Day 49 - Phnom Penh (bus)

Early morning bus to HCMC, Vietnam. Will meet Jake there, do some laundry, chill out. Hopefully end of illness. Then maybe Mui Ne, meet Brigitte. Then north.

Left the hostel at 6am, place reeking of hash again! I suppose it masks the rubbish in the alley outside. Ended up in a Cambodian guesthouse after a mix-up with our reservations at the hostel. $6 a night for a/c and a private room is okay though. Very chilled atmosphere here. Cambodia seems to have that effect on people. Rosy's was the same.

We've stayed in some stuffy spots - Royal Asia, Sant Asar, Jin Jiang Inn. Unfailingly, the staff have always been helpful and personable. The only places they weren't was at Godzilla's and in Listvyanka. And Sant Asar after we broke the mirror (then everyone chipped in to pay for it!), and the Fenghe Xi'an "IYH" for the bed pollution.

The ger camp was the most fun environment, but there'll always be a special place in my heart for the Apple hostel, and Cloudland. Such nice places. Rosy's too, but that was more upmarket.

Hostels often act as a Western enclave - insulating the traveller from the local food and people. Definitely met more Chinese people on the train than anywhere else. Any Russians were guides or from Apple. Since Bangkok it's nearly all been ex-pats.

I think I need to get away from S&N. Not that they're not good company, I just don't have much opportunity for spontaneity, nor for getting out and about with others. Haven't met any lovely girls yet, which disappoints me. Still, 4.5 months to go.

***

Random memory #1: the Milky Way stretched across the sky in Mongolia. So many stars that familiar constellations were unrecognisable.

#2: Andy being mistaken as our guide/interpreter in China, and being spoken to in rapid-fire Chinese on the bus.

***

Arrived in HCMC a little after one, walked to the hostel without much hassle. Bus was alright - ferry crossing, lunch stop in Bravet. Thor on the telly, conductor managing the border crossing. Rather pleasant!

HCMC isn't hotter than anywhere else (at least, not especially so), but it's infinitely more humid, and sweatier. Sitting down is a sweaty activity. Walking induces small rivers of sweat. Anything beyond that... well I haven't tried yet.

Pottered around the Reunification Palace, getting my Khmer and Vietnamese histories mixed up. Impressive place, lots of marble and stately furniture. Now is showering time, and recharge before dinner and beers.

Reunification Palace

Bust of Ho Chi Minh himself

After some initial scepticism, Seb decided to be a plane too!

***

A note on religion: most people in Asia seem to be Buddhists, though Paean described himself as Hindu-Buddhist. Perhaps he was identifying with Angkor Wat. Originally, the Khmer of pre-medieval times adopted the Hindu gods of Indian traders. Shiva (the destroyer), Vishnu (the protector), Ganesh. The temples of Angkor Wat and Thom were originally built to worship these. It was only from 1181 that Buddhism began to replace it. Thus the architecture and sculpture of the original buildings are all relating to Hindu legends. Later, statues of Buddha were inserted.

Hinduism and Buddhism (and Taoism and Confucianism) do not seem to be mutually exclusive at all, and aspects of each are probably observed in Cambodia today.

Across SE Asia, special treatment is still give to monks, and natives are reverent even at the most touristy of shrines and temples. Mongolia too is Buddhist, but Dawa said it's in decline there.

***

Lashing rain again now. Doesn't bother natives for the most part. most of life happens outside - shops are mostly stalls, garages and workshops are open to the street. No a/c for the majority, just grin and get on with it. very social, very... enduring? Hardy maybe. Come what may, life goes on, they'll find a way to get by.

Foot-volleyball in the park

So many mopeds!

Day 48 - Phnom Penh

Stomach still ill. bleah. N&S had a late morning, so got some Internetting done. Went to Nat. Museum then - large collection from Khmer kingdoms, little else. Paid $1 for camera pass, but wasn't allowed take photos except in the garden. Sham! Then the Royal Palace - lots of temples, some child monks, all in saffron. It's odd - children of maybe nine or ten, already monks. Apparently it is not a life-long vocation, but something many men take up for a couple of years and then resume normal life.

