From the Capital of Laos to the Beaches of Cambodia

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Hello hello! No, aliens did not come down to SE Asia and kidnap us - we are both in good health and glad to be writing a blog once again.

After Luang Prapang we made our way down to Vang Vieng, along a VERY windy road. One so windy in fact that even I felt motion sick! But the sights along the way were worth it, for the countryside of Vang Vieng is truly stunning. It is very similar to the rest of northern Laos, except that it is a bit drier and along the river there were some beautiful grasses, at least 2 m high, billowing in the wind. What a sight. We spent a day there kayaking down the river (one of our favourite past-times it seems - we must keep in shape for the next canoe trip!), pausing at bars along the river and swinging off ropes into the depths of the aforesaid river. A surreal experience it was, did not feel like we were in Laos anymore. The bars were catered to foreign tourists, with music blaring, beer everywhere, and a party-atmosphere all round. We even heard Hot Hot Heat played! So odd....

After our day in V. Vieng we decided that we had enough of the atmosphere there and headed down to the capital, Vientiane. Vientiane is a small city, around 140 000 people, and had the usual Laos relaxed atmosphere. It wasn't nearly as thrilling as L. Prapang, but had some interesting sight-seeing. One such sight was the Buddha Park, created by a religious man in the mid-20thC who was enraptured both by Buddhism and Hinduism. The park is completely made of concrete and is full of many towering images of the respective faiths. Rather felt like Disneyland or like something Lewis Carroll would dream of.
After deliberating over which country, Thailand or Cambodia, to visit next, we decided on the latter and arrived on the day our Laos Visa expired.
We started our Cambodian journey in Phnom Penh, the capital, visiting first the , Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. The palace is very opulent, almost trying in its glory to erase all the bad memories of the country's former years. We rounded off our first day's sightseeing with a visit to the National Museum, home to many of Cambodia's treasured artifacts from the Angkor Period. It was a great way to prime ourselves for the days of temple viewing to come.

On our second day in Phonm Penh we headed to the Toul Sleng Museum and braced ourselves for the emotional experience to come. The museum, originally a high school, was the sight of the largest and most horrific of the prisons used by the Khmer Rouge to detain, torture, and finally execute tens of thousands of Cambodian people, deemed enemies of the regime. We walked through rooms and rooms of photographs of the prisoners, read biographies of many of them, and saw the horrible conditions they were kept in. It was all a bit much to stomach but we felt it necessary to see in order to gain an understanding of what this country went through only a few decades ago. We had also planned to visit the killing fields but both agreed that it was a sight we could pass on. We spent the remainer of the day wandering through the markets of the city and eating at fantastic riverside resturants.

One of the first things we noticed in Cambodia is the number of beggars, primarily consisting of streetchildren and the disabled. One quickly realizes how this country is still reeling from the ravages of the Khmer Rouge and its lasting effects. It feels like now, more than 30 yrs after the main war period and reign of the K. Rouge, that Cambodia is finally pulling itself together.
It is really heart-touching and inspiring to see all the initiatives that have been started to help the poor and the disabled. There are so many organizations that are geared towards not only community betterment, but cultural as well. The Khmer Rouge wiped out so much of what the Cambodians hold dear to them culture wise, such as the respected temples and wats, as well as stopping traditional song and dance. One NGO in Kampot used traditional dance, with a twist, to revive cambodian appreciation of the arts as well as to integrate the disabled and able in society. The performers consisted of people 'dis'advantaged in some way, like amputees in wheelchairs and those of hearing disabilities. It is amazing what people can do when they are inspired!

We left Phnom Penh for Sihanoukville, a coastal resort town. We had a relaxing day lying on the beach, swimming in the clear, warm water, and getting pedicures. Or at least I did, Patrick wasn't so sure about the whole idea. We ate all our meals on the beach, eating bbq-d seafood and drinking Anchor Beer, soaking up the sun and the stars. Our second night there was Guy Fox day and we made sure to enjoy the fireworks, drinking beer beside the ocean in what we feel was a grand gesture of support against "the man".

