(Wrote by Nic)
Our eventful trip to Laos started in Hanoi, Our taxi driver turned up, however we did not see a car, only a small scooter, and with 6 bags and two people on the back it was going to be a tight squeeze. So he phoned his mate and another scooter turned up to take us to the bus stop. This was one of the most scariest experiences of my life. So there we were travelling on the back of a scooter with our back packs on in Hanoi rush hour, and to top it off the driver did not stop smoking or talking on his phone the whole time, and i think at one time he managed both at the same time.
We finally arrived at the border (which was like a zoo with wild goats running around) where they make people pay a dollar to stamp there passports. However because it was a sunday and "unsocialable hours" we had to pay 2 dollars for them to stamp our passports.
We arrived in the capital Vientene 4 hours early than scheduled, so after a 18 hour overnight bus journey we were finally in the last of our Asian countires. After a quick rest, we decided do partake in some more sightseeing, however after reviewing the guidebook we decided to go for a beer instead as we did want to see any more temples!!!
Our next adventure would take us to the tourist capital of Laos, Vang Vieng! So we got on another bus which was meant to be a VIP air con bus which turned out to be a local bus with windows for the air con. In vang Vieng we embarked on one of funest days of our trip, Tubing. Tubing is floating down a river on a rubber ring, stopping off at make shift bars enroute. Each bar had a zip line or a giant swing with some about 10 -15 metres high. However if you let go to early on these swings it would really hurt as the river was not that deep!!
My favourite bar had a giant slide which throws you into the river. After copious visits to the bars we had a nice relaxed float to the end of the tubing track. Vang Vieng was very touristy with every bar showing friends or movies and far to many drunk tourists just like the thai islands. So we decided to get a bike and visit some caves just outside town.
The caves were really pretty and Jenny went swimming in a blue lagoon. However it took alot longer to cycle here as the roads were so bumpy. After a good morning sightseeing we decided to grab another beer and chill out for the afternoon.
Our last trip in Laos took us to a the north of Laos called Luang Probang, a small town in the mountains. The town itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Luang Prabang has both natural and historical sites. One day we set off on our own little adventure to the Kuang Si Waterfalls 32km away. As Jenny did not want to ride a bike there, I had to overcome a fear and get on the back of a motorbike with Jenny Driving. It was defantley Like mother like daughter! The waterfalls consist of a 180 foot main waterfall, and several 10-15 foot cascades from one turquoise blue pool to another. Our final day saw us get a massage as we were still sore from tubing.
We were then going to embark on a 24 hour bus journey to the north of Thailand!!
Lots of Love
Nic and Jen
xxxxx
Saturday 19 September 2009
Friday 18 September 2009
Vietnam
We arrived in Saigon to a terrential downpour after however a very smooth border crossings!! On the bus with us was another British couple and we knew where we wanted to go so we thought we would share a taxi. After being told we were at the bus station we asked the taxi driver to put the fare on the meter and we were away. After about 5 minutes we realised the fare was going up very quickly but still adjusting to the Vietnamese currency we thought it just might have been us!! We eventually stopped and definately realised we'd been scammed with the dodgy meter as we should have paid a lot less!! Not only that, the taxi driver short changed us saying sorry he didn't have any change!! After I had a bit of a go we eventually got our change and met a man who showed us to a guesthouse which turned out to be very nice for $10!
Later that evening we went out for dinner with the couple Rich and Jen but on our way back to the guesthouse we realised there were lots of buses stopping at this one place then jen realised she saw the cash point where she'd got money out!! So bascially the taxi driver took us for a little ride around the block with his faulty meter!!
Other than the first mishap Saigon couldn't have been more different to Cambodia it was a lot more built up and VERY busy!! The only danger about it was trying not to be hit by the 3 million mopeds driving around town!! Crossing the roads was bascially suicidal!! The following day we headed out to look around town and we found a cafe with lots of pastries! (the only good thing the French has done is bringing french baguettes to Vietnam!!)
We had crossaints for breakfast and a cup of coffee, as we'd read vietnamese coffee was meant to be really good!! Well whoever said that was lying!! It was incredibly sweet and had very strange milk!! After breakfast we headed to a market and it wasn't like any market we'd been in before as the Vietnamese were very friendly in that they liked to touch you!! We were grabbed more times than we could count to stop at their stalls. Nic had trousers held up to him and it was a fatal mistake asking how much something was because then they wouldn't let you go!! Literally!! We did however purchase a few things!!
