As far as people go I'd say I'm one of the luckiest. I may not have the looks of Claudia Schiffer or the brain of Steven Hawkins or indeed the entreprenerial skills of Richard Branson, but I do know some of the best people in the world and I've seen some really fantastic places and eaten some dam fine food. All that being the case, I still sometimes can't help feeling sad. Freezing my arse off on yet another red-eye, budget flight, but this time all by myself, is one of those occasions.
Life is great and this I know, but leaving the person you love at the airport to travel to the other side of the world still sucks! I can't turn to the old faithful security blanket they call coffee to help me out this time because I know from experience that drinking coffee with over 24 hours of travelling still to go only serves to bite you on the arse later. So there I was, in Kuala Lumpur airport, with 8 hours of the night still to wait, cradling a green tea and picking apart a club sandwich. I got the club even though I don't like chicken because it was the only sandwich on granary bread and I suddenly had an overwhelming craving for granary bread. I sat in the 24 hour Starbucks scrawling in my battered little notebook, dwelling on all the good things in my life so I didn't feel so sad. As I sat and dwelled and munched my sandwich (with the chicken all picked out), I couldn't believe how many people were sat engrossed in their laptops. Literally every single person in that Starbucks, it was like some kind of non-talking, computer-watching convention. Half of them had some kind of technological device I didn't even recognise! It seems a bizarre world to me as I watch people watch their screens. But then I am but a backwards Cornish lass who probably needs to catch up with the rest of the world. I bet they didn't feel sad, not with their laptops for company!
Touching down many hours later in Stansted was a wonderful moment - coming home! It was a bit grey, a bit drizzly. I wouldn't have had it any other way! I love England, don't ask me why because really I have no answer, but I do. I was amused to have come from countries where you arrive to signs warning of death for any drug traffickers. The UK landing card warns: 'If you break laws you could face imprisonment and removal.' Touch talk England, tough talk!
I arrived to see Celina's beautiful face clutching a much needed cup of coffee for my welcome home. I was feeling very patriotic and was delighted to see that London had pulled out all the stops for my return, union jacks lined the streets for me. Ok, maybe more for the Royal wedding, but I like to think they were a little bit for me too.
Since I've been home, everything delights me. I bounced into the train station to buy myself a ticket into central London once I left Celina's and my cheerful enthusiasm was met with a distainful, bored face that could only be seen on a Londoner. Yep, it's good to be home! I'm not entirely over my sadness, I miss Brett every single day. I wouldn't say that I feel like I'm missing a limb or anything because I'm still myself without him, it's just not quite the same. Not quite as good. To me, it's like having a really good cup of coffee in the morning, perfectly satisfactory by itself. But now, if you were to add a freshly baked pastry to go with that coffee, then you have a match made in heaven and everything is just that little bit better. To me, Brett is the freshly baked pastry. And in my world, that is love!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The last day :-(
Man alive, the last 4 days have gone by like 4 minutes and before I know it, we've checked out of our last guest house for the last time and got but a few hours until we're airport bound.
We've had awesome last few days in sunny Bali, we spent a couple of days in Kuta, then migrated over to Sanur (the posh side). We arrived at around mid-day (what's the point of not having to check out until 12pm unless you make full use of the room until then) and it was hot - dam hot! Everywhere affordable and nice seemed to be full which left us with scabby and expensive. Brett, like a knight in shining armor, missioned it down the road in the heat and found us a perfect guest house with a nice room, a pool, all very idyllic and tranquil , and also affordable! So there we've been staying - at the Swastika Guesthouse! I can't quite get used to saying we're staying at the Swastika Guesthouse, but the symbol did have nice connotations before it was tainted by the natsi (I have no idea how to spell natsi) swines so I guess it's kind of nice to go back to being positive about it.Yesterday we went on a beach crawl, today we're thinking a massage is in order.
