Blogs from Cambodia, Asia - page 699

The last few days have been relatively uneventful from my perspective as my vista has alternated between that of the bathroom or the TV (thank god for cable!). I've been cursed by the infamous Cambodia-Belly (you may have heard of its Indian Cousin) which decided to inflict its worst on me whilst journeying here from Siem Reap. Needless to say it was one hell of a bus ride and the riverfront of Phnom Penh is now a different shade of highlighter green - nice. Corb on the other hand has had several interesting adventures while out fossicking for food and bringing me treats such as chocolate lamingtons from the Kiwi Bakery (gotta love that man!). One such episode occured in a completely deserted department store where he was the only customer. On his way out a ... read more

Ok folks, so hit the road again and found a clean , quiet little serene place called Phnom Pehn!!!!!! You have never seen a city like this one!!!!!!! Its absoloutely manic , rules of the road-there are none!Its every man woman and child for themselves and i cant believe im still in 1 piece. Its mayhem on the roads , on the pavements, in the markets , in the bars, Bangkok is something but this place has a real "edge " to it. Hooked up with a guy called Jet, (drives a moped like one thats for sure), who offered to be my driver/guide for the princely sum of $5 a day. To be honest he saves me more than that because as elsewhere, here is a definate 2 tier pricing system for tourists and locals ... read more

Hello all yes it has been a while, and now that I write you, I cannot even say life is all that exciting. Getting up early in the morning, working on either the interviews, transcripts or DHS analyses. Going to bed on time and getting up early again. Even though it is wonderful to do so. I love doing the fieldwork, I love talking to everyone, I love being surprised by the beauty in them, the culture and the scenery. I am so relaxed and at peace with my life here, where I thought I would stress out by the uncertainty and unpredictability, I welcome it now. Even though life is not very exciting, I feel better now than I have in a very long time. It seems that this was the last step I had ... read more

Location check - we just arrived in Thailand - three countries in three weeks! Taking a well deserved break at the beach on Koh Chang, an Island just South of Bangkok. Working on the tans, hard life, ho hum.. Saigon sagas: We finished off our tour of South Vietnam in Ho Chi Min City. (The South Vietnamese still call it Saigon) We had heard how busy it was, but we were still shocked by the amount of motorbikes on the road. (About six million in Saigon alone) Crossing roads was terrifying and you really took your life in you hands weaving between the fast moving traffic, hoping for the best each time. We decided to save money by walking as much as we could to avoid rip off taxi/cyclo drivers. So on the first day Sarah ... read more

Right guys, hopefully this will be a bit of a cheerier blog than the last one! The bus to Siem Reap was a bit of a sweat-fest, had a window which i kept opening but when we stopped the driver would come around and tell me to close it (cheeky sod), then the tool behind me tapped me on the shoulder and made me close it again just as it was getting boiling (even cheekier sod). To cap it all I was sat next to Smith, who was papping on all the time about the 'extra body heat' from the woman sat in the aisle right next to him! Lonely Planet had tried to warn us about the craziness that ensued as we came off the bus at Siem Reap, but this was a whole new ... read more

What a story, begins yesterday in Siem Reap: 2 English Lads:Hi Mr Guesthouse owner we want to go somewhere interesting? Mr GHO: Ah my friends, you go to Battambang! 2 English Lads:Ok, good yes? Mr GHO:Very good my friends, you want bus or boat? 2 English Lads: How long for each? Mr GHO:Bus 3 hour, boat 4 hour, Bus $6, Boat $7 2 English Lads:Boat only 4 hour?OK you sell us ticket for tomorrow? Mr GHO: No problem my friends, you go tomorrow at 6 am ok? 2 English Lads:ERRRRRRRR ? 6 am? OK we suppose so as only 4 hours travelling! 2 English Lads think: yeah get to Battambang straight to sleep for a good kip! We get the tickets , look at the boat on the ticket and think hmmm that looks comfy-good for ... read more

March 10th The bus ride from Bangkok, Thailand to Siem Reap, Cambodia was quite an experience. The trip took a total of about 13 hours. The first 4 or so were spent on a fairly nice air-conditioned bus. Then we spent about an hour or more at the border shuffling through lines and of course sweating like crazy. Once across the border, we took a "shuttle bus" to the minibus that would take us the rest of the 7 or 8 hours to Siem Reap. The minibus was definitely NOT air-conditioned and by the end of the trip I believe I was the sweatiest I have ever been in my life. There were 23 people and all their backpacks crammed into this tiny minibus. The road from the border to Siem Reap was a pothole filled, ... read more