After that we went to a musuem of all places!! But when we turned up it was closed for lunch which was just our luck so we had to occupy ourselves in a cafe for an hour!! The musuem was the war musuem which had lots of US army aircraft still there which was quite cool!! After lunch we headed to another market and we found even more dvd's to add to how growing collection and we both bought brand new ski jackets!! We couldn't get over why they were selling ski jackets in a hot country like Vietnam but we also didn't care as both of our ski jackets came to 40 pound!! Bargain!!
That night we went out for dinner again with our new found friends and had a few beers and to our surprise beer was even cheaper than in Cambodia as a big bottle of Saigon beer was only 35p!!
The next day we had booked on a trip for $4 each to go to Cui Gui tunnels which were 2 hours out of town. They were the tunnels the Vietcong built in the war. We learnt a lot about the war and stopped off at a handicrafts place where injured people from the war made souveniars! We didn't buy anything but later found out the name for the place was "handicapped handicrafts"! Not particualrly PC!!
We arrived at the tunnels and walked around and learnt more about the war! We even tried to fit into the tiny holes the vietnamese made! I got in fine but had a bit of struggle getting out! Further on you could follow one of the tunnels for 100 metres under the ground we all followed in a line until I reached the entrance and looking down the tunnel I was thinking once I'm halfway there's no way of getting out so I decided against the tunnel but Nic caried on and came out sweating buckets!! How the vietnamese lived down there for month on end we do not know!! The informative day came to an end and we had dinner and went to bed!
The next day we were heading to Saigon Water park!! Which we thought would be a nice break from the heat of the city!! We turned up not expecting much but were pleasantly surprised to find loads of slides!! So we headed around the park!! Not long after reaching the top of one of the slides I realised that I was a little bit underdressed in my bikini as all the other vietnamese girls were wearing shorts and T-shirt!! So the rest of the day we were stared at!! Also Nic was a little overdressed as the Vietnamese Men were wearing speedos!! But the water park was really good but we did come away with a few injuries! We headed back to the centre and that day we were getting a bus up the coast so we made our way to the next place!
We arived in a place called mui ne which was by the coast! We got then again in terrential rain! We headed out for dinner to then find that the whole town was completely dead and were told that September was their quietest month of the year!! We eventually found a little place and because we were the only ones in there they let us pick any movie and watch it!! So we were happy for the night!!
The morning after we gave the town the benefit of the doubt that we had arrived at night but still there was no-one around!! Not even the beach was particularly nice!! So instead of hanging around we thought we'd book a bus and head further up the coast! On the bus we met our friends again and were now heading to Nha Trang further up the coast!
We arrived again to guess what MORE RAIN! We were prepared for the rain however in that we'd bought waterproofs and after checking into our hotel we headed out to dinner with our friends!! We found a pizza place and were more than happy when the beers were buy one get one free!! Following dinner we were sat there and then our canadian friends who we met in Cambodia walked past and they then joined us for a drink!! A few bars later we headed home to wake up to a bit of a hangover the next day!!
The sun was shining which had proved to be a rare sight in Vietnam so far so we made the most of it and hit the beach!! We hired some beach beds for a pound with our friends Rich and Jen! The beach was really nice and to begin with the sea was nice too. But after about an hour the sea had obviously been churned up and all we found in it was lots of rubbish!! At that point Rich had found a water park up the beach and as they missed out on the one in Saigon! We joined them and were slightly disappointed when it didn't live up to the one in Saigon! We went on a few of the slides to then realise there was a severe lack of health and safety! On one of the slides you had to fight your way on to even go down it but then half way down the kids thought it was funny to block the slide so no-one could get down!! After a lot of cuts and bruises we left the park with the worry we might get septesiemia!!
That evening we headed out again for dinner then onto some bars!! One bar we played a bit of pool and there was the smallest puppies I'd ever seen! Later I realised they were Chewawa puppies but we also got offered to buy one for a pound!! In the one bar we had had 11 beers between 4 of us and the bill came to 3pounds!! You wouldn't even get one beer for that back home!!
The next day we went on a trip around the islands off the shore! The boat wasn't quite what we were expecting but our first stop was at an aquarium which was pretty good! We then went onto a place where there was supposed so be coral and we could snorkel but having had a look with our masks on you couldn't really see more than a metre in front of you as the vietnamese don't really have any awareness for the environment!!
We had lunch and was bought out noodles, rice, spring rolls and various vegetables and soup but the only thing was we had to eat it with chop sticks and there was no option for a knife and fork!! We were laughed at a lot by the vietnamese on the boat as we just had to resort so shoveling the food down!! After lunch we were treated to some music from the crew on board I say "treated" but it was more like deafened!! Following this it was then a floating bar! I had read on the advertisment about a floating bar but didn't really know what it meant. But it's exactly what it says on the tin in that we all jumped in the water and a guy had some bottles of wine on some polysterine blocks and we all had rubber rings floating with a glass of wine!! However the wine tasted more like vinegar and excuse my french but all the guy could pronounce perfectly in English was "this wine is fucking minging!"
