tomharrop

Right. Really not sure how to start this one. It's been almost two weeks since i got to Vietnam, and i have to say that it's probably been the craziest time I've ever had in my entire life. So that's fine. There's no possible way i could describe what I've been up to since getting into Saigon. Unless, that is, i stream out a load of random words that will have no particular relevance to anyone other than myself. But that would be pointless. Getting Run Over. War Crimes. New Years. Fireworks. Mopeds. Being President. Little Queenies. . Crazy Buffalo. Fake Prostitutes. The Sailing Club. Jam Jars. Crazy Phil. Wave Jumping. Homelessness. Chimneys. Tramp Rapists. Swedish Bbbbbbooze Cruise. And...Rich Midgets. Vietnam. What a country! ... read more

Cambodia's a funny old place. The stuff that happened in 1960/70s have definitely left there mark. I've been here almost 2 weeks now, and I've seen only a handful of grey-haired people. Outside the towns, rusted gateways that lead to empty plots line the roadside. And, thanks to being the country with the most landmines in the world, an incredibly high proportion of the population are mutilated in some way. It's too hot to do anything in the afternoon. You can't drink the water. The polticians are bent. The cops are essentially drug dealers. They're sandwiched between Thailand and Vietnam, two countries vastly richer than themselves. And the food's pretty awful. Yet the Cambodian people are so bloody friendly. People share food with you on the bus. Stop and talk about anything with you. Help you ... read more

Got to Phnom Penh on Thursday and immediately hit the town hard with some guys from my dorm. In retrospect, it may have been a little too hard. The capitol of Cambodia is still rebuilding after the 1970s, but it's developing a bit of a rep with tourists and there's plenty of things to do and places to go. Unfortunately it's also getting something of a rep with a certain kind of tourist. Namely ones characterised by red skin, grey hair, big guts and extremely young Cambodian girls on their arm. And it's with these people that one is forced to drink with past 1 o'clock. Still, nice chaps. Probably. Anyway, two of us left this 24/7 place 'Walkabout' (in no way related to the Aussie pubs) at around 8 in the morning, with Rich telling ... read more

The trip from Bangkok across the boarder to Cambodia is not fun. Firstly, it takes 12 hours. This wouldn't be a problem if the journey utilised any standard air-conditioned vehicle, and not, in chronological order: the coach Adam & Eve used to leave Eden in, the back of a pick-up truck, my own pins for the two hour boarder crossing, and a mini-bus made of balsa wood with just about enough leg-room for a dachshund. Anyway, got here in one piece (eventually) and got a room with these two blokes from Sussex i met on the way down. The town of Siem Reap used to be, so I'm told, just a few wooden shacks with masses of farmland. Then some chap in 1872 found a shed load of ruins down the road and now it's the ... read more

So, after a 12 hour flight involving attempting to make conversation with a death-metal loving Slovak and absolutely no sleep, i probably should have gone straight to sleep when i got to my hostel in Bangkok, but... ...met this chap, Ryan, in the hostel who turned out to have been on the same flight as me. Apparently he'd gone to the wrong baggage claim place and had to get a taxi from the airport with these two girls. He was meeting them that evening for drinks. Would i like to come? I'd heard many things about the Khao San Road, but i really wasn't ready for just how mentally tourist-orientated it is. Such a place really wouldn't look our of place in Ibiza or Majorca. Anyway, went for a few (what i now know to be) ... read more