Wednesday 16th April 2008

That's it... we're home! We landed at just after 7am this morning and, after collecting our bags, we headed back to Bristol from Heathrow at just after 8am in the back of Mum and Keith's car. We pulled up outside June's house at almost 10.30am and everyone met us on the driveway, which was awesome. Nikki cried - making June cry, which made my Mum cry... OBVIOUSLY!

We've had the most amazing twelve months! We've been to some fantastic places, met some wonderful people and made some brilliant friends! We've put on loads of weight (in America) and then lost it all (and more) again in Asia. I've had ONE haircut all year. We've jumped out of planes, I bungee jumped, we've slept in a campervan around New Zealand and in the Outback, where we also camped out in the open in Swags. We went to the final of American Idol, learnt to ski and scuba dived on the Great Barrier Reef. Then there was Asia, which was spectacular - so sad at times, but overall VERY, VERY eye-opening and, more importantly, great fun! We've got some crazy memories and some even better stories.

It's been a blast - but now it's time for the next adventure... whatever that may be?

THE END...

Tuesday 15th April 2008

After yesterday's madness we were worried about how we were going to get to the airport without getting soaked with water or covered in the talcum powder paste. We woke up at about 9am and I went outside to check on the Songkran situation. The streets were really quiet - there was only one guy with a super-soaker walking around - and I told Nikki that if we wanted to make a run for it, now was the time to do it. We didn't have anywhere to go but we knew that, by this afternoon, madness was going to fall over this crazy part of Bangkok. We jumped into a taxi and told the driver to take us to the only place we could think of...

We didn't have a plan, but I like to think we've learnt a few things over the past year and thankfully we've lost none of our cheeky charm... so when the driver pulled up outside the Amari Atrium Nikki jumped out and started talking to the lady on the door. We made out that we'd just arrived from Pattaya and asked if we could store our bags? Amazingly - they recognised us and said yes! With our bags safely locked away we went out shopping for some presents for the people at home. Another taxi driver took us to the MBK shopping centre and we spent the rest of our day around Siam Square.

By this evening we had managed to avoid getting wet all day, but as we were heading back to the hotel to get our things some guy soaked us in our tuk-tuk. We pulled up at the hotel and drew quite a few stares. Still feeling cheeky, we asked if there was anywhere we could shower - and they said yes! They sent us up to the fourth floor, which just happened to be where the pool was, so Nikki went for a swim first, then had five minutes in the steam room and a go in the sauna, before finally showering.

Tonight we went to Bangkok airport and checked in nice and early, we then had a look around to pass our time. Walking to our gate was really depressing - the majority of the people there were obviously going home and looked really miserable. We were smiling - we'd had such a good time, plus I think Nikki was (secretly) excited about going home to see her family.

Hours To Go Until We Get Home: THIRTEEN!

Monday 14th April 2008

Same as yesterday, and the day before that, we woke up late and then went for bagels. It was a little more interesting this morning though, because there were people with super-soakers camped at the end of our street. It was just like a military operation - running in and out of traffic, ducking behind cars - just to get some breakfast. We made it - but some of the older folks weren't so lucky. One poor old guy, who was hobbling along on a walking stick, was allowed to pass and then when his back was turned, they started squirting his feet and soaking his socks - the poor old devil couldn't have run away if he tried.

After breakfast, we came back to the guest house and collected our bags. The next mission was to get all our things out, safely onto a bus or into a taxi and then to the bus station, where we'd catch the bus back to Bangkok. Part one was easy - we'd practiced at breakfast. getting on to a bus proved to be no problem, but traveling on it was... everytime we stopped in traffic, we got soaked! We eventually turned up to the bus station, looking like two drowned rats.

The bus back to Bangkok seemed to pass in no time at all. When we got back, we didn't really know where to stay for our last night - but decided that the Rambuttri Village was as good as any... WRONG! We caught the Bangkok Sky Train from the bus station to Siam Square and from there jumped into a taxi. Getting to the guest house proved almost impossible. The streets were packed with people carrying, not only water guns but also some sort of paste made form talcum powder powder and water. We were terrified about getting out, but luckily made it to reception without any hassle. We then discovered that we didn't have any money and one of us would have to go to the cash-point... step forward... ME! Even though it was less than 300m away, I got ABSOLUTELY SOAKED there and back. We put our bags in our room and then went to join in the fun.