After a few sips we all reaslised there was something stinging us and the guy said yes this is a jelly fish area!! We soon got out of the water and then started our cruise back to shore!! That evening our friends left us and we thought it would be best to have an early night!
The next day we chilled out by the beach but this time were by a bar which had a swimming pool so we didn't need to go in the sea and that evening we headed on the night bus further up the coast to Hoi An. We had been told it was a sleeper bus which was true but the only thing was was that it was made for Asian people and nic was far too long for it and couldn't strech his legs out!! After a very bumpy nights sleep we met up again with our friends who told us that they had been out shopping in Hoi An, as this was the place with lots of tailor shops!! Shortly after breakfast we walked around town in search for clothes!!
We stopped off in many places Nic trying on suits and I was trying on dresses and coats!! They took our measurements for everything then all we had to do was wait for the following day to go back for our fittings!! The next day we thought it would be best to hire a bike to go to all of our fittings so there we were pedalling around town stopping off in the different shops! After our first fitting we were both a bit disappointed as it wasn't quite how we imagined but the beauty of it was was that they would change it until it was perfect for no extra charge!! So later that day we went back and all the clothes fit like a glove!! But then we thought how on earth were we going to fit the 2 suits, 3 trousers, 4 coats and 2 dresses into our rucksacks so then we had to buy yet another bag which meant that in total now we had 4 big bags between and two small rucksacks!!
Other than the tailor shops Hoi Ann was a very quiet, pretty little town and it was a nice change not to be hassled all day long!! The following day loaded with our new wardrobes we headed on the bus to Hue.
Hue is perhaps best known for its historic monuments, which have earned it a place in the UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. However we failed to see any of these sites. After our not so good first impressions of what looked like a dirty town we decided to only stay a day and booked our bus to Hanoi, Hue was a first for me as we went to the market in the afternoon and I didnt buy anything!!! And Finally to top of our visit to Hue we went out eat in the evening, We both ordered our food. Ten minuters later Nic recieved his food which was very good, however he had finished his meal and had another beer before I got mine, (which I didnt like).
The next day we headed for the capital Hanoi. After a short 15 hour bus journey we arrived. Getting off the bus in a strange place is not fun when you are very tired and grumpy and you have 20 touts all shouting in your face pushing past each other to show you their guesthouse. We finally chose one man and got in the taxi. However when we asked to look at the hotel leaflet, the man had very craftely stapled his guesthouse's card over the name of the real guesthouse on the leaflet, which was one of the most expensive in Hanoi. So when we got out and saw that the rooms actually looked nothing like the rooms on the leaflet we made a quick escape next door to a nice clean room.
After a couple of days looking around, we were ready to leave for Halong Bay. Hanoi was very dirty, bustly and we found the people no way near as friendly as the south of Vietnam, which was a shame as we really enjoyed Vietnam.
We booked onto a 2day one night trip to Halong Bay which was 3 hours from Hanoi. We got picked up early in the morning to then find we were the last ones onto the very cramped mini bus and this meant we had to sit bolt upright for the next 3 hours and didn't even have a headrest to sleep!! We arrived at the port and were then asked to hand over our passports to check us onto the boats!! We handed them over and then saw the guy leave with about 50 passports in his hand!! We were then shued onto a boat where we had lunch which was more vietnamese food which we had to eat with chopsticks!! After lunch we sailed around and stopped at some caves we were very impressive despite the bright coloured lights they had put up inside which apparently took the artist years to design!!
That afternoon we sailed further and the views were something out of this world The bay features thousands of limestones karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. Unfortunately we have reaslised that photos we take never do the sight any justice so you'll have to take our word for it. The amazing thing was how peaceful the place was and that you'd see people in their fishing boats as some people actually lived out in the bay on floating houses!! That afternoon we stopped at a place where we could do some kayaking and later then stopped to sleep on the boat for a night where we had the chance to jump off the top of the boat into the luke warm water!! More vietnamese food later we called it a night and had a particularly hot sleep in our cabin!
The following day it was a case of heading back to port and getting the bus back to Hanoi. The only thing was that the tour was extremely disorganised and whilst moving we had to change boats twice and back at the port we had 1 and half hours to wait before the bus picked us up but we were happy to wait when we sampled the Vietnamese fresh beer for 10p!!We arrived back in Hanoi at 6pm and headed out for dinner and the following day we would head to Laos!!