Museum

Palace

The rain is pouring again. Came back to the hostel at 7pm, could've sworn it was 10pm. Dinner in the Mad Monkey, watched the sun set and some bats flit about. Lightning again tonight too.

Day 47 - Phnom Penh

Stupa at Choeung Ek

Choeung Ek today - one of the killing fields. It was odd really - lots of grass and shady trees. Some Khmer harvesting plants. Quite pleasant. Apart from an audio guide detailing the facts of the atrocities committed there. Mass graves with 450 victims. 166 headless corpses. And the stupa - full of skulls. Staring mournfully out through glass. Each one a face, a potential life, snuffed out. The hollow eye sockets are accusing - what did /you/ do to save me?

At S-21, the faces are made flesh. 20,000 mugshots, all starting at the camera. Most are defiant, some with a hint of fear. A few are on stretchers. Only a handful survived.

***

Monday night. We're taking it easy back at the hotel. It's only 9pm, but feels so much later. Traveller's diarrhea is not incapacitating, but it is... inconvenient, and somewhat draining (unintentional pun alert!). Had warm banana in coconut for dessert - very sweet. And a Korean ice cream on the way home. Jelly-ish consistency.

Bought a 'Big Issue' style magazine, Soid. Seems like everywhere here has been damaged in some way. Really want to help.

One more day in PP - want to see a bit of the city. Then on to HCMC on Wednesday. Hopefully stomach will have settled by then.

More places I've stayed

Asia hotel, Battambang (http://www.asiahotelbattambang.com/)
Heartwood guesthouse, Phnom Penh
Saigon Backpackers, HCMC (http://saigonbackpackershostel.com/)
Austria House, Mui Ne (http://www.muinebackpackers.com/)
Xua Dalat, Dalat
Ai Nghia, Dalat
Long house (homestay), Lak
Eden Hotel, Buôn Ma Thuột
Hoang Thinh, Kon Tum
Nhà Khách, Kham Duc
Hoa Binh, Hoi An
Hué Backpackers, Hué (http://www.vietnambackpackerhostels.com/the-hostels/the-imperial-hue/)
Queen Mini, Ninh Binh
Hanoi Backpackers, Hanoi (http://www.vietnambackpackerhostels.com/the-hostels/downtown-hanoi/)
Castaway Island, Halong Bay
Intercontinental Westlake, Hanoi
Orchid Guesthouse, Ventiane
Chalenn Garden Guesthouse, Vang Vieng
Jar Café, Phonsavanh
?, Phonsavanh
Souk Lan Xang, Luang Prabang (http://souklanxang.weebly.com/)
@Hualampong, Bangkok (http://www.athualamphong.hostel.com/)
Saphai Pae, Bangkok (http://www.saphaipae.com/)
Inn Crowd, Singapore (http://www.the-inncrowd.com/)
Fernloft, Singapore (http://www.fernloft.com/index.php/fernloft-singapore-east-coast)

Day 46 - Battambang (bus)

Bound for Phnom Penh on a bus with S&N. Up twice during the night for the toilet. Have eaten nothing since dinner yesterday except a slice of bread and two crackers. Hoping to starve whatever's making me ill. In danger of dehydration also. Didn't take any Immodium. Two hours into a six hour journey. Will see how it goes.

***

Hung out at the pool after the war museum. Hostel for dinner and drinks (after the night market). Very friendly place - I'm not sure how much of the native spirit of a town or country is reflected in those who settle there, but SR was full of smiles and hellos. It's one of the downsides of travelling through places so rapidly, we never really get to meet the locals. All Khmer that we meet are in the tourist/service trade. Even the children we met and played with yesterday are involved in making a 'sale'. Only meeting people in this regard reinforces the face that I am a privileged Westerner. Which of course I am.

Even Det, our regular, reliable and cheerful tuk-tuk driver. I wonder if he will ever leave SR. All the tuk-tuk drivers are young - do they head to PP when they get older? They sit around most of the day, waiting for a fare, whiling their time away. What do they graduate to? Do they own their tuk-tuks?

I should've found these things out, but there's never enough time.

***

On arrival in Battambang. a tuk-tuk driver - Pau - offered to take us to a couple of sights out of town for $5 each. We bumped into an Aussie we recognised from SR, and he accompanied us - holding on to our tuk-tuk while he rode alongside us on his bike, all the while a cigarette dangling from his lips.

