There are so many details to be told, that don't end up on the blog. The little things that make travelling so very interesting. We already told you about the differences between Lao and Cambodian people a little. There is a saying called 'lao time'. That means that everything takes longer than expected. This also accounts voor Cambodians. In Laos and Cambodia it is normal to pick you up from your hostal to take you to the busstation where your long distance bus leaves. Even if the bus station is only 15 minutes away. So if your bus leaves at 10:30 am than you are picked up at 09:30 am. At least that's what they say. They mean to say 'Be ready to be picked up from 09:30 am'. Which makes sense if they are going around more hotels to pick up passengers. But it is not what they say.
When you arrive at the bus station, also don't expect to be leaving at the appointed time. In the above example the bus should leave at 10:30 am. The bus almost always leaves an hour later. Always for different strange reasons. They were stupified when I asked why the bus was an hour late. Nobody has ever asked this question... The bus to Battambang takes about 3 hours, but because of 'lao time' it takes 5 hours. One extra hour for the pick up. One extra hour for delay. By the way, it is not possible to go to the busstation on your own. If you ask this, people fall silent and don't understand any more. They really don't understand that you really want to pay extra and make extra effort to win 45 minutes.
I'll get back to you on lao time.

Now it is time for : offering services and not waiting for people to ask.
This starts and is usually in its most agressive formwhen you come out of a long distance bus. The moment we arrive at Battambang you can already see dozens of touts running around the bus trying to seal a deal with you in sign language before you get out. If you get out, that is, because the touts make it virtually impossible for you to get out of the bus. Then of course you have to get your bags from the storage under the bus. This is the worst part. Fighting through to get your bag and answering questions like: 'Tuk-tuk, sir? Where do you want to go? Where are you staying. Where are you from?'
Let me tell you, this is both fantastic fun and terribly annoying. Expecially because of 'losing face'. This means you are not supposed toever raise your voice or get angry and always keep smiling. This is a great challenge the first 10 times. After that it becomes a lot more difficult :-)
Luckily our hotel in Battambang was next to the bus station.

Battambang was less pitoresque than we expected, but it was actually a very nice little town!
We spent a day cycling around, absorbing the local life not fully changed by tourists yet, and seeing wats (temples) and colonial buildings. The next day we rented a tuk-tuk to explore the surrounding sites. We made a trip on a bambu train. This is like a bambu raft, but with train weels under it. It takes about 1 minute to take it apart and throw it on the side of the track. This is neccesary not only for bambu trains to pass each other coming from different directions, but also to be able to let the real train pass.
The train with the least number of passengers has to disassemble. Motorbikes are pulling rank though.
A bit touristy but really great.
Afterwards we visited a wat which was so high up the mountain that I found myself swetting more than I ever did in southeast asia.
The next visit was to the killing cave. The Khmer Rouge used this cave to dispose of people; men, women and children. Children were killed holding up a knife in the air, throwing the child in the air and landing it on the knife. With one throw the child was then thrown in the cave. 3000 people were found in this cave after liberation, 900 of them children. Our guide found this cave himself after returning there after liberation, when he was a boy of around 8 years old. Chills down our spines! While we were in the cave a weather hell broke loose. This became one of the worst downpoors during our time in southeast asia. This was a day of extremes.
The next day we took the bus to Phnom Penh (6 hours). So it was time for Lao, or Cambodia,time again. The bus actually left 09:15 am. 15 minutes later than sceduled. But after 10 minutes we ended up in a line of 15 busses waiting to go on the highway. Why we could not get through was impossible to find out. The bus drove back to the bus station. Talking to the staff there didn't get me any answers. Even talking to the manager was useless. The manager said at least 2 hours (so 3 in lao time). There were 8 tourists in the bus so we deceided to rent a minivan together. I was away for 2 minutes when Suzan came to get me. The bus was leaving again!? We left at 10:00 am. 1 hour later.

Arriving in Phnom Penh the touting ritual started again. I had to use both our big bags to push my way through the crowd. We arranged a tuk-tuk for 3 US$, which was too much, but you really don't want to bargain to long at such moments. By the way, the US dollar is the second currency in Cambodia. From the ATM's we could only get US dollars. All prices for tourists are in dollars. Sometimes you get Cambodian Riel back. The hotel we had arranged was great. A good room, good breakfast and a pool! We ate arabic/mediterranean that night with couscous, hummus and tagine. A good wine would have made it perfect, but that has to wait, because choosing between a bottle of wine for 30 US$ or a cocktail for 3 US$ isn't really that difficult :)

The next day was heavy, mentally. We started at Tuol Sleng Prison. This was the interrogation and torture prison during the Khmer Rouge regime under Pol Pot. The executions took place at the Killing Fields (30 minutes by tuk-tuk from Phnom Penh). Seeing Tuol Sleng, seeing the movie, seeing the pictures of all prisoners, left us silent and sick in the stomac for a while. Humanity at its worst! How it all could get to this is a little bit explained under 'Rode Khmer' on the dutch wikipedia. It looks to me as if it all boils down to one line of text here. 'Als de Rode Khmer een provinciestad hadden ingenomen hervatte het dagelijks leven zich meestal binnen enkele dagen, waarop Pol Pot onthutst reageerde. Als alles bij het oude bleef, zou de hele revolutie geen nut hebben. Hierop bedacht de partij meer radicale oplossingen, zoals het deporteren van de bevolking en begon deze in praktijk te brengen.' Though I doubt that it is as simple as this.

Afterwards we had to set our minds to something else for a few hours, shopping at the Russian market. Bargaining is always fun, though I always end up paying too much. After this we made the trip to the Killing Fields to conclude our lesson on genocide happening all over the world over and over again. If you ever visit Phnom Penh, think about skipping the Killing Fields. The fields are the national memorial for all deaths during the Khmer Rouge period, but it sure doesn't look like it. It's in private hands, so the entrance fee is going to the owner alone. The place is notreally good taken care of. Poorly marked and as you walk between the pits (like walking through the rice fields) you actually step on clothes of the victims! All the bones are gone, but stepping on their clothes feels almost as bad. I don't understand that this place is not looked after better by the Cambodian government. Then again the Cambodian govermentdoes not seem to do much right. But I am elaborating too much now.

The last day in Cambodia we spent relaxing at the pool and enjoying good food. (But we have to be honest: Lao cuisine 1st place, Cambodian cuisine 2nd place)