The aftermath...A visit to a Cambodian hospital at 3am.
Blood pouring down my chin. Walk in to a dark, small run down building with poorly people crammed into two rooms and others laying on the floor. Lovely plump Khmer nurse can only smile and sigh at the gash I have created under my chin, luckily the only real damage I sustained when diving into the road. Laid on a metal stretcher, in a room double the width of the stretcher, no lights on apart from the head lamp above, shining directly onto my chin (thankfully) with a doctor and two nurses who only speak Khmer over me. With no explanation or warning the wound is cleaned with iodine, poured all down my chin,making my toes curl. Next a needle thrusted directly into the open wound, making my eyes water, then nothing.... Stitches were sewn, a dressing applied and pointed into the direction of the counter to pay; receive antibiotics and painkillers! The doctor managed to explain how many times a day I should take said pills and to come back in two to three days to change and clean the dressing!
After a sleepless night, as Ben and Étienne both pointed out I shouldn't sleep incase I had concussion, we were up and out of the hostel ready to get a bus to Sihanouk ville at 10 am. After receiving breakfast I soon realised I was in no fit state to board a bus, with the shakes and very unsteady, bruised knees. Ben and Étienne suggested I should go back to bed. So we checked back in at the hostel, stayed in the same room together where I slept all day!
We travelled the next day to Sihanouk Ville. The place it's self is not worth a mention at all but let me just paint a picture in your mind, as to allow you to understand exactly the places we have been.
Over run with foreign bars/pubs clubs and equal amount of young travellers to fill them. Don't get me wrong we are young travellers and do too like a drink, however you could have been on any 18-30's holiday here.. Napa, Zante, Magaluf, you get the picture. It was definitely not the S.E.A we have enjoyed exploring so far. To top it off we stayed in a dorm where you slept an inch away from the next person and they had a wet t-shirt competition on that evening. I think I was the only female not partaking! The bar was full to the rafters of pervy white men and I was in the company of two of them! Oh and I got to visit their hospital too. As I couldn't remove the dressing myself. Apparently I was supposed to take it off 2/3 hours not days after and so it had stuck! The kind trainee doctors there pulled it off with much pain and cleaned me up. From then on it was doctor Ben who had the duty!
Anyway Sihanouk Ville was a mere stop over to reach the island Koh Rong and so I thought the s***ty hostel, wet tshirt competition etc would be worth it..... Oh how wrong was I!
Koh Rong is a 2 hr boat ride over from Sihanouk and looks like pure paradise as you approach, miles and miles of empty white sand and again crystal clear waters. To get to said places we would have to trek 45 mins, in which we unsuccessfully attempt!
On the beach where you dock and actually stay is crammed with guesthouse/ bungalows all in a row. Alongside the locals and the villages only yards behind. All in all only 12 or so but I got the feeling that not all the locals appreciated the influx of foreign ran accommodation or the hoards of late night drinkers who partied into the early hours right on their doorstep, where their walls are made out of bamboo. It was also very dirty, the sea was dirty, there was litter everywhere and where we stayed the sewage from the village actually ran alongside the entrance and out into the sea. We had to step over a canal of s***ty water every time we exited. The stench was incredible. The sun should have been a saving grace but I was too bloody worried about getting sand in my chin to actually do much sunbathing!
Best part of the trip was the book I read in the 3 days called. 'The book thief' by Markus Zusak. I highly recommend it.
And on that remotely positive note I will end my first negative blog.I promise the next is more positive, And yes I know I shouldn't moan I am one very lucky lady... I see and appreciate that daily whilst in this country!