Lots of stories from Kampot to Sihanoukville

I have so many stories from today I really don't know where to begin!

I began my day cycling at 7:30am. At 9:15 I decided it was time for my breakfast stop in a cute little village I found. I found a lady who made me some noodles with some chicken in soup. Yum yum. Nice and salty. Only problem was that the only utensils I had to eat it with were chopsticks. I can eat rice with chopsticks, no dramas, but noodles?! Now that's a mission and a half. Half the town came and ate breakfast with me I think just so that they could have a laugh at the white girl trying to eat noodles with her chopsticks!!! Finally someone produced a fork for me and that made my life much easier. I love this country - I can't speak much Khmer at all but I go to pay for my noodles - I have no idea how much they cost and it's obvious I don't understand a word of Khmer- but I give the lady a 10000Riel note (equivalent to 2.5USD) and she gives me back 8500 Riel. I somehow don't think she was ripping me off, and every time I go to pay for something & have no idea how much it costs I use the same method and exactly the same thing happens!!! It's great. I wish more places in the world were like this.

So I'm pedalling along and finally I see some more foreign cyclists, stopped on the side of the road (flat tyre). I ride over to them just because they're the first other long distance cyclists I have seen. They are loaded up much more than I am. When I talk to them I find out that they are two german doctors cycling from Germany to Singapore. I was impressed. (Don't worry Mum, I'm not going to try it!).

46km along my route to Sihanoukville I loose my shoulder (on the road I mean, I still have both the ones attached to my arms). It's a bugger because the traffic although is not really that heavy, it's not exactly light either. This means I pedal most of that distance in the dirt next to the road. I don't like it. It's getting on in the day, the sun is high, and suddenly I hit some hills! On the first hill I start to feel slightly dizzy, then slightly nauseous. And then I think that it's now 2pm and I haven't peed yet. Sweat pores out of everywhere possible. I look down at my water bottles and they're getting empty and I wonder why is there no person right here waiting to sell me some more??? The lack of lockout on my fork also doesn't help. It's not long before I'm off my bike, walking it up the hill, jumping back on again riding some more, off again walking... and then I meet Ben. Thank goodness at that exact moment I'm back on my bike again looking all hard core haha! Ben is a muscly French guy on a bike going in the opposite direction to me. He has only 9 days in Cambodia too. His plan is to get to the big intersection 30kms away. After I have a chat to Ben, I find the lady selling the water!!! Phew that feels better. The coke helped a lot too.

Sihanoukville is a huge place and I finally get to the dive place I'm booked in at... but I sure did take the long way. I meet a guy on a motorbike who eventually says he'll show me the way to Serendipity beach. I follow him, but I'm tired and he has a motorbike and I'm only on a push bike. Then he wants to hold my hand while we ride so we can get there faster but I pass on the offer. Never quite sure what that might lead to, as well as the fact that I'm worried about the safety component. I'm really good with safety. Helmet is on (even though the doctors from Germany I met didn't have helmets, and neither did Ben or any other Cambodian on a bicycle I have seen). Mine's saved my head before so definitely worth wearing!

Anyhow, I make it to the dive shop check in there, get the gear that I'm borrowing sorted and make sure it's all the right size. Then it's time to find accommodation for the night. Sihanoukville is huge, and definitely a tourist town, overpopulated for New Years. The place next door is all full up and then I learn that most of town is all full up. Gerard at the dive shop gives his friend Thida a phone call and she has a bed usually occupied by her niece who is currently away on holiday. Very handy!!! I can stay there again the following night when I get back from diving. She is very lovely, and has some lovely staff at the bar in the front of the cafe. And even though it is over priced tourist food (compared to local food on the street which I have been otherwise eating) I like eating there anyway just because they are so friendly!!! I also ask if there is somewhere nearby that will do laundry for me and one of the girls takes it for me, no worries. In exchange Thida says she needs me to help her text her husband who is currently in England, wanting to know if she needs any kitchen supplies. She doesn't know what lots of the words are and needs some help so that he will understand what she needs!!! She's very thankful for my help.

Anyhow, I'm off diving tomorrow and the next day so probably won't post again for a few days!