Phnom Penh,Tombraider Temples in Siem Reap, and a Last Goodbye to Bangkok!

---

Day Eleven

This morning we got up in time for our mid-morning flight out of Chiang Mai, bound for Phnom Penh in Cambodia, via Bangkok. Unfortunately our flight was delayed for about 1 ½ hours, and by the time we got to Bangkok, we were met by ground staff to escort us to our next flight at top speed. Even with my knee injury still causing considerable pain and slowing me down when they wanted us to run from one end of the terminal to the other, we still managed to make it on board without them having to hold the flight for us. Phew! Finally arriving in Phnom Penh, we jumped in a tuk tuk and headed for our hotel. The trip took about 15 minutes, and even in that time, the differences between Thailand and Cambodia were already glaringly obvious. Cambodia had a dry (not humid) heat, and was much warmer, with dust covering almost everything – even the sealed roads were still somehow overwhelmingly dusty. There was rubbish everywhere, and it was obvious that Cambodia was kind of like Thailand’s “poor cousin”, which I found surprising considering they were right next to each other. The level of poverty was clearly more extreme, there were beggars everywhere, and although it was interesting, it was far more heartbreaking than being in Thailand. We made it safely to our hotel by which time it was very late afternoon. We relaxed in our room for a while, as it was nice for us to be staying somewhere a little more lush for a change, and we knew that the heat was still pretty intense outside even at the later hour. As darkness fell we decided to head to the riverfront as it was about a 15 minute walk away. We passed the National Museum and the Royal Palace, walked through a couple of small parks, and noticed loads of bats flying around the trees in the dusk, which we had never seen before. The parks seemed to be the gathering place for homeless people to bed down for the night, and although it didn’t feel unsafe, we didn’t really loiter around for too long. We noticed that the Cambodian people spoke better English than those in Thailand, and that there was also a heavy French influence in their architecture (and many of their street names were also French), which stemmed from the arrival of the French missionaries around 1850, and the French colonial occupation that took place shortly after this (please correct me if I don't have my facts right). The Asia/French combination was really interesting, and something I hadn't really thought about, or expected.

We wandered down the promenade at the waterfront, but it was difficult to see the river in the dark. There were several party boats out on the water, and the street vendors were already in full swing for the evening – the area was quite busy as many locals sat along the waterfront just chatting, which was lined with flagpoles flying the flags of all the countries in the world, to try and catch a bit of breeze – the area was quite pleasant overall, and we passed many waterfront bars and restaurants (although many restaurants were closed), finally deciding to stop in at one place with happy hour cocktails for US$1.75 each (so cheap), and a nice view out over the street. After a couple of drinks we went down to try our first sample of Cambodian street food, and made a vendor's day by buying half their dishes because Vaughan was hungry. The food was fantastic, cheap and tasty (meatball and vegetable noodle dishes, mainly), and we sat down to eat at one of their dodgy plastic tables on some even dodgier plastic chairs, in the middle of the footpath. When Vaughan left a big tip, they were fighting back tears, and seemed so grateful. We had enjoyed our meal, and noticed that there was a subtle difference between the Thai and Cambodian food – most Cambodian food seems more vegetable based, and the sauces are a little plainer somehow, but they seemed to use more spices, especially lemongrass – yum! From there we decided to head back to our hotel, but wandered slowly, looking at the architecture on the way back, stopping at a couple of amazing places, and even accidentally entering a monastery area to look at another. A boy monk of about twelve came out to talk to us when he saw that we were interested – his level of English was excellent, and he was very keen to tell us about the building we were looking at (about 90 - 100 years old and built by the French, it had now become a part of his monastery complex). It was really interesting, and we were getting a positive feel for the nature of the Cambodian people. We continued back towards the hotel but then turned back as we heard the start of a large fireworks display begin at the riverfront area we had just come from. By the time we got there we managed to see the end of the display, and discovered that it was New Year! That answered our question from earlier about why a lot of the restaurants and markets were shut at a time we would have expected them to be in full swing. We returned to our hotel and just chilled out in front of the TV for a while – it had been a hot but interesting first day (well, afternoon at least) in Phnom Penh, and we were looking forward to our plans for the next day.