Pau took us first to the bamboo train, a lightweight rail system. 1m gauge, carriages were just open platforms of bamboo, and the engine was a little motor, with the belt wrapped around the rear axle. We clipped along at a fair pace though, such a simple joy, wind blowing through my hair. Had to slow down for cows, and we met two carriages coming the other way. So we stopped, the platform was lifted off the tracks, and then the axles, and then everything reassembled once the opposing carriages had moved on! Slightly inefficient, but simple and effective.

The train took us to a small village, where local children demonstrated how to make rings, bracelets, rosettes and even model crickets from grass blades. We sat and talked and played with them for about an hour, I think. We lost track of time, and completely missed the brick factory - allegedly the star attraction of the train ride! The kids were super cute though - good English, even some French. They were part of the 'sell' I guess, but fun nonetheless.

As we left, the rain started again. Our next destination was a mountain-top temple - a dreary prospect in the wet. It was enlivened by some monkeys, and on the way down the mount, we visited one of the 'killing caves', site of Khmer Rouge massacres. A sombre place, now consecrated, the one we visited had what I can only describe as a cupboard, full of bones, including a skull. Everywhere in Cambodia seems to have been tainted by killing and war.

On the way back, Nicci spotted something strange in the air. At first we thought it was swarms of bees, but Seb was correct in spotting them as bats. Pau says the cave nearby holds 200 million of them, so there was quite a steady stream of them.

Ate out at the Gecko café, just some simple pasta, but still stomach didn't settle. Urgh.

***

Bus today lasted just under seven hours. Driver was a jolly sort, always laughing and joking it seemed. Motorists here will overtake at any opportunity, thought they are mostly safe. A tap of the horn is always given to warn cyclists or mopeds that the car is close. Unfortunately, with the number of scooters about, the driver must be rather horn-happy.

It seems approaching a junction, 4+ wheels takes priority, and then the loudest horn. Crossing the road is done in a steady and sure manner, so your path is a predictable one, and bikes can go around you. Any hesitation causes confusion.

Places I've stayed

Apple Hostel, St Petersburg (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/45374)
Godzilla hostel, Moscow
Briz chalet, Listvyanka
Sant Asar hotel, Ulaanbaatar
Guru Travel ger camp
Xihua Jade Hotel, Beijing
365 Inn, Beijing (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/16667)
Shua Yaun hostel, Xi'an (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/5599)
Fenghe Xi'an IYH, Xi'an
Jinjiang Inn, Chengdu
Cloudland, Kunming (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/12661)
Urban Age, Bangkok
@Hualomphong, Bangkok (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/40577)
Rosy Guesthouse, Siem Reap (http://rosyguesthouse.com/)

[those with links are ones I'd definitely recommend]

Day 45 - Siem Reap

Sitting on the bus with six Immodium inside me. Already 30min delay so far in leaving, not sure how long the journey will take, depends on the roads. Could be five, six hours. Not sure what brought on the upset, but Nicci's suffering too.

Yesterday morning was again spent in the hostel. I went out to the war museum around lunchtime. Depressing place. Rusting hulks of tanks and artillery, also a helicopter and a Chinese jet that had both crash-landed. Was shown around by a guide called Kom (Com?), who had lost his left arm to a landmine. Very cheerful though, happy to be working. The things he showed me - AK47s, RPGs, M16s, landmines, anti-tank weaponry... so much technology and money, all for killing. Cambodia was still seeing fighting in 1998, when Pol Pot was finally ousted. So recent, Kom had been a child soldier - helping with ammo, and then communications, until at 18 he lost his arm. Plenty of pictures of the landmine victims - both horrific and uplifting.

Pictures too of people disarming landmines - volunteers. SR (maybe all of Cambodia?) seems to be quite a ... charitable (?) town. Lots of opportunities to work with local children, teach them, play with them. Donate time, food goods, blood. Rent bikes, buy postcards - for charity.

I can see myself taking months off to come work here for a while. It's definitely somewhere I'd love to return to, preferably without the flooding!