Now, I feel I'm just rambling on - I feel all emotional. I've looked forward for so long to going home and I really can't wait to see everyone, but the reality of leaving Brett, who I've lived with for over a year now sucks! Stupid, sucky Australia - why does it have to be on the other side of the world?! I need a drink, a massage and a drink that's what! Anyway, might as well be positive - I have so much to look forward to in sunny England (and it better be sunny because the only shoes I own are flip flops). Plus, it's better to have him in the other side of the world than not have him at all!
So, pep talk to self done, positive thinking all the way! We have but a few hours left in Bali so I'm getting the hell off this computer and into the sunshine!
We've had awesome last few days in sunny Bali, we spent a couple of days in Kuta, then migrated over to Sanur (the posh side). We arrived at around mid-day (what's the point of not having to check out until 12pm unless you make full use of the room until then) and it was hot - dam hot! Everywhere affordable and nice seemed to be full which left us with scabby and expensive. Brett, like a knight in shining armor, missioned it down the road in the heat and found us a perfect guest house with a nice room, a pool, all very idyllic and tranquil , and also affordable! So there we've been staying - at the Swastika Guesthouse! I can't quite get used to saying we're staying at the Swastika Guesthouse, but the symbol did have nice connotations before it was tainted by the natsi (I have no idea how to spell natsi) swines so I guess it's kind of nice to go back to being positive about it.Yesterday we went on a beach crawl, today we're thinking a massage is in order.
Now, I feel I'm just rambling on - I feel all emotional. I've looked forward for so long to going home and I really can't wait to see everyone, but the reality of leaving Brett, who I've lived with for over a year now sucks! Stupid, sucky Australia - why does it have to be on the other side of the world?! I need a drink, a massage and a drink that's what! Anyway, might as well be positive - I have so much to look forward to in sunny England (and it better be sunny because the only shoes I own are flip flops). Plus, it's better to have him in the other side of the world than not have him at all!
So, pep talk to self done, positive thinking all the way! We have but a few hours left in Bali so I'm getting the hell off this computer and into the sunshine!
Monday, April 11, 2011
A few suitcases under our eyes
Here we are where we started - Bali again! I'd love to say that I had a whole load of witty anecdotes and stories to tell, but that would just be a big fat lie. At least this time I have an excuse, as I think I'm knocking on 48 hours of no sleep (I think 48 hours because right now trying to actually do the maths is defeating me).
We left Cambodia having spectacularly failed to sort anything with the local Police that may help our insurance claim and also spectacularly failed to buy any souvenirs from Cambodia. We completed our 14 hours bus journey across Cambodia and to Bangkok with a group of nice people and one quintessential charmless man (not sure if that quite makes sense but it's all the words my brain can come up with at this stage in the game). This guy (who I'm ashamed to say was English) was really just repulsive, he was unforgivably rude to locals and bent our ears the whole journey with his tales of woe. He had a motorbike crash and told anyone in shouting distance about how it was the other bastard's fault, but the bastard police don't do anything to help (why ever would they not rush to the aid of such a pleasant, charming soul?!). He also told us about the local girl he hooked up with (as you do, you know - with a wink at the lads) she promptly robbed him of his laptop while he slept - that's karma! When we boarded the bus at the Thai side of the border, he produced a joint he'd "accidentally" smuggled through customs. Like I said, a real charmer!
The journey itself was picturesque but painfully long and cramped. Brett, who isn't really built for mini bus seats at the best of times, is now a broken man. He spent too long on the beach playing with the local kids and throwing them off his shoulders into the sea. They loved it but he is now paying for it with some kind of seized neck injury. He looks like robo man walking around. After the bus, it was pretty much straight to the airport for us, followed by a few hours wait in the freezing cold - why they need to crank up the air con in the airport in the middle of the night with only a few dregs of people around is beyond me!
Now we're back in lovely Bali and we've found a guesthouse with a pool no less. It also turns out it's a sociable guesthouse and they're all going out together. Why, why do we meet the sociable ones when we need to sleep?! Well I'm not giving in - I need sleep! Well, food first, then sleep!