Day Twelve

We woke up and grabbed something to eat at the hotel, before heading out into the street, looking for a tuk tuk driver to take us around the city for the morning. Of course, we only had to walk to the corner before we were bombarded with a million offers of “You want a tuk tuk?”, so we jumped on board one and had a chat to the driver, organising a trip to S21 Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, the Killing Fields, and the shooting range (yes, an ironic combination, I know). Sweet – we were on our way! It took about 10 minutes to get to the genocide museum, and our driver parked in the shade to wait for us while we went in. The museum was originally built to be a school, but was taken over by the Khmer Rouge before it opened and was turned into a prison (called S21), where they tortured people before sending them out to the Killing Fields. Some of the photos on the walls (of tortured prisoners) were quite graphic, and it was a pretty sombre experience overall, especially when we reached the area with the photos of the faces of all the people whose deaths they had managed to conclude had occurred in S21, including many children. Out of 17,000 prisoners, there were only seven known survivors, and their stories (also displayed at the museum) were fascinating but overwhelming. It was intense to see some of the upper floors of the buildings still covered in barbed wire, to stop prisoners from jumping to their deaths (it was left there on purpose for people to see), and to see the outdoor jungle gym type equipment where children had never had the opportunity to play, but had eventually been used hang prisoners upside-down for long periods of time, as part of the torture activities. It was a beautiful (hot) sunny day, but it was difficult to enjoy the weather in that environment, and I sat outside for while, feeding the birds, while Vaughan finished up looking around inside. It’s certainly not the first place we have visited where such atrocities occurred, and I am certain it won’t be the last, but I will never be able to understand the justification for that kind of treatment of any being on the face of this amazing planet.

It was so hot that we had already gone through two large bottles of water, so we jumped back on the tuk tuk, picked up some more water and then headed out to the Thunder Ranch Shooting Range, which was out on the edge of a military base by the airport. We had read about the shooting range just a couple of days prior to our arrival in Phnom Penh, and once Vaughan heard that he might be able to fire a rocket launcher, there was no way we could miss it. Clearly security wasn’t really an issue as we cruised through the checkpoint with a wave, and pulled up at the shooting range next to a tank and some missiles. We leapt out, and as we were the only visitors there, the boys who were working were all keen for a chat and a photo with Vaughan (because he was about twice their size), which was pretty amusing. They took us over to their display wall full of guns to choose from – they weren’t shut away or anything, and the hand guns were already fully loaded and ready to go. Crazy! I chose an average-looking 9mm hand gun of some variety, but Vaughan couldn’t decide which machine gun he wanted to try. He ended up picking an M18 because (as the local boys were saying) “it’s the Rambo gun!” – nice logic! I was up first, shooting the handgun at a target in the distance, pinned up against a rock wall. It was loads of fun, but pretty much as I had expected actually. I was glad I had a go, but wasn’t really willing to try anything bigger. Then it was Vaughan’s turn with the M18, and I forgot to put my earmuffs on before he started firing – man it was so much louder than I had expected! Vaughan shot at a similar target, switching between single shot and fully automatic to see what it was like, laughing like a loony the whole time. The locals seemed to get a kick out of Vaughan’s excitement, but when he had finished, Vaughan surprised me by saying he didn’t want to fire the rocket launcher because it was too expensive (for the round). I thought it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, but Vaughan seemed happy with his M18 experience, and we headed back outside, stopping for Vaughan and our tuk tuk driver to pose for photos on top of a tank.