The Songkran celebrations in Pattaya are pretty lame compared to the ones here in Bangkok - i've never know anything like it. The streets are PACKED with thousands of people - crammed together like a concert and EVERYONE is soaking wet. We tried to walk around for a few hours and even stopped for some lunch on one of the stalls, which seemed to buy us immunity from the soaking, but in the end we were just too wet and too tired to go on. We came back to the Rambuttri for showers and a change of clothes and then went to the British Café, which is just opposite - and therefore safe - and spent the rest of the evening eating and drinking in there. I even tried some battered Mars Bars, which were surprisingly nice..,

Days To Go Until We Get Home: ONE!

Sunday 13th April 2008

We slept late again this morning and, like yesterday, when we were up and about we went to the bagel place for something to eat. It was really hot today so we decided to go down to the beach to relax. We had a look around some of the shops on the way and then went to play in the sea. The thing was, the water was really warm and not very refreshing - so instead we went into one of the big shopping centres to take advantage of their air-con. After a few hours of wandering about, in and out of the shops, we went for some lunch in one of the restaurants and had help-yourself salad. It was lush, and we ate as much as we could - filling ourselves right up.

For the past couple of days, everyone in Thailand has been celebrating the Thai New Year and with it, the Songkran Festival... or Water Festival. Basically it's just one big three-day water fight - from first thing in the morning to the last thing at night. It's a genius idea really - because everyone gets to cool down in the sweltering heat. To join in, the restaurant was giving away water pistols to every table and now we had gone from the soak-ies, to the soak-ers... Rock On!

We spent the rest of our day down at the beach, joining in with the hundreds of water fights that were going on around us. Nobody was safe. People riding on buses were attacked by people on the streets, people walking along, minding their own business, were attacked by people in cars - it was all great fun, and a great way to keep cool. Tonight we went into a bar just round the corner from 'home' and drank loads of beer whilst watching the footie. We even got into a water fight with a couple of the bar staff there too!

WATER FIGHT!

Saturday 12th April 2008

Me and Nikki slept in until almost 12pm today and when we were finally up and about, went out for some exploring. First we stopped in a posh café at the end of our street and had bagels with cream cheese for our breakfast. Whatever we thought of Pattaya at night, was just as bad in the daylight. This place is crazy! We came back to our guest house later on and were sat in the 'bar area' having a drink when something dawned on us... First, we noticed that the bar had no pumps - in fact, it didn't have many drinks at all - just a few bottles of spirits on a shelf. Next, we noticed that all the lights in the entire downstairs had red light bulbs. Finally, we were sat minding our own business, when this giant, sweaty English man came down from upstairs... closely followed by one of the staff. 'Innocent enough' we thought - until he handed her money, some of which she handed to the manager. OH! MY! GOD! We are staying in a brothel!

There are loads of markets here, both indoor and out, so we spent the first part of our afternoon looking around those - anything to stay away from the guesthouse until WE HAD to go back. From then on, everything in Pattaya looked quite sleazy. Something else we noticed was that there are hardly any Western women here - but THOUSANDS of Western men... most of whom are with a Thai girl.

This evening, we were out walking around when we came to one end of town called 'Walking Street'. This was stag-do heaven. It was just bar after bar, strip club after strip club. We walked from one end to the other and went into a couple of bars, but nothing too rude - preferring to come and drink by our 'guest house' instead. One of the local bars had a really loud live show going on, featuring both regular women and lady boys. We went in to watch and were seated right at the front. We'll be ok we thought, we're not embarrassed... until the lady boys started vying for my attention and the women for Nikki's... d'oh!

Well, well... we've seen Pattaya in a different light now... and it's RED!

Friday 11th April 2008

We set our alarm for 7am this morning so that we could say our goodbyes to Mark and Lisa. They were checking out and leaving Bangkok for Phuket. We went to their room while they finished packing and then waited with them in the lobby. When they were gone we went back to our room, found out that check-out time was 12pm and then went back to bed. We woke back up at just after 11am and still couldn't be bother to get out of the giant bed, but somehow dragged ourselves out. With everything packed, we checked out, left our bags in reception and then headed over to the Khao San road on the canal taxi to collect my suit.

It was unbelievably hot today, and we couldn't be bothered to walk anywhere - taking tuk-tuks and taxis everywhere. This afternoon we had a look around and then, after getting our bags from the hotel, made our way to the bus station. Even though it was almost 5pm, we decided we were going to go to the beach for a couple of days and caught a bus to Pattaya.

The bus got to the other end and at about 8pm and we caught another, smaller bus to the beach front. Pattaya looks crazy - it reminded us immediately of Patong in Phuket. We wandered the streets until we found somewhere half decent to stay, which we thought would be hard after being spoilt for three days, and then went out exploring.