We left Cambodia having spectacularly failed to sort anything with the local Police that may help our insurance claim and also spectacularly failed to buy any souvenirs from Cambodia. We completed our 14 hours bus journey across Cambodia and to Bangkok with a group of nice people and one quintessential charmless man (not sure if that quite makes sense but it's all the words my brain can come up with at this stage in the game). This guy (who I'm ashamed to say was English) was really just repulsive, he was unforgivably rude to locals and bent our ears the whole journey with his tales of woe. He had a motorbike crash and told anyone in shouting distance about how it was the other bastard's fault, but the bastard police don't do anything to help (why ever would they not rush to the aid of such a pleasant, charming soul?!). He also told us about the local girl he hooked up with (as you do, you know - with a wink at the lads) she promptly robbed him of his laptop while he slept - that's karma! When we boarded the bus at the Thai side of the border, he produced a joint he'd "accidentally" smuggled through customs. Like I said, a real charmer!
The journey itself was picturesque but painfully long and cramped. Brett, who isn't really built for mini bus seats at the best of times, is now a broken man. He spent too long on the beach playing with the local kids and throwing them off his shoulders into the sea. They loved it but he is now paying for it with some kind of seized neck injury. He looks like robo man walking around. After the bus, it was pretty much straight to the airport for us, followed by a few hours wait in the freezing cold - why they need to crank up the air con in the airport in the middle of the night with only a few dregs of people around is beyond me!
Now we're back in lovely Bali and we've found a guesthouse with a pool no less. It also turns out it's a sociable guesthouse and they're all going out together. Why, why do we meet the sociable ones when we need to sleep?! Well I'm not giving in - I need sleep! Well, food first, then sleep!
Friday, April 8, 2011
The boat that sank
Yesterday down in Sihanukville we decided to take up an offer to join a booze cruise. This in itself sounds kind of cheesy, a bit 18 year party kid wannabe and I suppose a potential recipe for disaster. Still, we were lured in by the promise of food and drinks and a chance to go to see some islands all for $10. Ferry tickets in themselves were more expensive and without the food and drinks. Decision made, we clambered on to this rickety, 2-tiered wooden boat, no worries - after all they specialise in dodgy, rickety boats in Asia.
We were actually having a really good time, there were good people, and not just 18 year olds, we had a drink, we had a swim and then the bloody boat only went and capsized! Literally as quick as that, one minute I was chatting to people and Brett had gone to the bar, the next minute a massive gush of water came through the boat and I remember watching my bag shoot past me and thought "shit, now my bag's soaked" and then I was submerged. It did get kind of scary for a minute then, I had been on the bottom tier of the boat and finding myself submerged, I instinctively went to swim upwards only to find the floor of the boat on the water above my head. I opened my eyes under water but couldn't see anything but water, no people, no nothing. Now I'm not always the sharpest knife in the draw, I paused for a second and thought well someone had better do something here - we're surrounded by bloody water. It then occurred to me that I may not have time to wait for someone to do something, I may have to do something myself. I definitely considered panicking for a minute but figured that may not help the situation, so I took myself off to try to squeeze through the bars that had been the side of the boat. I got my head through and then got stuck so had to wriggle out and try swimming down further, I found a gap, swam for my little life and came bobbing out in the sea. There were just a sea of heads, plus boat debris. Luckily I saw Brett almost straight away, he had it far worse than me having to wait while I put 2 and 2 together and get the hell out of the boat, he'd been frantically searching and not finding me. Well, I never have been one to rush!
