welcome to vietnam- saigon!

Arrived in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) to crazy traffic! I though Phnom Penh was busy, but i was very wrong! Only 4 of us from my tour group were continuing on to Vietnam, the rest were going their seperate ways. So we had a night out at the Go2 Bar to say goodbye! Was very sad to see the others go. Checked out Ben Thanh Markets the next day, having lunch at a local stall. We met up with our new group & enthusiastic tour guide, Tan. He took us to a street stall for dinner and had a really fun meal- they gave us a plate of raw beef, to cook ourelves over a roof tile on hot coals! We then wrapped it in rice paper with noodles & salad- tasted amazing! The next day Tan walked us around the city to see the sights- Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Post Office... Visited the War Remnant musuem which was interesting, but had some horrific photographs of war victims. We had a very busy day after that. We went on a boat trip to the Mekong River, and had a walk around the village on the opposite bank. There are a lot of coconut planations and they use coconuts for everything- drinking, eating, making houses, making delicious candy, burning for coal... the list goes on! A local family gave us a huge table of ruit for morning tea. We then went on a motorbike trailer ride around the village. I love getting to see the real local areas, to see the people going about their daily lives. Another family cooked us a fabulous lunch- elephant ear fish rice paper rolls, banana flower, spring rolls, soup, fried rice, prawns, tea... was great! I held part of a beehive and touched the honeycomb to get fresh honey out- scary! As we rowed back to the big motor boat, it become to pour down, the heaviest I have seen yet. We then headed out to the Cu Chi tunnels, although our driver tried to take a short cut but got lost, so we were a bit pushed for time. We went down into one of the tiny tunnels which was fun. As we headed back into the city, traffic was even worse, if that is possoble. It was the Buddha's Birthday so everybody was either rushing home from work or heading out for vegetarian dinner. We boarded the overnight train with time to spare, heading for Nha Trang.

phnom penh

Arrived at a very hot & busy Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. On the first afternoon we visited the Tuol Sleng genocide museum, which is a former prison of the Pol Pot regime. It was very confronting seeing the cells and torture systems used by Khmer Rouge soldiers. A photo exhibition inside had pictures of the prisoners & soldiers; it would have been such an awful place. We then saw the Killing Fields, which is where prisoners were taken to be executed. There were around 85 mass graves, as well as bones and clothing poking up out of the earth on the pathways. You cannot really comprehend how horrible these 2 sites are until you actually see them for yourself.
We ate dinner at a non profit restaurant run by former street youths in training, called Friends. It was one of the best meals I have had since I've been away- delicious! The next day did some shopping at the markets, saw the Royal Palace and sat by the river. We had dinner at Friends again, as it was too hard to resist! Went to a nightclub called the Heart of Darkness, which was lots of fun! We were a bit worried because we were searched by security guards at the door. Played lots of good music, but couldn't drink too much as the bus left at 6am the next morning, heading for Vietnam.

absolut bargain in sihanoukville

Firstly, alcohol is so cheap here. This bottle of Absolut was US $7.60! Too cheap to pass up. The town of Sihanoukville was a vast change from the Cambodia that we had experienced so far... it had beaches!! We went swimming at Serendipity Beach (the main beach) as soon as it stopped raining! It felt so good to be in the ocean. There were quite a lot of people trying to sell things and give you massages on the sand though, which got pretty annoying. Had dinner at a great Japanese restaurant, then headed out for the night on the beach at the Dolphin. Was lots of fun drinking buckets and dancing. Spent the next 2 days chilling in the sun, ended up a bit too sunburnt though! We chose a nice looking restaurant on the beach for dinner, but the meals took about an hour and a half! It would good to relax and do nothing in this town, after a lot of bus trips.

takeo homestay

Our next night was spent at the house of a local family in the village of Takeo. The grandfater was the head of the village. There were three wooden buildings on their property, a big open deck & some hammocks. The girls got given the room with beds, whereas the boys just had a mattress on the floor! we chilled out on the hammocks and played some cards again, then the family cooked us a huge delicious dinner. It was great living be very simple means, even if that meant no shower! I didn't think I would be able to get to sleep, as the night was very hot and there was no air-con or fan, but all of us were dead to the world!

kampong cham

Next stop was a town called Kampong Cham, which lies on the Mekong River. Our hotel was directly opposite the water. We had a little look around the centre of town and the markets, but we were the only Westerners to be seen, and the stalls just sold everyday items, no touristy stuff like jewellery or clothes. It was very strange, after being in busy Siem Reap. And Kampong Cham is supposedly the third largest city in Cambodia! Our guide led us on a bike ride to one of the temples- I was very proud since I haven't ridden a bike in years (except for cycle classes at the gym which i hated anyway!). It was great riding past and having the little kids call out 'hello!' again. There was quite a steep hill to reach the actual temple, and I definately struggled to get to the top. We had a bit of a look around, however a storm rolled in (gotta love the wet season) so we began to cycle home. I was the only one prepared with my emergency poncho, so although I looked like a parachute when we were riding, I stayed relatively dry in the torrential rain. It was lots of fun though. We relaxed in the night by playing cards and watching some TV.

