The Imperial City (with a bit of parks and rec)

We arrived from our easy rider sensation with sore bums and slightly frayed nerves, city driving was not as fun as rural riding! We were pretty pooped so we just had a relaxed evening with dinner, j and j had a date night so Becca and I flew solo. We met up again post consumption, and took a brief walk by the river. Not overly impressed with the “perfume river” which in the dark looked to be a wide expanse of muddy brown water littered with neon signs and tacky dragon boats. Hopefully things would perk up when we woke up and saw things in the light.

After some onward travel plans were made (we only planned to spend one day in Hue) we rushed off to the old town, which thankfully was a lot more what we were hoping for! We paid to go into the imperial palace and looked around the mostly ruined compound. There were still some beautiful parts and a great video reconstruction of how it would have been but the majority was destroyed as yet again it was a viet cong base in the war so bombs were dropped and buildings were popped. A cycle Rickshaw ride back to the hotel to grab Becca’s camera and get our private car and off we went to see the ancient emperors’ tombs. La dee da!

We only made it to two of the three famous tombs due to time constraints but it definitely felt like enough. The first was a bigger compound with areas for the emperors mother and concubines but was partially under construction so not the easiest to enjoy. It did have some great monuments and really nice fish ponds/ a lake where we saw two kingfishers, lovely creatures, dashing about amongst the lotus flowers. The second tomb was more naturally beautiful in sprawling grounds which were really hilly and lake-y. Lots of pagodas and temples and whatnot. It was great because by the time we got there it was later in the afternoon so it was cooling down a lot, which made for a much nicer visit because the rest of the day the sweat had been getting obnoxious! A yummy steak dinner that evening and 241 drinks at ladies night led to more dancing than was strictly a good idea the night before a 6am wake up call.

It’s a long way from Hue to Hanoi so we opted to break the journey up by stopping off at Phong Nha national park for a day so see the famous caves which are reported to be the largest in the world. The biggest one where you could easily land a jumbo jet and which has an entire forrest in it isn’t really open to the public (only 200 odd people a year are allowed in and it costs a whopping $3000 for the 8 day trip!) so we would just see the first couple of km. A horrible minibus trip there started the day off with a flop, it must have been the smallest hottest bumpiest ride so far. We were also a smidgen hungover which probably didn’t help! We got into the national park after 3 hours of dozing fitfully and sporadically and were dropped off at a local hostel to have lunch before our trip to the cave.

Paradise cave was absolutely amazing and had hardly any western tourists (although a fair few Asian ones). The surrounding scenery made me wish I was staying longer and traveling more independently (got the scooter bug!) as it would be the perfect place to just drive around for a day. I hate whizzing past beautiful scenery and only seeing it for a matter of seconds. I keep threatening to bring my parents back here and to Hoi An, as I think it’s right up their street. And anyone’s actually! The cave was so so massive and really beautifully formed. It took us an hour round trip to walk into the depths and back again and the photos of course really don’t do it justice. The drop in temperature was so welcome as yet again, Asian humidity was assaulting us and the climb up to the cave was pretty steep.

We had to hang around for the night bus to hanoi for a good 4 hours but there was wifi and a pool table so we didn’t suffer too much! The night bus was pretty standard, although as we got on last we got the worst seats. Mine was horribly cramped, with a double bed’s worth of space to share with 2 Vietnamese people. Above the engine as well so it was hot to trot but a Vietnamese guy got chucked out of his seat to sleep in the aisle so that Jess could lie down, so can’t complain too much. He however turned out to be a well dodger geezer as he basically slept with one arm on Jess and ran to the toilet when the police stopped the bus at one point. It later became clear when he took a suspicious package out from a hidden hollow under Jess’s seat why he was so nervous. Lucky no one found it and thought it was ours!!

Finally arrived at a lovely 4 star hotel after our long day or so of travel, not too discouraged by a rigged taxi meter wanting to charge us 400,000 dong for what should have been a 40,000 dong journey. Luckily we’re not too fresh off the boat so we didn’t fall for it and the driver didn’t kick up too much of a fuss when we refused to pay. My skills of negotiation have developed a lot in Asia…”Noo wayy, I’m not paying that. You crazzy” he just took what we offered and scampered off.

So to the last leg of my trip! Still lots to look forward to so I’m not thinking about it too much yet but my return home looms nearer and I’m finding myself gradually getting super excited to get back to my life in London! However happy the reunions will be though, I know I’ll miss the freedom of this traveling lifestyle within a matter of weeks. Will just have to start planning the next trip then, won’t I!

Shopaholics and Easy Riders

Hoi An is without a doubt my favorite place so far on this trip. So much to do and see there! Not only do you have a beautiful French colonial town which was basically left alone in the war, perfect for wandering around either on foot or on bikes, it also has a gorgeous beach nearby AND the town is famous for its tailor made custom clothing. Not to mention the nearby ancient ruins of My Son. We stayed here longer than we’ve stayed anywhere else, as it just wasn’t fathomable to rush it.

We arrived from Nha Trang having split up for the journey with Becca and I getting the train and Jess and Jon getting the night bus. There’s no train station at Hoi Anh itself so we had to overshoot to De Nang and get a shuttle bus back to our hostel, Sunflower Hotel. They tried to overcharge us for the bus but when we found out everyone else was only paying (100,000 dong when they wanted $8 each from us, not much difference but I like things to be fair) I got them to match it. It was about 4pm by then so we didn’t have time to do much other than check in and go for a nice dinner accompanied by the locally brewed beer which goes for 3-5000 dong per mug – about 8pence per mug!! Hold me back..