After our day of relaxing in Sihanoukville we decided to head to Kep, a little coastal town about an 1.5 hrs away. Kep has an amount of old-world charm in it; it was originally a fishing village and then taken up as a playground for the rich in the mid 20th Century. Once the Khmer Rouge ascended though, it was deserted. The Khmer Rouge control over the egion lasted until the mid 1990's meaning that the town has never really been re-populated. Now it is full of deserted hotels and residential palaces, the properties regained by vegetation and all that was once beautiful landscaped ballustrudes and boardwalks left to rot. However, the area is being revived, slowly but surely, and properties are selling for millions of dollars. I wouldn't be surprised to find luxury resorts abounding in a couple of years. We stayed in a comfy little cabin above the town which had a gorgeous view of the ocean, and wasn't a far walk from the delicious crab restaurants on the seafront. I don't think we'll ever eat crab so cheap again 😊

We were lucky when, walking to the oceanfront one afternoon, we were stopped by a young Khmer man in a Canada t-shirt who offered to take us to a nearby island the next day. We agreed and the next day he picked us up and while we waited for a boat he told us all about his musical aspirations. Turns out he takes guitar lessons and is trying to improve his singing so he can be a big pop star; he is even trying to perfect some 'sexy' dance moves. He was so enthusiastic that all we could do was smile and encourage him on his path to stardom. The boat arrived and before long we were on Rabbit Island. It was one of the loveliest secluded beach spots I have ever seen. There was one sandy beach that had hammocks strung along it and little huts in the background which consisted of bungalows and make-shift restaurants. We spent the day reading, relaxing, and, once again, eating fresh crab. Such a delightful day!

We left that evening for Kampot, a large town an hour away, which we used as a staging point to visit the Bokor hill station. The Bokor Hill station is now a national park, but once was an old French hill station and later town and summer-escape place for the King and his concubines. (Our guide for the day was very keen on the concubine part.) It was a grueling 3 hr ride up to the station in the back up a pick-up truck. This was the worst road i've ever been on, even worse than the worst logging roads in Canada. My body is still aching two days after! However the ride added to the sense of the adventure and made for a lively if not slightly scary day. We made it up to the hill station at lunch time and had an incredible sight before our eyes. The station is on a mountain plateau that overlooks the jungle and ocean below. The remnants of the old city abound, only in crumbling buildings though and scraps of old road. The Khmer used the station as a strategic military ground as well as a prison and it was hard to be up there without thinking of all the people who had suffered and died in the decrepit buildings. The eeriest building of all was the Bokor Palace, an old hotel that was built by the French and later used as the prison by the Khmer Rouge. It must have been beautiful in its day, with a huge ballroom, grand staircases, and a terrace that had the most amazing view of the jungle below. We even heard Gibbons singing from what used to the front courtyard! Now it is falling apart but one still can feel its grandeur, even if it is in a spooky, "The Shining'" kind of way.

At the end of our day we had a boat-ride back to Kampot, the perfect ending to our slightly harrowing day.

Now we are in Siem Reap and looking forward to all the sights to beheld here. Take Care and I hope everyone has a lovely long weekend.
xxx ashlee

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Photos

Rabbit Island
The quietest place in Cambodia

Pha That Luang
The national symbol of Laos, said to contain a breast bone of Buddha

Royal Throne Hall
Phnom Penh

Market Scene
Phnom Penh

The way to Rabbit Island
Just off the coast of Kep.

Bokor Palace
Once for the rich and famous. Now for the ghosts and anyone who's behind can survive the punishing 3 hour drive. The Shining Anyone?

The grand entrance way
This building was once white

The view from the Palace
The building in the foreground is the old post office, which sustained a shell blast some time in the past. In the distant is the old catholic church, once a Kymer Rouge stronghold against the Vietnamese in the palace only 500m away.

Comments

[Franny]

Still following your adventures and loving every word of it!