Hope all is well!!
Lots of Love
Jen and Nic
xxx
Later that evening we went out for dinner with the couple Rich and Jen but on our way back to the guesthouse we realised there were lots of buses stopping at this one place then jen realised she saw the cash point where she'd got money out!! So bascially the taxi driver took us for a little ride around the block with his faulty meter!!
Other than the first mishap Saigon couldn't have been more different to Cambodia it was a lot more built up and VERY busy!! The only danger about it was trying not to be hit by the 3 million mopeds driving around town!! Crossing the roads was bascially suicidal!! The following day we headed out to look around town and we found a cafe with lots of pastries! (the only good thing the French has done is bringing french baguettes to Vietnam!!)
We had crossaints for breakfast and a cup of coffee, as we'd read vietnamese coffee was meant to be really good!! Well whoever said that was lying!! It was incredibly sweet and had very strange milk!! After breakfast we headed to a market and it wasn't like any market we'd been in before as the Vietnamese were very friendly in that they liked to touch you!! We were grabbed more times than we could count to stop at their stalls. Nic had trousers held up to him and it was a fatal mistake asking how much something was because then they wouldn't let you go!! Literally!! We did however purchase a few things!!
After that we went to a musuem of all places!! But when we turned up it was closed for lunch which was just our luck so we had to occupy ourselves in a cafe for an hour!! The musuem was the war musuem which had lots of US army aircraft still there which was quite cool!! After lunch we headed to another market and we found even more dvd's to add to how growing collection and we both bought brand new ski jackets!! We couldn't get over why they were selling ski jackets in a hot country like Vietnam but we also didn't care as both of our ski jackets came to 40 pound!! Bargain!!
That night we went out for dinner again with our new found friends and had a few beers and to our surprise beer was even cheaper than in Cambodia as a big bottle of Saigon beer was only 35p!!
The next day we had booked on a trip for $4 each to go to Cui Gui tunnels which were 2 hours out of town. They were the tunnels the Vietcong built in the war. We learnt a lot about the war and stopped off at a handicrafts place where injured people from the war made souveniars! We didn't buy anything but later found out the name for the place was "handicapped handicrafts"! Not particualrly PC!!
We arrived at the tunnels and walked around and learnt more about the war! We even tried to fit into the tiny holes the vietnamese made! I got in fine but had a bit of struggle getting out! Further on you could follow one of the tunnels for 100 metres under the ground we all followed in a line until I reached the entrance and looking down the tunnel I was thinking once I'm halfway there's no way of getting out so I decided against the tunnel but Nic caried on and came out sweating buckets!! How the vietnamese lived down there for month on end we do not know!! The informative day came to an end and we had dinner and went to bed!
The next day we were heading to Saigon Water park!! Which we thought would be a nice break from the heat of the city!! We turned up not expecting much but were pleasantly surprised to find loads of slides!! So we headed around the park!! Not long after reaching the top of one of the slides I realised that I was a little bit underdressed in my bikini as all the other vietnamese girls were wearing shorts and T-shirt!! So the rest of the day we were stared at!! Also Nic was a little overdressed as the Vietnamese Men were wearing speedos!! But the water park was really good but we did come away with a few injuries! We headed back to the centre and that day we were getting a bus up the coast so we made our way to the next place!
We arived in a place called mui ne which was by the coast! We got then again in terrential rain! We headed out for dinner to then find that the whole town was completely dead and were told that September was their quietest month of the year!! We eventually found a little place and because we were the only ones in there they let us pick any movie and watch it!! So we were happy for the night!!
The morning after we gave the town the benefit of the doubt that we had arrived at night but still there was no-one around!! Not even the beach was particularly nice!! So instead of hanging around we thought we'd book a bus and head further up the coast! On the bus we met our friends again and were now heading to Nha Trang further up the coast!
We arrived again to guess what MORE RAIN! We were prepared for the rain however in that we'd bought waterproofs and after checking into our hotel we headed out to dinner with our friends!! We found a pizza place and were more than happy when the beers were buy one get one free!! Following dinner we were sat there and then our canadian friends who we met in Cambodia walked past and they then joined us for a drink!! A few bars later we headed home to wake up to a bit of a hangover the next day!!
