alnost kidnapped in Cambodia.

 I went out and did exactly what everyone told me not to do. 
‘Be careful, Cambodia is not safe, don’t be alone outdoors after 9pm, don’t go with someone you don’t know’
And I admit it, I was very scared on his motorbike in the dark, dark suburbs of Battambang, as he refused to take me back to my hotel, and I was very scared when I found my self lost in the dark ghost city that Battambang turns into after dark. 
However, there wasn’t really anything to be afraid of. Trust your gut feeling. If you are afraid and vigilant, you wont find yourself in no adventures and you wont meet no people. 


So, I had just arrived in Battambang, Cambodia’s third biggest city (still not very populated though. In Cambodia contrary to almost everywhere else, only 20% of their population lives in the cities) (which is about to change as more then 40% is under 16 years old, and these youngsters will most likely live a more urban life, migrating to the cities – a move that will dramatically change the contemporary Cambodian society).
Time was ‘bout 5 pm in Battambang, I was walking the streets to catch a glimpse of Battambang as a moto driver dude approached me to offer a small city tour with him. Well, that’s what I thought he offered me anyway; he hardly spoke one word English. Nevertheless, ‘sure show me your city!’ I said delighted and jumped on behind him on his motorbike. Five-six hours later I thought it might be necessary for me to jump off that bike while it is running (picturing how much it would hurt), if this dude won’t take me back to my hotel very soon. But that’s jumping the conclusion. 


First, he took me to his home village, and to his home to meet his wife and little daughter. They were extremely poor. They lived in a shed by the river. One girl spoke a few words English so we were able to communicate some. 


Then he took me to visit his mom, an old, but stunning, vivid old lady. Communication was slow as no one spoke English here. But we introduced ourselves and they made me sit down and eat some fruits with them. By now it got dark, and it got very dark as the village lacked electricity. Hence the only light coming from candles. We all sat there in the very dark, gathered around a candle, chewing our fruit. And I was thinking, what can I do to help these people?


It happened that this Saturday night at a field outside Battambang there was a sort of festival/carnival that gathered around thousand locals. I was the only westerner. It seemed to be an event to raise money for poor people and landmine victims, because numerous monks where collecting money and hundreds of beggars: children, elderly, amputated and whole families sat or laid on the road with their beggar’s bowls. One dirty little kid was lying all alone in the dark ditch, and he scared me, cause I thought it was a dog lying there. It was arranged so that you could change one us dollar into forty 100 Riel-bills, making it easier to allocate the money, to give something to everyone. I tried to put one 100 riel bill in every bowl, but they where so many, everywhere, looking at me, begging me, holding their bowls at me. 


When I finally came back to the hotel, I cried. I cried a lot. 


Chin didn’t mean to scare me. He just wanted to show me as much as possible, in order to get a money donation from me. He could not understand how startled it was for me not knowing where I was or where I was going, in the dark surrounded by strangers unable to communicate with. However, I feel no remorse going with Chin that March afternoon in Battambang, northeast Cambodia.  

my "kidnapper"  Chin and I