Beyond Sin City

Some events are timeless, a classic occurred in Sihanouk Ville, before setting off for the islands in the south east of Cambodia. While sat down waiting for my food the peaceful tranquility was shattered by banging dance tunes approaching. They emanated from a tiny step-through motorbike, laden with a huge box strapped on the back. To my dismay the rider was a grizzled old guy in an oversize baseball cap and white lab coat. Parking directly opposite he got off and proceeded to disco dance and body-pop with full gusto. He was hilarious and loved every minute of it, a showman to the very last. I can assure you he got everybody’s attention, it was top class. Bizarre to say the least, but I save the best for last. He was the local fish merchant doing his night-time rounds. The man had style, as well as a damned good sense of humour. He didn’t sell any fish, but I think it really mattered to him. (Photo: The Heywain - Don Det, 4 Thousand Islands, Loas)

I need to start carrying my reading glasses at all times, I can’t even read menus or see my food clearly. My overnight stop between Phnom Penh and the Laos border proved the latest example of problems that can arise. I thought the barbequed meat looked like chicken. It isn’t that I felt particularly against eating frogs, it was more that it wasn’t what I’d bargained for. Stuffed frogs, with everything but head and feet, their chest cavities filled with a gritty mix of grain and paste. I got the feeling it might be better not to know what was in the stuffing. It was palatable and I ate most of two frogs, bones and all. It was little more than the back bones I left but still didn’t wish to waste it, so I fed the leftovers to a dog. To be fair it was a well-fed dog, but still, it turned its nose up at the offering. It made me wonder how edible food is when a street dog won’t eat it. I’ve tried frogs legs, they were better. With little meat and suspect stuffing I wish I’d have seen them for what they were straight away. (Photo: A monk driving a motorboat - Don Det, 4 Thousand Islands, Loas)

Two days was my guess for the trip from Phnom Penh to Don Det, one of the Mekong’s 4 Thousand Islands in the south of Laos. Having straightforward directions my only worry was getting the bike over another border. Bearing in mind it’s not in my own name, so I have no legitimate paperwork, it went surprisingly well. I had to pay $10 temporary exit tax to leave Cambodia, but entering Laos was much easier. The customs post stood a mile or more back from the actual border, the barrier was up, so I rode straight through. In effect that simple reckless action freed me up to dispose of the bike anyway I wanted. So I have done! For a piddling fee I’ve handed over the bogus documents and the bike is destined to retire onto the island of Don Det. It will have an easy life of pottering up and down the sandy banks of the Mekong River. How long it will last is anyone’s guess. It's served me well but I'm not sorry to see it go, it's only a matter of time before I had to dump it anyway. (Photo: View from King Kong restaurant - Don Det, 4 Thousand Islands, Loas)

Don Det for Christmas it seems to be for me. Though much busier than imagined, it is very laid back. There are a lot of foreign settlers here, a situation that has steadily increased for a few years now. Most the island properties line the riverside path, if there is room at the riverside itself a few bungalows may have been built. Tourism is mainstream on the sunset side, here on the east there are more long term visitors. Marriage as a means of setting up home and business is common. I make that sound so mercenary, I’m beyond criticizing the thoughts or decisions between two free thinking adults. The world is opening up more, and I don’t mean purely for travel purposes, cultural divides are breaking down. From what I’ve seen in SE Asia now inter-racial relationships are very much a part of today’s Asia. It would be wrong to associate this side of it with sex tourism, even though that is also in evidence. There really is only one Thailand, it must be host to the world's seediest sex tourism, none of the other countries have succumbed to the gross exploitation found there. (Photo: Some islands are aren't big enough for habitation - Don Det, 4 Thousand Islands, Loas)

Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have been waiting for me for some time. Many years have passed with the knowledge that I would travel these countries, I was merely waiting the opportunity and inclination to do them as a single journey. I’m glad I did, they have many similarities but are quite different too. All have suffered horrendous damage due to the crippling bombing raids of the USAF, but Laos seems to have avoided the mass slaughter of it’s population by infighting. They’re more reserved than the other two nations, and I wander whether this is sufficient to explain how it got away from the protracted armed struggle of Vietnam or the genocide of Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Ho Chi Min lead a revolution in Vietnam, the fight for a united, independent Vietnam. Pol Pot was just insane, he basically marched the whole population of city dwellers into work/prison camps and gradually exterminated millions of them. In Loas the problem was the bombing raids by the USA, they’d dump any left over from raids on Hanoi onto Laos territory. Many of the population cowered in caves for years to escape the continuous bombardment. (Photo: Well they are Water Buffalo - Don Khon, 4 Thousand Islands, Loas)

I wonder how the different histories have shaped the peoples, none appear irreparably scarred by the experience. Pol Pot had his reign of terror as recent as 1979, not long after America finally left Vietnam to it’s own devices. It’s strange that Laos, not actually at war with anyone, had more US bombs dropped on it than Vietnam and Cambodia. Their only sins were the Vietcong sypathisers up north, the yanks tried to destroy all supply lines, which is why whole communities resorted to living daily life in cave systems. As it happens the Americans also encouraged and supplied the royalist army trying to stir up an internal war against the rising tide of communism in Asia. All three countries were devastated by the biggest aerial bombardment of all time, many of these border regions still have armed ordinance lying in wait. Within about a decade the populations of all countries were decimated, there’s a huge population gap. But the numbers of kids is now immense, more than 50% of the populations are kids. If nothing else the people show one hell of a lot of perseverance. (Photo: Wee part of the waterfalls - Don Khon, 4 Thousand Islands, Loas)

Finally making my decision over which publisher to use was a relief, it felt more hassle than writing the book itself; which was a pleasure despite the emotional upheaval of doing so. Did I ever have a deadline? Maybe I should have done, I’ve faffed around with it long enough. Now it’s with the copyeditor for its final edit, I guess I won’t see it until next year now.

Oh, I guess I should wish you all fun Festivities as well. Enjoy the meyhem folks, I'll be in touch next year!

(Photo: My last voyage with the bike - Nakasarn, 4 Thousand Islands, Loas)