From there we headed to the Killing Fields of Cheung Ek, a former orchard turned execution site for the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 – 1979. Mass graves (containing about 9000 bodies) were discovered there after the fall of the regime, and today a glass stupa (Buddhist memorial) containing around 5000 skulls marks the entrance to the site. We began by viewing the skulls in the stupa, and as I stood there, a local middle-aged lady stepped up next to me and began to weep openly, almost hysterically, trying to touch the skulls while her elderly mother held her back. It was pretty intense, and I wanted to say something (anything) to help, but I couldn’t really find the words, and I just stood there watching her for a minute or two. What is the right thing to say anyway? I reached out my hand and patted her shoulder as I left them to it. The site overall was a beautiful and peaceful place to be out in the countryside, if not for the ugly history of what had happened there. Vaughan and I walked around the mass grave area, stopping at a couple of places where you could still see preserved clothing, teeth and bones of those who had suffered at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, and also at a tree near the centre of the grave site, where women and children were executed. It was certainly an experience I will never forget. There was a small museum also, mainly devoted to information regarding the punishment of the leaders of the Khmer Rouge movement, so we stopped here on the way out for a break from the sun. From there we decided to head back and eat a late lunch, as it was well into the afternoon by then, and I wasn’t feeling that well from being out in the heat for so long, so I was glad that we didn’t really have anything planned for the rest of the day, and I just relaxed at the hotel for a while. Vaughan spent his time sorting out some bus tickets for the next day for our trip north to Siem Reap, and wandering around the local shanty shops, trying local snacks and buying more water supplies. By mid-evening I was feeling a bit better so we ventured out for some dinner, and ended up back down by the riverfront where Vaughan tried some more street food from various vendors as we wandered along, although he wasn’t game enough to try the fried beetles or other insects. We eventually ate dinner at the same place on the street that we had eaten the night before, which again was pretty easy, tasty and pleasant. It was pretty relaxed in general, and we were both glad of the cooler night temperatures, despite the fact that it was still pretty warm. We walked in the opposite direction along the riverfront and watched a few giant rats foraging around the waterline, before deciding to cruise around in a tuk tuk again and heading back to the hotel afterwards, instead of walking. It had been a really interesting and emotional but successful day, and we both appreciated the experiences that Phnom Penh had to offer.



Day Thirteen

Today we had a bit of a sleep in and then headed to the riverfront area again, to catch our bus to Siem Reap, in Northern Cambodia. It took about six hours, and began on a two-lane highway, which soon turned into a dusty, bumpy one-lane road, and seemed completely out of place for the amount of traffic trying to use it. We headed around a large lake out into the countryside, over bridges and past rural (and very basic) river houses, into a desert-like area, where lone palms grew sporadically in the barren environment. Every so often we would drive through a tiny rural town (usually next to the river), where street vendors were selling slices of cacti or watermelon. Large crops of banana trees came and went, and as we finally neared Siem Reap, these eventually gave way to lush tropical forest. The bus was incredibly hot and uncomfortable, and we were grateful to finally arrive in Siem Reap in the early evening.

We grabbed a tuk tuk and zoomed through the small town area and down a red dusty dirt lane to where we were staying, which was kind of like a cross between a low quality backpackers and B&B. Even at that time of day it was so incredibly hot outside, so the hostel offered free tuk tuk rides to and from the main street, which was really handy, and we headed back out for a look around the town as darkness fell. We stopped at one outdoor kiosk for some more cheap cocktails, and then moved onto a Mexican eatery where we met an Australian couple who were part of a tour. They both seemed a little mental and not quite with it (sorry Aussie friends), so after a couple of yummy appetizers, we managed to escape, and continued wandering around the few main streets, looking for somewhere to hire a scooter. We quickly discovered that tourists can’t hire scooters in Siem Reap, as previously, many tourists have scootered around the Angkor Archaeological Park and gone off-road (ie: not kept to the roads/tracks) and unfortunately added to the destruction of this fragile UNESCO world heritage site. Fair enough! We stopped for dinner at another street vendor eatery (with cheap plastic seating), and had a tasty dinner, although we didn’t feel that it was as flavoursome as the street food we had tasted in Phnom Penh. There were a number of tourists wandering around but surprisingly this included a number of Cambodian people from other parts of the country, who were on holiday due to the New Year break. There were a lot of places to have a “fish massage”, where you sit with your feet in a tank of fish while the fish nibble off any dead skin – it seemed popular with both locals and tourists, and a number of businesses had tanks outside to choose from. We decided to give it a go, and joined a group of four young Cambodian guys, who were hysterically funny, screaming and giggling as the fish swam around their feet. The feeling of the fish was much more ticklish than I had imagined, and it took me a long time to be able to keep my feet in the water for more than a few seconds. It was quite amusing, and we started making jokes with the Cambodian guys, who were on holiday from university in Phnom Penh, and seemed keen to talk to us. We all got a free beer with our fish massage (of course), and one of the boys ventured across the road to buy local-style sweet crepes for all of us, which was really nice of him.

