55 on the motorway

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Sunday 22nd August 2010

The P family conclude their 4 week trip to Thailand and Cambodia with a fair bit of travelling.

After nearly 3 weeks in Cambodia, we decided we had seen enough and wanted to head back across the border into Thailand. We had planned to stay 2 days in Battambong, as it was listed in the Lonely Planet as the 4th most visited place in Cambodia, but shortly after we had arrived there we just felt we'd had enough. The poverty is fairly relentless. I do wish I could go back to Cambodia in 100 years' time and see for myself how the country changes after its terrible recent history.

So we caught a bus to the border from Battambong to Poipet, which John cheerily informed us was known as the armpit of Asia, and filled in all the necessary forms and smiled in all the right places. You may have to pay a premium to enter the country (1,000 Baht each = 20 pounds ish) but leaving is free. As soon as we got across the border the whole atmosphere lifted, as Thailand is so much more prosperous. Clean buses! Roads! Trees! Toilets!

A tout collared us and we ended up driving all the way to Bangkok in a minibus with quite a few other farangs and not a lot of space. And we broke down once as well, but we were dropped off on the Khao San Road and had found a nice hotel by 8:30pm. Plenty of time for another amazing street stall pork noodle soup.

So we've spent the last couple of days on the beautiful Vond Deurn resort on the island of Ko Samet and had a real holiday, swimming in the warm sea, lounging on deckchairs under the trees on the beach, eating candellit meals on the beach with the waves at our feet, admiring the birds and the butterflies and some super lizards too. We also went snorkelling (AT LAST!) and Ruby got stung by a jellyfishso it was all very exciting indeed.

This will be our last evening on our holiventure and we're happy to be here very close to the Khao San Road, but not actually in it!How it has changed in 20 years. Tomorrow we'll be up just after 5 to get a taxi to the airport for 6am, then it's a long day of travelling ahead. Luckily we are scheduled to have only 2 hours at the dreaded Delhi airport. When I've got over the jet lag I'll be writing up some of our highlights so stay tuned adn we look forward to seeing you all when we get home.

lots of love from Jenny, John, (ages withheld) Chlo‰ and Ruby xxxx

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