Our first impressions were right - Pattaya IS crazy. It's also pretty seedy, with loads of strip clubs, massage parlors and bars. There were also TONS of ladyboys about and there was a real party atmosphere in the air. We had some food from a street seller and then went to one of the 'better looking' bars, which had a great live band.

See ya Mark and Lisa... it's been a blast!

Thursday 10th April 2008

When we got out of the pool yesterday afternoon we noticed that my shorts were covered in a blue dye from the tiles. We took them to reception to complain and they offered to wash them for me - for free. While we were there we thought we'd mention (again) that we were disappointed not to be on Mark and Lisa's floor, not have a pool view, and why wasn't breakfast included in our rate? Well, when we got back last night we found a note under our door which said that, this morning, we were allowed to go to the hotel restaurant for a buffet breakfast... woohoo - free food! We told Mark and Lisa and they got up early to join us.

After preparing them for the last few days, we felt they were ready to do Bangkok on their own and sent them off to look at some temples. We would've gone, but we'd already seen them - and just chilled out in the hotel instead. We arranged to meet at the MBK Shopping Centre this afternoon and, sure enough, they turned up safely. They seemed to have had a good morning and had seen some cool sights and went looking for a suit for Mark. We spent a couple of hours wandering around the shops - me with Mark and Nikki went off with Lisa. The girls didn't buy anything, but me and Mark managed to get a James Bond watch for his Dad - and at a really good price too. When we had had enough of the shopping we returned to the hotel and relaxed by the pool.

This evening we got ourselves dressed-up and went out for our last night together. We started by visiting this REALLY posh hotel called The Banyan Tree Hotel, where we went up to their bar called Vertigo, which is on the roof (or 61st floor). The views of Bangkok were stunning and we felt well snobby. I didn't feel AS snobby as the others though, because I was wearing three-quarter length trousers and had to borrow some 'longer ones' from the hotel. They were rubbish and came to just a bit lower than my original ones - making me look like a clown! We enjoyed our beers and cocktails and then caught a taxi across town to the Hard Rock Café. We all thought we were starving, because we'd not eaten all day and ordered loads of food - way too much in fact. We ordered giant starters, which we could just about manage - but when the main courses came out, we were already stuffed and wasted most of our meals... d'oh! We had planned on going to one of the big clubs in town but were all feeling bloated, so instead came back to our hotel and drank in the bar, where there were a cute little house-band performing.

Mark and Lisa are bad influences... we're spending a fortune!

Wednesday 9th April 2008

I'm not sure what time we left Mark and Lisa's room last night, but I know we all woke up feeling pretty delicate this morning... well, me and Nikki did - we woke up at just after 11am - Mark and Lisa woke up sometime after 12pm... when we RANG THEM! We made sure they were ok and then arranged to meet them by the pool, where we spent the next couple of hours relaxing and laughing about last nights going-ons. This afternoon we went down into Chinatown for some food and then we headed over to see the Golden Buddha which, despite being solid gold and probably worth a fortune, is just stood out in the open for all the see... or steal!

At about 5pm this evening we headed over to the Khao San road for some beers. After about an hour we caught a taxi to the Ratchadamnoen Stadium, where we watched some Thai Boxing.

We paid for the cheap seats, but still had amazing views - and it was also where a lot of the locals sat so the atmosphere was better (although we were kept separate from them for some reason). There were ten fights in all - ranging from young boys up to men. In some of the better fights the crowd were going crazy - chanting and screaming. It was easily one of the most intense atmospheres i've ever been in - like Play Off time on a Tuesday night at Ashton Gate! As the night went on, we started gambling on the outcomes of the fights. As couples we would pick a corner - red or blue - and the winning couple got to pick first the next time, Double-or-Quits. In the end Mark and Lisa walked away with the pot - about 128 Baht... or £2, but gave it straight back to cover the taxis (bless 'em). The Thai boxing was AMAZING and I think we all had a great time, although it did make us wince a few times. It's pretty full-on, with use of anything, but the head, being acceptable. In all the fights there were 3 knock-outs and one poor guy had to leave on a stretcher. The Thai's didn't seem too concerned - he wasn't even out of the ring before the next fighters were climbing in!

