Not Approved by LP

As expected Hun Sen won the Cambodian elections.  I even found someone in Kep who supported him – and who pointed out they now have electricity so have to give him credit for that ( probably paid for by another countrys’ aid budget ).  Personally I will go along with my motorcycle driver who took me to the border – “why vote, we know who will win and the rich will just get richer and the poor poorer”.  Wise words.

Left Kep for a wet windy journey on the back of a motorbike for the Vietnamese border.  Despite the conditions good to be back on the road again with some nice rural Cambodian scenery, rice paddies and water buffaloes.  The border post a bit out the way, it doesn’t even get mentioned in my LP guidebook and the immigration official seemed happy to see someone.

From the border went to HaTien and then to RichSia, a bustling, modern Vietnamese town with the usual motorcycle madness and everyone seemingly on steroids or at least the super strong, mind blowing Vietnamese coffee.  But friendly place, good hotels and some pleasant sidewalk cafes to watch the world go by and Vietnamese girls always easy on the eye.

Next day took a fastboat for the two and a half hour rough sea crossing to here, Phu Quoc island. Its actually just off the coast of Kep as the Cambodians quickly point out and belongs to them but best avoid that subject- and anyway, if it belonged to them the forests would now be gone and the island sold off in some dodgy backroom deal to outsiders as per their other isalnds.  Don’t they say dogs take after their owners, is that why Cambodian and Tibetans have such aggresive dogs, they have such highly strung owners with very big grudges to bear.

Heavy rain on arrival, no electricity and after a rough crossing not that impressed.  But then the sun came out and have got to like the place.  A fair size island, covered in forests and some lovely beaches.  Less developed than I expected but I am sure that will change.  As it is now low season all very quiet and easy to pass time away doing not a lot.

I read on the way here that rat meat and dog meat prices have doubled, hope it doesn’t affect the inflation figures by too much. Maybe Rentokil should expand here, they could catch the rats and sell the meat and it sounds like they need some financial help. Also dog-napping on the increase, just not enough here.

Kampot a quiet riverside town near the Vietnamese border. Famous for its black pepper and a few pleasant sites around, however the sites not good enough for me for a revisit. In Kampot itself not a lot seems to have changed, still a little bit quaint with its decaying colonial buildings.

Very quiet in the day, on Bloomberg they mentioned about elections here and have seen a few posters around. But the people seem to have lost their interests in politics long ago. With the governing party ruling the country with that tried and tested way so popular in African countries I think it is fairly safe to assume who will win and what the outcome will be. The elites take everything, the country and people get nothing and and social responsibilities are handed to NGOs and aid agencies, a never failing winning formula. The only consolation is that at least the elites handing out large parts of the country to British, French and Russian “investors” so our investment bankers/funds gain. Ok, its causing very large numbers of people to be removed from their houses/land at gunpoint but they should be used to it, it was the same under the Khymer Rouge.

I like Cambodia but after 4 visits I still think the politics and running of the country leads a lot to be desired and that is being polite. I am not sure what the people have done to deserve so much injustice and the West has been just as guilty as anyone.

Anyway off to Vietnam next and that is one country where certainly no one tells them what to do !

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