When I thought that no journey could get any worse than the 26 hour nightmare to Hanoi, I was sadly mistaken. The journey from Siem Reap to Bangkok is not that long but it is the most uncomfortable. To ensure that tourists fly, the government refuse to allow a road to be built between Siem Reap and the Thailand border. What should take a few hours takes six. You can't sleep because the dirt track is so bumpy, the aircon doesn't work and you can't open the window because the dust gets in and covers everyone in a fine smog. The border - Poipet, is a dreadful place - where most mafia meet to do their illegal dealings. Once your on the Thailand side it's only four hours and your back in the chaos of Bangkok - joy!!!
I'v been here in Bangkok for the last four days. I re-met up with Jessica and her step sister Linda, from Sweden - who I had originally met on that crazy night in Pak Beng and then later in Vang Vieng (Laos). We have spent the last few days together here in Bangkok. We also took a trip to the Tiger Temple. It's a temple where monks look after hurt tigers. The temple is actually near Kanchanaburi. We did it as a day trip - three hours there - a few hours in the temple, then three hours back.
It was weird because we actually went right past the Bridge on the River Kwai - where I had been all those weeks ago. Kanchanaburi was one of the first places I had visited on my trip and I didn't think I would be back there so soon in my life. I didn't even know about the Tiger Temple back then.
The temple has other wild animals just walking around uncaged but the main attraction is obviously the tigers. You get to have pictures with about 5 tigers - big and small - and some of them are placed on your lap - live tigers - on your lap!!! The back-packer rumor is that the tigers are druged - the workers there deny it but your never quite sure - they didn't look too lively - we were told it's because of the heat - you will have to go and make your own mind up!!!
It was a good few days in Bangkok - many drunken nights out due to a few too many alcoholic buckets - it's Bangkok - thats what you do. Oh and I also ate a grasshopper - after I said I never would again - it was about as disgusting as the first one.
Jessica and Linda headed back home yesterday - and i'm now going south to the Thailand beaches. First though i'm heading to Ko Chang - a beachy island in Thailand but to the east - near the Cambodian border of all places - figures!!!
Until then......
Saturday 5 April 2008
Back In Bangkok (Thailand)!!!
Siem Reap And The Temples Of Angkor
Siem Reap is located to the north-west of Cambodia. However due to the terrible state of the roads across the country (there just arn't any roads generally) - you have to go all the way back to Phnom Penh first. The whole trip can be done in a day though, so it's not too bad.
Siem Reap is a small town, but has sprang up over recent years as more tourists come to visit the nearby temples. The town itself is a nice enough place, with interesting restaurants and some cool bars. It's a quiet and littered mainly with cheap guesthouses (my room was $2.5 a night) and some lavish 'super' hotels that almost compete with the temples themselves. Although I spent about 4 days in Siem Reap, I never really wondered the streets or took in too much - for Siem Reap is for most - a gateway to the Temples of Angkor. It's the reason it has become so popular and always will.
You can take a 1 day, 3 day or 7 day pass to see the temples. I didn't have the time for a full week and spending only one day here would be a crime. Accordingly we all got a 3 day pass ($40). Angkor, the area of jungle which in the 1960's was rediscovered to contain thousands of temples (built between the 9th and 13th centuries) is big. You couldn't walk them all easily and in the jungle heat during the hot season you wouldn't want to. We tuk tuk'ed it from one temple to another (after some major bargaining) and just walked in each temple complex. After Angkor's discovery 150 years ago the area was cleared of jungle which concealed the stone structures and now the temples are on view for the whole world to marvel at.
Day one was an early start. You have to reach Angkor Wat for sunrise and that means getting up at 5am. Angkor Wat is unquestionably the most impressive temple in the whole of Angkor, and as such is now considered a "wonder of the world" (man made wonder) along with Machu Pichhu, the Taj Mahal etc.