Anyway, there we were shipwrecked in the sea, somewhere off the coast of Cambodia, somewhat wide eyed and shell shocked, floating amongst crates of beer and soggy burger buns and a whole load of flip flops. Apparently there were also rats shipwrecked along with us but I was spared the pleasure of seeing any myself. I was so relieved to see Brett, but then I started panicking about the girl who'd been standing next to me. We found her and then pretty much floated and watched our old, wooden boat sink into the sea. No sign of my bag, which at this point wasn't important at all but yet there's still a part of me that was thinking of my camera and my shorts and my only pair of shoes that had been in that bag. People were scrabbling to grab beers, I, thinking we may be in it for the long haul, saved a crate of water. Actually we can't have floated for more than 10 minutes before local boats started appearing to our rescue. All in all, it was no Titanic but it felt pretty dramatic at the time. Some people were a bit concussed and a fair few were crying. Me and Brett and a lovely girl called Celina climbed onto a rescue boat with the last of the stragglers, when I say climbed, there was no dignified way to get onto the dam boat, so to add insult to injury, I was dragged head first, feet up in the air onto the boat. Then we made our way back to shore. The guys who rescued us couldn't have been nicer, they produced a bag full of cigarettes and handed them out and generally looked after us.
Back on land it was quite a nice atmosphere, everyone pretty much happy to be alive and rallying round to help each other. We all stank of diseal, which had been leaking out from the boat into the sea. And man alive, that smell's hard to get out! We'd given my bag up as a goner when this dude came walking through clutching it - I could have kissed him! Everything was saturated, my camera's as dead as a dodo but it was still good to have my bag back! Local kids were swarming round wanting to know what happened and one gave me a bracelet - I said no, I had no money to pay him and he said it was free - a gift for good luck. We're still really hoping that everyone made it ok, we're 99% sure, but being Asia, there was no official disaster plan or very efficient way of keeping track of people. We had a bit of a survivors party afterwards. We still never got to see an island, but hey - its not every day you get shipwrecked!
RIP camera!
We were actually having a really good time, there were good people, and not just 18 year olds, we had a drink, we had a swim and then the bloody boat only went and capsized! Literally as quick as that, one minute I was chatting to people and Brett had gone to the bar, the next minute a massive gush of water came through the boat and I remember watching my bag shoot past me and thought "shit, now my bag's soaked" and then I was submerged. It did get kind of scary for a minute then, I had been on the bottom tier of the boat and finding myself submerged, I instinctively went to swim upwards only to find the floor of the boat on the water above my head. I opened my eyes under water but couldn't see anything but water, no people, no nothing. Now I'm not always the sharpest knife in the draw, I paused for a second and thought well someone had better do something here - we're surrounded by bloody water. It then occurred to me that I may not have time to wait for someone to do something, I may have to do something myself. I definitely considered panicking for a minute but figured that may not help the situation, so I took myself off to try to squeeze through the bars that had been the side of the boat. I got my head through and then got stuck so had to wriggle out and try swimming down further, I found a gap, swam for my little life and came bobbing out in the sea. There were just a sea of heads, plus boat debris. Luckily I saw Brett almost straight away, he had it far worse than me having to wait while I put 2 and 2 together and get the hell out of the boat, he'd been frantically searching and not finding me. Well, I never have been one to rush!
Anyway, there we were shipwrecked in the sea, somewhere off the coast of Cambodia, somewhat wide eyed and shell shocked, floating amongst crates of beer and soggy burger buns and a whole load of flip flops. Apparently there were also rats shipwrecked along with us but I was spared the pleasure of seeing any myself. I was so relieved to see Brett, but then I started panicking about the girl who'd been standing next to me. We found her and then pretty much floated and watched our old, wooden boat sink into the sea. No sign of my bag, which at this point wasn't important at all but yet there's still a part of me that was thinking of my camera and my shorts and my only pair of shoes that had been in that bag. People were scrabbling to grab beers, I, thinking we may be in it for the long haul, saved a crate of water. Actually we can't have floated for more than 10 minutes before local boats started appearing to our rescue. All in all, it was no Titanic but it felt pretty dramatic at the time. Some people were a bit concussed and a fair few were crying. Me and Brett and a lovely girl called Celina climbed onto a rescue boat with the last of the stragglers, when I say climbed, there was no dignified way to get onto the dam boat, so to add insult to injury, I was dragged head first, feet up in the air onto the boat. Then we made our way back to shore. The guys who rescued us couldn't have been nicer, they produced a bag full of cigarettes and handed them out and generally looked after us.
