A short coach journey to Battambang from Siem Reap and after going on a bamboo train and a cycle tour with a really nice local lad I was ready to move on again. I am not sure by being here for such a short time I discovered what it had to offer, but It was very quiet, it appeared the low season has affected this place more than elsewhere. It is also very very hot now which is becoming a little bit unconftable. I have completed some long bus journeys, but this has been the longest! 14 hours from Battambang to Sihanoukville and the strange thing is I was captivated all the way by the countryside, air con helped as well, the little towns and the way of living along the road, houses on stilts, some big and made of wood and some small made of bamboo that looks like they would blow over at the first onslaught of the wind and rain that will appear later this month as the rainy season rolls in, miles of flat land with the occational palm tree and dusty farmland, and the occational ox wandering around as if lost. We went via Phomn Pehn and as we came out of the city the Garment factories were emptying for the day, we know them as sweat shops, and I am sure from afar we are appalled by the conditions and hours they work and the money they earn but as they were leaving the factories they looked like any other group of young girls/women, arm in arm, smiling, laughing, skipping along, the majority wearing skinny jeans and pink sweatshirts with cartoon characters on, these are young girls, and they were all girls, who are earning a subsistence wage to support themselves and their families and making the most of the only opportunity they believe they have. It is not for us to judge but it is somebody's responsibility to make sure they are safe to ensure a Bangladesh does not happen here. Got to Sihanoukville with its busy beaches with loads of opportunity to buy sunglasses, bracelets and massages from the khmer lady sellers that regularly appear in your sea view, stayed in a nice guesthouse with the best most soft towels of all my travels and then after a couple of days on to Koh Rong which has a reputation for being a backpackers haven, a really quiet island full of divers, bearded backpackers and beach bars and huts, apparently the island has been sold to a resort developer but work has not started so for the time being peace and tranquility remains. Stayed for three nights in a bamboo hut looking onto the beach, the sea was warm, the sand was white, went snorkelling and had fights with sand flies, met some really nice people, there are many europeans here and in town who have decided to stay here or in town on the mainland where the vibe is relaxed, all their needs are met to keep them relaxed, I met up with Daniel who I first met on week two of my travels in Thailand, good to see him, he is one who is hanging around for a while. Moved on to Kampot, a really nice town on a river which has maintained much of its colonial charm, nice restaurants and bars, easy to relax here drinking shakes and eating really tasty Khmer curries. Met up with Luke, Rosie and Bret for a couple of days, had a day in the Bokor National park and then a trip to some caves and a town called Kep, famous for its crabs! It did not take our guide long before he was politicising about the way the national park has been sold to property developers, there is already a casino! And the plan is to turn it into some kind of afluent suburban housing development, I can only agree it looks like the government have sold out and let money talk over ecolological considerations, lets hope if they do finish they can match the two. The crab in Kep was fine, none of us were adept at the technical aspects of eating crab and made a real mess, what meat I did get out was really nice but we did agree effort vs pleasure did not match up. So after a month in Cambodia It is time to move on, I have very much enjoyed the journey. This is clearly a very poor country, the people's aspirations are low and it looks like they will stay low for a long time to come unless investment and infrastructure can be utilised for their benefit which has not been the case for many years. They live with the legacy of the Poll Pot crazyness and that has left scars that are deeper than you can see, the people continue to live like they did 100 years ago however they keep a friendly face on and a smile at every opportunity. I have liked the food, the people I have met have been friendly and with Iconic temples and relaxing beaches this has been a great place to spend some time.