At sunrise it is quite extraordinary - aparently divine inspiration is the most commonly used word for it. Unfortunately it's popularity means that even at ridiculously early hours of the day does not guarantee you a sunrise on your own. It didn't deter from it's amazing beauty however and after a thousand photo's we spent a few good hours wondering in the temple and around it's outer grounds.
We then headed to Ta Prohm, the temple made famous after it's appearence in the film Tombraider. Here, nature is slowly consuming the brick stucture as giant finger-like tree routes wrap around each stone. As a result, most of the temple is collapsing but it is mightily impressive nontheless. We then ventured to Angkor Thom, which encompasses the Elephant Terrace, the Terrace of the Leper King, the Baphuon (a temple like a giant jigsaw puzzle) and the most famous temple in Angkor Thom, situated at it's centre - The Bayon. This eerie temple from a distance looks like a pile of rocks but as you move closer it is intricately carved with 216 faces, all looking at you - from all angles. After lunch back in Siem Reap, Siobhan and I headed back for sunset at Pre Rup where at the top of the steep temple, at great height - is a man selling ice-cold Angkor Beer - we thought it rude to decline.
On day two we covered some of the temples again. Everyone wanted to see Angkor Wat at sunrise just one more time. We also added in Preah Khan, Preah Neak Pean, Ta Som and some smaller temples, each containing their own charm. For sunset we headed to the temple Phnom Bakheng - the most popular for this time of the day as there is spectacular views to the west looking over a large reservoir. It's allso swamped with people, however most had left as it looked a bit cloudy. We hung around and as a present from god - the clouds parted like the Red Sea and the sun peaked through before disappearing completely. Perfect!!!
While most of Team Cambodia had given up for day three (it is tiring), Peter and I went out one more time. We only visited two of the temples but they happen to be the furthest two away. To give you an idea of how big Angkor is - Banteay Srei is about 25km from Siem Reap (16km from the main Angkor area) and Kbal Spean is 40km away!!! We went to the furthest temple first. The tuk tuk drivers hate taking you there and you soon realise why. The last stretch of the journey has no road. Your essentially on a bumpy dirt track. Each time a car passes, your open tuk tuk and therefore you - get covered in dust. It gets in your eyes, in your mouth and basically every other bodily crevass that dust can find it's way into!!! I now understand why god gave us all eye-lashes. Despite that and the fact that when you go over a stone your almost thrown out the side of the tuk tuk - it was by far the best journey i'v been on. The scenery was amazing - just how you imagine Cambodia to be. Dirt track, palm trees line the make-shift street, kids playing in muddy water - their parents farming in the fields behind.
When you reach the area to Kbal Spean - you have to trek through the jungle for about 30mins, the trees sometimes clearing to show you stunning views of the Cambodian jungle. You have to stick to the path on the jungle trek too - as there are still land mines in the surrounding area. Land mines are a major problem all over Cambodia and there are still fatalities each year. When you reach the temple - your suprised at what you see. Kbal Spean is not like other temples. It's essentially a river and waterfall with carvings (of animals, people and gods) set into the river bed. some are difficlt to see as they are buried under-water and as your walking around you will suddenly spot another poking out of the river-bank. It's bizaar but definately worth the trek. The final temple - Banteay Srei is like any temple in Angkor but is worth seeing because it has the most detailed and finest carvings of them all.
After three tiring days I eventually leave Siem Reap and Cambodia and head back to Bangkok (Thailand). I have immensley enjoyed the time I spent in Cambodia and will one day definately return. The country is majorly corrupt, some of which I have experienced myself, yet it's charm and out-right beauty conquers any negative thoughts that may spring into your perceptive thought. The countryside and beaches, the jungles and mad cities, the Temples of Angkor and the fabulous people - they all make the country what it is. When you come to Cambodia, your guaranteed an adventure in some way or another - even your taste buds take a real journey in this country, for I have tried some very interesting food here too. On a do-it-yourself BBQ, I ate Crocodile (really tasty - bit like pork), Kangaroo (good too - like deer - very strong taste) and Snake (like very chewy beef - although i'm not sure if it was chewy because it is or just that we hadn't cooked it long enough - it's a do-it-yourself BBQ and how am I supposed to know when snake is cooked!!!). It turned out to be a Python too - which is actually an endangered species so I felt pretty bad afterwards!!!