Back on land it was quite a nice atmosphere, everyone pretty much happy to be alive and rallying round to help each other. We all stank of diseal, which had been leaking out from the boat into the sea. And man alive, that smell's hard to get out! We'd given my bag up as a goner when this dude came walking through clutching it - I could have kissed him! Everything was saturated, my camera's as dead as a dodo but it was still good to have my bag back! Local kids were swarming round wanting to know what happened and one gave me a bracelet - I said no, I had no money to pay him and he said it was free - a gift for good luck. We're still really hoping that everyone made it ok, we're 99% sure, but being Asia, there was no official disaster plan or very efficient way of keeping track of people. We had a bit of a survivors party afterwards. We still never got to see an island, but hey - its not every day you get shipwrecked!
RIP camera!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
By the seaside
Now we are beside the seaside and life is good! It took the best part of another day's worth of bus journey to get us here, but get here we did. (and treated ourselves to a wee impromtu night out to celebrate - think my t-total days are truly behind me now!) There's not too much to be said about our past 2 days of bus rides, it's a lovely way to travel in Cambodia - the scenery is beautiful and rural, the ticket cheap and the onboard entertainment (all in Cambodian) pretty dam funny. There's absolutely no chance of going to sleep and missing any scenery because the drivers are well trained in excessive use of the horn. They hare along the country roads, horn blaring, people and traffic scattering to make way. The only living thing that is going to slow that bus down is cows, we passed a fair few herds and then the bus stops entirely and patiently waits while a whole herd of cows make their leisurely way across the road.
We arrived in Sihanoukville which is supposed to be the tourist mecca of Cambodia. We were actually pleasantly surprised how undeveloped it is. The beach is lined with plenty of bars and guesthouses but there's still a fair few that are nice ramshackle huts - it hasn't been developed to within an inch of it's life (yet!). Last night we stumbled across a cool, grungy style bar with dangerously cheap drinks and chatty people so we sort of never left. Well, that's a lie - we eventually left when my stomach commanded and I dragged us off in search of food. The food we found was from this awesome BBQ shack, I ordered chips and the lady actually got a potato, chopped it up and fried it up - right then and there. I have never in all my nights out ever found a place that serves up freshly cut potato chips to the drunken masses, I'm pretty sure I went on about this fact a lot! I was also kind of ashamed at the amount of tourists from all over the world who came up and were just plain rude to the nice people cooking the chips. Drunk people really don't make the nicest people but still there's no excuse to speak rudely to the people who are up at 3 in the bloody morning, cooking chips, earning pittance and putting up with drunken imbeciles!
Today we have eaten and played on the beach and just thinking about eating again. We were planning on travelling on to one of the islands here but right now that seems like unnecessary effort and our budget's really tight so we may just stay put and enjoy for a day or so.
We arrived in Sihanoukville which is supposed to be the tourist mecca of Cambodia. We were actually pleasantly surprised how undeveloped it is. The beach is lined with plenty of bars and guesthouses but there's still a fair few that are nice ramshackle huts - it hasn't been developed to within an inch of it's life (yet!). Last night we stumbled across a cool, grungy style bar with dangerously cheap drinks and chatty people so we sort of never left. Well, that's a lie - we eventually left when my stomach commanded and I dragged us off in search of food. The food we found was from this awesome BBQ shack, I ordered chips and the lady actually got a potato, chopped it up and fried it up - right then and there. I have never in all my nights out ever found a place that serves up freshly cut potato chips to the drunken masses, I'm pretty sure I went on about this fact a lot! I was also kind of ashamed at the amount of tourists from all over the world who came up and were just plain rude to the nice people cooking the chips. Drunk people really don't make the nicest people but still there's no excuse to speak rudely to the people who are up at 3 in the bloody morning, cooking chips, earning pittance and putting up with drunken imbeciles!
