Hello from Cambodia

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Dear everyone in the world, but mostly our friends and relatives,

we have arrived in Sihanoukville. It is a pretty little beach place on Cambodias south-west coast in the Gulf of Thailand.

Firstly however, we left Mui Ne and headed for Saigon on the bus about a week ago. Didn't stay there long as it is a big city and from one country to the next they have been pretty much the same. We did go to a five star hotel for cocktail and watch the sunset from the rooftop bar (very expensive, so we only had one) which was beautiful. We also went for dinner in a french restaurant where we had another cocktail and then a bottle of wine from Cafayate (Argentina) and some pretty special grub (duck confit samosas were a real treat).

We did a walking tour of Saigon taking in the fine arts museum, several markets though we have stopped buying souvenirs but they were interesting anyway. We also took in the war remnants museum (formerly the war crimes museum) and the history museum (ancient). The war remnants museum was pretty harrowing and definitley put me off a career in the military (some of the things that people do in the name of war are truly horrific).

We then got the bus to Cambodias capital city Phnom Penh where their recent history is no better then Vietnams if not much worse. The killing fields and S21 (Khmer rouge interrogation center - formerly a school) were both saddening and terrifying. Possibly the worst part is that nobody seems to be able to give a reason for the killing of 2 million people (a quarter of the Cambodian population) other than they might have had different beliefs from the people in power at the time and for such nominal reasons (for instance long hair or wearing glasses).

Other than that Cambodia seems to be a lot more chilled out than Vietnam (because of the people being so darn friendly). Our trip to Siem Reap (where Angkor Wat is near) was quite brief but very interesting. Having said that I think we are both just about templed out for the time being. We went for a good long luch on Valentines day which was nice and spicy (something we have been missing in Vietnamese cooking). It is quite a relief not to have to walk down a street and see hundreds of adverts for valentines this and valentines that and to just celebrate it for your own reasons.

We were in quite a dubious hostel when we arrived here in Sihanoukville (lots of older single guys with bad hair and tats) but have now moved to a much nicer beachside place for only a few dollars more. Rachael has reached a landmark in that she is the most sunburnt she has been since we started this trip (even more so than the Amazon for those of you who have been bothering to read past the first few lines of our little running comentary - Luca!).

I did get an e-mail from one of our friends saying that I was losing my touch for not trying the snake blood in Hoi An and as such I promise to drink all the snake blood and eat all the chickens feet and small children that are offered from now on (I did try some pigs spine in Mui Ne which was nicer than it sounds if a bit chewy).

Must be off now as there is a little birdie in my ear saying that its beer o"clock and the sun is going down.

Now for some snaps.

Lots of love Rich and Rach x

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Photos

The beach at Mui Ne
Lots of these guys were around using their Coracles to drop and pick up their nets.

The beach at Mui Ne
And all the family helped out.

The beach at Mui Ne
It seemed to be mostly women doing the fishing.

Communist Star Trek Fantasy (Phnom Penh)
This was how one restaurant was described in the guide book so of course we had to go. It was quite weird, but fun.

Bayon
In the Angkor Park. The one with the big heads (see above).

Bayon
... lots and lots of big heads (50 or so I think).

The terrace of Elephants
...don't ask me why?

The terrace of Elephants
...it's because the guy who built it had 3 thousand of the brutes and needed a place to watch them scrapping. Seriously.

Crazy Tree
They actually grow on top of the stone. Who would have thunk it!

Crazy Tree
And there are quite a few of them.

Angkor Wat
for a building that took 4 hundred thousand people about 50 years to build, it has remarkably little functional value, but it is pretty and very impressive (and surprisingly big).

Apsara dancer carving - Angkor Wat
There are several hundred meters of this type of thing over various buildings. Some depicting religious tales and some depicting the history of the Khmer people. The guide book says that the Apsaras were created to live in heavean and have "eternal sex with the gods" ... which presumably didn't leave them much time for dancing.

Leaf player
This guy was in a band made up of landmine victims. He had taken on the role of manager and was selling their CD for $10 a go. He could also get a pretty fine tune out of an ordinary leaf, which we thought was quite special.

Bantey Srey
This was another temple that was 40 kilometers north of Siem Reap. A fun tuk tuk ride and much less Disney-fied than Angkor.

Comments

[Vicky/Mum]

Hi guys
Hi guysgreat to receive your blog. Computer not working too well, so may have to stop. Going to phone you now. love mum xx

[lyndsay]

hi
I love the photos, the ones on the beach are fab. Hope you enjoy Cambodia Lynds

[Will]

Ankor Watt trees
Hello guys, Monday AM - just arrived at work - but pictures of trees on temple at Ankor Watt some of the coolest I have ever seen! Take care, Will

[Paolo.]

Ciao
Hi guys....caught up on the blogs...skim read though. How id Cambodia treating you? Still there? What next? Looking forward to seeing you soon....bet you can't wait to get back to the hussle and bussle of work! A great book I read that put the whole Cambodia situation into perpective was: 'First they killed my father'....not the lightest of reads but highly recommended. Enjoy, and speak soon.