Anyway, there was no time to contemplate now for I was off - onwards and upwards (well actually Southwards and westwards) and back to the best food in the world - Thai food.
Sihanoukville
My team and I arrived in Sihanoukville - Cambodia's premier beach destination in the south-west of Cambodia. The few days that we spent here mainly involved lying on the beach and doing very little.
There are a number of beaches in Sihanoukville - we stayed mainly on Serendipity and Occheuteal beach. In the day they are paradise, with bars lining the shore offering pool table's, your usual alcoholic beverages and a variety of happy shakes which are strong enough to get you stoned for two days straight!!!
Our evening meals were spent on a big table surrounded by giant cushions situated as close to the sea water as you could get, where we were served amazing BBQ food - jealous yet!!! When your there however, you will at some point get swamped by local kids wanting to play. They ask you where you come from and as soon as you tell them they recite its Capital City, it's population and some other random facts about England that not even I knew. They can do any country and can even tell you the Capital Cities of the states of America. They then move onto games, like playing paper, scissors, stone or thumb wars with you and if you lose - which you always do - you have to buy a bracelet off them. You can barely see my arms at the moment. The kids are good fun though and that goes for the whole of Cambodia.
At night Sihanoukville becomes a party hotspot. Bob Marley comes out and the drinks start flowing. The night that we arrived just happened to be "dress up as women night" and while I didn't strat off in womens clothes I ended up in them. Unfortunately I didn't take out my camera that night (seriously) but the others took many and said they would get them to me at some point - so look out for those. I also met Steven - a Norweigan guy that I had met in Vang Vieng (Laos) - it's weird who you bump into at the most unexpected times - like dressed as a women!!!
We finally moved on to Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor.
Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
I left Vietnam and headed to the Capital of Cambodia - Phnom Penh. The distance between the two cities actually isn't that far, and thus my journey was far more pleasant than others i'v experienced in recent weeks. Once through the border - I breathed a sigh of relief. Instantly you can tell that entering Cambodia is going back to a relaxed way of life again and I knew straight away that I was going to like it here.
All travellers you meet tend to give you advise - all the time. Most have said that Phnom Penh is just another big city and not worth staying longer than a day. While in the end, I didn't stay that long here, I found the city really good fun. Yes it is a bit dodgy at night. Armed robberies on tourists are common - but then you can find plenty of trouble walking through the streets of London when the sun goes down. You just have to be a little street-wise.
I traveled Phnom Penh with a group of 4 others. Peter from Holland - who I had shared a room with in Hanoi (and decided to meet up again), Siobhan from southend who we had met at the Cu Chi Tunnels, and Phoebe and Daniella from Bristol who someone had met on some bus - I think!!! We would ultimately travel the whole country togther and were soon renamed - "Team Cambodia".
The city of Phonm Penh has quite a few attractions - including the spectacular palace and river views, and Wat Phnom where monkeys roam free around the surrounding park. Yet everyone who comes here - wants to and I believe should see the darker side of the Phnom Penh. A trip to Tuol Sleng Museum is a must. Well, it is a museum - now. It was once a school but during the 1970's during a brutal Khemer Rogue regime by Pol Pot it was converted into the S-21 prison, the largest detention centre in the country, where many Cambodian people were tortured and killed. The Prison / museum is shocking - you walk the cells, see the torture devises and many pictures of the exterminated victims. It reminds me of the film Hostel - but worse because you know that it was actually happening and only 30 years ago!!! Everyone came out of that chilling place - silent.
