At the Finns in the Riverlodge
N 10°36'39.0'' E 104°10'25.3''
Date:
03.04.2017 to 05.04.2017
Day: 643 – 645
Country:
Cambodia
Province:
Kâmpôt
Location:
Kampot
Latitude N:
10°36’39.0”
Longitude E:
104°10’25.3”
Total kilometers:
23,393 km
Total altitude meters:
70.571 m
Sunrise:
05:59 a.m. – 05:58 a.m.
Sunset:
6:14 pm
Temperature day max:
31°C
(Photos of the diary entry can be found at the end of the text).
Sitting on the rustic wooden terrace of the Riverlodge, we look out over the brown waters of the Teuk Chhou River, which flows right past us and flows into the Gulf of Thailand not far from here. Mika, the Finnish owner of the lodge, serves us a cold beer. “Enjoy it,” he says with a laugh and strokes his friend Ajaci. Ajaci howls with joy and wags his tail. 20 minutes later, Mika’s wife, a Cambodian woman who is an excellent cook, serves us a Tom Yam Gung. “Yummy,” I say, enjoying the tasty soup. We are the only guests at this hour. The sun is about to set. Perhaps a hundred fishing boats chug past us in the direction of the Gulf of Thailand. They are hoping for full nets again tonight. “I still can’t believe that I’m really in Cambodia,” says Tanja. “I feel the same way. Now we’ve actually managed to cycle from Germany to here. A crazy route.” “Yes, full of fantastic experiences.” “Indeed it was. The material has filled seven books that have been published in the last few years,” I say thoughtfully. “You know what?” asks Tanja after a long silence. “What is it?” “We’ve been traveling for so long now and it never gets boring. I’m still curious to see what Cambodia has to offer us.” “Of course, me too. Why shouldn’t you be excited?” “Well, you’d think we’d have had enough after almost two years,” Tanja ponders. “You could, but I think because we’re taking our time, resting in between and letting our souls recover, we remain open to further adventures. Although I have to say I’m ready for a longer rest. Perhaps we should relax on a beach somewhere before our tour of this country? Vietnam was fantastic, but also very exhausting. The last few weeks in particular, when it was so hot, were really tough.” “That’s a great idea. I’m in. Just go swimming, doze in a deckchair, read a book. Let’s do what others call a vacation.”
Once again in agreement, we watch as the hot Cambodian sun slants towards the horizon behind a gathering cloud front. Lights of the small, cozy town on the other side of the river light up one after the other and are reflected in an intoxicating play of colors on the water surface of the Teuk Chhou…
If you would like to find out more about our adventures, you can find our books under this link.
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