The following morning we gave ourselves a bit of a lie in as a treat, with plans of heading to town for various pursuits just before lunch. Jon, Jess and Becca headed to the tailors to get measured up and fitted for various things they were getting made. They used a company called Kimmy’s which had been recommended by Tom who we met in Dalat. I didn’t end up getting anything made due to lack of spare funds mostly but also not knowing what I would want (I’m just looking forward to getting my old clothes back. That will be a new wardrobe in itself!). They spent a relatively small amount though on their various personalised outfits (Jon got a 3 piece tweed suit! Jess about 6 outfits and a leather bag, the shopaholic, and Becca 2 bits) and had to head back 3 or 4 times for fittings, but man do they churn their stuff out fast! When that was polished off we spent the afternoon wandering the riverside markets and taking a short gondola style boat ride, which worked out as about a quid each. As Jon would say it would be rude not to!

The cultural portion of our time in Hoi An was spent on a day trip to My Son, ancient ruins which were bombed by the Americans in the war as the viet cong were using the area as a hideout / base. As beautiful as they were there wasn’t much left of them, with some reconstructions giving an idea of their former glory. They weren’t as impressive as Angkor or Borobudur so we were glad it was only a half day tour as it was SO hot. Worth a visit if you’re in the area and have a strong interest in ancient architecture but not necessarily worth seeing if you’re short on time.

There are two beaches in Hoi An for the less actively inclined, we only made it to the nearer of the two which was not far from our hotel. I say near, you definitely needed to rent a bike for 50p a day and cycle the 15 or so minutes there. Nice and clean with very clear water and nice views of the offshore islands but as usual it was plagued with hawkers. We got talking to one lady called Leo who was actually very nice but at the end of the day no matter how chatty and friendly they are they just want one thing. A sale! We ended up buying some cheap key rings which were about the only decent things she had and she smilingly sloped off. Amazing fresh mango was worth being annoyed for though by another lady. We also used the bikes that day to go on a little photo tour of the old town and explore all the gorgeous little side streets and alleys. All the nice restaurants were around there and we had a couple of good meals in town and a few cheeky drinks afterwards.

When it came time to leave Hoi An we decided that rather than going for a traditional bus/train combo we would instead ride ourselves on Motorbikes with a guide to our next stop Hue, as the scenery in between was meant to be stunning. Becca rode on the back of a guides bike, I had my own and Jess and Jon shared one. After we fueled up in town, we sped off on our way and boy was it worth the extra money! We zipped through 2 mountain passes with amazing views and curled round hairpin bends with out any problems. The first half of he journey we had the road pretty much to ourselves, as all the major traffic goes through a more direct tunnel under the mountains. The freedom to go at any speed we wanted and stop on and off for photos was incredible. At one point we saw a gorgeous majestic eagle soaring above us, then suddenly we were the ones above it! Really beautiful.

We stopped half way, about 3 hours in, for an amazing seafood lunch by a lagoon. You could pick the seafood out of a tank and they would prepare it for you how they saw fit. There wasn’t really a menu so our guide basically just ordered us a range of side dishes and haggled the price of the crayfish and the clams. They came out beautifully with sides of omelette, garlic fried morning glory and of course piles and piles of rice. Really great food and as usual, very cheap. The next part or the road trip was less fun than before as we arrived at the busy highway 1 where lots of overtaking and honking occurred, but we made it safe to Hue, despite our guide abandoning ship about and hour out of town and telling us to follow someone else without any real explanation. At least way more people wear helmets here then in Cambodia! You need them!

Both we and our luggage arrived safely at our hotel and yet another love was seeded inside me, the motorbiking bug! I love scooters and as long as there isn’t too much traffic I will definitely be trying them again!

Football frenzy

Apparently 6/10 people who visit Nha Trang get robbed. This was all I knew about the place before I arrived. I’d also heard that it’s a very Magaluff like place, mostly just a bunch of Russians in Speedos on the beach. Who wouldn’t want to visit somewhere like that!? We’d just left Dalat which was such a nice small place that anything probably would have seemed gaudy in comparison, but actually it turned out to be a fun enough town. The bus journey was absolutely beautiful up through the mountain pass, although as usual they had overbooked, meaning that not all of us from the hostel had seats. Luckily a guy we were with called Kevin travelled with a hammock, which he just strung up and bobs your uncle, problem solved! Our arrival at blingy Nha Trang was also probably helped a lot by welcome we received at the hostel we had booked.

Mojzo Inn is down a little side street right in the centre of town and for the most part it is just your average clean place with a pretty sweet roof terrace where you can watch the sunset and where they serve breakfast (included in your room rate – a standard thing in Vietnam we’ve discovered). What makes it such a great place to stay, a reason that is usually what will set a mid budget place apart from the rest, was the staff. They welcome you with a massive smile and a free refillable water and cold towelette. Anyone traveling in Asia will know the value of these after carrying your backpack any distance! They also ask your name once and remember it for the entire remainder of your stay there, followed by other staff you haven’t even met knowing your name and saying hi whenever they see you. The small touches like this are the most important and are what makes somebody recommend a place to a friend (thanks again Lauren!).

That night was actually Worldcup final night and having gotten talking to Kevin (a German) and Simon on the bus we agreed to meet for dinner and watch the match together at 2am (damn Asian time zone!) We met at Mojzo so they could store their bags before their impending night train (for free, and they were offered free showers even though they weren’t staying there!) and headed off for an amazing Indian at Ganesh restaurant. The game was on the big screen at Why Not bar and the atmosphere was pretty good with lots of pro German supporters. I only stayed till half time not being that fussed about the outcome and preferring to get some sleep to make the use of the next day. Jess and Jon didn’t get back till gone 5 and Jon was in bed till 2 the next day so I think I made the right choice!