The sun was shining which had proved to be a rare sight in Vietnam so far so we made the most of it and hit the beach!! We hired some beach beds for a pound with our friends Rich and Jen! The beach was really nice and to begin with the sea was nice too. But after about an hour the sea had obviously been churned up and all we found in it was lots of rubbish!! At that point Rich had found a water park up the beach and as they missed out on the one in Saigon! We joined them and were slightly disappointed when it didn't live up to the one in Saigon! We went on a few of the slides to then realise there was a severe lack of health and safety! On one of the slides you had to fight your way on to even go down it but then half way down the kids thought it was funny to block the slide so no-one could get down!! After a lot of cuts and bruises we left the park with the worry we might get septesiemia!!
That evening we headed out again for dinner then onto some bars!! One bar we played a bit of pool and there was the smallest puppies I'd ever seen! Later I realised they were Chewawa puppies but we also got offered to buy one for a pound!! In the one bar we had had 11 beers between 4 of us and the bill came to 3pounds!! You wouldn't even get one beer for that back home!!
The next day we went on a trip around the islands off the shore! The boat wasn't quite what we were expecting but our first stop was at an aquarium which was pretty good! We then went onto a place where there was supposed so be coral and we could snorkel but having had a look with our masks on you couldn't really see more than a metre in front of you as the vietnamese don't really have any awareness for the environment!!
We had lunch and was bought out noodles, rice, spring rolls and various vegetables and soup but the only thing was we had to eat it with chop sticks and there was no option for a knife and fork!! We were laughed at a lot by the vietnamese on the boat as we just had to resort so shoveling the food down!! After lunch we were treated to some music from the crew on board I say "treated" but it was more like deafened!! Following this it was then a floating bar! I had read on the advertisment about a floating bar but didn't really know what it meant. But it's exactly what it says on the tin in that we all jumped in the water and a guy had some bottles of wine on some polysterine blocks and we all had rubber rings floating with a glass of wine!! However the wine tasted more like vinegar and excuse my french but all the guy could pronounce perfectly in English was "this wine is fucking minging!"
After a few sips we all reaslised there was something stinging us and the guy said yes this is a jelly fish area!! We soon got out of the water and then started our cruise back to shore!! That evening our friends left us and we thought it would be best to have an early night!
The next day we chilled out by the beach but this time were by a bar which had a swimming pool so we didn't need to go in the sea and that evening we headed on the night bus further up the coast to Hoi An. We had been told it was a sleeper bus which was true but the only thing was was that it was made for Asian people and nic was far too long for it and couldn't strech his legs out!! After a very bumpy nights sleep we met up again with our friends who told us that they had been out shopping in Hoi An, as this was the place with lots of tailor shops!! Shortly after breakfast we walked around town in search for clothes!!
We stopped off in many places Nic trying on suits and I was trying on dresses and coats!! They took our measurements for everything then all we had to do was wait for the following day to go back for our fittings!! The next day we thought it would be best to hire a bike to go to all of our fittings so there we were pedalling around town stopping off in the different shops! After our first fitting we were both a bit disappointed as it wasn't quite how we imagined but the beauty of it was was that they would change it until it was perfect for no extra charge!! So later that day we went back and all the clothes fit like a glove!! But then we thought how on earth were we going to fit the 2 suits, 3 trousers, 4 coats and 2 dresses into our rucksacks so then we had to buy yet another bag which meant that in total now we had 4 big bags between and two small rucksacks!!
Other than the tailor shops Hoi Ann was a very quiet, pretty little town and it was a nice change not to be hassled all day long!! The following day loaded with our new wardrobes we headed on the bus to Hue.
Hue is perhaps best known for its historic monuments, which have earned it a place in the UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. However we failed to see any of these sites. After our not so good first impressions of what looked like a dirty town we decided to only stay a day and booked our bus to Hanoi, Hue was a first for me as we went to the market in the afternoon and I didnt buy anything!!! And Finally to top of our visit to Hue we went out eat in the evening, We both ordered our food. Ten minuters later Nic recieved his food which was very good, however he had finished his meal and had another beer before I got mine, (which I didnt like).
The next day we headed for the capital Hanoi. After a short 15 hour bus journey we arrived. Getting off the bus in a strange place is not fun when you are very tired and grumpy and you have 20 touts all shouting in your face pushing past each other to show you their guesthouse. We finally chose one man and got in the taxi. However when we asked to look at the hotel leaflet, the man had very craftely stapled his guesthouse's card over the name of the real guesthouse on the leaflet, which was one of the most expensive in Hanoi. So when we got out and saw that the rooms actually looked nothing like the rooms on the leaflet we made a quick escape next door to a nice clean room.
After a couple of days looking around, we were ready to leave for Halong Bay. Hanoi was very dirty, bustly and we found the people no way near as friendly as the south of Vietnam, which was a shame as we really enjoyed Vietnam.
