Cambodia
Cambodia rocks! Been here for the past 5 days and it's been great. Wasn't expecting it to be so touristy though. And it's certainly not cheap, compared to Vietnam or Thailand. Had expected Cambodia to be cheap and super dodgy, but noo. The fact that USD is the main currency doesn't help either.
Arrived in Phnom Penh by boat after spending one night in Chau Doc. It was a 4 hour ride with only 1 toilet stop, at the Cambodian border about an hour from where we left. Wasn't too bad at all though. Phnom Penh was, as I said, a lot more touristy and westernised than I had expected. It's even more westernised than Vietnam. And I must say that I felt safer crossing the road here than I was in Vietnam. At least there aren't as many motorbikes here.
The first day we were there we had lunch at a place called The Green Vespa, owned by an Irish guy. The food was pretty good and it was SO good to eat chicken again! Avril and I walked to the bookshop and around the Grand Palace afterwards. We were gonna go in but it was closed.
On the second day, we went to the S21 prison and the Killing Fields. I didn't know much about Cambodian history but man, what a sad country. The excursion was even more disturbing than when I visited Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. It was absolutely inhuman what they did to the people here. And I hadn't expected the Khmer Rouge soldiers to be so young (between 10-20 years old)! It was definitely a very, umm, sobering experience. The worse thing is that a lot of them are still in power today. I don't know how the people here can accept it, but yet that's how things are in this country.
I had THE BEST dinner that night, at this restaurant called "Friends". It's a non-profit restaurant supporting the Cambodian youth and the food was absolutely beautiful. They did a lovely Raspberry and Vanilla shake as well.
Anyways, Siam Reap, where we are at the moment, is a lot more cheerful than Phnom Penh. We had an early start 2 days in a row. We had to leave the hotel in Phnom Penh at 5.30AM to catch the early flight to here, and yesterday we left at 5 to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat.
It's been awesome though. All the temples and ruins are amazing. Can't believe how many temples there are in this area! I found that Ta Phrom (the "Angelina Jolie" temple made famous in Tomb Raider) was particularly impressive, with the trees growing out of the temple.
Angkor Wat is massive. It was worth waking up early for, although I must admit that the sunrise was less dramatic than what I (and most others) had expected. Still, it's something you have to do while you're here!
There are a lot of kids here who always hound you and harass you to buy souvenirs wherever you go, and yesterday as we were walking to the restaurant from Angkor Wat, this little girl siad to Sue to "tell your daughter to buy postcards"- and she was referring to ME as her daughter! Because well, OBVIOUSLY we look alike. *rolls eyes*
Anyway, we went to the land mine museum afterwards (another sad place!), and went for a boat tour in the arvo which was pretty cool as well.
We had a pretty big night out last night. Went to a restaurant called "The Red Piano", followed by drinks at "Angkor What?". They served drinks in buckets and I only had few sips here and there, but still it was a good night. Some of the cocktails didn't even taste like alcohol. I suspect it was almost pure fruit juice.
I left at around 12.30ish (I think!) with Elise and Glen, and the others apparently followed only 5 minutes after because they were shutting the place.
Today has been a very easy day. I slept in until around 10.15 and caught a Tuk Tuk - I've become fond of the public transport, btw! - with Lesley and Avril to town for a massage and lunch. The traditional Khmer massage was really good. It's a bit like a combination between Thai and oil massage really.
We met up with Sue, Brian and Eimar for lunch just across the road afterwards at Blue Pumpkin, and man, what a cool place! It's a very posh restaurant and we could've been anywhere, really. We didn't feel like we were in Cambodia. Actually come to think of it, the "Angkor What?" bar last night also felt very western and packed with westerners that you could easily feel like you're somewhere else.
But anyway, Blue Pumpkin was awesome. All the furnitures are white, and we sat with our legs stretched out on this long, big, white couch with very comfy pillows and had our lunch on a folding table just like breakfast in bed. The food was lovely and they had a pretty big selection of ice cream (hmmm.. ice cream..) for dessert. I don't think they even have a place like that in Brissy!
After lunch we went to the market to have a look around. I ended up buying a scarf and a fridge magnet - had NOT planned to spend anymore money today for anything other than food! We then went back to the Blue Pumpkin and the girls bought some sandwiches for their long bus journey tomorrow. Popped over at the chemist - I LOVE going to chemists and looking at different stuff and buying stuff I don't really need. Anyway, I ended up with an Evian spritz for face and a loofah and a Tiger Balm. I had planned to buy a Tiger Balm in Bangkok anyway so at least it was a justified purchase.
We caught a Tuk Tuk to this internet cafe and are going to walk back to the hotel after this.
