sihanouk ville

So I rented a motorbike at my guesthouse (for $4 all day). I am free to go wherever i like. Well I quickly take a wrong turn and...I'm lost. I turn around and ask a guy along the road for directions. We fumble with language a bit until he motions for me to follow into the gate we stand in front of--a Christian Church. A man that knows more English get me straightened out. After a few minutes, I get back on a good road and finally come to the sign I'm looking for. I'm on track for sure now. NOW I'm free to go where like. I'm quite comfortable with the moto now and speed along. Very fun--exhilarating. Up and over a small mountain and I am zooming. Now in an open plain of rice fields, I think I missed my turn. But it's okay. This will be just fine. I'm having fun just driving. Being on the road with all the other modes of transportation is one of my favorite things--motos loaded with people, bananas, huge bags, baskets, grass, long boards, boxes, anything; large buses honking all the way, vans piled high with people inside and out, station wagons crammed with so many people that the hatchback stays open, bicycles usually with more than one person, important SUV's trying to rule the road, all these on the same road trying to pass each other and get along and not die. And amazingly, it works. it makes me laugh...a lot. Then I see a sign for Ream National Park. "Oh. Perfect." I veer off and keep on truckin', heading into the rice fields towards the mountains....

I decide to explore and go through one of these grand entrances i've been seeing, to some sort of buddhist temple or palace. Up the hill past several statue carvings in process, I park and have a look inside the large open building. Apparently this is one where it's just the ladies with shaved heads and a bunch of silly statues of various animals like goats, lions, dragons, and chickens. Three of these women are sitting by the large central statue of a woman lying on her side. one sees me take their picture. She smiles real big and motions for me to come sit by her on her mat. I show them the picture I just took and take some more. They sit and chat and laugh like any group of women. Having no hair, the shape of their heads and aged faces are completely exposed. We try to communicate. I think they want me to give money and pretend not to understand. I say good-bye with a formal 'joom-rip-tsoo' and go retrieve my sandals.

Examining the back side of another temple under construction, discover something very exciting: a hiking trail, and even a sign. It reads, "Mauk Lek Mountain 25 min, Mauk Lek Waterfall 20 min." I lock my moto and I am off. It's a decent trail, though I will so no one else the entirety of the trail. The trail is in a 20 ft. wide winding strip of grass with woods on either side. When the trail to the waterfall turns into the woods I follow it. Upon entering, I discover it is more of a jungle than the woods I'm used to. The cicada-like creatures' sound is piercing and high. I actually wonder if there is someone drilling somewhere. It is very green and leafy, moss and vines, and wild orchids growing. I walk very slowly and breath silently. All sense alert, I expect to see a crazed monkey or poisonous spider, a camouflaged snake or large jaguar jump out and consume me. I think,"Wow, no one knows where I am. A few people back in Phnom Penh know that I'm somewhere in Sihanouk Ville...big help. They don't know where I'm staying, and if they finally found that out, the hotel manager would tell them I rented a moto and was either at a waterfall he suggested or somewhere in Ream National Park. They would go down every road in the park till they found my moto, maybe--if it wasn't stolen. Then they would hike the few miles of trail and maybe find a piece of my clothing. Yikes! Well, I think I saw a bird once. And a few frogs--two small black ones and a bigger albino. But I did hear something big in a tree, though I didn't see it.

Anyway, the jungle trail eventually turned into black volcano-like rock. As the sound of the falls came near, the trees opened up and I could see the beach below and several surrounding islands. The falls were nothing magnificent, but I was excited to be alone in the wilderness with rustling trees, the sound of water, fresh air, and things I've never seen before! As I sit down to some trail mix and relaxation, I spot a pretty pink orchid. So I get out my pencils and get to work. A minute later I notice it's a little harder to see. Before I finish the outline I look up to see what the deal is. The sky is suddenly dark and I feel the first drop before I can put everything away. I hurry back to the trail, over the rock, and through the jungle. But it's just a passing storm (although it had some good loud thunder) and is finished before I get out. So, I head up the trail to see what I can see from the top. I come to a clearing and a large rock outcropping. Thinking straight ahead is the best way. I climb up the first few rocks. I get my head above the last rock on top and t my surprise there are two large buildings! Interesting enough, they are deserted concrete buildings part of the old naval base. Window openings and holes in the roof let in beams of light on the broken red and white tiles on the floor. My first thought is, "Can I get on the roof?" Indeed, I find a way and enjoy the best view yet. A sweeping 180˚ panorama of the coast and several islands. The sun is getting low and its rays pierce through the clouds and glimmer and sparkle on the water.

Having taken enough pictures, I make haste down the trail. Thankfully, my bike is still there and I zoom off again. Good to be back on the road with the cool wind. On the way back I hit up a buddhist temple and the Sihanouk port. I chat with some monks at their temple commune with an amazing view of the beaches and the far-reacing water. I thought they would be very conservative and unconventinal. But they are quite normal and modern with their cameras, music, and palm-pilots. As far as I can tell, the only thing that sets them apart is that they live at an ornate temple and they wear orange robes.

After a sweet sunset at the port, I head home over the mountain in the dark. The lights increase as more and more people join me on the road and we near downtown. Pretty cool. Somehow I make the correct turns and the buildings become familiar. Back at Ochtenteal Beach, I shoot some emails while I wait for my New Zealand friend. (I met him last night along with a now local from California (Buddhist) and two Christian teachers also from Phnom Penh and the States (Las Vegas and Pennsylvania). I would describe Christo from New Zealand as a crazy socialist. He is on a 5-month vacation of Southeast Asia to broaden his horizons before he goes back to set up a charity. I showed him some of my sketches last night and wanted to see some of his artwork. So we hooked up for supper at 7p.) We have a meal and relax by the beach. I had a veggie/potatoe curry with rice. Nyam! (This word means 'to eat' in Khmer, but it sounds similar to 'yum' in English.) Then it rained hard core. We watched the lighting a bit, then play hackey-sack for way over an hour. We don't get very good, but we get some good laughs. Then a good game of pool. At 1 o'clock, Christo heads to another foreigner hangout and I head to bed. Amazingly, I wake before 7a and am able to see the beach again for breakfast before my 7.30 bus back to Phnom Penh. I've got to get back for my first violin lesson at 4p with Men Moly, one of my 7th graders. Upon returning, I spend my last few dollars on fruit at Psa Tmei (market new) and catch a moto home. ($2.50 per meal, $3 per night, $4 moto rental, $.75 per moto taxi ride, $10 in bus tickets) Four days three nights, I spent 50 dollars.