We booked onto a 2day one night trip to Halong Bay which was 3 hours from Hanoi. We got picked up early in the morning to then find we were the last ones onto the very cramped mini bus and this meant we had to sit bolt upright for the next 3 hours and didn't even have a headrest to sleep!! We arrived at the port and were then asked to hand over our passports to check us onto the boats!! We handed them over and then saw the guy leave with about 50 passports in his hand!! We were then shued onto a boat where we had lunch which was more vietnamese food which we had to eat with chopsticks!! After lunch we sailed around and stopped at some caves we were very impressive despite the bright coloured lights they had put up inside which apparently took the artist years to design!!
That afternoon we sailed further and the views were something out of this world The bay features thousands of limestones karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. Unfortunately we have reaslised that photos we take never do the sight any justice so you'll have to take our word for it. The amazing thing was how peaceful the place was and that you'd see people in their fishing boats as some people actually lived out in the bay on floating houses!! That afternoon we stopped at a place where we could do some kayaking and later then stopped to sleep on the boat for a night where we had the chance to jump off the top of the boat into the luke warm water!! More vietnamese food later we called it a night and had a particularly hot sleep in our cabin!
The following day it was a case of heading back to port and getting the bus back to Hanoi. The only thing was that the tour was extremely disorganised and whilst moving we had to change boats twice and back at the port we had 1 and half hours to wait before the bus picked us up but we were happy to wait when we sampled the Vietnamese fresh beer for 10p!!We arrived back in Hanoi at 6pm and headed out for dinner and the following day we would head to Laos!!
Hope all is well!!
Lots of Love
Jen and Nic
xxx
Monday 7 September 2009
Cambodia
So we were in Bangkok ready for the border crossing to cambodia which we had heard really bad things about, including the conspiracy that Bangkok airways were paying the Cambodian government to keep the road to Siem Reap unsealed to encourage people to fly!! But when we saw the flights were $150 for only a 50 min flight we realised flying wasn't an option!
It was an early start at 6:30am we jumped on a minibus and were on there for about 4 hours. We stopped at a small place which included a resturant and were asked to fill out forms for our Cambodian visa. And also hand over our passports and money for the visas!! Obviously being weary of everyone in Asia we were a little reluctant but everyone was doing it we didn't have much choice! So after some fried rice with vegetables for lunch we headed for the border! Luckily when we got there we were handed our passports with the visas inside and were thankfully chaparoned through the very hectic crossing! At one point we had to stop and something was held to my head which I swear looked like the shape of a gun but it turned out to only be a thermometer to check you for swine flu! So I felt very stupid when I was trying to dodge it afterwards! Many passport checks later we were at the otherside and realised all the other travellers we wearing a sticker which meant they would get a taxi to siem reap which took 2 hours instead of the 4 on the bus!! We enquired and being that money solves all problems in asia before we knew it we were in a taxi!!
During the taxi ride we managed to get stopped by the police!! Not really sure why as the driver didn't speak a word of english but he seemed a bit worried when he had to get out and speak to the police but luckily it seemed to be no problem and we were on our way! We reached what seemed like a dirt track and soon realised this was where the canadian girls we were sharing the taxi with were staying!! At $15 a night it was pushing our now cheap budget so got on a tuk tuk to another hotel we'd heard of!! We got to a point on the tuk tuk where the driver got stuck and turned out we were stuck in the road made of sand!! So he asked us nicely (in his limited english) to step off the tuk tuk so he could push it through the sand!! So it was an eventful journey to a very nice guesthouse!!
After the daily standard nap we headed into town to have some dinner. We got another Tuk Tuk into town and were asked by the tuk tuk driver what time did we want picking up so told him the time!!We walked around and eventually found a mexican restaurant who were selling tacos for a dollar and beer at 50 cent so that sold it to us!! A couple of 50 cent beers later we were picked up by our tuk tuk driver and headed home!!
The following day we were introduced to another tuk tuk driver who would take us round for the day. He asked us if we wanted to go to a war musuem so we said yes not really having a lot of choice as he was already on the way. We turned up to what was not our idea of a musuem being that it was just a field with tanks etc in it. We didn't really know what to expect but we were introduced to a guide who showed us round. He talked to us more about the war but also his story in that he had lost all of his family when he was four, along with 3 fingers and still had shrapnell in his face from a land mine. Extremely shocked by his story we were very quiet for the rest of the tour and when asked if we wanted to take photos of the guns used in the war we declined!
