Greetings from PHnom PenH!

I have arrived in Cambodia, the country whose history is described in my guidebook as "The good, the bad and the ugly". I must admit, that for none of these parts I had been aware of the intensity - not the Ankor Imperium, nor the Khmer Rouge tortures and genocide of the 70s. From total ignorance (Unkenntnis, nicht Ignoranz in diesem Fall) I plunged into the history of the Cambodian Kingdom today and I am just blown away. But how did I get here, to start with....

back in Laos...   During an amazing 4-day Motorbike trip through the Bolaven Plateau, a 1000m high volcanic and absolutely flat area that rises above mighty Mekong I was finally able to reach those remote Laosian areas that I had seeked during my whole trip. Being released from the dependance on bus routes made me produce a lot of endorphines and the feeling of real freedom. I could call 100m wide waterfalls with refreshing swimming ponds my own. Sadly, there was nobody to take a picture of me swimming...

This feeling  was very quickly gone, when I realized that I jumped on the wrong bus after my last blog entry - when I tried to reach the Cambodian border. I ended up getting stuck on one of 4000 Islands on the Mekong, a very flat area near the border, where the shallow river reaches a width of 14km . I decided to make the last 25km the next day by bus....which did not come....and thus made me finally agree to hire this moto-taxi: 

 I know what you are thinking: "What was she thinking???"

Apart from the fact, that this scooter looks like it could break down anytime by the mere weight of a skinny, short asian guy, riding with my huge & heavy backpack in front and me in the back was quite a challenge for the driver. We both had an acheing back after the 45min ride. I should have become suspicous before jumping on, when he asked for only 3$ in advance. I realized from where he received his extra money when I found myself not being dropped off at the newly opened, official bordercrossing along the main road. Well, I was dropped off at an old landcrossing checkpoint, where it was not possible for me to get a Cambodian Visa. This, and the fact that I could neither get a Laos Visa there, I only noticed after having passed Laos customs....

Communicating with hands and feet while terribly swearing (fluchen) in German at the mafia-like systems of taxi drivers and custom (Zoll) officials working together to rip off (ausnehmen) poor little German Girls being stuck in the jungle....I found out that it was another 22km through the forest to somehow arrive at this official Cambodian Customs Hut. I had no other choice than taking the only TOTALLY OVERPRICED tuk-tuk available (10$ for a ride that should have cost 1$). No doubt,  the driver is a good friend of the scooter driver. It was a heavy up-and-down along a dirt road, and despite holding onto the structure with both hands, I hit my head several times on the roof.

This picture was only possible because the path was relatively calm here... 

See the spare tire?

In the beginning, I was actually a little scared, that the driver and the only other man who was sitting with me on the back of the pick-up-landrover would stop somewhere to rob me. I was prepared for giving them all my mony...and for the case of any worse event, I was holding on tightly to the knife in my pocket. I felt relief when a monk got onto the car a few minutes after we started. This trip was honestly one of the highlights so far. Strangely, we arrived on the main street about 2km south of the Cambodian customs, meaning from the Cambodian side...  

Cambodian Custums seen from the Cambodain side.

Despite other expectations, getting a visa was no problem, it just took 5 minutes. But when they asked me to pay an extra 1$ to stamp the passport, I very selfsecuredly said "NO!" -which surprised me a litte. The fact that they handed it over to me directly without any other discussion surprised me even more. Well, from then on, everything was easy, the Tuk-Tuk tuk (aeh, took) me to the next village from where I could catch the next bus to Kratie, a lovely, sleepy, heavenly village on the Mekong. Now, I let the pictures speak: 

View from my guesthouse balcony, on the central market.

Another sunset on the Mekong with a nice glass of french wine.

Afterwards, I had a glass of beer with some fellow travellers...
which made me feel really sick in the morning.

 View from the balcony in the morning

My stomach did not take the mixture of alcohol too well...especially after not having had a sip (einen Schluck)  for a few days - due to my amobea pills. Accordingly, the bus ride was not the most enjoyable I have had so far, and probably neither for the guy sitting next to me... It took me 3 plastic bags for 6hrs bus ride.

But I was rewarded by fascinating Phnom Penh. Yes, one H after P and one after N. In the afternoon, when I had recovered (erholt), I discovered (entdeckt) one of those supermarkets to pamper (umsorgen) all the foreigners who work for NGO's here. I got myself a nice, NICE (meaning expensive) french cheese. Hmmmm....

happy again

In diesem Sinne, au revoir et
a la prochaine!