When our time was up we headed to the local Irish bar (of course there was an Irish bar, just like there was a Mexican eatery, as Siem Reap is geared up for the tourist market) where there was a live band playing, and we sat at one of the outdoor tables and had another cocktail. It was quite nice just relaxing to the music, but it wasn’t too long before the local kids were sent on their nightly rounds to beg from the tourists, although I didn’t give them a hard time about it. Despite the tourism aspect of Siem Reap, I liked it’s laid back atmosphere, and Vaughan and I were both really looking forward to visiting the Angkor Archaeological Park the next day.



Day Fourteen

Today we got up early with the intention of getting into the Archaeological Park maybe for sunrise, or at least before it got too hot, but by the time we ate breakfast, sorted out a tuk tuk and messed around, it was already mid-morning, sunny, and getting hotter by the minute. Our tuk tuk driver drove us the 2km to the ticketing area where we got sorted out and headed into the park – the roads were well-sealed and the trees were large and shady. The total area of the park was quite large, and it’s very grassy so there is plenty of space for everyone. Because it was still the New Year holidays, there were local families out all over the place with picnics and bicycles, just relaxing in the fresh air. Vaughan and I found that riding in the tuk tuk meant a small breeze on our faces, which was the only respite as the day continued to heat up. As we only really had a day (or maybe two if we wanted to go back the next day), we decided just to see some of the main parts of the park, but we really would have liked to have spent more time there, just wandering around on our own among the temple ruins, especially if we had gone at a cooler time of year, if there is such a thing. We started off to one side of the park, stopping first at Banteay Kdei (roughly translating as “Citadel of Chambers”, or “Citadel of Monks’ Cells”), it is a small temple built around the late 12th/early 13th centuries. It was in considerable ruin and made for some fantastic photos, although you really had to look where you were walking to avoid tripping over. I liked the ramshackle nature of the stone work lying everywhere, and despite the fact that many people would like to see it restored in the future, I really appreciated it just as it was. Surrounded by giant shady trees and colourful chirping birds, and with the invasion of busloads of tourists still a little way off, the area really was quite peaceful and beautiful in a way that many of the larger temples were not. It was a fantastic introduction to the park!

From there we jumped back into the tuk tuk and zoomed off again to Ta Prohm (also from the 12th/13th centuries, originally built as a university and monastery), the place I had most wanted to visit on our trip, where giant silk cotton tree roots had intertwined with the stone work of the temples over time. Unfortunately, parts of it were under restoration, although the difference between the restored work (absolutely incredible), and the unrestored work (crumbling and dangerous) was really quite a sight! The temples must be such hard work to upkeep, but the final result is surely so incredibly rewarding when it’s unveiled! We were pretty lucky really, as when we arrived, there were a number of tourist groups milling around outside the main structures, but for most of the time we poked around inside, we had the place to ourselves. It was fantastic to once again have such a peaceful time amongst the beautiful stone buildings and the huge leafy trees, imagining what life might have been like back when it was all built, and staring in awe at the way the trees had managed to entangle themselves so fully around the buildings with time. Just magical!

