Cambodia

We arrived into phnom penh from Sihnoukville after an easy 5 hour bus journey. After shrugging off the tuk tuk and moto drivers crowding us off the bus, we went on a walk in the blistering heat to find our guetshouse. Tut guesthouse was fantastic, local fammily run place with a chilled out atmosphere and amazing traditional Khmer food. Checked our selves in and walked to "S-21" The genocide museum. Walking around the museum brings home the scale of Pol pot and the Khmer rouges attrosities. After this we thought we deserved a beer so headed for the river. The next day we catch a ride with Robinson a tuk tuk driver to the killing fileds of "Choeung Ek" where severl of the killings took place, there is a memorial with 8000 skulls shelfed in a tower. Robinson also gives us a detailed account of his lfe during the khmer Rouges ruling, very depressing. We get back and head by foot into town and walk for hours to find Boreng Kak lake, crossing the roads in Phnom Penh was a struggle as it was so crazy and we had to dodge millions of bikes zig zagging at us, I had to drag zoe across as she just closed her eyes and prayed. we get ready to start our huge journey to Phu quoc island (Vietnam).

After a full days travelling we arrived sweaty and tired, to be launched onto the back of a moto (hello moto) and taken to a mediocre hostel, too tired to resist we stayed!
We then found the beach with no problem, this is much more like the traveling I had envisaged! White sands chilled out bars and mega friendly people..... however one small problem, that being litter! The people chuck rubbish EVERYWHERE! To combat this we walked an hour and a half everyday to Otres beach which was in a different league, pure chilled out bliss.... accompanied by the cheapest food and drink! yum yum! We just chilled here for two days solid, me being under the umbrella due to being mainly red and blotchy! nice nice!
On the third day for a change of pace we went to Ream National Park with a guide called Nun, he was aim (cambodian slang for good), we went through the mangrove swamps on a little boat which of course broke down..... then did a little jungle trek and saw some massive spiders and walked through a little village with a school before lunch. It was a wicked day, lots of fun, mainly at the fat Russian man's expense who every time he moved the boat nearly tipped up! ha ha!
And now back to the city life.....

Left Bankok for Siem Reap on monday the 24th march. The journey was a grueling 14 hours. The 6 hours to the border were fine as we were still half asleep and enjoying the air con, it was fine apart from getting taken for a ride, literally!taking a few pounds extra from us first for the bus then for the visa (few ponuds equates to several beers in Cambodia) so we were quite upset. We live and learn. We crossed the border at Aranya Praphet (THAILAND), Poipet (Cambodia). The boder crossing was traumatic, in 35 degree heat and several hours of waiting around being ushered from one queue to the next. The change from one side of the border to the other was quite dramatic with Poipet resembling a scene from mad max, sand and dust flying up from everywhere, motorbikes and Cambodians dressed in army trousers and scarfs wrapped around their heads packing the streets. The journey to Siem Reap was crazy, bumping along the worst road ever built! I feel that we spent most of our time somewhere near the roof of the bus, rather than on the seat, sleep was not an option, the only option was to look out the window at the stark contrast in countryside. Many huts/shanty towns lined the road demontrating the poverty that is so often seen in Cambodia. The country side was often sparse and dusty with several wild anorexic cows trying to graze (they are scarily thin)! The journey was never boring!

Arrived in Siem Reap at about 9pm the gateway the the Angkor temples (built between the 9th and 13th century). The guesthouse staff were very friendly and helpfull and soon, in the morning after several hours of sleep and a stroll around Siem Reap we were off to see the temples driven by TUK TUK by the guesthouses owners son and our new buddy waanaa, we visited the temples firstly to watch the sunset at Angkor wat, the larget religious building in the world. Secondly waking up and seeing the temple for sun rise and spending the day visting the surrounding temples; Bayon, the temple with many faces, Ta Prohm, where tomb raider was filmed and has several trees and routes growing through the walls and Ta Keo, the unfinished temple. The two days were awesome and zoe got some fantastic snappy snaps. We did so well that we thought we would reward our selves with a curry, um tasty! Apart from the maggot staring at me from the plate just as we were finishing up.

We left for Sihnoukville on the south cost, to get some well deserved relaxation time.