While Jon was dreaming of snakes and banjos Jess, Becca and I walked to the nearby (ish) Hindu temple. The walk was lovely all the way along the beach as it was a beautiful day and there were great views to be seen. The temple was very pretty and sat up on a hill which made it even more scenic. So so hot though so we only stayed an hour and lingered a little longer than was normal in the air conditioned “museum” which was basically just a tiny room with some old black and white pictures. When we finally roused sleeping beauty we headed for some lunch and then hopped in a cab to try out the famous Mud baths! The very relaxing (but slippery) mud and mineral pools was a blissful way to spend the afternoon and we stayed right until kick out time! There was also a normal swimming pool and some kind of jet spurting cave? All super fun.

The next day was just your bog standard beach day punctuated by lunch at the Sailing club. The beach was pretty nice by western standards, big with soft sand and clear sea, but not the best I’d been to. Still just what the doctor ordered after a bout of rainy action adventure in the mountains in Dalat. Lunch at the Nha Trang Sailing Club was a very luxurious and tasty experience. The setting, right on the water and the fancy decor made the slightly above average prices bearable, the quality of the food helped even more. I had a cinnamon roasted squash wrap which was divine and a welcome change from the sometimes over exposure to Asian food. We had dinner with Jayden and Dani, the kiwi couple from our dorm room who we’d bumped into a few times. We said a brief goodbye in preparation for our separation on various modes of transport and once again set off north. Nha Trang is a nice enough place (note the generic use of the word “nice”) but in a pinch I think I would miss it out in favor of some where a bit less western. Somewhere just like Hoi An, which was our next destination.

Ho Chi Minh Minh Minh Minh Minh

Formerly known as Saigon (I still prefer this name, conjures images of old school glamour for me) the southern capital of Vietnam was our first stop after a relatively eventless border crossing from Kratie. The bus stopped just after the checkpoint for us to have our first taste of Vietnamese food which was included in the ticket. We were very impressed with they standard at this random roadside pit stop and got pretty excited about the improvement from the sometimes overly sweet Cambodian food.

I’d met a Vietnamese guy on the bus who’d been chatting to me and offered us a lift to the centre of town, as he’d already booked a taxi. When you hear the word free in Asia you automatically assume there are strings attached and put up your defenses but it turned out that he genuinely just wanted to welcome us as guests to his city, which was awesome, especially as we didn’t yet have any Vietnamese dong! Such a ridiculous currency by the way, you’re literally carrying around millions. A bit of wandering down vibrant alleyways full of hotels and restaurants finally led us to our place, luang vu, which was highly rated online and did not disappoint for a few nights of more luxurious living. We were meeting Jess’s sister Rebecca here so that she could join us on our 3 or so week tour of ‘Nam which would make a welcome addition to the group, evening out the numbers again.

Once she’d arrived we could get our tourist on and start exploring the city, as all we’d managed to do the afternoon we arrived was get some dinner (admittedly an amazing and cheap claypot yum yum) and find the local Topshop! Our main plans for the city were to do a day trip down the Mekong delta as there was a fair bit of southern Vietnam that we didn’t have time to see, and also to do the usual city stuff. First was the war remnants museum, which much like he killing fields in Cambodia, wasn’t exactly a “fun” excursion but again it blew me away how little I knew about the history of this part of the world. I didn’t know about agent orange, I didn’t know that the war was really between southern and northern Vietnam, and I didn’t know that America still haven’t done anything about making amends. Admittedly it was very skewed and propaganda ish representation, but some of the photos and the number of disabled people begging on the streets couldn’t be ignored.

Aside from that serious part of the tourist route we also visited some more neutral parts of the crazy buzzing city. When we weren’t crossing roads and trying not to get killed by whizzing mopeds we just hopped in the city’s very cheap taxis from one place to the next. We saw a Chinese jade pagoda which also housed thousands of good luck turtles (swimming in a very small pond), the old colonial post office, still functioning with its beautiful architecture, and the Notre Dame cathedral. We also popped into the expansive Thai Binh market which was very nice but was mostly just to browse and hide from the brief torrential rainpour, and also the hidden Mariamman Hindu temple, which had the most amazing tiled walls and floors. Really beautiful. There were a couple of cool shops we found nearby as well that made local crafts and sold replicas of the old propaganda posters from the war which we all bought a few of.

We stayed in the city a day longer than expected so were able to fit in a trip to the Saigon Botanical gardens/Zoo. Rebecca is really into her monkeys, having done her masters on primate conservation and we were worried about the conditions that some of the enclosures might be in. We were pleasantly surprised and found the zoo to be quite a good one, with lots to see. The only animals that didn’t seem too happy were the white tiger who was pacing and literally looked suicidal, if an animal can, and the hippo which had a tiny pond to swim in for such a massive creature – not to mention the idiots throwing stuff at it to make it move. Still probably worth seeing for the tiger cubs, monkeys and the pretty botanical grounds.

That evening we bought tickets to go to the opera house and see a show, similar to the circus we saw in Battambang, with young people doing acrobatics and dancing. The setting was lovely and the traditional music really added to the scene. W couldn’t take pictures but that meant we could sit back and enjoy the show all the more. It wasn’t as vibrant as the circus in Cambodia but there were so,e really great bits, and some really funny ones. They had lots of props, big bamboo sticks and baskets to roll around and climb on and off. One piece made fun of the hectic life in Vietnam, alluding to the crazy driving, the disorganized queuing and the constant noise. We followed the show with a fancy dinner and then went up to the 54th floor of the … Building to have a drink and take in the view over the mad city. Ruth expensive but worth it for the height although Jess hated it and though she was going to die! Most of our other night time activities involved grabbing a cheap beer (25p!) and joining the hordes of locals and tourists who sat around on mats and seats on the streets of district 1 to chat.

