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Bokor Blunders
7:46 AM
After Otres Village we moved westward to the beautiful river town of Kampot. This town is crazy adorable and has so much to do around it. It's interesting to see the things we saw in Vietnam in this area as well and wonder which direction the influence went. Either way, it's fun to see everyone out and using the public workout equipment after work, looking across the beautiful river to Bokor Mountain at sunset.
We walked the town and stumbled upon a country fair of sorts. The market is bustling, there's a big stage with a decked out pop singer and her four dancers working their magic. We're chair dancing along, mimicking they're fab dance moves and being the loud Americans and Brits we are. There are giveaways of big bags of rice, big tins of crackers and standing fans like we saw in Vietnam. Slightly different approach to prizes than we have back home.
Another area had a trampoline and a dance area where the locals are getting down. The electronic music here is intense and repetitive and the dance moves look like I would throw my back out. The dinky Ferris wheel was spinning like mad and one man ran up to us and said, "If you want to have a good time, go on that and tell him to go REALLY REALLY fast!" Ummmm we passed on the death trap but the enthusiasm was endearing. Seeing this fair made me think about the one from my childhood and the Zipper ride, by far the coolest of the fair. However, this was probably one of the deadliest rides I've ever been on. Your "safety bar," the thing supposedly holding you into the car was actually part of the cage door. Therefore, if that cage door latch gives way while you're flying toward the ground with all of your weight on said safety bar, there's nothing to keep you from falling splat on your face. Who designed that thing?!
We set out on a motorbike day with Alex and Kayley up to Bokor Mountain. The drive up the mountain is beautiful on its own but there are waterfalls and temples, and ruins where the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese were in a stand off for months (one in a church, the other in a hotel/casino). We have big plans for our day to hit all of the sites. Our ride starts with amazing views but the dark clouds in the distance are catching up quickly. We stop to enjoy the view and there is no denying we're about to get wet. Best part is, we have rain gear but didn't think to bring it along. Not the brightest move during rainy season.
Think there's room for one more?
The skies open and we keep driving until we come across the shelter of the ruins of Prince Sihanouk's mountain villa. After the rain stopped and we dried off a bit, we moved on to see the abandoned church. We're surrounded by clouds, making this visit all the more eerie. We climb to a viewpoint behind the church and feel like we've found the edge of the earth. We're in the middle of a cloud and all but the ground below us is a complete white out. It is beyond AWESOME! The wind is intense, it's cold and misty and all just so white. It's so disorienting to not be able to see through the white.
We're all blown away by how amazing this hilltop is but are getting cold and hike back to our bikes. The crazy, middle of a cloud, misty wind probably should have clued us into the fact that Round Two of the rains was upon us. Again, sometimes not so bright, and again, that lonely rain gear back at the hostel that we've been carrying for months is doing a world of good right now. We seek shelter under a tree, awkwardly standing there in our helmets shivering, only to realize that this little tree doesn't stand a chance against the monsoon. Plan B is head to the new fancy casino a few miles away and wait it out. It is a rough few miles, we're soaked to the bone and a clothes wringing session happens just as a tour bus arrives. Don't mind us!
The My Little Pony decorated cafe provided the food and warm beverage relief we needed. The hotel is huge with all sorts of rooms to literally run around in which I took advantage of because running inside where you're not supposed to is fun! In a really dark room, I did crash right into one of the walls... but it was heavily padded as if they knew I would be there. The rain is not letting up and we are losing light, we choose light over rain and start the hour-long drive back down the mountain. It's a pretty grim ride. Ryan and I are quoting "Dumb and Dumber" and making all of the funny shivering sounds to try to distract ourselves from our frozen fingers. But all's well that ends in a blazing hot shower!
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