"This is number one...

... and the fun has just begun" go lyrics of a song I'm often heard humming. But I sure hope that my number one in this case will not go to number two!

The plan for today was to take an early morning bus to Kampot, go around the city and arrange a jungle trekking for a couple of days. Easy, no stress,... my usual.

What I was planning to write as my next post was how brilliant the sea food here is and that even Mexico (my No.1 sea food place until now) is overshadowed. Clams, scallops, barracuda, squid... all deliciously prepared and incredibly cheap.

But instead, I will describe my day until now:
- Took a cold shower around midnight to cool down and go to bed.
- As per my usual, I feel asleep almost instantaneously.
- Woke up at 3 am to go to the toilet and when I came back I wanted to check my mobile to see how long I can still sleep before my bus. My mobile was not next to my bed where I expected it! Open lights, look around... my small backpack is strangely positioned.... check and notice that cash that was in the belt pocket is gone! Check inside and my iPod and my camera are missing! Bloody brilliant!! The door to my room is not locked anymore!!! I had a visitor while I was sleeping...
I guess it is good that I'm quite a deep sleeper cause I have no clue what would happen if I would wake up when he/she was there. But thank god the passport was left lying on the bed and my bank cards as well - a polite thieve one might say... gave me options to continue my travel easily enough. He/she didn't even take my Ray Bans. For my good the person was not just ballsy enough to come in whilst I was in the room and take my mobile from half a meter from me, but also to go through my backpack and pick and choose. :)
- Report the theft to the guesthouse at 6 am when they woke up (didn't get a lot of sleep in between) and then head to the police station. I need the report for my insurance claim.
- Police comes in only at 8 and immediatly tells me that I need a report from guesthouse.
- Back to guest house and start explaining what I need. No one there really speaks English well enough. Guy say "Yes, I do" when I ask him for a letter and then we sit there for an hour. He is eating, looking around... well, I kind of expected his boss who speaks English needs to arrive.
- Boss arrives. Explanations, explanations, explanations... amazement, amazement, amazement... he starts writing. He has a first go. Not good. Second go. Not good. Third attempt. Not good. He goes to get his wife as his Khmer writing is not good enough. Takes one house to write a letter that I'm staying there and that things got stolen during night. No problem... have the letter... happy bunny!
- Police station, second visit... guy sits me down, reads the letter and starts asking me if I was out and if I took drugs and if I have money issues. Hmmm... this will not be so easy as expected. He said he will investigate and that I should come back at 2 with any witnesses I have! Witnesses?!? OK, I ask the Slovenian guy who has the bar to come with me and tell him that I went home yesterday evening... which is true! But at the same time, I decided to put 20 USD into the passport to make things flow nicer.
- Police station, 2 pm, third attempt... the guy is not there!!! We sit outside and he rocks up a bit later. And he asks what the hell am I doing there that he needs to investigate... I should come back tomorrow. Olalalalala... come on... another person starts asking him questions and I sit outside thinking what to do. Suddenly the guy comes back and invites me in. I give him the letter again and a business card from my last job. He looks rather happy with it. He gives me stuff to fill in and takes my passport. He sees the 20 and asks what is this? Hmmm.... money??? And he smiles and hands it to me. Speaking with locals here afterwords they could not believe it!!
- He gives me the police report and all is fine. But when I call the insurance company it turns out that when I come back I have to send them receipts of all these things and then they will give me compensation. Thank god I have enough money and I'm not strapped for cash.

Conclusions:
- Mobile is gone and therefore I'm really not reachable anymore. until I buy a Vietnamese number next week.
- iPod Touch is gone and there is not more free Wi-Fi and quick emails each day. Sniff, sniff...
- I have to buy a new camera and I lost photos again!!! This time only two days and not soooo special... although all of them are special in a way.
- Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes oooooon,... or in Slovenian: Zivljenje in gre naprej.. in mi z vami! :)

Over and out