Journey to Pursat!

Saturday morning, May 22nd,  I woke up at 1:00 am because I had trouble sleeping.  The film I saw the night before on human trafficking had quite on impact on me and, in addition, I thought I had lost $160 to the moto- driver that took me to the film venue the night before!  What else is there to do but make a pot of coffee and check email  and work on the blog that so badly needed updating!  I stayed up and actually got quite a bit done and then packed my bags for my journey to Pursat!  The van was to pick me up at 8:30 am at the Blue Lime and would then take me to the bus stop.

Because I was still upset about losing money, my ability to organize and remember where I had put things was in a downward spiral! One minute, I had my bus ticket, the next, I couldn't find it!!!  I think this was due to the fact I stayed up all night and had quite a coffee buzz going, but once I was seated on the bus, all I had to do was sit for the journey and stare out the window.  I was on my way to Pursat and, admittedly, was a bit anxious about what to expect once I got there.

A Khmer woman sat next to me and she was very sweet!  We tried to communicate the best we could, but the difference between English and Khmer is night and day.  There are no words that even slightly resemble the other and, eventually, we gave up and began to talk freely; it became unimportant whether or not we could understand one another. We continued smiling and making eye contact... and the "thumbs- up" gesture works great for communicating approval and affirmation!  Another great way to communicate is in the sharing of food! First, she offered me pineapple candy.  I looked through my bag and thank god I had a cookie filled with chocolate to offer her.  She then offered me a bottle of water, a bag of fruit, dried beef (that was actually very good!), and more candy....  (pic of her in the album "Friends I've met along the way"

The drive out of Phnom Penh and into the countryside was amazing... and so different from Phnom Penh.  Ox- driven carts with pottery, huge conical- shaped haystacks, rice fields, and houses on stilts...  the countryside is really beautiful!  About 3 hours into the trip, high mountains appeared to the west and I knew we were traveling deeper into rural Cambodia...

Finally, the bus stopped in Pursat and I called my contact at Sustainable Cambodia to pick me up.  I waited out by the road with my two bright red suitcases and backpack. I certainly stood out and felt I was part of a scene in the movie, "Bagdad Cafe"!  Polin finally drove up on a motorcycle and I wondered, "How the hell are we were going to get all my luggage AND me on one motorcycle?"  Polin waved over another guy on a motorcycle and asked him to courier some of my luggage.  He took the big bag and I took the smaller one and off we went!