Visited the night market last night too - bit of a let-down. No deep fried tarantula that we could find. Got a few presents for the family still at home. Think my haggling has improved.

***

I miss cycling. I want to get out on a proper bike!

Day 44 - Siem Reap

"Don't plan too much in Siem Reap." A piece of advice given to us by G on our first day here, due to the ferocious rain and flooding. It extends to all of Cambodia though. We were supposed to check out this morning, once our Vietnamese visas arrived. But the only buses to Battambang leave in the early morning, between 7am-9am. So one more day and a night here, and we leave tomorrow instead. Not the worst place to be trapped for 24 hours. =)

The pace of life here is quite relaxed. There's a large ex-pat community, Westerners who have adopted SR as their hometown. From G, the manager of the guesthouse, to tour operators like Pete, or the arsehole from the Irish bar. A good standard of life here comes pretty cheaply, and no doubt a bit cheaper again when you know the right people and places.

***

Lazy day yesterday. Backed up photos to Flickr, made some public. Wandered downtown (wet feet) to do some yoga. Only one other person in the class. I'm not as flexible as I used to be. I don't really share Seb's opinion that we're "getting old", but I definitely do too little outside of cycling. Need to investigate a stretching program when I get home.

I went for a massage then. Supposed to be a legit place, but anything down a dark alley seems suspicious. Three blind lads were waiting though, $5 for an hour, +$2 for A/C. Wonder what's key for blind people to tell about denomination a note is. Good massage - Japanese style. Lots of pulling and stretching - I think he made every finger and tow crack. Spent most of the time in a near catatonic state, thoughts drifting in and out at a leisurely pace. Blissful.

After that we went (like big crap tourists) to a buffet with a show. Exactly as I expected really. Was hoping the show would be better, but surrounded by tour buses of Russians and Asians who have more interest in the food hampered our enjoyment. Cambodian dancing is very sedate - lots of standing on one foot and balancing - almost birdlike. Lots of subtle handwork too - hints of Indian or religious associations maybe.

Back to our hostel to get the bad news about the bus, sort it out, then a couple of whiskies to send us to sleep.

Day 42 - Siem Reap

Angkor Wat today, and what a day! Up at 04.30, met Det (our tuk-tuk driver) and Paean (our guide) at 05.00, out to the temples for sunrise. So worth it! Infinitely more spectacular than the Mongolian morning. Can feel the tiredness hitting me now though.

AW is only one of numerous temples scattered to the north of SR. We spent nearly nine hours there, and only visited the highlights.

AW is the most well know, probably because it offers the best photos - towers that stick up above the forest roof, reflecting pools, huge panels of relief sculpture (telling the store of the Ramayana, and the Churning of the Sea of Milk). AW is only about a quarter of the size of Angkor Thom, which is an enclosure containing several temples. Bayon, Baphuon (with the golden lingua), Phimeanakas were all that we managed to see.

Then Chau Say Thevada, Ta Keo, Ta Prohm and Banteay Kdei.

It would take pages and pages to describe the wonder and beauty of the temples. Sheer magnificence. Neglected beauty. Temples reclaimed by nature, used as houses, military bases and palaces.

Paean was the best guide we could hope for - full of information, not only about the temple art and architecture, but also Khmer history - wars with Siam (Thailand) and Champa (Vietnam), Pol Pot's regime and the end of it with the civil war in 1989. Full of smiles, as was Det. Don't think we could've asked for a better day really. No rain, so lots of sweating.

Met our Dutch friends from the fish massage yesterday. For one temple, the women had to cover their legs. We bumped into Dirk sitting outside in a sarong because his gf Indra had taken his trousers. His friend was somewhere in the jungle with the runs. Unfortunate.

Back to bed for a nap, then dinner. Khmer barbecue. Crocodile was a bit of a let-down - somewhere between pork and chicken. Then to sample the local Guinness. Only foreign extra. Guy at the bar started chatting to us. The owner apparently. Half-French, half-Cameroon. Got offended when I asked how he met his Irish wife. Then he offered to buy us a round as an apology. Reckon he was on a power trip. Left anyway, back for much needed sleep.

Seb and Nicci enjoying the Khmer barbecue

Irish bar, with asshole and eejit

But Angkor Wat. Good day.