Making our way back to the tuk tuk, we jumped back on board while our driver bought cold water for all of us (at the local rate), which was really nice. We headed off once again down the tree-lined road, and stopped shortly afterwards at Ta Keo, a tall “temple mountain”, and possibly the first built out of sandstone, dating from the 10th century. Apparently the building was never fully completed, as it was struck by lightning, which was seen as a bad omen in those times. The real tourist hordes began to set in, and it was so incredibly hot that I didn’t feel like venturing up the tower (it’s much taller than it looks), but Vaughan went on his own mission and managed to make it to the top in about 15 minutes or so. Nice work! From there we were dropped off Angkor Thom, a large complex made up of multiple buildings/temples, surrounded by crumbling walls, and started off at the Terrace of the Leper King, making arrangements with our tuk tuk driver to meet him down at Bayon (another temple) in about 1 ½ hours. We bought some more water and sat in the shade for a while, looking at our little map and deciding where to head off to first, as there were a number of structures within close proximity. We walked through the Terrace of Elephants, which has seriously degraded over time leaving only the foundations and a line (terrace) of elephant carvings that were once attached to a temple. Apparently this long terrace was once used as a viewing stand for ceremonies and different events. We stopped every few minutes to sit in the shade, as the heat baking up off the stonework and pathways was growing more intense by the minute. It was really nice amongst the grass, trees and random fallen stonework, but we certainly could have done with it being about 10 degrees cooler at least, as despite their close proximity, it was still a bit of a trek around the different structures – the archaeological park was so much larger than we had imagined! After wandering past the ponds of the old royal palace, we made it over to the Baphuon, which was another (3-tiered) temple mountain, built in the 11th century. It was very impressive, and looked as if it had probably been used as the backdrop for a million movies. The Baphuon was off-limits for climbing though, so we just slowly walked around it and then moved down through the park eventually making it to Bayon (built late 12th/early 13th centuries), known for its many stone faces. We sat in the shade against the cool stones for a while – I really wanted to photograph the faces of Bayon, but the heat was getting to me (did I mention it was hot?), so I stayed in the relative coolness of the indoor breezeways, dousing myself with water while Vaughan climbed ahead. He ended up getting lost amongst the faces, and was in a bit of a bad mood when he returned because of the heat. We decided to escape for a while and get something to eat, and we found our tuk tuk driver napping on his tuk tuk in the shade, so we zapped off for the main area outside Angkor Wat – it took us several minutes to get there, and still, despite the heat, I found it so beautiful – so many trees, lillypad-covered ponds, and happy people picnicking on lush grass, all with these incredible temples as a backdrop. It really was an amazing place, and one I will always be grateful to have visited.

We wandered around all the tourist-type cafés (not really cafes as such, but much more posh than the street vendors down the other end), but we didn’t really fancy anything made for westerners as such, so we sat down and chatted with a street vendor, this time trying a vegetarian meal which included noodles, vegetables and a breadlike item, almost like a fried English muffin, stuffed with spinach and local spices – it was sooooo good! And cheap! Who needs tourist joints, right?! Although from there we did go into the main tourist building to pretend we were shopping, so that we could hang out in the air conditioning for about 15 minutes. We were looking forward to seeing the main structure of Angkor Wat which was just across the road, so we ventured over there, and man, was it hot by now?! Everywhere you looked you could see people with sun umbrellas or holding bandanas or clothing over their heads, to escape the extreme temperatures. The sun was beating down something fierce, and as we walked out over the bridge across the large reflection pool (before we even got to the main Angkor Wat structure), we had both practically slowed to a crawl, and it felt like we were trekking across the desert. The outside temperature was about 37C (100F), but with the heat and sun reflecting off the stones, I’d say it was easily 45C (113F) and way too hot for us after four hours or so. We plodded along the walkway to Angkor Wat, feeling like time had slowed down. When I stopped to take a photo, Vaughan went ahead, not willing to be out in the sun for even one minute longer than necessary. We finally made it into the actual Angkor Wat structure, which was so amazing and massive. The stone carvings and architecture were so grand, and it was really impressive. One drawback though was that there were SO many tourists in this area (as it is the main/largest temple in the park), plus it was kind of surrounded by it’s own large grass areas that it didn’t really have many trees around, and I decided that I appreciated the previous quiet ruined temples among the trees much more. Despite the fact that this was the main temple, we actually only spent a few minutes here, as we were kind of over the heat, and neither of us were feeling that well – we were wondering if (after four hours) we were starting to suffer from a bit of heatstroke, so we decided to head back into Siem Reap. By that time it was really only other Cambodian tourists and locals who were out in the sun – obviously the rest of us were a bit soft to be wandering around at that time of day!