When we left the stadium at about 10.30pm, we decided to head over to an area of Bangkok called Patpong - which is notorious for being the Red Light District. That wasn't why we (me, Nikki and Lisa) were heading over there - they also have a massive night market, but we don't know what Mark had planned! Patpong markets were great - they were selling even more than the guys on the Khao San road, and the streets are packed with people trying to get you into their clubs, trying to get us to watch the infamous 'Ping Pong' shows. At sometime after 1am we were all pretty knackered from the shopping and flagged a taxi which took us back to our giant comfy beds.

Everybody was Kung Fu fighting... well, Thai Boxing actually!

Tuesday 8th April 2008

We set our alarm nice and early this morning, because we were checking out of the Rambuttri Village. As Mark and Lisa have come all the way from home to see us, we thought we'd make an effort and check into the same hotel as them. Hey, three days in a 5-star hotel couldn't be a bad thing after some of the beds we've slept in this year. It was about 9am when we set off to meet them and nobody wanted to take us - I don't know whether it was the distance, the time of day or the fact that it was a pretty posh place, but everyone was quoting stupid prices. In the end, we did manage to get someone and we were on our way... well, sort of. He was driving us for ages - and was pretty stressed out in the traffic, saying we were paying too little, but soon pulled over for us to get out. The thing was, it was the wrong hotel. We were staying at the Amari Atrium and he'd brought us to the Amari Watergate. If we thought he was unhappy before, we hadn't seen anything yet. Suddenly he was driving like a lunatic - whizzing off and then braking suddenly and shaking his head the whole time. It was a relief to finally make it without him throwing us or himself out of the moving tuk-tuk. We did feel sorry for him and gave him some extra Baht, which he snatched as he screeched away!

The Amari Atrium is LUSH! We walked up to big doors that lead into the lobby and weren't sure if they were going to turn a couple of backpackers away. Thankfully, they didn't and we were soon checking in. We knew we didn't have breakfast included in our rate, but asked anyway and then found that we didn't have either a pool view or a room on the same floor as Mark and Lisa - even though they had our request. This was something we thought we'd remember for later... ha ha ha [evil villain laugh].

We met up with Mark and Lisa in their room (the poor loves were knackered and were snoozing when we got there... well, that was their excuse for being half dressed). It was great fun catching up after so long away and we spent ages just chatting. After a while we all decided to go out and catch the free shuttle over to one of the big shopping centres in Siam Square. We were all starving and had a McDonalds for our lunch, but we couldn't really be bothered to look around the shops, plus Mark and Lisa were pretty tired because they'd been up for nearly 24 hours - so we made our way back to the hotel and all crashed out by the pool.

After a pretty relaxing afternoon, we thought we'd show Mark and Lisa what Bangkok and more importantly the Khao San road had to offer... plus I had my final suit fitting over there (ha ha). We had been having trouble with taxis and tuk-tuks all day and even now people were pulling up and then not wanting to take us anywhere - so the woman on the door of the hotel suggested we catch one of the water taxis that run up and down the canals of the city. For one - we didn't know there were such things and two, canals? But we were willing to give it a try. They were possibly the craziest way we have travelled... on this WHOLE trip. We were expecting a little boat to slowly pull up, but instead got some huge barge thing - that was absolutely motoring along. It slammed itself into the walls of the pier to slow down and then there was a rush of people jumping on. We all got dragged along and the driver was already pulling away before I was onboard. The trip along the canal was mental. The only thing that was stopping us from getting soaked was a small sheet of plastic - it didn't work, me and Mark got covered in smelly canal water... lovely. We got to the other end and then walked the short distance to the Khao San road. It's been pretty quiet for the last couple of days - but it was back to it's old self tonight and was absolutely buzzing! We headed over to my tailor and left Mark and Lisa in a bar while I tried on the suit for one last time. It was finally finished and looks really cool! We all met up and then went for some food on the streets. Afterwards, we went back to the Khao San road and hit some bars.

The first one we went in was selling large bottles of beer for 59 Baht and within no time at all we'd drunk 6 of them. We got our things together and went off in search of some music. As we were staggering down the street, we came across one of the street sellers, selling food... barbecued insects. Feeling rather peckish, I order a cooked grasshopper, and gobbled it up in one. It wasn't actually that bad - and I wasn't ill, but I did pass on more for dessert. We came across another bar which, although more expensive (but still cheap), had a live Asian rock band... come on! We spent a couple of hours in here and it was AMAZING! The band were really good, the staff were great and we were having a great time. After a couple more rounds of beer, Mark and Lisa started buying us Vodka & Redbull. We rocked away until about 2am and then went to find somewhere that was showing the Arsenal vs Liverpool match. Being a Liverpool fan, Mark was desperate but, no sooner had we found somewhere, the beer started flowing again and it was just on in the background.