siem reap & amazing angkor

My time spent in Siem Reap was incredible. We visited the Angkor temples over one & a half days. There are heaps of temples in the Angkor complex, spread over 40 miles, so we only had time to see a few (the best few!). The local guide (Yous Sa) who showed us around was hilarious! He was really into photography, and took us to certain spots to take great pictures of us with the ruins. After every photo that he captured, he would say "oh, thats absolutely amazing/fantastic/beautiful/fabulous" so I ended up with some top shots thanks to him! On our first day we explored Angkor Thom, The Bayon and part of Angkor Wat, before being trapped in a massive downpour! At least the heat let up a little. The second day, we awoke at 4.30am to see the sunrise in time, however it was just a bit too cloudy to see a spectacular pink sky. It was great to beat the heat & the majority of the crowds though. We then saw the rest of Angkor Wat, which had such beautiful stone carvings & "amazing" views. We looked around the Ta Prohm, which was were part of Tomb Raider was filmed (see photo). This jungle temple was really cool, because the massive trees are growing right through the ruins. Angkor is a really incredible place & I loved it. The only shame is that the US$40 entry fee goes straight to the Vietnamese, who run it. In the afternoon we boated around Tonle Sap Lake, which swells up to 200m wide in the wet season. There is a floating village there, where the people live & do everything on the water- floating houses, church, schools, basketball court, pool table house, markets! They all have televisions which were donated by the UN, using car batteries for power. The people, especially the children, were so beautiful, waving at us as we went past. It was really incredible to see. We then spent some time relaxing in hammocks, looking out over the plains, before trying a Cambodian delicacy... water snake!! It was ok, except for the massive vertebrae in the middle. The snake egg was a little tough, but all in all not bad! The evening consisted of a buffet dinner whilst watching traditional Cambodian Apsara dancing.

p.s.

Thanks for the comments- its really good to hear from everybody at home. I don't know how to contact some of you so...
Hello to Candy & Canon- I am being very careful with the water ~~~~ Hi to Mell, Kailey & Jade- hope everything is going well in the final month, very exciting news!!! Can't wait to see photos of Summah when she arrives! ~~~~
Chloe- I sent u an email so hopefully u still use the same address ~~~~

Why?

Why would I decide to get drunk on my last night in Bangkok, when the bus was leaving at 7.30 the next morning? Why would I buy a cheap alarm clock, that can’t tell the time, so that when the tour guide calls the room at 7.30 saying ‘get on the bus’ I’m in bed thinking its only 6.30? (i.e. no shower or breakfast, and feeling VERY ill on the bus!) I’m fine now though so its all good!
So, I met up with my tour group yesterday, everyone is really nice so it will make the trip lots of fun. We had a delicious cheap dinner, then headed to a ping pong show, as only one other girl had seen it before. However, it was a pretty crappy show & they tried to rip us off so didn’t stay long! Then came lots of Tiger beers back on Khao San Rd, and some idiot had the idea of getting a SangSom bucket (I’m afraid that was me…) Had about 9 hrs of driving today from Bangkok to Siem Reap in Cambodia, which consisted of non-stop potholes from the Cambodia border (4 hrs of it!). By mid afternoon I was feeling stable. Already the country is so different to Thailand, very green & flat with all the rice fields. It was a very interesting bus trip.
amie xxx

doing the tourist thing...

Today I visited the Floating Markets, the Bridge over River Kwai and the largest Pagoda (a Buddhist building) in the world. It was all pretty interesting as I hadn't seen it before, but it was a very long day- 7am till 7pm! Driving along Thai highways is pretty fun, but you just have to trust that the driver knows what he's doing- maniacs on the road! Today was the Queen's Birthday which was pretty cool. The national anthem started playing when we were wandering Khao Sarn Rd tonight, and everybody stopped still & silent- I didn't think that was possible! There was also a big fireworks display. Also, when I was shopping along the street tonight a guy wanted to try on some pairs of shorts, so he stripped down to his baggy, white, threadbare undies to make sure the shorts fit... as you do! I have some photos to put up (not of that guy, of sightseeing!), but I just put my camera in this computer and it has possibly wiped the memory card... I may update if it works again so watch this space.

hello from Bangkok

Well, I made it here in one piece, safe & sound. Bangkok is pretty hot, but its overcast so that helps a little. My hotel was pretty swanky compared to what I stayed in last time- an elevator, a doorman and huge huge bed. Although today I have moved somewhere cheaper as the budget won't stretch too far! Yesterday I saw some of the sights of the city via tuk-tuk, enjoyed a fruit shake & had a Chang beer- very typical Thailand! I'm looking forward to starting the tours on Monday. Hope everyone is well at home.
amie

farewell!

I can't beleive it's almost time to leave! It has come up so quick, I feel like I still have so much more to do before I go. Had a great weekend catching up with all my friends & workmates, thank you to everyone who made the effort to come out. And thanks for my massive card & shoes from all of you at the pub & the restaurant! Here are some pics from the farewell celebrations... The next time I write on here, I will be far, far away! P.S I chopped all my hair off for those who haven't seen me! xx