Can't believe this trip is almost over! The Thailand trip is beginning to feel like a distant memory and it feels like we've been on this trip for ages, although at the same time it's been really fast.
Arrived in Phnom Penh by boat after spending one night in Chau Doc. It was a 4 hour ride with only 1 toilet stop, at the Cambodian border about an hour from where we left. Wasn't too bad at all though. Phnom Penh was, as I said, a lot more touristy and westernised than I had expected. It's even more westernised than Vietnam. And I must say that I felt safer crossing the road here than I was in Vietnam. At least there aren't as many motorbikes here.
The first day we were there we had lunch at a place called The Green Vespa, owned by an Irish guy. The food was pretty good and it was SO good to eat chicken again! Avril and I walked to the bookshop and around the Grand Palace afterwards. We were gonna go in but it was closed.
On the second day, we went to the S21 prison and the Killing Fields. I didn't know much about Cambodian history but man, what a sad country. The excursion was even more disturbing than when I visited Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. It was absolutely inhuman what they did to the people here. And I hadn't expected the Khmer Rouge soldiers to be so young (between 10-20 years old)! It was definitely a very, umm, sobering experience. The worse thing is that a lot of them are still in power today. I don't know how the people here can accept it, but yet that's how things are in this country.
I had THE BEST dinner that night, at this restaurant called "Friends". It's a non-profit restaurant supporting the Cambodian youth and the food was absolutely beautiful. They did a lovely Raspberry and Vanilla shake as well.
Anyways, Siam Reap, where we are at the moment, is a lot more cheerful than Phnom Penh. We had an early start 2 days in a row. We had to leave the hotel in Phnom Penh at 5.30AM to catch the early flight to here, and yesterday we left at 5 to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat.
It's been awesome though. All the temples and ruins are amazing. Can't believe how many temples there are in this area! I found that Ta Phrom (the "Angelina Jolie" temple made famous in Tomb Raider) was particularly impressive, with the trees growing out of the temple.
Angkor Wat is massive. It was worth waking up early for, although I must admit that the sunrise was less dramatic than what I (and most others) had expected. Still, it's something you have to do while you're here!
There are a lot of kids here who always hound you and harass you to buy souvenirs wherever you go, and yesterday as we were walking to the restaurant from Angkor Wat, this little girl siad to Sue to "tell your daughter to buy postcards"- and she was referring to ME as her daughter! Because well, OBVIOUSLY we look alike. *rolls eyes*
Anyway, we went to the land mine museum afterwards (another sad place!), and went for a boat tour in the arvo which was pretty cool as well.
We had a pretty big night out last night. Went to a restaurant called "The Red Piano", followed by drinks at "Angkor What?". They served drinks in buckets and I only had few sips here and there, but still it was a good night. Some of the cocktails didn't even taste like alcohol. I suspect it was almost pure fruit juice.
I left at around 12.30ish (I think!) with Elise and Glen, and the others apparently followed only 5 minutes after because they were shutting the place.
Today has been a very easy day. I slept in until around 10.15 and caught a Tuk Tuk - I've become fond of the public transport, btw! - with Lesley and Avril to town for a massage and lunch. The traditional Khmer massage was really good. It's a bit like a combination between Thai and oil massage really.
We met up with Sue, Brian and Eimar for lunch just across the road afterwards at Blue Pumpkin, and man, what a cool place! It's a very posh restaurant and we could've been anywhere, really. We didn't feel like we were in Cambodia. Actually come to think of it, the "Angkor What?" bar last night also felt very western and packed with westerners that you could easily feel like you're somewhere else.
But anyway, Blue Pumpkin was awesome. All the furnitures are white, and we sat with our legs stretched out on this long, big, white couch with very comfy pillows and had our lunch on a folding table just like breakfast in bed. The food was lovely and they had a pretty big selection of ice cream (hmmm.. ice cream..) for dessert. I don't think they even have a place like that in Brissy!
After lunch we went to the market to have a look around. I ended up buying a scarf and a fridge magnet - had NOT planned to spend anymore money today for anything other than food! We then went back to the Blue Pumpkin and the girls bought some sandwiches for their long bus journey tomorrow. Popped over at the chemist - I LOVE going to chemists and looking at different stuff and buying stuff I don't really need. Anyway, I ended up with an Evian spritz for face and a loofah and a Tiger Balm. I had planned to buy a Tiger Balm in Bangkok anyway so at least it was a justified purchase.
We caught a Tuk Tuk to this internet cafe and are going to walk back to the hotel after this.
Can't believe this trip is almost over! The Thailand trip is beginning to feel like a distant memory and it feels like we've been on this trip for ages, although at the same time it's been really fast.
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