At half time we caught a tuk-tuk back to our hotel and asked him to rush because we wanted to watch the second half... ooopps. Four of us in the back was bad enough, but throwing in the fact that our driver was a nutter really made it a fun ride. Pulling away from the lights a couple of times, he even managed to pull the front-wheel off the floor. We made it safely back and all piled into Mark and Lisa's room (it was cheaper for us to raid their mini-bar). We all lay on the giant bed and in no time at all the girls were starting to crash out. Mark wasn't far behind although, with the excitement of the footie, he did a strip for us first, bounced around on the bed for five minutes and then fell off... night Mark!

Carlsberg don't do nights out - but if they did, they'd probably be like tonight with Mark & Lisa!

Monday 7th April 2008

Mark & Lisa are flying out from England tonight and will be getting here early Tomorrow morning, so we thought we'd just hang around today and then do things when they arrive. We got up pretty late and then went to the shops, where we bought some yoghurts for our breakfast, before going back and having a rest by the pool. The sky was still quite grey, but the weather was much better than yesterday - and after just a few hours we were both a little sunburnt... d'oh!

After a couple more hours, just hanging around, we made our way over to the MBK Shopping Centre in a tuk-tuk. We didn't really want to buy anything but thought it might be fun to see what they sold. What could we buy there..? Anything - in fact EVERYTHING! We managed to resist, and came away empty handed, although we could've spent a fortune. Actually, we did buy something - just before we left we went into Baskin-Robbins and had lush milkshakes.

Tonight, we went for another suit fitting (boy, am I making them earn their money - they must regret giving me such a big discount), ate more curries on the street and then had more beers on the Khao San road...

Mark & Lisa are nearly here... Rock On!

Sunday 6th April 2008

We've heard that the roads from Siem Reap to the border are some of the worst in Asia, and can make for a pretty slow and uncomfortable ride. After the bus nightmares we've been having lately, we decided there had to be another way to travel... luckily, when we walking past a travel agents yesterday we saw that they were offering taxis to do the journey. The more seats taken, the lower the price, and as it was, another couple had heard the same horror stories, and we shared a taxi with them. They were called Matt and Nilu and were from Hawaii. At just after 7am we were on our way back to Thailand.

Even in a nice comfy taxi, the journey was almost unbearable. I don't envy ANYONE who has had to do it in a bus - especially a Cambodian bus. The roads have all been dug up and there's no sign of them being fixed anytime soon. Apparently one of the airlines is paying the government to delay the work - to encourage people to fly... shifty devils. Instead of six bum-crushing hours, our journey was just over four hours and pretty soon we were at the Thai / Cambodian border. It was pretty easy to cross over, which was good because the weather was awful. It was hammering down and the roads were really muddy. The people on the Cambodian side were really crafty - selling things for high prices, knowing people will want to use the last of their Riel, and then not 'having' change.

When we got into Thailand, the four of us had some lunch and tried to decide how we wanted to complete our journey to Bangkok. After some good old Pad Thai, which I have really missed whilst in the rest of Asia, we chose to travel by taxi, and settled into a big 4x4. We were in Bangkok about 3 hours later - and it was still grey, but not raining. We said our goodbyes to Matt and Nilu and walked around to the trusty Rambuttri Village, where we checked in for a couple of nights.

Being back in Bangkok was great! After a while, just wandering around, the things we loved all came flooding back. We spent the rest of the day just exploring, we went down little lanes we'd never seen before and generally just got lost. Tonight, we went for one of the final fittings on my suit and then for some lush curries, which we ate on the street... brilliant! Then we hit some of the bars on the Khao San road, (which someone has tidied up since we've been away), and watched the footie.

Ahh, good old Bangkok - it's great to be back!

Saturday 5th April 2008

We managed to ditch our driver yesterday and found ourselves a tuk-tuk and driver for today. We arranged to meet our new driver 'Seal' at 7am, which would allow us to get to the temples nice and early and have a look around before it got too hot.

The Temples of Angkor were AWESOME! We didn't see them all - just the main ones. There are far too many to see in one, or even three days. You can buy a week long pass, which gives you a good chance - but they cover an area of 200 square kilometers! Even for their age, some of them are in pretty good condition. One of them however, which was also one of our favourites, has been totally destroyed by nature. For some reason the trees of the forest have gone crazy and have smashed the place to bits - growing right through everything and leaving it in a right mess. This temple was used as part of the set on the Tomb Raider film.

