Finding Cambodia

It took me about 30 minutes to find Cambodia.

Last night I arrived in Kep, a small town on the southern coast of Cambodia. My hostel was on the water and I caught a pink sunset with magnificent clouds. As glorious as that might seem-it was pretty isolated and I sat on my bed last night wondering when I would get that "feeling" and really see Cambodia.

Today, I hopped on the back of a moto and began the 24 km trip to Kampot. Me, my backpack and my Khmer speaking moto driver. First thing: a stop for gas at the Coca-Cola stand. Filled up, we hit the paved, bumpy road. On both sides my eyes met palm trees, stilted houses and occasional small waterways; other motos and people cramped in trucks with pigs tied on the back passed quickly-warning us with honks. Meanwhile, we passed an ox and cart, groups of young men in crisp, white dress shirts on bicycles and women in huge straw hats. Orange clad monks stacked on a moto caught my attention along with the various children playing a little too close to the road. We pulled into town and the driver did not know the location of the guesthouse. Squinting, we searched the French style architecture, communicating through a combination of both languages before he asked a local and I chimed in the guesthouse name, which the local immediately recognized. We found it and I, exhale, found Cambodia.

Yep, it took me 30 minutes to find Cambodia.