Then, to complete our day of depression, we took a Tuk Tuk to the Killing Fields, where the prisoners were sent to be exterminated in the most horrific ways. To the untrained eye - it may at first seem like just a field - but you soon see bits of skull and bones coming out from the ground - as groundwater over the years has forced the body parts up through the soil.
While the girls were less willing, Peter and I also took a trip to the shooting range. You simply jump in a tuk tuk and call out for the place and with the speediest of haste the drivers all seem to know exactly where you want to go. It's quite far to reach from the centre of the city, along a distant dirt track and past some stunning farmland views. The place is sort of run by the army but the whole thing must be illegal in many ways. You have to pay an armed guard a bit of cash or as we did - with cigarettes just to get into the place. When your there however, there are a mass of all sorts of weapons - guns of all shapes and sizes. Hand guns, automatic weapons, rocket launchers and even hand grenades. You then recieve a menu with prices for each at which you can choose to fire one of the deadly machines. I couldn't believe that you could actually pay to throw a real hand grenade and watch it explode before your very eyes. More disturbing and quite sickening was the fact that you could also purchase an animal from the nearby farm, a chicken or a cow - and then blow the poor thing up. It's wrong on so many levels that need no mention here!!! Peter and myself put money in for a round of shooting an MK47 machine gun and only at a non-living target. I guess after everything we had seen in this city shooting a weapon was not the most morally correct thing to do, but I had to try it once, just to see what firing this powerful weapon was like. I'm not a man of violence. I find it a cowardly way to finish a dispute - and I doubt that I will ever fire a weapon of that nature again, at least not willingly, but traveling is best enjoyed when you can experience things that you would never do, and this was just another to add to my list.
I spent my time in Phnom Penh in a guesthouse on the Lake and enjoyed a few really good days here. Eventually though we decided to move on - to the beachy paradise of Sihanoukville.
Friday 4 April 2008
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
My final overnight bus was by far the best trip of my whole journey. I somehow got upgraded to a sleeper bus where you essentially have a bed, free water and all the leg room you (or at least I) require.
Ho Chi Minh City is again a return to mayhem. It's perhaps, somehow, busier even than Hanoi. There are 7 million motocycles in the town out of the 9 million that populate the city. The rules of the road are again ambiguous as cyclists fly about town at outrageous speeds and although most drivers are capable of swerving round you on a hair pin, accidents are common and spectacular - with about 30 major incidents every day.
I walked around at least some parts of town on my first day. HCMC is huge and to cover it all would take a fair few days, even by taxi. I headed to the Reunification Palace, the HCMC museum and the fine arts museum. I then visited the war museum, which is disturbing to say the least, as images of Vietnamese victims - disfigured by Agent Orange (dioxine) are clearly on display for the rest of the world to see.
The following day, I took a trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, where the Viatnamese hid and fought from during the war. Once the tunnels stretched from HCMC to Cambodia, over 200km of narrow passages. You learn about the death traps that were set up, how the tunnels were built and you get to go down into some of the tunnels for a short part, crawling on your hands and knees in the dark. How they spent months living down there is quite extraordinary.
While my time in HCMC had been interesting, personal events back home meant that my mind wasn't really geared towards traveling. I thought of home, my friends and most of all, my family.
I left Vietnam the day after the Cu Chi Tunnels, for Cambodia. I had enjoyed my time here in Vietnam, despite it being perhaps the hardest place to travel thus far. The people here are a little more agressive, they don't take no for an answer and are constantly pushing you to buy, well basically anything. One guy in Hanoi spent 20 minutes trying to convince me to buy super glue. Super glue!!! I guess it's just not as relaxed as it's neighbouring countries and I found it often, quite tiring. On the the other hand I did find it the most rewarding country to journey through. I didn't come traveling just to go to places that were easy and for that reason I enjoyed immensely, all that Vietnam had to offer. For now though, the vietnam leg of my travels was over. The baton had been passed, and I was running with it - right into Cambodia.
