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Published: December 18th 2008
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Border Crossing from Laos into Cambodia
Check out the official immigration post ! We only spent just over a week in Cambodia in total, and it was a real mixture of highs and lows ! It started off with probably the worst day we'd had all trip. The border crossing from South Laos into Cambodia was a nightmare. We were fleeced of money from start to finish and there was nothing we could do about it ! Plus the journey which was supposed to be a few hours, turned into all day and then half of the next ! Was definitely an experience though !! We were changed to about 5 different minibuses, all the way along (these are the only way of crossing over, conveniently....) each minibus deteriorating massively, the last one was literally on its last legs ! Driven at break neck speeds along pot holed and dirt track roads, picking up anything and everything along the way (including a couple with a moped which was hoisted onto the roof!) whilst listening to an ancient scratchy tape copy of helter skelter or something equally as awful ! None of the drivers or people could speak any English and we were completely at their mercy as to when and where they would drop
Fish Pedicure !
Having themselves a feast on Naths dry skin ! us off. There was a group of travellers with us. all as equally frustrated as us !
We did eventually arrive in Siam Reap though safe and sound ! And things began to look up. Although what we had already seen of the passing towns through the dusty minibus windows was dirty rubbish strewn streets complete with rats and burning waste, Siam Reap seemed much better, and didnt smell like a rubbish dump ! Nevertheless it was very touristy, with lots of bars and restaurants and souvenir shops. But the atmosphere was nice. We actually bumped into a couple we'd met in Laos here, and went to a really cool night market with them, where we all had the Fish Pedicure !! That was hilarious !!! These fish (i couldnt get out of them what they were actually called other than "Dr Fish") rushed over to our feet as soon as we put them in, and literally began to nibble off all the dead skin !! Was the weirdest feeling, and very ticklish, we were all in fits !! But, our feet were definitely super smooth after 15mins of this torture ! Naths actually thinking about starting it up
Fish Pedicure in Siam Reap
It was so tickly ! Drove me mad ! Was great though, our feet were so soft afterwards in the Guildhall....
Siam Reap is also home to Ankhor Wat and the ancient ruins, which are absolutely incredible. The pictures really dont do it justice. It was a really hot day, and we'd hired a guy to drive us round for the day in his little tuk tuk as the ancient city is huge ! Saving the best til last, we watched sunset at Ankhor Wat itself. I think our fave though, was a ruin called Ta Prohm, which was used in Tombraider ! It was being completely taken over by trees and plants, the biggest trees i have ever seen, just seemed to be growing through and out of the rocks ! So much so, they were actually supporting a lot of it. Was awesome !
From here we took a bus to Phnom Penh, the capital, and this journey went through some amazing countryside and villages. The Cambodian people seem to live mostly in wooden huts on stilts, set in amongst lots of greenery, each with at least 2 or 3 big white cows milling around in the shade ! These cows have to be the tallest I have ever seen, and they have a
Traditional Cambodian dancer
Both the women and men dress up in these garish outfits and tell a story through dance. They barely move their feet and legs, is mostly hand movements huge hump on the necks too ! From the road we could see the fields of rice and veggies, with women wearing those conical hats and about a million layers of clothing to protect them from the sun, and the men using these massive cows to plough the fields, the children would be playing half naked in the dust under the houses, was quite amazing to see.
Phnom Penh was a bit of a dump. We thought we'd struck gold with a really cheap ($4 per night!) room right on the lakeside, about the same prices we'd been paying in Laos. But then Nath got sick and we soon discovered there were rats right above our heads in the ceiling which had massive holes in ! We moved pronto from there to somewhere much nicer at a whopping $16 a night which was actually the most we'd payed for a room our whole trip ! We even had a tv !!!! with cable !!!! We did learn a lot about the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot while we were here. Visited the school which they used as a prison to torture anyone they thought were against the regime, and
Nath in market heaven
In the fresh veg bit of the market in Siam Reap, every market we've been to in SE Asia has had amazing displays of colourful fruit n veg.... also went out to the Killing Fields where they were taken and killed. Was all pretty gruesome and horrific. Lots of bones and skulls, as well as the instruments they used to torture these people. Was mad to think this was all only about 30 years ago.
In hindsight we probably should've spent a bit more time in Cambodia, but neither of us were overly enamoured and went straight from Phnom Penh over the border into Vietnam (which was a breeze in comparison to the last crossing!) Since then we have met some people who throught the same, as well as some who went to more places and loved it, but it just wasnt really for us at the time.
So, onwards to Hoh Chi Minh City, Vietnam !!
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mazzermum
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Fishy stuff!!!
yay nath definitely bring back a bucket of those feet chompers...it can be your new source of income...latest of your entrepeneurial exploits!!! i'm sure it will be a HIT....10 out of 10 for originality and yuk factor!!! the guys will love it and the girls will dare each other to do ti!!! better be in the summer tho as no one will want to get their boots off in this freeze!!!! re: Pol Pol regime stuff.....wow....eye opening to be confronted with such atrocities and mankinds capabilities for evil...in yer face or what! wish u woz ere but bet u're glad u're not!!! HAPPY CHRSTIMAS Grandad is here beside me....dictating now.... "hello nathan and claire, have seen your blog...very very interesting, someone's a good writer should become a journalist! who is it??? u've seen so many interesting things but i think having a fish pedicure reminds me of some telly programme of "get me out of 'ere" you wouldn't catch me in your fish pedi salon in Exeter any day.....rain or shine!!! leave that to you younguns! anyway....keep going on your interesting trip and let us know all about it...i can no longer get round the world but am seeing more places at the puter from my new flashy recliner riser chair!!! i'm a real bedded in invalid now...i do get out sometimes tho with my rollator! happy christmas love grandad....granny sends her love too