We made it back to where we were staying and I relaxed for a while and wrote some more postcards. Vaughan wandered up the road to sort out the bus tickets for our trip back to Phnom Penh a couple of days later. By the time he returned he was feeling really unwell, but he had managed to bring back a big stockpile of water, which was helpful. We pretty much lay in our room with the air conditioning on full blast (until it leaked down the walls and started overflowing into the bathroom), and Vaughan had a big nap while I watched TV. We both downed several litres of water, and once it was dark we decided to head out for some dinner, albeit at a much slower pace than earlier in the day – it was still incredibly warm outside, and we stopped at an outdoor restaurant down the street, for a cold drink on our way into the town. Once we got right into town (it was only about a 10 or 15 minute walk away) we couldn’t decide where to go for dinner, so we ended up stopping off in a small modern alleyway style mall, where there were a few newer restaurants and ever-cheap cocktails, and we just randomly sat down at once place selling local cuisine, in a slightly more up market fashion than from our usual street vendor style. We ordered cocktails and sat under the large buzzing fans before finally ordering some dinner, which was absolutely fantastic! Local curries in all their tasty glory! We were careful not to drink too much (alcohol) since neither of us was really feeling 100% after our overheated day, and we stopped off at the corner store on our way back, to buy even more water, as well as a few post-dinner snacks for Vaughan. We turned in early, to try and relax and recover from the day. Phew!



Day Fifteen

Today we weren’t sure whether to return to the Angkor Archaeological Park, or just take it easy, but we ended up voting for taking it easy, as we still didn’t really seem to be on the ball as far as recovery from the previous day was concerned. We went downstairs for breakfast (this was included in the room rate – one banana, two eggs and three pieces of toast with jam – very random), before using the free internet computers to catch up on things back home and around the world. We mostly took things easy in our room (in the air conditioning), drinking heaps of water, but eventually missioned back out to the town to post our postcards and grab some lunch. The large old town market was open, so we spent a while walking around in there amongst all the cheap clothes, pots and pans, and various bric-a-brac. It was hot and intense in the depths of the market, as there was no fresh air (or air flow in general), and it was easy to get lost, but it really was a fantastic view into Cambodian market life. We found the fresh food section (you could smell it before you got to it), where locals traded meat, fruit and vegetables, all jabbering at 100 decibels and 100km/hr, which seemed so interesting and colourful. Vaughan saw a selection of local BBQ metal work (ie: the same system we had seen in Pai, Thailand when we ate dinner one night), and he wanted to buy one to take back to New Zealand, but couldn’t make up his mind. In the end we went down the street to a casual outdoor restaurant and ordered local spring rolls to munch on for a mid-afternoon snack, as we hadn’t had any lunch. By this time, Vaughan had decided to go back to the market and buy a little metal BBQ, so I ordered a cocktail (yes, I know it’s a theme, but they were just so cheap over there), and waited for him to get back. We sat for a little longer and ordered another drink, before heading back to where we were staying.

Just before 6pm we grabbed a tuk tuk and headed up the road to the local orphanage for one of their song/dance performances – you can pay for the performance by way of donations to the school, or by bringing school supplies. Unfortunately as it was still the New Year holiday, the kids had organized a larger show elsewhere, so we headed back to the place we had been at earlier in the day and had another drink before ordering some dinner, which included a duck curry (something I’d never had before) – the duck dish was a really interesting range of flavours, and not as rich as I had feared. I was really glad I had tried it! From there we headed back to the corner store and bought a few little souvenirs before having a walk around a few of the streets that we hadn’t yet seen. It took a total of about 20 minutes to walk around all the main streets/areas of Siem Reap, but it was nice. We could feel a thunderstorm approaching and the wind started to pick up, so we headed back to our accommodation, and just in time too! The sky opened up and the rain poured down, with intense thunder and lightning to boot. The entranceway to our building began to flood, and the employees quickly dragged everyone’s shoes inside (you have to leave your shoes at the main door), and secured the ‘walls’ of the open-sided reception area, to protect the computers. The thunder was so loud, and it went on for ages. We were treated to another fork lighting show right outside our window, which, while impressive, did keep us awake into the wee small hours.