Today we have eaten and played on the beach and just thinking about eating again. We were planning on travelling on to one of the islands here but right now that seems like unnecessary effort and our budget's really tight so we may just stay put and enjoy for a day or so.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Happy hour
Oh how our best laid plans do fall apart! So I neither educated myself on the history of Cambodia nor cycled to Angkor Wat on the intended day, all because we found 2 4 1 cocktails! Typical bloody English abroad! All I can say is I'm easily lead astray! So we had a good night living it up in Siem Reap (on cocktails no less, that's not cheap beer, but real cocktails!) it was just me, Brett and another couple we met. We bonded over food and then a Dr Fish treatment (where you stick your feet in a tank of water and fish eat away at the dead skin - yum!), then we discovered cocktails and the rest was history!
We did finally cycle to Angkor Wat and had an exhausting but very good day exploring temples and ruins. It was a pretty special experience. The more time we spend in Cambodia, the more we like it, it's a beautiful place with lovely culture (though I could still really do with learning more). The levels of poverty are quite shocking though and while on our first day we met the cheeky kids who'll ask you for a coin or 2, we've since come across the really desperate kids carrying babies, hanging on to you and begging for you to buy food and baby milk. It's really hard to handle and I really don't know the best thing to do. There are just not enough dollars to go round everyone here! Brett got followed down the street by a little girl who kept saying he was a bad man because he didn't have the money to buy her postcards!
Now we've arrived in Pnom Penn and just about to go and explore. I'd spend longer writing but I'm in some rustic internet room with no air con and a few dubious looking creatures hanging around so I'm making my escape.
We did finally cycle to Angkor Wat and had an exhausting but very good day exploring temples and ruins. It was a pretty special experience. The more time we spend in Cambodia, the more we like it, it's a beautiful place with lovely culture (though I could still really do with learning more). The levels of poverty are quite shocking though and while on our first day we met the cheeky kids who'll ask you for a coin or 2, we've since come across the really desperate kids carrying babies, hanging on to you and begging for you to buy food and baby milk. It's really hard to handle and I really don't know the best thing to do. There are just not enough dollars to go round everyone here! Brett got followed down the street by a little girl who kept saying he was a bad man because he didn't have the money to buy her postcards!
Now we've arrived in Pnom Penn and just about to go and explore. I'd spend longer writing but I'm in some rustic internet room with no air con and a few dubious looking creatures hanging around so I'm making my escape.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Cambodia
Yesterday did not start out good, not good at all! Our alarm went off at an extremely unsociable 6.16am, I woke up with a slightly dodgy stomach - never the best way to begin a 12 hour bus journey! I insisted that the best thing to do was line the stomach (usually the cure for everything in my book) so we went to some scabby cafe on Kao San road to get some breakfast. The stomach decided to reject the toast and coffee that I fed it, making me dash off to the toilet. I half walked/half ran in the door labelled toilet only to be faced with 2 urinals (definitely not suitable for my purposes) and one hole-in-the-ground toilet. This wouldn't have been the end of the world, except for the fact that the "toilet" had a good splattering of poo not only inside but also around where your feet are supposed to go. Of course I walked out again, but tragically realised that I basically had no choice, I really needed a toilet. With some seriously impressive use of thigh muscles and some very careful positioning of my feet, I managed to use the toilet (thank god I had my own toilet roll!) I washed my hands, only to then walk out and bump into the toilet door labelled "ladies." That is some bad karma to start the day!
We set off on a mini bus only an hour or so late (not too bad by Thai standards). Luckily from this point on, things improved a lot. We had a really good journey, with only 3 other people and the stomach behaved itself (probably scared into submission by the thought of another toilet hell hole!) We had all heard stories of scams and dodgy officials at the Thai/ Cambodia crossing. We built this up so much that by the time it came to cross, we felt like we were going into battle, we had established battle ranks and made sure noone got left behind, every form was scanned suspiciously. As it was, we passed through scam-free and unscathed. The most traumatic thing was trucks loaded down with pigs crossing at the same time as us, all piled on top of each other and squealing away as they went to meet their fate. (I swear this trip will turn me into a vegan).