Nha Trang
After another night bus I arrive in Nha Trang. The town is geared towards it's beach. While I don't think the beach here compares to those in Southern Thailand, I hadn't yet reached the shore and wanted to see - the sea!!!
In the few days that I spent here, I ventured up to the giant seated buddah, situated on top of a hill where you can get the best views of the city. Apart from that my time here was spent literally on the beach.
I did however, take a boat trip around some of the islands of the coastline. It consisted of some great snorkelling (seeing not that many fish but a lot of coral), visiting an aquarium (to see sharks and huge turtles), and being entertained by a band on the boat while you sit in a rubber ring in the sea and drink cheap (but free) red wine from the floating bar.
My time in Nha Trang ultimately ended up being a few days of relaxing, drinking and seriously burning!!! I finally ventured to my last stop in Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City.
Hoi An
Hoi An is a great little town - unlike anywhere i'v ever been before. The area to stay is the small and very petite old town - and it certainly is old. It used to be a major shipping port but is now a world heritage site. Because of it's status you have to pay just to enter the town. For your money though, you do get free entry to one of the many museums, one of the temples, and a host of other listed buildings as well as entry to a traditional music concert.
Hoi An is also famous for its tailor shops. They're everywhere and with no trouble at all you can pick up an entire tailored, hand-made suit in less than 5 hours. You choose everything, from the materials to its design and colour, or you can simply point something out in the 'Next' 2008 catalogue (which they also have) and they will make it to fit you perfectly. Its cheap too - with an entire cashmere suit, shirt and tie costing about 30 pounds, with a bit of bargaining. Due to travelling for a year, plus being completely stupid - I didn't get anything made and I am already regretting it!!!
Vietnam has great food. It comes second only to Thailand so far and Hoi An has it's own specialities, including my favourite - Cao lau which is essentially salad in a soup, topped with croutons and pork. The water for the soup however, has to come from the Ba Le Well, which is obviously only found in Hoi An.
I only spent only a few days here but quickly bumped into Simone (who was on my Halong Bay boat) and her friend Heather who I had never met before. Eventually though, I said my goodbye's and departed, leaving the girls to shop in this consumers paradise town. I would end up seeing Simone and Heather a number of times on my trip and often they were not still together. It's one of the amazing things about traveling - meeting new people and then bumping into them 4 or 5 times down the road somewhere, often in the most unexpected places and usually to your complete amazement. I continued my journey - along Vietnam's endless coastline.
Hue
At first you don't actually realise how big Vietnam is. But it is big. The overnight bus, taking 12 hours from Hanoi to Hue, whilst barely appearing to move on the map - quickly puts it into perspective for you.
Hue is far quieter than its northern city neighbour. It has a relaxed feel to it and some parts by the river really are very pleasant. In the main town, towards the Citadel and its Forbidden Purple City, it becomes very much like you would imagine a Vietnamese town centre to be, but still holds a perfectly chilled atmosphere. I spent a day walking the streets and through the Citadel.
There are also many temples and tombs around the city too, most of which are reachable by boat along the Perfume River and then via motocycle taxi to the places of interest. I thought it best to do the trip for a bit of cultural enlightenment and it was just that.
I also picked up a Cambodian Lonely Planet guidebook here too, given by two nice American's (Amy and Kim) who had no use for it anymore - a real bonus (and so if you ever read this - thanks again)!!! I continued down south, to another place where UNESCO has been busy stamping their mark......
Halong Bay, Tam Coc And Hoa Lu
From Hanoi you can do a series of trips to some wonderous nearby locations. My first trip was to Halong Bay. Its a few hours drive from Hanoi but once you arrive - it's definately worth it. With more than 3000 islands rising out the waters on the Gulf of Tonkin, it's clear to see why it's a Unesco World Heritage site. You take a boat trip around the bay, past limestone karsts, their shapes formed by the waves and the wind. You also stop to venture the many caves and grottoes, the larger caves filled with stalactites and stalacmites. For lunch, you pass a floating fish farm where you can choose what you want for lunch - fresh from the waters. I ate rice that day.
