🛺 Kampot to Hà Tiên 🛣️ With A Future God 🧘‍♂️ Part 3 🎬

In part 2 we had just left the Vietnam border and were headed for one more adventure before returning home.

I also hope to address the "future god" statement in this post if doesn't turn into a 4 part series.

⛰️ Phnom Kompong Trach 🦇

     Our road guest and his dog Bella, the family and I reunited again, we sat out for one last adventure before darkness would spoil any further sightseeing for the day.

     Not much time on the road and we arrived at Phnom Kompong Trach, a mountain and well-known local tourist destination complete with religious sites, places to relax, and a few opportunities to spend money.

     There were a few locals here and there, and a stairway up to a stupa where one can place some incense and candles to pay respect to Buddhist deities.

🥾 Enter The Void 🦇

     I honestly can't remember who did and did not go see the stupa, but if I remember correctly, I think it was Sreypov and SreyYuu. Parched, we drank some water and decided we would try and drive around the perimeter of the mountain to see all it had to offer.

     The next site we stumbled upon was a cave, and I had actually once seen some pictures on the internet of a beautiful crystal clear swimming hole within this cave.

     A little bit of a let-down, the cave was only full of humid cool air, beer cans and slime. The cool air was a refreshing break from the oppressive heat of the dry season though.

     We climbed back out of the caves ready for another picnic, so we decided to keep circling and see if we couldn't find some shade on the backside of the mountain.

🍌 Snack Time 🥪

     We couldn't have found a better spot just before the girls had nearly fallen asleep. We parked the Bajaj and began preparing our second picnic of the day.

     We sat up a quick impromptu picnic, and by now the @KidSisters were ignoring the camera, allowing for some awesome natural shots.

     We ate our sandwiches while enjoying a picturesque view, not knowing how much more energy Monkey-B had in store before sleep would take over.

     Bajaj could use our trip for an advertising campaign with all the beautiful shots we now have of our beloved three-wheeler.

     Monkey-B felt must've been feeling pretty cheeky, because she easily talked her way into the last few bites of my sandwich.

     Bellies full again, we ate some fruit, washed our hands and committed ourselves to keep circling the mountain to see what other potential attractions there might be.

🐴 One More Find 🕵️

     We kept circling the mountain until we found a few small shrines and an even smaller horse, complete with a mini tourist chariot.

     We stopped to admire the horse, not a common site in Cambodian by any means. We briefly spoke with the owner, and asked him some questions about his life and work.

     He told us he mostly earns money from Phnom Penh-based Cambodian tourists who come up on the weekends. A short romantic chariot ride provides awesome Instagram shots for the Phnom Penh elite's children.

     The kind man offered the girls a free ride, but we were all much more interested in talking to him, learning more about his life, and gathering some wisdom from our elders.

     It was starting to get a bit late in the day, so we rounded up the gang, hopped in the Bajaj and hit the road.

     The roadtrip story ends here. We arrived safely back home a little sunburned and tired, but okay. I haven't yet explained the "future god" statement, which really starts weeks after our trip ended.

🧘 A God On Our Hands ✝️

     For our road guest, things quickly downhill after our shared journey. He seemed to not want to return back to Germany, but was intent upon finding photography work in the local area.

     We tried to guide him into some jobs in more demand than photography, but some weeks passed and nothing materialized.

     He was a vegan and a daily customer at our restaurant after the trip, so we received frequent updates. Eventually we fed him for free a few times and even gave him a night of shelter before sending him out on his own in the nicest way possible.

     A few weeks later he contacted us near the the Thai border in Cambodia to ask us how he could cross illegally into Thailand, and of course we advised against that.

     Apparently he was out of money, had sold his camera, Cambodian visa was expired, and he would need even more money and paperwork to get his dog across the border as well.

     He seemed absolutely set on going to Thailand, and then flying back to Germany with his dog, although I don't understand with what funds that would've been possible.

     A few more weeks passed and he contacted us from a Thai Immigration Detention Center, where he was being held for not having a current visa after having a confrontation with local Thai people concerning his dog.

     It was at this point his messages started to get cryptic and prophetic and with religious undertones. We checked his facebook friends to see if we could find any family members to relay his situation to in case he wasn't mentally capable of it in the moment.

     After some weeks or months, he was deported to Germany without his dog, and he began to refer to himself as a Jesus reincarnate, and was clearly having a mental break.

     We noticed several friends expressing concern on facebook for his mental health upon his arrival back to Germany, but it seems he alienated all his old friends within a few weeks.

     The story ends there, but it is really weird to be the last people to see this guy before he had some kind of break with reality. Life is a really strange thing, and you never know what may happen.

     We are mostly glad he is back in his home country where there is good mental health care, social programs, and an excellent welfare system. Cambodia is only for the fittest of the fittest, and there is no safety net to catch you when you fall.

🙏 THANKS FOR READING 🙏

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Dad@JustinParke	Mom@SreyPov		Srey-Yuu@KidSisters	Monkey B@KidSisters

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