I had heard that there were caves to be found in the limestone cliffs outside the city of Kampot. I hired a moto driver for the afternoon and we took off in search of them. I knew it was going to be an interesting afternoon when within 5 minutes we had sprung a leak in the back tire (he stopped at a friend’s house and “borrowed” another motorbike).

After a half-hour drive, the driver dropped me off next to a row of dried-up rice paddies (apparently they only harvest one rice crop per year, in the rainy season), and pointed off in the distance. “You go over there”, was his only instruction.

I started to zig zag my way through the fields when two young Cambodian boys joined me. One was 9 years old and one was 12. They insisted they didn’t want anything, only to practice their English. I was happy to have them along for the company.

I could tell you about the fantastic views after climbing to the cave entrance, or the beautiful and well-preserved 7^th century brick temple dedicated to Shiva found inside, but the highlight of my afternoon was climbing through the caves, getting dirty and sweaty as we took “the hard route” to get out. They hammered me with questions about my life while we clamoured over boulders, squeezed through passageways and hopscotched over the cave pools. I asked them about their families and school (one came from a family of 9 children, the other from a “small” family of 5 kids).  I emerged from the cave absolutely filthy and soaked but totally happy about the new friends that I had made along the way.

Walking through the dried-up rice paddies and farmland to the caves.

My new friends and I at the cave entrance. Doesn't that formation look like an elephant?

The view from the caves.

(Version française plus bas)

The Vietnamese are really outgoing and I have found it easy to make local friends. Up until recently, “23/9 park” on Pham Ngu Lao boulevard had been my main channel for making friends.

I met Yen at the aerobics class that takes place in the park everyday at 6.00pm. We connected right away and since then, she has introduced me to many of her friends. I also met Nhan- the one who took me to Ky Quang orphanage- at the park when she and other Vietnamese students asked me to practise English with them. I ended up sitting there for three hours answering their questions about France, the US, Vietnam, politics and cinema. Then Nhan introduced me to her own friends.

Making friends: Anh and Yen

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