After a very emotional but informative morning we headed back to town for lunch and then onto the market. Yet another shock was the street children trying to sell you things like postcards. It broke my heart when a little girl of only about 7 or 8 kept following me trying to get me to buy her postcards. But we were told not to give the street children money as it would encourage their parents to keep sending them out to work. Other children would come up to us and ask us where we were from and once we said UK they would reel off lots of facts about the UK including the population and the prime ministers going all the way back to Margaret Thatcher ( i think they knew more than me!)
After buying a couple of items in the market including a North Face rucksack for Nic.Later that day we headed to Angkor Wat at around 6 to to see the sunset. After about an hour we were shued from the temples and unfortunately didn't get to see the sunset because of the cloud cover. That evening we headed for dinner but felt the $1 tacos were too good to resist so went back to the same mexican restaurant as the night before!! We then enjoyed some 50 cent beers with the Candian girls we shared the taxi with from Bangkok. Then to our surprise they were showing cricket on the tv and it turned out to be the last test of the ashes. So we sat down and the candidan girls were a little confused as to what the game was and the importance of it but luckily as it got late we headed back and watched england win the ashes in the comfort of our hotel room.
Our Tuk tuk driver was trying to persuade to go to Angkor Wat for sunrise but knowing how both Nic and I liked our sleep we declined his offer!! We were still at the temples by 8:30am and even then it was in the sweltering heat and it can be safe to say that we sweated all day long!! The temples were very impressive and Lara Croft Tomb Raider was filmed in one of the temples we visited. After a tasy fried rice and vegetables and yet another spicy meal for Nic we headed back for another standard nap!! That evening was the last night in Siem Reap and we enjoyed yet some more 50 cent beers and it's embarressing to say but we did go back to the same mexican restaurant but luckily there was two so we didn't look stupid to the staff and in our defence we hadn't had mexican food in a long time! We had another evening with our candian friends before saying goodbye!
The following morning we got on a bus to Phom Penn the capital of Cambodia. Cambodians definately don't pay road tax as it was a very bumpy journey. The Michael Jackson craze has even hit South East Asia and we were treated to a concert of his on the tv on the bus!!
Once again we arrived in Phom Penn not having a clue where we were in the city but having checked the map we took off walking to look for a hotel. All the hotels quoted us a lot more than we hoped and after being following for about 15 mins by a tuk tuk driver we caved in and jumped on the back and he took us to the backpacker area. We arrived and were shown to a guesthouse which was described as having lakeside views! They were right that we could see the lake but the lake was muddy and full of rubbish and definately not one of the best views we've seen. We were shown to a room and at first glance it seemed ok but later that night we realised why it was only $5 as there was holes in the floor, the fan barely worked properly and the toilet didn't have a flush! We only stayed there one night before moving to another guesthouse which probably wasn't much better but had to do. The next day we went to yet another market and purchased lots of really cheap dvd's and we also spent another day visiting the killing fields and having watched the film the night before I understood about the war in Cambodia a lot more. The killing fields was yet another emotional experience so we didn't do much more that day.
On a lighter note our tuk tuk driver asked if we wanted to go visit S21 a musuem further about the cambodian war but I misheard him and when he asked "do you now want to go to S21" my reply was "oh no I'm 22!" Nic found this hilarious at the time and insisted on telling everyone we met about my mix up!!
After a couple of days in Phom Penn it was again time to move on. Next stop was Vietnam!!
Hope all is well!
Lots of love
Jen and Nic
xxxxxxx
It was an early start at 6:30am we jumped on a minibus and were on there for about 4 hours. We stopped at a small place which included a resturant and were asked to fill out forms for our Cambodian visa. And also hand over our passports and money for the visas!! Obviously being weary of everyone in Asia we were a little reluctant but everyone was doing it we didn't have much choice! So after some fried rice with vegetables for lunch we headed for the border! Luckily when we got there we were handed our passports with the visas inside and were thankfully chaparoned through the very hectic crossing! At one point we had to stop and something was held to my head which I swear looked like the shape of a gun but it turned out to only be a thermometer to check you for swine flu! So I felt very stupid when I was trying to dodge it afterwards! Many passport checks later we were at the otherside and realised all the other travellers we wearing a sticker which meant they would get a taxi to siem reap which took 2 hours instead of the 4 on the bus!! We enquired and being that money solves all problems in asia before we knew it we were in a taxi!!
During the taxi ride we managed to get stopped by the police!! Not really sure why as the driver didn't speak a word of english but he seemed a bit worried when he had to get out and speak to the police but luckily it seemed to be no problem and we were on our way! We reached what seemed like a dirt track and soon realised this was where the canadian girls we were sharing the taxi with were staying!! At $15 a night it was pushing our now cheap budget so got on a tuk tuk to another hotel we'd heard of!! We got to a point on the tuk tuk where the driver got stuck and turned out we were stuck in the road made of sand!! So he asked us nicely (in his limited english) to step off the tuk tuk so he could push it through the sand!! So it was an eventful journey to a very nice guesthouse!!
