Ali the Moto Driver

The port that connects Phenom Pehn with the Ankor Wat(or Vat) town of Siem Reap is classic. I had to switch boats three times just to get to the clumsy planks resting on the trunks of trees and limbs. I almost went in three times. Thank god those Khemer dudes trying to get me to stay in their guesthouses were there to help me with my balance.

Luckily, I had pre-arranged a driver and so I just looked for my name scrawled on a very tiny piece of paper. Ali was his name, driving fast was his game. Ali ripped shit up on his 100cc Honda Dream. It was the bumpiest most swerviest ride in my life. 99% of the roads in Cambodia are unpaved tracks of dirt, rock, sand, very large pot holes, and speed bumps of all sizes and shapes.

Speed bumps were of no concern to Ali. He'd forgotten a roast in the oven I suspected, but it just turns out he knows the road better then I had expected. Even though his route was alltogether eratic, after being on the back for five minutes I felt safe on his bike.(he's been my driver for three days now)

I've done a lot of chit chatting with Ali. His English is quite good and he is teaching himself Japanese. Ali is quite smitten with his Japanese girlfriend. He even let me read a love letter written to him from her. "didnt want to profess then but did" and all sorts of other cliche love letter type things. It was sweet, but I only read half of it. I was on the back going at about 110km/h. I didn't want those pages of passion and lust to fall victim to the wind.

The sky in Siem Reap is crackling with lightning right now but earlier today it was bright, sunny, and hot. We were going to see a small waterfall up in the hills that had carvings on the stones as well as the river floor. Ali called the route to the waterfall a "walking path". The "walking path" that lead to the waterfall turned out to be the hike of a lifetime for me. It was only 3km, but it was rock and root infested. For most of the way I felt like I was climbing the decayed steps of one of the temples, then i'd trip on a root and Ali would laugh. Apparently in a year they will have Elephant rides up to the waterfall and rock carvings, but these days they just do it the old fashioned way.

The waterfall was small due to it being the dry season but the rock carvings on the river floor were pretty impressive. It didn't really matter at the time because I was tired, sweaty, and dying of thirst. I was literally soaked through with sweat. Ali kept me at ease with stories of how people steal the carvings to sell in Thailand, and how the Thai people want to make war with Cambodia so that they can once again reclaim Ankor for themselves. Siem Reap translated means Siamese Defeated. It is an area of this world that has the posibility of making billions. Ankor Wat and the temples around it are amazing, though dumb fucks have carved their names and messages all over the place. Even in trees!

Ali has told me stories of tourists getting caught in the act and seeing them being beaten by Khemer police. I say "fucking right".

Siem Reap has been a far better experience having the same driver everyday. I highly recommend it to anyone who travels here. If you are ever in Siem Reap, look for Ali and his bushy hair.