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I haven't left anything on here for quite some time...i apologise!not quite sure where to start as i have been up to all sorts since i last left something 51days ago!
It was Khmer New Year here in april..cant remember the dates but i went down to sihanoukville with a friend whose volunteering with the same company and met 3of my mates from england!it was very very good i must admit. I hadnt seen them in about 2months and they were travelling through cambodia at the same time as it was their new year. We more or less relaxed at the beach all day and played pool and then went out to the bars along the beach at night which was really good. Our accomodation was one big bed for 2of us,a mosquitoe net, fan and on suite bathroom with a shower for 2.50 a night!thats $5.wasnt the nicest but you pay for what you get!
we spent about 5days there, more or less doing nothing .i just liked getting away from the chaos of phnom penh and the ridiculous amount of polution.A few bars stay open all night there so on 1or2 occasions we would find ourselves still sat on the beach at sunrise and beyond.we had all day to sleep so it tended to work out ok.i suppose that helps to explain part of why i have a poor tan!
All 5 of us went back to phnom penh after that and spent to nights here.i took my friends to The Heart of Darkness, a little, very entertaining club the last night as its law to go there if you are visiting phnom penh!
The next day we all took a coach down to siem reap 6hours from phnom penh. This is the home of the temples and floating villages and lady boys etc. We got up at 4.30 the first proper day there to go and see sunset at Angkor Wat (a wonder of the world-not sure which number) and the rest of the temples. It was amazing!We all go some awesome photos and we had a really good 12hour day! We even went to the temple that the film Tomb Raider was shot at. That was very good!it had huge trees hanging and growing over it including the roots. We managed to become a tourist attraction for a big japanese group as we were doing stupid poses in front of this ridculously overgrown tree. They went about taking numerous photos of us. It was a really good day. We somehow managed to get back to the guesthouse and then go out on bar street for the night without collapsing of exhaustion. This is where i encountered the ladyboys!i was so convinced they were girls it was scary!Nothing bad happened don't worry. We also managed to come across some very drunk irish monsters who were ranting and raving about hating the IRA and how british they were etc etc they were quite scary so i returned to the safety of the ladyboys!just joking i went and got some food before we returned back to our guesthouse.
The next day we made it out of bed and went to the floating villages. It was one of the most amazing days ive had since i have been in cambodia! We went on a boat trip and went past floating basketball courts,schools,houses,restaurants and a church smack bang in the middle of a huge lake, so big you couldn't see where it ended. I drove the boat to a fish farm where i held a crocodile and somehow managed to hold a snake around my neck.i am so terrified of snaked im not quite sure how i did it but i am buzzing that i did!we watched sunset from the top decking of the fish farm and then travelled back to the safety of shore!it was quite an amazing day!
I spent quite alot of time after that in phnom penh so i was at the orphanage etc so wont go into any detail.
Recently me and another mate went on 2 trips outside of phnom penh to one place called Mekong Island and to another called Batti Resort (Ton Le Batti). We went to the second simply for the name and had no idea what it was until we got there! Batti resort turned out to be the better of the 2trips although Mekong Island was still a very good day. At batti resort we arrived and were taken to bamboo shacks which were slightly out into the river and stretched along most of the front of the river. We ordered some drinks and chicken and chips. The chicken came to us cooked still with its head and its legs and feet tucked inside itself which was very off putting. We still ate some anyway and 3days later i am yet to feel ill as a result. We gave some chicken to some little cambodian boys who loved it and ended up acquiring the head,wings and legs and feet which they then ate...after a few photos of them first. We went in the river in rubber rings with the kids and messed about for quite a while. Not sure who had the best time...me or the kids!Once we had recovered from all the excitement we went on a boat trip round the river or lake not sure which it is. The guy driving the boat must have been shattered as he had to move the boat a hell of a long way standing at the back using a big oar! He took us to a bit of land where there was a little village, obviously where westerners didnt tend to venture as one boy was on the verge of tears when i went anywhere near him! We saw qyuite a horrific sight of a big stack of human skulls, bones and rotting clothing all from the time of The Pol Pot Regime!it was horrible!
Our boat driver gavce us these little plants from the island that open up everyday at 6oclock and give out an amazing smell. it was very similar to that of pear drops!
I am attending another Cambodian wedding tomorrow however this time i have a role to play. I am being picked up at 4.30am and being taken to where the wedding is being held and will help to set up etc. Me and 2other of the grooms 'chosen ones' have to go and get fruit/cake etc to present to the wife. If the groom doesn't have enough i.e. the amount agreed between the two then the wife may not allow him into her house and the marriage can be called off. I also have the responsibility of being everywhere the groom is throughout the ceremony and get to wear a tie and a special coat so people recognise this!haha.Today i was also given the task of being the designated photo taker and they are nicely allowing me to used my own camera and memory card and allowing me to wait painfully as i download the photos!what a pain in the arse.looking forward to the wedding in general though!
anyway that was pretty much a summary of what ive been up to in the past month and a bit. this internet place is ridiculously hot and if i sit here much longer i might mellt/die so need to make a move.
hope everyone is ok back at home and i now actually have pictures so will get some up asap!
love to all X
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