After the daily standard nap we headed into town to have some dinner. We got another Tuk Tuk into town and were asked by the tuk tuk driver what time did we want picking up so told him the time!!We walked around and eventually found a mexican restaurant who were selling tacos for a dollar and beer at 50 cent so that sold it to us!! A couple of 50 cent beers later we were picked up by our tuk tuk driver and headed home!!
The following day we were introduced to another tuk tuk driver who would take us round for the day. He asked us if we wanted to go to a war musuem so we said yes not really having a lot of choice as he was already on the way. We turned up to what was not our idea of a musuem being that it was just a field with tanks etc in it. We didn't really know what to expect but we were introduced to a guide who showed us round. He talked to us more about the war but also his story in that he had lost all of his family when he was four, along with 3 fingers and still had shrapnell in his face from a land mine. Extremely shocked by his story we were very quiet for the rest of the tour and when asked if we wanted to take photos of the guns used in the war we declined!
After a very emotional but informative morning we headed back to town for lunch and then onto the market. Yet another shock was the street children trying to sell you things like postcards. It broke my heart when a little girl of only about 7 or 8 kept following me trying to get me to buy her postcards. But we were told not to give the street children money as it would encourage their parents to keep sending them out to work. Other children would come up to us and ask us where we were from and once we said UK they would reel off lots of facts about the UK including the population and the prime ministers going all the way back to Margaret Thatcher ( i think they knew more than me!)
After buying a couple of items in the market including a North Face rucksack for Nic.Later that day we headed to Angkor Wat at around 6 to to see the sunset. After about an hour we were shued from the temples and unfortunately didn't get to see the sunset because of the cloud cover. That evening we headed for dinner but felt the $1 tacos were too good to resist so went back to the same mexican restaurant as the night before!! We then enjoyed some 50 cent beers with the Candian girls we shared the taxi with from Bangkok. Then to our surprise they were showing cricket on the tv and it turned out to be the last test of the ashes. So we sat down and the candidan girls were a little confused as to what the game was and the importance of it but luckily as it got late we headed back and watched england win the ashes in the comfort of our hotel room.
Our Tuk tuk driver was trying to persuade to go to Angkor Wat for sunrise but knowing how both Nic and I liked our sleep we declined his offer!! We were still at the temples by 8:30am and even then it was in the sweltering heat and it can be safe to say that we sweated all day long!! The temples were very impressive and Lara Croft Tomb Raider was filmed in one of the temples we visited. After a tasy fried rice and vegetables and yet another spicy meal for Nic we headed back for another standard nap!! That evening was the last night in Siem Reap and we enjoyed yet some more 50 cent beers and it's embarressing to say but we did go back to the same mexican restaurant but luckily there was two so we didn't look stupid to the staff and in our defence we hadn't had mexican food in a long time! We had another evening with our candian friends before saying goodbye!
The following morning we got on a bus to Phom Penn the capital of Cambodia. Cambodians definately don't pay road tax as it was a very bumpy journey. The Michael Jackson craze has even hit South East Asia and we were treated to a concert of his on the tv on the bus!!
Once again we arrived in Phom Penn not having a clue where we were in the city but having checked the map we took off walking to look for a hotel. All the hotels quoted us a lot more than we hoped and after being following for about 15 mins by a tuk tuk driver we caved in and jumped on the back and he took us to the backpacker area. We arrived and were shown to a guesthouse which was described as having lakeside views! They were right that we could see the lake but the lake was muddy and full of rubbish and definately not one of the best views we've seen. We were shown to a room and at first glance it seemed ok but later that night we realised why it was only $5 as there was holes in the floor, the fan barely worked properly and the toilet didn't have a flush! We only stayed there one night before moving to another guesthouse which probably wasn't much better but had to do. The next day we went to yet another market and purchased lots of really cheap dvd's and we also spent another day visiting the killing fields and having watched the film the night before I understood about the war in Cambodia a lot more. The killing fields was yet another emotional experience so we didn't do much more that day.
On a lighter note our tuk tuk driver asked if we wanted to go visit S21 a musuem further about the cambodian war but I misheard him and when he asked "do you now want to go to S21" my reply was "oh no I'm 22!" Nic found this hilarious at the time and insisted on telling everyone we met about my mix up!!
After a couple of days in Phom Penn it was again time to move on. Next stop was Vietnam!!
Hope all is well!
Lots of love
Jen and Nic
xxxxxxx
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