Before leaving Laos we spent a few days on Si Phan Don (4000 Islands) to feel time passing and stay a little after 5 months on the road … Good opportunity for some swimming, walks and dinners on Don Khone with Delphine, Franck and their daughters Ines and Kripa who Driss played a lot with; a traveling family we met on the island of Don Khong.
\nAfter a short week to enjoy these quiet islands we found our faithful mounts (like Zorro), head for Cambodia!
\nBorder crossing without incident but there is corruption at this checkpoint… We had to pay some more dollars!
\nThen we traveled sixty kms to the first town Stung Treng on a road in very poor condition and quite muddy … without seeing a village!
\nChildren are even more demonstrative than in Laos: They shout of “Hello!” as we passed, some run to tap into our hands through here and also the trailer of Driss make them laugh a lot.
\nA bad road is still announcing and without much interest other than eat up miles to Kratie, we decided to pick up the mess in a bus in order to keep our energy and time-saving for suite (we only have a month in Cambodia). Opportunity to test the Cambodian regular bus, we like to travel a bit in commun transports in these Asian countries.
\nResult: 26 people in a minibus with 15 seats + bike + trailer folded and packed under the seats … a poem! A fellow traveler told us that it was lucky day: sometimes there may be thirty passengers!
\nIn the end everyone arrived safely at Kratie, as well as bicycles and equipment.
\nFor the moment Cambodia seems to us rather pleasant but the dollars tourist economy is a bit unhealthy! <\/p>\n
Tomorrow we hit the road to cycle 400 miles to Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor. <\/p>\n
See you soon!<\/p>\n