At about 1pm, it was roasting and we were all templed-out. I think our tuk-tuk driver was getting pretty hot too and he was happy when we said we wanted to go back to town. When he got us back, we took him for lunch to say thanks, before returning to our room for a rest. Nikki tried to have a nap, and I was reading when all of a sudden this huge racket started coming through our windows. At first we tried to ignore it in case it was children practicing some (awful) musical instrument - but it went on and on and on and on and on... In the end, Nikki started going crazy, telling me to hunt them down and do something - but instead we went out for a walk.

This evening we went to a free music concert, just outside of town, which was organised by a Swiss guy called Dr. Beat. He's been a Doctor in Cambodia since the 70's and he gives up his Saturday nights so that he can raise money for his hospitals. He's obviously pretty good, or been doing it for a long time - because he's built five! He was excellent on the cello, and he also played some videos, showing the healthcare situation for Cambodian children, which were pretty upsetting. When it was time to leave, we donated $20 to the cause, which wasn't much - but all we had. Afterwards we came back to town for some drinks to try and cheer ourselves up.

See Mr Toyota driver, give us a smile and we're happy to do business... we'll even do lunch!

Friday 4th April 2008

We woke up nice and late this morning and when we eventually got dressed, we went out exploring. We didn't fancy much for our breakfast, so instead we bought some yoghurts and sat outside eating them when we were swooped upon by some crazy guy on a motorbike. He was obsessed with showing us around Siem Reap. He told us that he'd recently bought a new car from America and, after 12 years of driving a motorbike, was going to take tourists around in style. We tried not to be rude, saying that we quite like riding around in a tuk-tuk, but he wouldn't have it - and we eventually agreed to go with him, just for some peace. We agreed to meet him in the same spot at 3pm and finally managed to get rid of him.

After some exploring and then eating some $1 noodle soup, we walked back to the mini-mart and met our driver and he took us out in his brand new (to him) Toyota Camry (which he'd had shipped in from America, by the way). Our first stop was at the war museum, which wasn't really a 'museum', but more of a collection of blown-up war vehicles that have been found around the area. They even had a collection of old guns and things that seemed to be just... doing nothing - so I went over and posed with a grenade launcher... complete with grenade!

Next we drove over to one of the main attractions in the whole of Cambodia... Angkor Wat, which is a huge city of temples that was built well over a thousand years ago. They're also one of the Wonders of the World, and the main one, Angkor Wat, is the biggest temple in the world. We weren't going to be spending long looking around today, it was really just a chance to buy our ticket - so that we could go early tomorrow. As it turned out, we could also go in today - but only for an hour or so. That didn't matter to us though, because the sun was starting to set and the crowds were starting to disappear - so what we saw was pretty impressive!

Tonight, we went down to Bar Street for some food and drinks. We found a great little place called The Khmer Kitchen, where we tried a local dish called Amok Curry - it was gorgeous. The place was really nice and apparently it's a favourite of Mick Jagger's!

OK! We'll ride in your new Toyota... but only if you'll leave us alone!

Thursday 3rd April 2008

After waking absolutely boiling again this morning, it was a relief to check out of the 'shoe-box'. We paid our bill and then sat in the restaurant next door while we waited for our mini-bus to arrive. Nikki had a full English breakfast and I had beans on toast, so we were well set for our journey to Siem Reap. The bus was awful - it was old and cramped and seemed to have very little air conditioning. We soon discovered that we were also sat in the worst seats... for some reason, the floor was absolutely boiling - so hot in fact that we couldn't take off our flip-flops without burning our feet!

The bus made a couple of stops - more than we usually make on these journeys, and we soon found out why the floor was so hot. Every time we stopped, the driver would fill up a huge bucket of water and spend about fifteen minutes emptying it over the radiator... which was directly under our feet. On one of the stops we saw some really revolting food. One of the women was walking round with a tray on her head - that was covered in deep fried TARANTULAS! Worst of all, she was also carrying a bucket of live ones too. For some reason, she thought we were mad when we turned her down.

After a pretty painful journey, we eventually made it to Siem Reap. When we stepped off the bus, the tuk-tuk drivers went CRAZY! We were mobbed and there must've been about 30 men fighting for our attention. Every time we tried to walk away to make a plan or to read the Lonely Planet, they were all over us - it was mental. We eventually picked one of the quieter men and he agreed to help us find a guest house. He drove us around for ages before we found a really nice one - called Mitri Guest House. This evening we went for a little walk around town. Siem Reap is really small and dusty compared to the madness of Phnom Penh and was actually quite relaxed. The main centre was quite nice - with loads of nice cafés, bars and restaurants. We were pretty hungry so, after using the internet, we went into a cool little place called 'Behind Bars' (which was like a prison cell) and had some noodle soup.

