Hi there,

I crossed the Cambodia border by boat. First, you need to stop at a Vietnamese border post and declare that you are leaving the country. Then, you need to stop at a Cambodian post and enter the country.

At the first stop, kids jumped on the boat as we arrived. They were frantic and trying to climb through windows to make sales. It was nuts. There was a lady on board our boat who was involved in giving tours and in community development work. She knew exactly how to deal with these kids. The kids themselves, were great, they were just trying to make money. Later I would come to friends with some of them.

We all went up to an outside waiting area. There was a security guard watching over us and the area. The kids followed us to the post. The security guard took a stick and was hitting some of the kids to get away. Like taking the stick and hitting them with it. These kids were like 6 to 8 years old. Crazy. That same lady yelled out.. “don’t hit them, they’re just children”. He continued and hit them again. The lady got more vocal and I thought she was gong to belt the security guard. I guess that what aid workers learn. To be strong and face adversity, regardless of whether they were Cambodian police or not. Later, the guards didn’t want to let a lady through the border. She had a VISA that was granted by the Embassy, but on-line. The man had never seen an on-line version. Well, this lady came to her rescue. In the end, they paid the guard and got through. I remember her saying “you have a crazy government”. I thought we would have got our butts kicked out right then, but we were fine. I learned a lot from that lady and admire her strength against the authorities, when they were wrong.

We rode to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Here, I am in shock at the despair.

Luv Gerry