Finally our day trip out of the city to Monkey island came around. To be honest this was pretty average in the end so I wouldn’t recommend it for the price and I won’t write much more then a skeleton of events for it. We got a ferry over the Mekong and drove another hour to the monkey forest which we expected to have monkeys roaming around freely, and it did for some part, but also had monkeys in cages, on chains and one was even riding a bike blindfolded and doing handstands. Not ideal for the conservationist in Rebecca. There was a really cool jet boat ride through the mangroves to an old war guerrilla base which was the highlight, but they then made us watch a boring and very old propaganda video which brought it down a bit despite the interesting subject matter, too slanted a viewpoint. Feeding crocodiles was next which we just watched as the employees were poking them quite hard with sticks and finally a an average lunch and walk of a very bland beach. Not really worth staying the extra day for but tours are often mis sold in Asia so nothing we can do about that really.

Next up was an overnight bus for Jon and I to Dalat. Jess and Rebecca were flying so we would meet them there. Up into the mountains for cooler climes and to meet “The family”..!

Dolphins R Us

It is never completely quiet in Cambodia. Whether it is the drone of insects or the constant prang of construction, there is almost always a cause for earplugs here. For our last few days in Cambodia we left the noise of he city and came north from Phnom penh to the quieter province of Kratie. Famed for it’s very rare Irawaddy dolphins, it was a chance to see a bit of the Mekong river’s majesty and say goodbye to the amazing people of Cambodia.

We were met off the bus (9 hours, advertised at 6) by a lovely fella recruiting for his hostel just around the corner. We got there and had a look but the rooms were very open to the elements with no mozzie nets…with the river nearby and Jess’s bite allergy to think of we had to switch to another place nearby but promised to be back for breakfast on his roof terrace. Usually when you’re met by a bunch of hawkers off a bus it’s a bit pressurey and annoying but this guy was the only one who bothered to show up and seemed so meek and sweet that we wanted to give him some business in this quiet low season part of the year.

Next morning we were introduced to his family, wife who speaks absolutely no English (she gave us free corn one day but also brought Jon 2 breakfasts and us none) and his adorable daughters, 3 and 11. We decided that he seemed like a good guy to take us on an day trip to see the dolphins and the surrounding local area so jetted off in his tuk tuk with his 3 year old and her tricycle in tow towards the dolphin frequented part of the river. The journey was as amazing as the destination in this case, as everyone we passed, especially the kids, was smiling and waving at us. Possibly as less people make it to this part of Cambodia they are still excited by the sight of westerners and loved to get the an acknowledgement of a return smile and wave from us!

When we got to the boats that would take us out to see the river we paid our $7 each and were introduced to our captain. He must have been high as a kite as the whole time he was grinning ear to ear shoeing off his blackened stumps for teeth, and talking to us in fluent Cambodian expecting us to understand and reply. He seemed good natured enough though and we motored on against the strong current to the other side of the river. I spotted a fin early on from afar but not until the driver noticed a flock of birds feeding did he seem to get excited and moored us up to a submerged bush. Finally when were just stating to worry we’d wasted our money a pod of at least 8 dolphins started popping in and out of the water just a few meters from our boat. We sat and watched them for an hour or so which was awesome as they are so beautiful and so endangered. There are only 70 in the river there, with the other few thousand left living in Bangladesh

The threatening grey clouds moved in and heavens opened up so we hurried back to shore to meet our driver and his kiddy where he suggested that we complete the trip with his friend as the little one was getting soaked. Quick change and on we went for lunch overlooking a wide expanse of the river before a quick look round the 100 pillars temple. Nice but nothing especially different from other temples we’ve seen. The final stop on the way home was a meditation centre up on a hill which boasted beautiful views but was thronged with Mosquitos and a bit of a mess, probably being sorted out for when high season comes. We were drenched in the heat and humidity and just wanted to back back in the breeze of the tuk tuk so only stayed for about half an hour.

The following day we decided to get a ferry to Koh Trong island in the middle of the river to seek out a pool and relax for our last day. The ferry took 15 minutes (only cost about 50p!) and when we got to the island we paid another dollar to rent a very rickety bike and cycle around the island. It was lovely going…on the paved parts but a bit of a struggle when we hit the dirt patches where the locals made it look easy but we tended to opt for hopping off and walking around the mud patches. We stopped for lunch at a place called Rajabori villas which had an amazing pool and a five star feel. We stayed until the rain came later but hung around a bit longer before cycling back as we were right the middle of the storm for a while. The lightning must have been only a few hundred feet from us and it was the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard. We all practically jumped under the table from shock and fright! We made a dash for it when it cleared and made it back to shore safe and sound.

We ended up having to stay a day longer than expected due to infrequent buses in the low season and were going to try some kayaking but for some reason it was really expensive so we opted to have another pool party, this time at River dolphin resort which was out in the rice padis and offered free food and drink if you paid $5 to use the pool for the afternoon. It was a very strange pool, not as high end, but the food and staff were amazing and we had a very happy afternoon getting a little burnt (me not Jess and Jon, doh, even after a year in the sun..) and relaxing. We chatted to the resort’s owner, a yank, and told him we wished we’d found his place sooner rather than staying where we did, at Heng Hengs, where the room was nice but the staff disinterested. When we got back to the very same, the receptionist guy told us he was trying to get a job at river dolphin, which I rather suspect we might have messed up for him with our reports of his unhelpfulness…oops. Well he should have slept less and worked more I guess!

Cambodia was an amazing month for us punctuated with a few ups and downs with the weather, but what I will take away from it most are the memories of the amazing friendly people there. Smiling hellos from everyone we pass, tiny kids on big bikes and women sitting street side with their children, the most influential fashion movement to hit them being the two-piece pyjama set. Laughing men, weed growing in the open on the side of the street, lovely colonial towns and too many tuk tuks. I’ll almost definitely be back and will be telling everyone I meet who’s coming to Asia that they have have have to hit Cambodia for at least 3 weeks. Worth every second.

