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Published: January 22nd 2009
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So, as you know, we decided to leave the Phillipines because of the weather. We braved the rain to go and change our flights, flipped off the entire country and watched in horror as the clouds parted to reveal a laughing diety.
The last few days were glorious! Perfect diving weather, perfect beach weather and perfect beer weather; though we only got to do the beer bit because we spent the days travelling back to Cebu for the flight.
We went to the Phillipines to see whale sharks. We left and James stayed. And the swine got to see them! BBC weather is a cruel joke. Luckily cebu pacific have just started running cheap flights from Manila to Osaka, Japan, so we can use our short holidays there to go on diving expeditions. Also Japan has good diving apparently. Not something that comes to mind when you think of Japan, but you can see hammerheads and manta rays very easily. This news calmed my fury somewhat.
Not in superb spirits we landed in Bangkok, still with Lisa.
We had heard stories about Khaosan Road being full of hippie wannabies, dorks and teenage dirtbags. Well, let's get this
straight. It is.
What is the point of poi? A cross between camp dancing and the kind of circus skills that should have gone out with the freakshow. Swift kicks to the groin were abandoned when they set their poi alight and swang them around in a stoned stupor. If only all the guys with brand new dreadlocks had been close enough to catch light...
So, the next day we calmed down somewhat and saw some decent temples with Lisa.
The following day we ditched her and got a bus to Siem Reap in Cambodia.
In an area of 70 different sites of temples and monuments, most around 1000 years old, you would expect a magical atmosphere. We don't know what it was; maybe the distance between them all, maybe that most of the statues in each site had either been stolen or 're-homed' in museums without being replaced with replicas, or maybe just that we kept comparing it to Macchu Picchu; but Angkor was a little bit dissapointing.
It was still amazing - the designs and condition of the monuments is incredible, it just lacked the wow factor of that crazy city on the
mountain in Peru.
It was still a great few days, though Laura strained her knee on the endless narrow steep stone staircases, and then tripped over herself and twisted her ankle (well, we can't all be winners, right fellas?).
Despite the slight downside, Cambodia in general is awesome. Move over Bolivia, there's a new kid in town. The friendliest people and the cheekiest street kids in the world. Lots of tourists go there, but is still has a great local atmosphere and national identity that some places lose. Superb. Rooms for 2 US dollars and meals for 1. Beer for 25cents US and 200 cigarettes for 3 dollars if it takes your fancy.
Well, we were on a tight budget time-wise, having to be back in Bangkok around the 17th to meet Anders and James again. I think we could have spent 1-2 months there, but after one more stop and yet another 12-hour bus ride, we were going to have to dry our eyes and make it a 'next trip' country.
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