Cambodia!

Asia » Cambodia
April 2nd 2010

Published: April 3rd 2010

Helloooo.

So, since our last entry we have joined our GAP adventures tour that left from Bangkok. We are in Vietnam now... in Danang, but that is for another entry!

So we flew into Bangkok (uneventfully - to our complete suprise!) and got to the hotel a few hours early, we had to meet our tour guide at 6. Obviously, SOPHIE hadn't any passport photos with her - and we needed them for our Cambodian visa the following day. At which point we had to hit Bangkok in a search. Bangkok is quite overwhelming - huge and big. So we ended up making a deal with a tuk tuk driver that he would give us a ride for 10 baht (about 20p) if we would go and pretend to want to buy the silk ties in a shop that he gets commission from. It was pretty amusing, to be honest; but we are 99% sure that the shop assistants knew we weren't going to buy anything. Especially with their arguably sarcastic "yes, ok, we'll see you tomorrow then.."
Anyway, so we eventually found the photos in a massive (crazy and stupid) shopping centre. Sophie isn't here so i can admit that she looks very hilarious, almost like an old woman.

We met the group at 6, most of which are British, and went out for dinner which was nice. Had our first Pad Thai that was actually Thai. Yum. We then went to the 'night market' in Bangkok. What a mistake... very pretty dresses though. And went to the 'night entertainment' which ultimately consisted of Thai girls and boys prancing about the stage singing Britney Spears and dancing like looneys. Fascinating.

Our start was early, but we didnt mind much because the hotel was loveellly. No scummy hostels for us just yet! And we sat down for a 3 hour bus ride to the border...

We eventually got to Siem Reap - our first stop in Cambodia. We went out for a meal with the group and realised we loved Siem Reap and made a pact that we would go out the following night to 'bar street'. There were lots of other travellers there which we thought would be fun.

The following day most people collaborated together to go to the Angkor temples at sunrise and then see them during the day, but we thought it would be more fun and cheaper in a tuk tuk... so we decided a later start! The temples were gorgeous, and it was boiling. The 'free water' that the tuktuk driver promised us in exchange for an extra dollar turned out to be one 500ml bottle between the two of us because 'someone had stolen his water'. HM. Anyway, so we managed to get through all the temples by about 2pm. We had to give the driver a tip - on his demand, because he had 'told us the stories'. PSH. We didn't take his advice on the amount though, to keep some dignity! He was nice anyway.

So we had some lunch in Siem Reap and decided to go to one of the beauty parlors (or so they say, read on...) to get our nails done. Sophie has no fingernails so i decided to go for a manicure while she chose a pedi. Sophies was perfectly nice, whereas my stupid lady decided to first get some toe nail clippers and remove my nails entirely, and then proceed to file the lack of nail and raw skin. FAB.

So, we kept our promise and went out that night. Such a good time actually, the bars stayed open til the early hours - Western style! But we had a 'dr fish' massage at 2am (basically, letting fish in a paddling pool eat your dead skin). Bizarre. It was good fun, though we felt like death the next day when we got up....

So, after a long bus journey we arrived in Phnom Pehn, which is the capital of Cambodia. We went straight to our hotel - which was relatively in the centre, and went out for dinner.

The next day we went with everyone to the killing fields and S21 (an old prison from Pol Pots regime). It wasn't nice at all, there was still blood on the ceilings. But it was really interesting all the same. Definately worth visiting, if a bit of a downer.

That afternoon we went off on our own. Had a look around Phnom Pehn, a lunch of noodles and a ponder around the Central and Russian markets. The Russian market was a bit smelly to be honest - but we found some lovely things there; and had some delicious noodles outside. The trouble translating what we wanted ended up being worth it. It turns out that often the cheaper food is much more yummy anyway... and this was about a dollar.
That night we didn't intend to go out, but we did... Phnom Pehn wasn't quite as enjoyable as Siem Reap, but it turned out to be a bit of a laugh. There are a lot of prostitutes around everywhere - though that could be said for anywhere here really. Its quite funny.

The next day we headed for Sinoukville - miles away! On the coast. It was a beach resort ultimately, and very touristy. We didn't mind though, after having been in land for awhile. The local beach was a nightmare - beggars everywhere. We took a boat out to some islands to snorkel and have a beach bbq the next day. It was very pretty, although the snorkelling didn't prove as clear as Sri Lanka.
We managed to get our clothes washed with the hotel here too! We were ecstatic, the bucket washes don't quite suffice! We are still continuing to wash our knickers in the sink however, which is just charming. I'm sure you'll agree.

We hit Vietnam the next day, which will follow in the next blog!

xxxxxxxxxx

Copyright Notice: All Rights Reserved