Kep Calm and Carry On

Kep-ing it Real

Since I’ve been traveling I’ve come to realise that I and most of the western world live in a nanny state. So many rules, so much ridiculous red tape making you always take the long way round. It’s dictated to us how we have to live almost every aspect of our lives. But Asia takes things too far the other way sometimes. Prices meander about depending on what the seller thinks a tourist is stupid enough to pay and things like bus times are barely even a guideline for when something will actually arrive or depart. But I can understand these things and easily see the freedom in them…Then we see families of four including 2 kids riding on one moped with no helmets on and I start to think, hey maybe rules are there for a reason…

We saw a horrible road accident with a severely injured motor cylcist on the way from Kep to Phenom Penh, I couldn’t bring myself to look once I saw the man lying in blood but apparently he was missing part of his leg 😦 we always joke about it but the roads here really are so narrow and dangerous and it can be easy to underestimate them as a tourist. Just serves as a reminder to keep your wits about us over here. Something like that could take out a whole family if it catches them at the wrong place at the wrong time. Bit freaky but that’s just how they do things here. They have no money to improve the roads or enforce their safety, so it’s just a case of blind luck most if the time.

We left Sihanoukville for Kep in a tiny minibus and as usual it was over packed to the point of insanity. There are always enough seats for everyone (tourists that is, they often make locals sit in the aisles on the floor!) but they never take the luggage into account so most journeys are pretty uncomfortable. But that’s traveling for you. You have to learn to rough it and just find the discomfort amusing. We arrived without booking anywhere to stay so just asked the local travel agency where was cheapish, as Kep is a bit on the pricier side in general as lots of Cambodians go there for their jollies. Ended up getting a pretty decent room for $16 a night between the three of us that had a nice bathroom and even a tv, luxury! With no real beach to speak of in town and with the hour getting on anyway we decided to head straight out for an early dinner ASAP.

Th crab market is the best option in Kep for a slap up seafood feast and what everyone has to try is the local specialty – Kampot pepper crab. For only $5 you can get a massive plate of the most amazing succulent crab in an unbelievable green peppercorn gravy. It’s a messy affair with the crackers (technical name I’m sure) necessary to get every last bit out but man is it worth it! There are lots of restaurants to choose from that serve it right next to the sea so we had dinner at one and decided to go for desert at another. The latter had a roof terrace which gave great views of the fuchsia sunset over the ocean. A lovely evening followed up with a movie night in bed. Amazing.

The following morning we booked in a day trip to go to Rabbit Island – so named by a drunkard perhaps as I could not see any likeness to a bunny rabbit! The boat over was a very small fishing type boat with no cover if it rained and very open to the swells and dips of the sea. It only took 25 minutes to get there though so no drama and then a short walk from one side of the island to the other took us away from the port feel and to a more isolated place. The island was very small and idyllic with little to do other than swim, eat and read. A nice day with mostly sunshine finishing off our beach time here on the south coast of Cambodia. We got drenched on the boat back by the splashing spray and it took about 15 minutes for the driver to dock the boat which was pretty hilarious. One final meal back on the mainland, yet more seafood, this time calamari, prawns AND crab in a variation of the pepper sauce satisfied our appetites and sent us to bed feeling comatose.

A single night in Phnom Penh at Me Mates Villa again (where all the staff still recognized us and seemed very happy to see us, guess they don’t get many returning visitors. That or are awesome and memorable…) with a night of pool and darts and now here I am on a bus up to Kratie through fields of marajuiana at the side if the road! Finally I’m back up to date and can just go back to writing as I go! Happy days. This will sadly be our last stop in Cambodia, but I’m super excited to see what Vietnam has to offer that will hopefully be worth the expensive $60 visa in the next few days!

Koh Rong. But Koh Right.

Sihanoukville is one of those towns. It’s necessary as a transit point from A to B. It’s even good for a few nights if you’re looking to party and drink on the beach. It’s just not somewhere you want to stick around in for too long. The tuk tuk drivers are incessant (and incidentally are also drug peddlers), there are scores of children roaming the beaches selling tat (you want bracelet? Maybe later? If you change your mind you come to me right? – at least their English gets practiced..) and ladies wander up and down offering you mani/pedi/massages non stop. The bars are good fun though and the beaches alright, Otres beach better than Serendipity, but really we were just there to get the boat over to he island of Koh Rong.

We did have two really fun nights out here when we could tear ourselves away from the amazing food at Monkey Republic, the hostel we stayed at. Again low season was our friend, with almost all of the bars offering free shots and cheap drinks if you come spend some time there. I spent less than a fiver both nights and did not feel like I was lacking in the merriment department at all. We danced and we laughed but there was one close call on the beach when Lauren and I went for a paddle and were surrounded by a group of children wanting to “play” ie frisk us for cash, but luckily we’d heard of things like this happening and had taken nothing out with us and left our cash with Jess up at the bar. I don’t think I realised at the time how bad it could have been but we were lucky, so no cautionary tale here.

One of the aforementioned nights out was the reason Lauren and I plus a few others we met and went to the island with (Ben, Beth, Mags and Vicky) were all feeling very much worse for wear the morning that we got the boat to the island. There was actually a storm with horizontal rain and rocky waves going on, which added to the fun of course…but by the time we arrived on Koh Rong after the 40 minute sail we were all very glad to disembark! The island has very basic accommodation conditions with only limited hours of electricity and very open to the elements style rooms. Thank god for mozzie nets! We picked a place to stay called Bamboo, which was very average but only $4 a night and right in amongst it all. The music went on a bit late though even if the bar was empty, so next time we’d venture a bit further away from the pier area.

The first day there (without Jess and Jon as they had stayed behind for belly reasons) we did very little, just wandering the beach and swimming a bit. It’s not the time of year for snorkeling because of poor water quality and the water was a bit gross in places, seemingly with streams of what seemed like sewage coming out of the resorts and straight into the water. Going further away from the built up area solved this but it was a dampener on the feeling of peace and tranquility! A lot of “hippies” flock to the island as well because weed and space cakes are readily available and there was often a waft of that distinctive tang coming from he guests and even staff at all the bars/guest houses, which is presumably why they choose to live for such prolonged periods with such a basic lifestyle.

