomes even more clear to us the divide in Cambodia between rich and poor.  The young girl races off and gives half of it to her sister....this broke every heart string present.  We decided that both girls were going to join us for dinner.  We asked the waiter for two more chairs, at first he was reluctant but later was pleased with what we doing.  It was great fun at the table with them as they ordered 2 fried rice with chicken and fanta- it went straight to their heads. The younger of the two seemed to be the boss and made the sister give us a bag of crisps as a thank you!  It then appeared, after much conversing with her sister and giving her rice away to the other children passing that she didn't like the vegetables in the rice!!

Anna and I met a guy who is the administrator in a Goodwill School in the town which is run by a Swedish guy.  He brought us along to see the English classes, this was mad....we got in and we had to tell them our names, then 30 children chorused back at the top of their voices 'hello Sheila, welcome to our school, where are you from'?.  Of course no one knew where Ireland was so I had to point it out in a map only to receive 'wow' noises at the distance.  Next thing the power went out (regular occurrence in Cambodia) so they wanted me to sing a song from Ireland......I got out of that one, saved by the lights coming back on!
 
Since arriving we have been in mind only to a wedding and a two day funeral (he died 5 years ago and they are still celebrating it)...this all took place in the building next to our room.  On the beach the children swarm you wanting you to buy their bracelets and rings....we took really well to one girl selling fruit. Swararith...she is beautiful and made a packet out of us!  Clyde, a friend of the Oz girls joined us for a few days.  We hired scooters and drove to all the other beached in Sihanoukville passing houses where full families live...these houses are nothing more than a shed you would put your dog into....they wave frantically as you pass, shouting 'hello, hello', the children get a great kick out of it if you say hello back, they smile from ear to ear!
 
Fiona, Clyde and I hit the town after the Oz girls left.  This was more by accident than on purpose.  We were walking down towards the beach for dinner and passed a really lively place - a guy was outside so I asked him was this a wedding? He says no, come with me as my guests and come inside...curious we went with him (bear in mind he is a 60 year old Ozzie who thinks he is 21 and looks like pop-eye), we followed him to realize that we were at the grand opening of a new 'hostess' bar with free drink....we left blotto!!!!
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