Unfortunately, due to some bad weather in recent weeks, Halong Bay was quite misty when I went but it did give an interesting, almost eerie atmosphere to the whole place.
The other trip from Hanoi was to nearby Ninh Bihn and the natural wonders of Tam Coc and Hoa Lu. Tam Coc has amazing scenery. Its exactly like Halong Bay except the limestone islands rise out of paddy fields rather than a bay of water. You take a two hour row boat (though I didn't row) down the river and through the rocky formations.
The scenery at Hoa Lu is similar to Tam Coc but slightly less impressive. It was however, once the capital of Vietnam for a short period and so is filled with temples and an Ancient Citadel, most of which is now destroyed. Both locations are definately worth a look - especially to get away from the big cities and see some geology!!!
I then headed back to Hanoi, where I would begin my journey south, down Vietnam's long coastline.
Hanoi (Vietnam)
When you visit Bangkok - you only think of chaos, then you come to Hanoi. Motorbikes out number cars by 15 to 1 here. They drive like lunatics and carry the most ridiculous things on their rear. Like ants carrying oversized leaves, the motorcycle riders cram what they can on. I'v seen live chickens, a box of pigs and even an entire bed being transported - the options are endless. As such, crossing the road here is an art form. In Thailand they drive on the left, in Laos - on the right, in Vietnam - as long as your on the road then your in the correct lane - and the problem is that most of them arn't!!! The little green man means nothing - so to get across you just have to walk. The trick is never to run or take a step backwards and only to look out for cars (they don't swerve as easily). Amazingly it becomes quite easy. I don't even look anymore - I just walk and hope for the best.
The old quater of Hanoi is the back-packers spot, with a large lake at its centre and small side streets full of market stalls. A trip further into town takes most to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum where his body still rests - and is in pretty perfect condition due to some nifty embalming. To get in, again some military training would have been handy. You are literally marched in, 2 by 2. I got told off three times, for walking too fast, for not having my hands by my side and walking on the wrong bit of grass.
Around the mausoleum is the HCM Museum, the presedential palace and the one pillar pagoda which are all worth a trip. I also headed for the long walk south to Lenin Park, which you actually have to pay to get into and ends up not being the greatest recreational location in the world but is necessary to get away from all the madness.
I spent a few days actually in Hanoi but used it as a base to see other nearby locations, namely Halong Bay, Tam Coc and Hoa Lu......
From One Capital City To Another
Let me describe to you the worst bus journey of my life. The trip from Vientiane (the capital of Laos) to Hanoi (the capital of Vietnam) is long. It is supposed to take 23 hours and to be fair - the bus that started us off was fairly comfortable for Asia. However, I soon realise that we arrive at the border at 3 in the morning and the border doesn't open till 7. We attempt to sleep - it doesn't happen!!! You then quickly begin to understand the nature of Vietnam. Compared to chilled out Laos, getting into Vietnam is a bit oof a military operation, although perhaps understandable with the past that the country has experienced over recent times.
We eventually get going again, all in all taking 26 hours and 4 bus changes, the last of which was a local bus and more like something you would transport cattle in.
When I arrived at Hanoi I headed to the Hoan Kiem lake (pictured). Legend tells of a giant golden tortoise which grabbed the Emporer - Ly Thai To's sword and took it into the depths of the lake, but eventually returned it. It was here where I thought I would take my first picture of Vietnam, but thus realised that my camera had been stolen on the last (local) bus, pick-pocketed right beneath my very feet. The new legend is thus, the tortoise took my camera and i'm still waiting, no, foolishly hoping that one day it will too be returned, as I have some pretty nifty pictures on there.
The next day I give up on the tortoise and buy a new camera!!!