The bus journey through Cambodia was quicker than we thought, passing through lots of very flat countryside and picturesque little farming communities. The only slight concern was the bus company owner who drank a can of beer when we stopped and then proceeded to sway about in the aisle, doing borat impressions and stage whispering that we could go to him for some good price wacky backy (we declined). As long as he hadn't been drinking with the driver then I guess it's all good.
We arrived in Siem Reap and we like it here a lot! We have a fantastic guesthouse for just $8 a night, complete with hot water and a TV (which means Brett can flick through the cartoon networks to his heart's content). The people here are a breath of fresh air after Bangkok, especially the children. They have so much character and flock around trying to sell you stuff for coins. They are like little entrepreneurs - they never miss a trick and they can banter easily in near-perfect english but they are extremely good natured and everything is said and done with genuine good humour.
Siem Reap itself is just lovely, set alongside a river, they have beautiful trees and buildings, with a definite french influence. We were quite surprised how many expensive hotels there are here, knowing how poor he country is. Brett and I rented bikes today and cycled around town, crossing down a street at one end of the river we came across the poor side of town, with shanty style housing and markets. It still had a real charm to it though. Brett is in his element again, cruising around, chatting to other cyclists as he rides and high-fiving kids. I, on the other hand, have to put all my concentration into just riding straight and not getting myself killed by a tuk tuk or motorbike or any other such deadly contractions. So far though we have survived and have plans to cycle out to Angor Wat tomorrow (7kms on rickety bikes with no gears - what could possible be a better idea?!)
For tonight, I want to go to see a short film that they show to outline the history of Cambodia and the genocide. That's right - I'm going to educate my limited brain! The maybe some ice cream.
We set off on a mini bus only an hour or so late (not too bad by Thai standards). Luckily from this point on, things improved a lot. We had a really good journey, with only 3 other people and the stomach behaved itself (probably scared into submission by the thought of another toilet hell hole!) We had all heard stories of scams and dodgy officials at the Thai/ Cambodia crossing. We built this up so much that by the time it came to cross, we felt like we were going into battle, we had established battle ranks and made sure noone got left behind, every form was scanned suspiciously. As it was, we passed through scam-free and unscathed. The most traumatic thing was trucks loaded down with pigs crossing at the same time as us, all piled on top of each other and squealing away as they went to meet their fate. (I swear this trip will turn me into a vegan).
The bus journey through Cambodia was quicker than we thought, passing through lots of very flat countryside and picturesque little farming communities. The only slight concern was the bus company owner who drank a can of beer when we stopped and then proceeded to sway about in the aisle, doing borat impressions and stage whispering that we could go to him for some good price wacky backy (we declined). As long as he hadn't been drinking with the driver then I guess it's all good.
We arrived in Siem Reap and we like it here a lot! We have a fantastic guesthouse for just $8 a night, complete with hot water and a TV (which means Brett can flick through the cartoon networks to his heart's content). The people here are a breath of fresh air after Bangkok, especially the children. They have so much character and flock around trying to sell you stuff for coins. They are like little entrepreneurs - they never miss a trick and they can banter easily in near-perfect english but they are extremely good natured and everything is said and done with genuine good humour.
Siem Reap itself is just lovely, set alongside a river, they have beautiful trees and buildings, with a definite french influence. We were quite surprised how many expensive hotels there are here, knowing how poor he country is. Brett and I rented bikes today and cycled around town, crossing down a street at one end of the river we came across the poor side of town, with shanty style housing and markets. It still had a real charm to it though. Brett is in his element again, cruising around, chatting to other cyclists as he rides and high-fiving kids. I, on the other hand, have to put all my concentration into just riding straight and not getting myself killed by a tuk tuk or motorbike or any other such deadly contractions. So far though we have survived and have plans to cycle out to Angor Wat tomorrow (7kms on rickety bikes with no gears - what could possible be a better idea?!)
For tonight, I want to go to see a short film that they show to outline the history of Cambodia and the genocide. That's right - I'm going to educate my limited brain! The maybe some ice cream.
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