The highlight of the island trip for me had to be the hike to and subsequent reward of Long beach. The trek takes about an hour straight across the island over the central peak with a particularly grueling steep decent on the other side, which was practically abseiling down almost vertical rock faces. We sweated, probably not even an overstatement, the most we have ever sweated in our lives. It was dripping off our noses and chins into our panting mouths, yumyumyum! The humidity and then exertion were too much for Sarah at one point and she had to slow down a bit but the rest of us just about managed. Having suffered a bit with the weather in Sihanouk (rain rain go away) we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day when we finally got to our reward. Long beach is practically untouched and empty except for one shack like restaurant selling some food and drink and one or two guest houses at the very far end of the beach. An abundant stretch of White sand, blue sea and clear sky, bliss. Probably what Thailand was like before it got so over developed!

We had a pipe dream of skipping the return trek, as we dreaded the climb back up that steep steep part, but there was no boat service running due to choppy water conditions at is time of year and so trek back we did. It was actually ok in the end when we set our minds to it, especially as you always forget that going back always feels faster than on the way there. Our legs somehow carried us there and back with no snake bites/ twisted ankles and we felt much better for having achieved something!

Dinners on the island are definitely noteworthy, as the seafood selection is obviously pretty good and very cheap. Most guest houses do a BBQ every evening for about $5 and very good they are too. Mick and Craig’s on the mainland actually did the best BBQ we had in terms of quality and quantity so would defiantly recommend there! A few chilled evenings the island calmed us down after the ruckus on serendipity beach the previous nights so it wasn’t too hard to get up early on our final day to make the most of things, as it was being cut short by a 12pm ferry back, in calmer conditions thank god. We still managed a short walk through the treehouses to 4k beach that last morning with Jess and Jon in tow who had made it over for one night only. Lots of sand flies here though so even with the deadline we may not have stayed long. Lathering up with coconut oil was our only defense and no one suffered too much luckily, but the mozzies a did get us a fair bit.

When we got back to the mainland we had just one night left with Sarah, Luaren, Mark and Simon having already said goodbye to the other four a night previously. They were great company and very good sports (especially Simon with the night time bag drenching incident cough cough) and pass the pigs won’t be the same without them! In particular I had a lot in common with Lauren so I’m sure we’ll be seeing her again in the not too distant.

Pepper and Peaks

I’ve taken to watching movies or sleeping on long bus journeys recently, making keeping up with the blog a little bit trickier. I usually find something better to do when we’re in a place so I’ve gotten 3 entries behind and am remembering why it’s so important for me to keep up to date. My memory is about as useful in most cases as a coat in the Bahamas. Anyhow with a little help here and there I’ll hobble my way back up to date and will (probably not) learn my lesson.

We arrived at Mad Monkey hostel in Kampot at around 8pm, just as the bus journey from Phenom Penh was losing its novelty. The hostel chain which is also in Siem Reap and the capital turned out to be worthy of its generous reputation and was a v cool place, brand newly built with a great pool and lovely room standard. Only downside was that they were upgrading the wiring so had crappy internet for a few days. Can’t have everything! I was in dorm Jess and Jon splashed out for a private so when I woke up the next day I left them to sleep and went out for a walk to see the local sights. I wandered along the pretty boulevard beside the river for a while with my music in so as to deter the tuk tuk drivers from incessantly offering me lifts from somewhere to nowhere!

Later on with pink shoulders in tow, they still weren’t up so I decided to propose a pool day, as it was the first proper sunshine that we’d had for a while. Whilst lounging on the sun beds sipping overpriced mango shakes and waiting for lazy bones 1&2 to rock up, I struck up a conversation with Lauren and Sarah who were also traveling as a three with Sarah’s boyfriend Simon. We got chatting and spent the afternoon with them and they invited us to dinner at a local place they’d tried and tested with happy results. Sarah and Simon are Irish and Lauren is English from somewhere near Bristol, they met on he slow boat to Laos and had travelled down Vietnam together. We arrived at Captain Chims restaurant having picked up a few other stragglers along the way and were served good cheap local beer and equally good food, but I spent half the time playing peekaboo with the cutest little girl! Apparently I’m still enchanted by the kids here, normally I’m not particularly fussed but there’s something about Cambodian (or just Asian) kids! We wandered home via an Irish bar before heading home to watch the football at monkeys, agreeing to meet up the following morning.

Next day we’d bonded so well with our mirror image trio that we decided to go on a day trip with them into the nearby Bokor mountains. We ascended slowly up a very windy road in our barely roadworthy minivan, with one girl, not one we knew, having to stop the bus to be sick! Poor beggar. Not sure if it was car sickness or a hangover, but she was in a morose mood all day, so maybe both! It was a choca block full day, first stop at the previous kings old residence and his concubines house leading to a giant Buddha Esk statue on the hill. Both cool but nothing special. It improved in leaps and bounds at the next stop though, which was an old decaying Catholic Church with a beautiful vista from the high point over the edge of the mountain. The mist kept coming in then suddenly would clear to give an epic view all the way down to the sea. Queue new proffy picture, kerching!

We then bopped over to the old french colonial hill station, a casino that was abandoned yonks ago then used by Khmer Rouge as a tactical location and a prison. Very creepy place, as again the mist kept coming and going and we were all doing our best to freak each other out with ghost stories and the like. A nearby abandoned village topped things off in our horror movie morning, as there were all sorts of funny noises from clanking cables, creaking boarded up windows and random banging doors which made the trip all the more funny!