THAT IS IT... I am not getting on another bus in this country!

Wednesday 2nd April 2008

It is so hot in Cambodia - probably the hottest place we've been in Asia and Nikki is having trouble sleeping at night... it might have something to do with the fact that our room is the size of a shoe box and I won't fork out for air-con (ha ha). So, after getting up quite early, we sat in our bar where we had some breakfast and then went to an internet café to use the internet. We spoke with Arno and told him about the Killing Fields and S-21 and he recommended an interesting bar, called The Heart of Darkness - so we said we'd check it out.

When we were ready to go out, our driver was outside waiting for us. He's so grateful for all the business that we're giving him that he calls us his friends - and lets us pick our own fares... yippee! Today, he took us to an orphanage, which is just outside town. All the children have got HIV or Aids and they get no support from the government. There were only about 8 there when we got there and the rest were at school (they can't afford to send them all every day). On the way we bought a huge jar of lollies and had a great time playing with the children. We spent a couple of hours there, just the two of us, our driver and four staff. Me and Nikki chatted with them, did some drawing and played footie. Despite their situation, they were all pretty happy and great fun.

This evening, we watched another film in our bar and then went out for some food... yep, Suvann drove us. He took us down to the river and we went for a Mexican. It was really nice and afterwards we walked round to the bar that Arno had mentioned. He was right... it was definitely interesting. It was like being in some ancient temple or a museum and they played a really weird mixture of music. One minute we had Westlife or Whitney Houston and then the next was a disco song or heavy rock... brilliant!

I can't believe how sad Cambodia is... can't these poor people get a break?

Tuesday 1st April 2008

After our rather upsetting day yesterday, we thought we'd see some more 'normal' sights today and take it easy. We had some breakfast and then when we left our guest house, we bumped into our tuk-tuk driver from yesterday. He said he's take us wherever we wanted to go and we set off. We said we wanted to go visit the Royal Palace, but on the way we wanted to stop in a cookie shop we'd seen advertised.

Apparently, the Camory Premium Cookie Boutique (to give it's full name) is a charity shop, and a lot of the profits go to help the homeless - so we thought we'd do our bit. When we went in we found that we could try the cookies before we bought them - big mistake telling me that... I tried them all. We even dragged our driver in and got him to try some, as he'd never tried a cookie before. Me and Nikki bought some cookies for ourselves and then treated Suvann (the driver). We also bought some for his kids at home... it was for charity after all!

We left the cookie place and got dropped off at the Royal Palace. It was shut when we arrived so we went for a drink in a nearby bar, where we ate our delicious cookies. When the Palace finally opened we couldn't get in anyway because we were wearing inappropriate clothes, so we took some pictures from the outside and then walked on. Our next stop was the Russian Market where we spent the rest of the afternoon looking around.

This evening we got our driver to take us back down to the river, and to a restaurant we'd read about, called FRIENDS. This is also a charity organisation - and all the staff are young people who are poor or have come from the streets etc. It's a tapas bar and the food was AMAZING! We ordered loads (it was for charity after all) and ended up leaving very happy.

Man, all this charity work is filling!

Monday 31st March 2008

Nikki woke up really early this morning - I think it was because our room creeped her out. I have to admit, it wasn't very nice! We got ourselves ready, went to a small café for some breakfast and then set ourselves the task of finding another guest house. It didn't take us long - in fact it was right across the way from Number 10, and is called the Grand View Guest House. The room is really clean, and even though we have to climb about 76 flights of stairs - it's better than last nights. We had a bit of a lazy morning, just wandering about - trying to take in our surroundings, when we decided that we'd go and see some of the sights in Phnom Penh. We stopped a tuk-tuk driver and he said he'd charter us around for the day - and take us to the Tuol Sleng Museum (S-21) and Choeung Ek Killing Fields... so off we went. On our way around the city, the clear thing to us was that there is an obvious divide in class and wealth. Some people are walking round barefoot or in tattered clothes and then someone would drive past them in a Lexus... crazy!

