Day 37/38/39 - Kampot/Rabbit Island We left Phnom Penh at 1PM and arrived at Kampot around 6:30PM. It was a long, bumpy ride. Once we got past the traffic in the city the SUVs slowly disappeared and the road seemed to as well. It was paved for at least the first 4 hours, but it might as not have been. It was in terrible shape - leaving us to wonder if this was a result of the Khmer Rouge. Even on parts of the road that were probably just recently paved, it was an unpleasant ride. When they paved the road they must not have expected big buses and construction trucks to come through, since the road wasn't wide enough for two trucks to pass each other. So every time, a big truck came by, we ... read more

Day 33/34 - Sihanoukville (don't ask us how to pronounce it as we still aren't quite sure, we call it SV) WE FORGOT OUR PASSPORTS IN PHNOM PENH!!! S was more panicked then G, since S wasn't sure if a guesthouse in SV would let us stay there w/o a passport. S did have a photocopy of her passport so she just hoped they would accept that. Luckily when we got to the place we wanted to stay at - Monkey Republic - it was no issue. However, we would have to circle back to Phnom Penh eventually for our passports but at least we had a roof over our head for the next for nights. Monkey Republic (MR) only had one double room (bungalow) left, but for $8.00 it didn't matter that it was the ... read more

Our month in Vietnam has come to an end - We are torn between not wanting to leave our amazing memories here - and being ready for what lies in store in Cambodia. We decided to compile some of our most memorable moments here - some may be private jokes, but mostly, they are just the highs and lows. Our Favorite Places Hanoi Sapa Region Hue Hoi An All our modes of transportation Motorcycle Slow boat Bus Bicycle Minibus Feet Ferry Long boat Taxi Likes Local People and thier smiles Scenery (from rice paddies to mountains to pristine beaches to dense jungle) Hearing stories from vietnamese elders Trekking through caves and valleys All our hilarious Guides Riding on Motorbikes Meeting other Backpackers from all over the world All the puppies and kids Seeing hte country on ... read more

Day 27/28/29 - Ha Tien The first bus ride from Can Tho to Rach Gia took about 31/2 hours. It was a pleasant trip and a nice way to see the countryside. To the right of the bus were houses sandwiched between the road and the canal and beyond the water, green rice paddies extended as far as the eye could see. To the left the same ramshackle houses lined the street with rice paddies in the distance. G lended her excellent vocal skills to the background Vietnamese music, much to the amusement of the guy next to us. The only compliant we had was the woman throwing up into a plastic bag right behind S. Around 4PM, we reached Rach Gia, which is along the southwestern coat of Vietnam and caught the next bus to ... read more

Day 21/22/23/24 - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) We pulled into Ho Chi Minh City around 7PM on Thursday, Jan.29th, thanking all heaven that we would never have to deal with Hanh Cafe and its Open Tour bus again. We found our hotel after a bit of searching since it was in an alley of the main street - Pham Ngu Lao (backpackers central). The hostel - My My Art House - was nice enough for $20 a night. There were hotels and guesthouses which we heard offered more for the buck, but the family that ran our hostel was so lovely we didn't move. Our first night we walked around a bit and got a quick cheap bit to eat. The restaurant offered a plate of "Pring Rolls" with either "vegetables" or "shrim" even though ... read more