Day Sixteen

Today we were leaving not just Siem Reap, but Cambodia as well, and we managed to get our breakfast in at a leisurely pace before eventually heading for the bus. It was a bit of a mission as we had to change buses at another depot and wait around for forever while they loaded on engine parts and motorbikes under the bus. The bus was a lot older, but also a lot taller, and with the bumpy road, being up that bit higher meant a lot more swaying around. The air conditioning was in a really sad state, and the trip seemed to take forever. It was much worse than the trip we had taken on the way up, and it was difficult to enjoy the scenery. Even Vaughan looked sick! We were grateful when we pulled in for the one rest stop, and I bought some fruit from a roadside vendor, from a lady who spoke no English whatsoever, but seemed incredibly grateful for my custom. It was a nice break. We headed off again on the bus about 20 minutes later and quite frankly we couldn’t wait to arrive back in Phnom Penh. The bus trip was taking its toll and once we arrived at the drop off point, we jumped in a tuk tuk and zoomed off to the airport as fast as we could. The fresh air (and just being off the bus in general) was good, and we were both feeling a bit better as we checked in to depart. We had a bit of time before we were due to leave, so Vaughan ventured across the road to buy more street food (chicken), which we ate with a bread stick (actually, a French stick – there goes that French influence again), before finally going through customs and making our flight back to Bangkok. Once in Bangkok we headed back to Siam Square, as we were staying at the hostel we had previously visited – easy! Of course, there was more street food on the agenda for Vaughan, and we made sure we got a little bit of everything that was on sale, for our last night in Bangkok. Only 24 hours to go and we would be heading for home.



Day Seventeen

Today we got up and checked out of our hostel, leaving our gear stored with them while we headed for the river to see what we could see about taking some type of boat tour. Our tuk tuk driver somehow managed to drop us at the wrong pier (considering we wanted to go to Chang Pier, which is pretty much the main one, it was a bit bizarre, as the fare was the same price either way) – nevermind, we jumped on a ferry boat and headed down the river, arriving at Chang Pier a lot later than we had anticipated. We weren’t sure if we had time to really do any type of river boat cruise, but we managed to negotiate a lower price for an hour-long ride in a long-tailed river boat, just for us. These boats have jet engines on the back (I think), and go like the clappers! The only problem is that they can’t turn at high speed, as they can capsize easily. The overall ride was really loud, but fun, and we shot past the old capital buildings at Thonburi (on the other side of the river), which looked really impressive! We zoomed into the canals to have a look at some of the river houses that I had heard about, although we didn’t have time to go very far up the canals. It was pleasant just cruising around, having a look at the different styles of people’s homes, with many families hanging out on their tiny back jetty areas in the nice weather. Many upmarket homes also had a kind of boathouse out the back, which seemed to have seating and outdoor cooking facilities – it looked like a more relaxed lifestyle than living in an apartment right in the city. A lady pulled up next to us in her boat, like a single floating market, and we bought some jack fruit and a drink. The jack fruit was this crazy yellow fruit, almost like soft plastic in texture and consistency. It was strange to eat but had a heavenly sweet tropical flavour, and we munched away on the fruit as we continued to cruise the canals. It was much cooler being out on the water (even in the tiny narrow canals), and it was a really pleasant ride. Soon enough though it was time to head back, and we disembarked from the boat finding that Chang Pier had become an incredibly crazy busy market place, with nice food and bric-a-brac for sale everywhere. The food all looked so tasty and it was interesting wandering around with locals, monks and tourists alike. We left the riverfront and jumped in a taxi, collecting our items from the hostel and heading off for the airport. We arrived in plenty of time, and settled in for the uneventful long haul back home.

Thanks Thailand, and thanks Cambodia – we had some incredible experiences and outstanding food (and cocktails). It was certainly an experience we will never forget, but you can keep your intensely hot weather for yourselves. Next time, we might head for colder climes. Only time will tell. In the meantime we have the Cambodian BBQ ready to go in the backyard this summer, so make sure you drop by. And if you made it this far, thanks for reading – seriously! xx

---

Photos

Amazing old colonial-style building, Phnom Penh
A young monk boy came out to talk to us and told us that the building was almost 100 years old, and that it is a very important within the monastery complex

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Phnom Penh
This was built to be a school, but was taken over by the Khmer Rouge as a prison (called S21), where they tortured people before sending them out to the Killing Fields

Angkor Wat (plus scaffolding), Angkor Archaeological Park, Siem Reap
It was about 37 degrees Celsius in the sun, and about 45 degrees Celsius or so with the heat baking up off the paving. No wind, very intense! I think we almost died from heatstroke here ;)