When i'd spoke with Arno earlier about Cambodia, he said that if we visit the museum and Killing Fields to be prepared - they're not very nice places. I can tell you, he wasn't joking. The museum especially was possibly the most horrific place I have ever been. It used to be a school and then in about 1975 the Khmer Rouge took it over and turned it into the S-21 Prison. It is estimated that around 20,000 innocent Cambodians were taken into the prison, where they were interrogated and tortured before being transported to the Killing Fields... only 7 people came out alive! There are pictures on the walls that show these poor people, many photographs of victims and also paintings of how they killed. What makes it even worse is that most of the Khmer Rouge soldiers were aged between 14-20 years old!

We felt that we owed the museum our full attention , so we paid for a guide who was excellent. She was a Cambodian woman who explained everything really clearly. When we got towards the end of the tour she told us that her family (including Mum, Dad, brothers, sisters and Aunties & Uncles) were all taken by the Khmer Rouge - and she's never seen them again. We felt so sorry for her. How she faces coming to work every day is beyond me!? At 3pm there was a film being shown, but before we could watch it we had to take a break, so we went into a small café opposite and had a drink with our tuk-tuk driver. When we'd caught our breath, we went back in. It didn't get any easier and Nikki ended up leaving in tears.

Our next stop was the Choeung Ek Killing Fields, which is where the prisoners were executed and was then the site of their mass graves. These weren't a very nice place either - but at least we could hear the birds singing there. Right in the middle of the field is a remembrance monument, which you can enter... and it contains about 8000 of the skulls that were found! As you walk around the fields you can still see bones and bits of clothing in the floor. It's unbelievable.

We came back to the lakeside this evening and didn't really know what to do with ourselves - we were feeling quite down after the things we had seen. We sat in the bar of our place, which was showing the film The Killing Fields (apparently they show it every night) and then we decided to get some food, so we went for another curry. Typically, after the day we'd had, the food was rubbish... d'oh!

We've had too many curries lately - we're gonna save ourselves until we get back to Paprika now!

Sunday 30th March 2008

After a nice early start to the morning, we said our goodbyes to the lovely staff at our guest house and then, at 8am, walked the short distance through town to the beach. The guy we'd bought our tickets from arrived shortly afterwards and five of us were soon herded in a tiny boat - that was no wider than a canoe... backpacks and all. We safely made it to the other side where we had to wait for nearly an hour for our bus.

Even though we were the first at the 'bus station', our bus was the last to leave and left and sometime near 10am. The drive to the border wasn't too bad, although we did notice that all the other buses were going to one check-point and we were going to another. We were dropped off at the side of the road and had to go through Laos immigration to 'check out'. The building we had to queue outside of was no bigger than a shed from B&Q - it was tiny, and the guy's there were really grumpy. We paid our $2 Departure Tax (read: back pocket tax) and were ushered into no-mans land, between Laos and Cambodia. We walked for about 150 meters to the other immigration building, where we had to apply for visas and pay another $2, this time for Entry Tax (once again, read: back pocket tax). All in all, crossing over the border was a pretty painless experience, but MUCH WORSE was to follow. About 30 of us were shown to our Cambodian transport, which happened to be the oldest, hottest and smelliest bus in existence. We were told to get on the bus immediately and then watched as the driver sat outside (in the cool) and had a drink.

It was our original plan to stop in a place called Kratie, which is about 4 hours South of the border but, when we got there, we were told that there are no cash points in the whole city. In fact, the only cities that do have them are Phnom Penh and Siam Reap. With only $13US and about 500 Thai Baht in our pockets, things weren't looking good, so we changed our minds and somehow managed to convince our driver to let us stay on the bus to Phnom Penh... for a fee of course.

The landscape in Cambodia was (not surprisingly) a mix of those in Vietnam and Laos. Like Laos there seemed to be more normal fields than rice ones but, like Vietnam there seemed to be more trees - unlike Laos which seemed quite flat. The drive to Phnom Penh was... painful. The roads here are unbelievable - they must be the most uneven, inconsistent and dangerous roads in the world. If we had been on a plane and we'd been bouncing around as much then I would've got into the emergency brace position - it was madness!

We eventually arrived at just before 10pm tonight after a whole day on the road. We were dropped off and the driver, who spoke no English, just drove off - with no explanation as to where we were or anything. We were surrounded by guest house touts and were soon on our way to a bed for the night. We decided to go with this young guy from Number 10 Guest House, which he said was great... it wasn't! We had a really grotty little room, but after the journey we'd had we didn't care - it had a bed (which was sort of clean). We dumped our bags and then went to chill out in the bar for an hour or so and laugh about the day we'd had...

WOW! So this is Cambodia... Nice Roads!