Strangely right next to all of this is a huge super casino, very much still running and literally in the middle of nowhere, very confusing place to build it. We bet big on roulette ($3-5 each haha) and lost it all! Boohoo, no quitting our jobs and traveling the world for us…oh wait..! The last stop on our tour was a waterfall which was pretty impressive but a bit browny colored from all the copper and iron ore (right Lauren??) so not really swim worthy but still pretty impressive to those among us who haven’t already seen umpteen waterfalls here there and everywhere. That’s a bad sign when even something that amazing becomes commonplace. You have to pinch yourself as a reminder of how good life really is seeing all these amazing things everyday.

Back down to town for the included evening boat cruise along the river which was lovely and picturesque…but after being advertised as 1 hour long but actually taking two, most of the second half was spent fantasizing about food as if we’d been stuck on a desert island for a week. Mm dessert. Drinks and snacks were first on the agenda to tide us over at a fancy guesthouse where strangely Jess and I ran into a fellow ex Graveney girl, Jessie, who was on holiday with her Mum and sister, small world syndrome strikes again! Dinner at Rusty Keyhole (lolz) was epic, with ribs being the house speciality (so good that in high season you have to order in advance or they run out) and the lemon pie was to die for as well.

Our final day in Kampot was spent sauntering to a pepper farm to see how the famous Kampot pepper is grown, sorted and processed with some free samples helping me pick which to buy and take home as a souvenir. The afternoon was pretty chilled with the hire of a private cinema the only thing on the agenda (still less than half the price of a cinema ticket back home). It cost next to nothing per person and we watched the Butler for a relaxed if not a tad weepy afternoon. Another bar on the way home had live Cambodian music and a livelier crowd, mostly from the surrounding hostels and guest houses. Ever important for Jon there was also a pool table, so we whiled away our evening there drinking Angkor with lime.

A great few days overall, but we couldn’t stay still for too long! Onwards to Sihanoukville 2 hours down the coast, still with the mirror trio in tact and with the promise of one more of their friends, another Irish guy Mark joining us for our remaining time on the same route.

Capital, capital!

Phnom penh

Cambodia’s capital is like most Asian cities in that it reminds a traveller of how uncomfortable life can be. Before I left Melbourne it had gone into Australian winter and despite what most people imagine when they think of Auz, it was getting pretty chilly. The heat in Asia, whilst lovely when you’re on the beach and can take a swim whenever you like, can be insufferable in a city, primarily because of the damn humidity! People pester you a lot more (I counted 31 tuk tuk drivers offering me a lift in the space of a 2 hour walk, with several of them spending about 5 minutes trying to convince me to change my mind when I’d said te aw kohn – no thank you. One even tried to get us to give him $50 to buy rice for an orphanage…now that’s pricey ricey) and there is a general level of grime that makes the poverty seem that bit more miserable.

However, because of what I’ve seen so far of the Cambodian people’s spirit, it is actually one of my favorite Asian cities I have been to, despite most of the tourist attractions being a bit depressing, as many of them are related to the Khmer rouge genocide. The staff at our hostel “me mates villa” were absolutely awesome, so smily and chatty, all learning our names straight away and with one of the waitresses telling us she would miss us when we left! Adorable. Might have been because she was on duty the night before when we’d stayed in to play drinking games for happy hour and then watch the World Cup. She was giggling along with us when she probably had no clue what we were laughing about. The dorm we stayed in was a bit dark, with no window, but was very spacious, clean and had basically double width bunk beds. Score! They also had really good sized lockers for all of our stuff and more than enough plugs for charging, which is a big plus for backpackers.

We spent a whole day of our time in Phnom Penh visiting the killing fields and the genocide museum with our dorm friends, which just like Auchwitz aren’t exactly a fun day out but are a really important and informative thing to see. The killing fields were the site of almost a hundred mass graves and some really horrific crimes. The audio guide was amazing and gave testimonies from both the survivors on the guards and victims sides. I was literally holding back tears a few times. The S21 ex prison/ museum was also a very morbid and chilling experience. The building was a school before the Khmer Rouge regimen and some of what should be innocent pieces of gym equipment and classrooms had been used for torturous purposes. The only two lighter moments that day were our boundlessly happy tuk tuk drivers who were always grinning, and also bumping into my French friends Jerome, Arsene and Ludvig again who I met in Cairns.

Other than that somber day, we also made a bunch of new friends in Phnom Penh including Maggy, Luca and Cappie – the Europeans, Imogen and Hamish – the Brits, and a great French guy that I forget the name of. The food at the hostel and at the local restaurants on the Mekong riverfront was delicious and breakfast with real Heinz baked beans and hash browns was epic! Some favorite feeding and watering holes were the FCC (foreign correspondents club) which felt like a colonial era ‘be to be seen’ spot and did high end but still reasonably priced food and amazing cocktails on their balcony and rooftop. Also the pepper tree fed us very well one night and lots of fruit shakes from local markets kept our vitamin levels up. The Russian market was a bit hot and tight on space for my liking but the central market in its colonial Art Deco building was much nicer for browsing around in.

Nearby the hostel were also various other sightseeing options, including the Royal Palace which is very similar to the one in Bangkok but with a silver pagoda where the floor is entirely made of… you guessed it, pure silver, which is home to a huuge emerald Buddha and lot and lots of gold/diamonds. Everyone who works at the place has to wear a specific color each day of the week which I loved and the king was even at home the day we visited! Apparently he’s still single at 62 and prefers religion to romance if you get the drift…but he has a nephew ready and waiting to jump onto the throne when the time comes. It was a bit odd seeing so much riches and splendor all over the place when the country is still so poor, but tradition is important to people too and I guess they wouldn’t have it another way. Surrounding streets were also brimming with great craft shops and galleries, and even a few boutiques that wouldn’t be out of place in London or Paris. I tried a hand crafted chocolate made with Kamot pepper, which I know my paps would have liked.

