Cambodia

Had a rollicking good time getting into the country. Paid my $1 stamp fee to leave Laos, cheaper than expected, then joined forces with some French, Brits and Aussies to get our sppedboat ride to Stung Treng for $4 (way cheaper than expected) then thanks to one of teh frenchmen paid nothing to get stamped in Cambodia. For using an "unofficial" border we did okay.

Apparently the Toyota Camry is the most amazing car ever. All the "taxis" in Cambodia I have seen are that model, and man do they fly...well not that fast, but in relation to everything else on the road. Four of us paid for one outright rather than share the car with us and 4 locals to save $3. Did our trip to Kratie from Stung Treng in 2.5 hours, a trip that used to take 6 hours due to the road. We drove by a lot of people still working on it.
Kratie for one night then down to Phnom Pehn yesterday.

Moto drivers here are nuts!!!! They followed are bus all the way downtown and when you keep saying no and walking away they keep following until you actually have your pack on and are striding purposefully. If your stride isn't purposeful they stay on you because they know you're about to change your mind.

Aside from them... a lot more poverty here than Laos. And if you're going to be poor and can choose, stay in the country, it's easier to be poor there. Unless you're sure (I mean SURE) you're the peassant whose going to find the streets of the city paved with gold, then come on down!

Lots of heat, lots of markets, and oddly a lot of old military maps of the country. Well I guess not that oddly if you think of its history. SAw a former interrogation camp museum and I really have to think that Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge buddies may be the most messed up people ever. I mean they were really crazy. From what I'm understanding welll, I'd better not make a Nazi to Khmer Rouge ratio or someone will find something to get mad about. They were all sickies.

MMMMM, yup that's it. Like I said don't want to write much.