KAMPOT; THE BUS, CRABS AND SUNSETS TO WAX LYRICAL ABOUT.

Somebody said I would get sunset fatigue in Kampot but I don't think so.
Storm clouds gather over the Bokor mountains, Kampot.
The wonderful view from my room in Kampot.
So the farewells have been said for now and I am on the bus to Kampot, about 130kms south west from Phnom Penh. I have obviously drawn the short straw here and am sat on the wheel arch with my left leg in a position that is not disimilar to one I assumed last night! Next to me is a smiling Cambodian boy who obviously has just finished work in a crab factory, going by the smell of the black bin liner that he is holding. I say holding but to be honest it is sort of moving around on the floor by my right leg which is wedged under the seat in front of me! These buses were not made for the more portly Westerner, that's for sure!


I had read about the wonder of travelling by bus in Cambodia but given that there is virtually no rail system this was the best and cheapest option. I did think after about twenty minutes about how I was going to manage the five hour trip without getting serious cramp. Anyway to take my mind off the extreme discomfort, I had the crabs to contend with who were doing their utmost to escape the bin bag and once or twice I would have to gently push the bag away hoping I wouldn't tear a hole in it!


So, picture the scene; I have had about two hours broken sleep; it's about 32 degrees in the shade with 90% humidity; I am assuming a position the authors of the Kama Sutra would be proud of; the crabs are getting restless and the boy next to me exudes a not too pleasant smell!! Then things get worse......


I had noticed a tv screen at the front of the bus and this suddenly came on at a deafening volume playing the ubiquitous Cambodian karaoke! Just what I needed right now! Not only was the singing on the tv bloody awful but half the bus started to join in. Fish boy beside me was smiling broadly, nodding his head and saying " You like, you like ". Well obviously me no like, but what could I do other than smile and just laugh at the absurdity of it all. Meanwhile the bus driver was beeping his horn literally every thirty seconds or so at any traffic that he was approaching; this is common in Cambodia but the volume of the horn was slightly louder than the combined efforts of the tv singer and the rest of the passengers on the bus!!


Well things continued in this vain for the next two hours or so when much to my relief we stopped for twenty minutes. As we left the bus we were all surrounded by a mass of kids selling various fruits for virtually nothing. I had some mango and pineapple and tried to get my legs to function properly.


Back on the bus and three more hours to endure. Thank God the tv was turned off and I actually managed to fall asleep for a short time before being awoken by a searing pain in my right big toe...yes you have probably guessed it, I had a crab firmly attached to it much to the amusement of fish boy who just fell about laughing. After getting the bloody thing off my toe without too much damage I realised that the bag was now open and there did not appear to be any crabs in it!! They were all over the bus and there then ensued one of the funniest comedic moments I have ever seen. The crabs move quite quickly and fish boy and a few other kids were trying to round them up and put them in a sort of cold box that was supposed to be carrying refreshments for the journey. After half an hour or more most of them seemed to be in captivity again, albeit if you wanted a cold drink you had to put your hand into their new lair and risk a nip or two!!


Well this made the time go a bit quicker and we arrived in Kampot at half twelve in the afternoon. What a trip!


To be continued...........