Mr Mao

After Tonle Sap  I head to the bank where I run into Koosh and arrange to meet him in the evening. 

I am so hungy I am about to faint, so I stop at Street no 9, near the old market, at one of  the small road side cafe/restaurants that serve good and reasonably priced food. Soon after I order another loner comes to sit at the the table opposite  to me. A group of street kids stop and start talking to both of us in every possible language you can imagine, trying to sell us cards, bracelets and writing our names down. I am in such a way introduced to Stephane Mao, who is in hysterics at my inability to say no to  these lovely children ( have been able but not tonight).

Stephane is from near Marseille and we speak in two languages enthusiastically. Well...he speaks French at me and somehow I understand him and he practices his English with me. We communicate fine.  Stephane is half Cambodian. His father is a Khmer Rouge, political refugee in France. This is a pilgrimage to his roots and to his unknown second homeland. He has come here from Thailand and will head to Vietnam and Laos. Stephane has lived in different countries including Antigue.  He is an artisans, a builder, handy man, lover of the travel, journey and people. He thinks I am a gitane (a gypsy). I tell him about how much I love Cardiff and Greece. To me roots and not severing those are very important. But I have places to go with the purpose and I would like to some of it with people I love, some of it alone, but always with a purpose.

I learn :

Je vois aller au Mali pour decouvrire fabuleux pays.

(I want to go to Mali to meet fabulous people)

So many places, so little time but what I really like about Stephane is that he is not restless. He seems equally content to stay put and I think he is a man that appreciates people, stability, connection with loved ones. He is not escaping anything. Respect!

My encounter with Stephane is an unexpected present. We talk about Argentina and tango. Perhaps we will meet there again one day? He loves to hear about the children at school, Safe ,  my life and so we jump from one subject to another joyfully, until Koosh calls me and he is ready for our drink. Oops I got carried away....

'If I stay another day and we meet tomorrow here are 7?'

'D'accord mon amie'.

We kiss good  bye and hope to meet again sooner or later.