Another town, another bike.

16/4 - A nice cool night made a lovley change. After a bit of breakfast I borrowed a bike, which Stefaan and Kong give free, along with the filtered water and pool table. I went down to the beach area. The beaches aren't great, but they are popular. It's not surprising considering some of the places I've seen people bathing. I started to get a dab on, which is probably why a lady hairdresser refused to cut my hair. My shirt was dripping and even more so after some kids waterbombed me. It is New Year and I did encourage it.
It looks like there is an entrance fee to Kep for New Year. Some blokes are stopping vehicles and handing out tickets. Anything to squeeze a dollar out of the people. I was gagging now, so picked up a coke at a roadside stall and found an old table under a tree to perch on and cool off. A young lady came over to join me to smile and borrow my nail clippers, she saw me using. That is almost all we could manage due to my lack of Khmer. I do feel a bit inadequate with the language barrier. I have tried to pick up a few words, but forget them faster than I learn them. I wandered down to the shoreline and had a paddle. It is like a warm bath, so didn't go any deeper. I headed back, still getting some Hello's, but not so many. People are wrapped up in their own party excitement. They come in and on all sorts of vehicles. Wagons come along, presumably from villages and pull up under a shadey coconut tree. They all bale out with crates of beer, a huge cool box, meal tins and get on partying. The cool boxes are the replacement for fridges. Not many fridges are around, even in the towns. These big cool boxes sit outside lots of shops and are in houses. The ice man comes along each morning and sells off his huge blocks.
There's loads of fresh fish and squid being cooked by the roadside. I may try some, but I'm not really a squid kid. I found a cake place on the way back, so had some carrot cake and an iced coffee, it's too hot for hot drinks. After the sugar fix I went to find a secluded beach and did so. The sandy area was about 3ft x 3ft, but did for a sit and laze. The water was too shallow to go for a swim. I would have had to rent a moto to get out far enough to swim. It clouded over anyway, looking like a storm was brewing, so I am off for something brewed, either a tea or a beer.
It was a beer!! setting me up for another lazy night at the bar. A cointreau replaced last nights sambucca, then I went to lie in the hammock and check out the stars, but it was too cloudy and a full moon, so no chance, but I enjoyed dossing in the hammock having a read. I had to get out before I nodded off and end up there for the night. I probably would have been eaten alive by something or other.