Call 2 Adventure

Volunteered to collect waste along the Airport's shoreline. This ment getting a chance to work on the far side of the runway, ride a hover craft, explore restricted shoreline, do good for the environment (specifically marine life) and enjoy a BBQ with friends afterwards (while playing with the firetruck and plane spotting). If you get a chance to do this I recommend it.... read more

2 Jan: I don’t know if it was general tiredness from the lack of sleep over the last few action packed days or if it was an actual illness, but I woke up feeling queasy, tired and sore. Unfortunately I had an early morning flight to Vientiane that I had to make if I was going to keep to schedule. I struggled to keep away during the flight and started taking antibiotics as I figured they couldn’t hurt. I arrived in Vientiane with a bit of a fever and hot/cold sweets. I arrived at my accommodation and just crashed, waking up a few hours later that afternoon. While I didn’t feel any better I thought it might do me good to get out – I hoped to find an air conditioned cinema or mall where I ... read more

31 Dec: New Year’s Eve Day I woke up looking forward to taking a break from temple ruins and instead spent the day exploring present day Siem Reap. As the tourists, tuk tuk drivers and tour busses flowed out of town for a day of heat, dust and perspiration I meandered through the backstreets and narrow lanes from my accommodation to Pub Street and the central part of town. By morning Seim Reap central is unlike any other small town centre I’ve been to. Prior to 12noon there are only a few locals about and even fewer tourist faces to be seen. The Pub street and Market precinct is setup to cater to the tourist trying to escape the midday heat and sun (or rain in the rainy season) and later indulge in assorted pleasures at ... read more

30 Dec:Further to my post earlier today (if you haven't seen it you can find it here:www.travelblog.org) here are a few videos from the first person scrambling through the temples and temple ruins. Even videos don't do these ruins justice, so you'll just need to trek to Cambodia yourself to take it all in. Angkor Wat The following video was taken about 8am in the morning at the entrance to Angkor Wat proper (you can see the steps up to the causeway about halfway through the video). The number of tourists, busses, cars, tuk tuks trebled in the two hours that I was such that it was nearly impossible to find my driver as there were hundreds of people and vehicles milling around. Don’t let the number of tourists discourage you from going, just ensure that ... read more

30 Dec: Touring Angkor, Day Two (note: There are a number of photos (84) associated with this entry. Believe me when I say this is just a fraction of the photos taken that day – e.g. you’re getting off easy, and getting only the highlights. Some have commentary immediately below the image, which will give a bit of an explanation of what you are looking at). In an attempt to avoid the crush of tourists seen yesterday, we set out for Angkor Wat proper at 7:30am. While we still found our first stop of the day full of tourists it was significantly fewer than the number we’d seen at the site the day before – should you make this journey I recommend you start your morning as early as possible so that you can enjoy the ... read more

Further to my post earlier today (if you haven't seen it you can find it here : www.travelblog.org ) here are a few videos from the first take scrambling through the ruins. Even videos don't do these ruins justice, so you'll just need to trek to Cambodia yourself to take it all in. In addition to my blog there is a well organised stash of information on Angkor (including maps, photos, videos, information etc...) at the UNESCO website. It would be great to get feedback on what you've seen so far of my trip. Including if you'd suggest more or less comentary, photos and or videos. Thanks ... read more

29 Dec: Touring Angkor, Day One (note: There are a number of photos (111) associated with this entry. Believe me when I say this is just a fraction of the photos taken that day – e.g. you’re getting off easy, and getting only the highlights. Most have commentary immediately below the image, which will give a bit of an explanation of what you are looking at). I'll make a seperate post with a few videos next. Flashback to winter of 1996 (Vancouver WA); I was nearing the halfway point for my senior year of high school and the second year of my college coursework. A misty drizzle hung in the chilly air as I dashed from Clark College’s carpark to the Fine Art’s building and the art history lecture hall. I didn’t yet know that the ... read more