Kampot is where we are off to now in the south of Cambodia and hopefully the weather will be kind to us for some proper outdoorsy pursuits in the national parks and at the beach. We’re currently on a frigidly cold bus (always one or the bloody other – boiling or freezing!) and have been driving through the rain, which I like as it doesn’t feel like such a waste of a day. It did clear up just in time for us to be able to watch a beautiful sunset over the mountains and rice padi countryside though! At least Jess and Jon have each other to keep them warm (when they’re not play fighting or squabbling ha), but on the other hand I do have 2 seats to myself. Winning? I think so.

A Litta Bitta Battambang

Despite everything that the people of Cambodia have gone through in recent times they are such a happy smiling bunch of people. Everyone we have met so far have gone out of their way for us. The kids are always waving and coming over to say hi and granted, they are taught to say hello in English and put their hand out for money before they can walk, but they are so damn cute it is actually okay with me. It’s almost enough to tempt me to find a handsome Cambodian circus performer to be able to have one of my own! Totally get the Brad and Ange thing now. Jess would rather steal all the local stray puppies but she agrees with me on this too. Sorry Jon.

We left Siem Reap early morning to catch a boat which would take us up river to Battambang in roughly 5 hours. It was slightly more expensive than the bus but was said to be a beautiful sail through the Cambodian countryside and would be a nice escape from the crazy roads. We got on to find not the most comfortable plastic seats but beautiful views along the way, as promised, especially of the floating villages which in themselves would have been a reason to do the boat trip. Unbelievable that these people live their entire lives without ever really stepping ashore. They sleep, they fish and they raise their children all on these floating pontoons on the lake and along the shore of the river. Was a bit worrying to see the people both drinking from and peeing in the river but obviously their bellies can take it!?

5 hours turned into 7 but eventually we made it to Battambang, after much attention from the local children who were swimming in the river along the final stretch, completely starkers at all times. The kids here really do have an aversion to clothes…it’s a bit odd but what can we foreigners say on the subject? Well for a start we can not take pictures of them like one guy on our boat did…creepy! Our hotel had sent a tuk tuk driver for us, which was a massive relief because as soon as our boat docked at a rickety set of metal steps on the bank about a dozen other tuk tuk drivers boarded us through the windows, over the roof and bombarded us with offers of rides to our accommodations. We had to laugh but if we hadn’t seen the guy with my name on a sign it would have been a bit intimidating! Got to love the sell sell sell spirit though.

Battambang is a pretty average town with a very un touristy vibe. The people mostly just go about their business ignorant of our presence, which is actually quite a nice thing to witness. It used to be a French outpost so very colonial architecture in the centre but our place was a bit further out. Massive bonus in the end as we got a free upgrade to the best room due to it being low season! Lovely place, Phka Villa Hotel, couldn’t recommend it enough. Mostly due to the staff but also had a nice pool, good food and two awesome tuk tuk drivers on retainer at our beck and call. Nothing really of note can be said about the town itself but there are a few really cool things you can do here when you’re tired of chilling round the pool with an Angkor beer.

One afternoon we did a 3 hour Khmer cooking course through “Nary kitchen” led by the brilliant Toot and his wife Nary. We first made a trip to the local market to get the ingredients and Toot explained a lot about how the ingredients can be told apart and how much they should cost. He said see it, smell it then cook it and you will always remember it. After we got back to his small kitchen (behind their functioning restaurant) the 5 of us set to work on our 3 course delight made up of pork spring rolls, beef lok lak and the national dish of Cambodia – snake fish amok. Toot was very cute and gentle with his teaching, letting us follow along with his demonstration and talking a little about his life and family along the way. The food came out brilliantly and for just $10 and including a free meal, the afternoon was amazingly good value. The food in Cambodia is slightly too sweet for our tastes but when I try out everything at home again I’ll is it cut out the additional sugar that Toot seemed to love putting in everything.

The other two highlights of Battambang were a trip to the bamboo railway and to Phnom Sampov. The bamboo railways is literally just a bamboo platform placed on top of two free standing axels which powers along the straight but warped and mangled section of disused train track at a scary speed of 15mph. Doesn’t sound much but when you realise that the train is deconstructed every time you meet one coming the other way it feels a lot less sturdy and safe. It was great fun but a bit of a sad reminder also, as the reason the train line has been decommissioned is because of the high likelihood of land mines along it (obvs the bit we were on had been properly cleared, don’t think the Cambodian government want any decapitated tourists to deal with on top of the 80,000 Cambodians that have either died or lost limbs since the Khmer rouge regimen put all the mines down in the 80s). It was an hour round trip and had a stop off at a village half way where we had a drink and got a grass weaving lesson from little local boy. Very fun and even with the various tips you’re expected to give on top, the $5 price tag is well worth it.

Finally we visited Phnom Sampov, which had so much to do in such a small area! We trekked up the craggy hill instead of getting the moto up, which most other tourists went for, leading to plenty or gasping for air and yet more sweaty monstrosities for everyone to stare at with repulsion, definitely not fit for photos! At the top it became clear it had definitely been worth the climb, as the views of the eerily flat surrounding Cambodian countryside were gorgeous. There was also a pretty standard temple up there but more interestingly there were a set of caves that cut into the cliff face called “the killing caves”, another sad story in Cambodian history. 10,000 people were basically herded up into the hills and just pushed down a deep hole to their deaths 😦 pretty nasty place but it is important to remember and acknowledge this stuff. I just can’t believe it all happened so recently! From there we went to a much nicer cave for dusk – a bat cave! There are 3 million bats that come out to hunt within an hour and a half around nightfall and it was amazing seeing them swarm around like swallows over the rice padis. Definitely perked us back up again after he more somber part of the afternoon.

So we’ve just arrived in the capital Phnom Penh after a very bumpy 4 or so hour drive. Lots planned here but first things first, $2 cocktails at the bar as it just so happens to be HAPPY HOUR!