From Phnom Penh to Bangkok, burgers, chips and whips......

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I woke up at the ungodly hour of 7am, ok, i wanted to make the most of my last day but hadn't bargained on waking up this early being I had a long day ahead, also waking up to builders shouting and drills etc i could have done without! Still there was nothing worse than laying there listening to the sound of a drill so i decided to head off to the market early...

I caught a moto which i've actually started to really enjoy as a mode of transport to Central market, maybe the builders did me a favour as it was actually really quiet and so the best time to look around... I also managed to pick up a few presents to take home, mainly jewellery and small things because of the luggage but this was definitely a lot better than the Russian market i'd been to the previous week.... Pleased with my purchases my moto driver patiently waited for me and we headed back to my guesthouse.... I had to be out by 12 so decided to chill with breakfast on the communal balcony and managed to drown out the sound of the builders with my ipod speakers! Whilst chilling, the trendy, young cleaning boy complete with broom and cleaning cloths came rushing up really enthusiastic, dressed like he'd just appeared out of a club in Shoreditch with spikey hair and tight jeans, shouting 'disco, disco' how sweet, bless!! Glad i made his morning more entertaining anyway, ha! And i had a great time just watching the world go by, a little present that karen left behind for me helped too but i will save that for 'stories in person' when i'm back ;-)

I then checked out and decided to do some last minute exploring in Phnom Penh, luckily the guesthouse being right in the centre helped, as opposed to the hotel last week that although very grand, was a tad in the middle of nowhere.....

I started off at the Cambodian National Musuem, the gardens impressed me the most to be honest with elephants half made out of bush, half stone.... It was mostly carvings from 100's of years ago inside and only took about an hour to look around, still it was interesting.....

I then wanted to look around the Grand Palace but unfortunately it doesn't open until 2 and so too late with my flight so had to give that one a miss..... However i come across a couple of really nice temples and so take a wander around those and get given more good luck wrist bands, this time by an official monk....

I pass a place selling the latest releases on DVD for the equivalent to £1 each so i stock up, i'd say their definitely one of the best bargains to have here, even if they are slightly illegal, ha!!!

Now this was when i come across my second 'chicken' incident, i walk past a few market stalls where one is selling chicken, only not only are they being roasted in front of you, there are 100's lying dead, or at least some are dead, some still alive, (I didnt wait to watch their fate but kinda knew...) some having their guts pulled out, and basically being slaughtered and then roasted ready to take home, now i know this happens, but actually seeing it in full view is traumatising, again i think back to all the happy chickens i've seen, and think 'why this'...... Well i guess this happens everywhere, just not usually in full view of the public, but still it's barbaric and hard to take in.........

Still it's time to move on and I then catch a moto back to the guest house, grab my bags and head to the airport..... Just in time for my flight, and a hassle free journey to Bangkok.....

Unfortunately the plane journey was the only hassle free part, as when the girl failed to explain to me and the other tourists was when we trained it into the centre it wasn't a straight forward switch of platforms to the next interchange...... And the taxi rank seemed to have turned into a ghost town.... it turned out a Danish couple were staying at a hotel near me so we decided to stick together and try and find our way to some mode of transport, luckily we finally came across civilisation and hailed a taxi, however he couldn't comprehend that i wasn't staying at the same hotel as them even though we tried to explain it quite a few times..... Eventually he took me to my hotel, but even then he coudlnt find it and refused to get out and ask anyone, so ME, who doesn't speak a word of Thai had the job of asking him to wait while i asked around for directions to my hotel, even though i had the address with me AND in Thai.... luckily someone knew where it was so I directed the useless taxi driver and eventually arrived at my hotel.... Well it was worth the stressful journey i guess as it was a plush room, complete with kitchenette (tho luckily no glass bathroom doors to smash this time, ha!) So glad i was going to end my travelling time in style here.....

First things first though, by now it's getting late and im absolutely starving so head out for a bite to eat, the first place i come to, a very drunk Danish girl begs me to stay there to help her with all the men!! Even though there seem quite a few women there too!! I take a look at the menu and it seems ok and she seems quite a laugh anyway so decide to stay, it's also getting late and i'm hungry, so i order burger and chips, i might add the for the first time in over a month, but after the food poisoning the other day i'm playing safe and it seemed the blandest thing on the menu......

Well it's actually a bloody damn good burger, and it turns out the Danish girl is actually the owner of the restaurant, i join her group and lots of free shots start appearing..... One of her friends decides to dress up in a french maid's outfit and a whip appears!!!! I wasn't expecting this for my first night in Bangkok, haha!! All of the guys around the table turn out to be ex-pats and it's cool getting to know everyone, however danish girl is getting a little worst for wear and starts smashing up glasses and throwing drinks everywhere, even the flowers on the table get a 'whipping' ha!!!! I somehow seem to now be caught up in a bit of a brawl between the restaurant owner and her 'customers' so make a quick exit (it's by now about 2 am!!!) and head back to my sanctuary of a room.... At least it wasn't far down the road, but far enough to not hear the brawls that were starting to happen!!!!

Well it was definitely a night's entertainment with a difference and i guess as good a welcome as any to bangkok, ha!! hmmm wondering if the rest of my time here will be slightly saner!!! After testing out some of the dvds (and yes, for a quid their even bloody good quality, result!!) i have my first night's sleep, much needed after the hectic, but fun (overall, chickens and transport to hotel excluded!!) day.....

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