Khmer Atchya!!

Phnom Penh

We took a day trip to visit what once was a high school and was then converted into torture chambers and was to become known as S21 during the Pol Pot regime.

It was graphic and unimaginable what those people were put through.

How one individual can be that crazy and think that killing over a quarter of his own people is a good idea is completely unfathomable to me.

From there we made out way to the killing fields. The only way to describe them is fucked up! Even now after heavy rain the land washes away bit by bit revealing more pieces of clothing and more bones of the victims.

After a depressing start to Cambodia, we boarded a mini bus and headed for the coast, Silhanoukville.

With 50cent beers, cheap BBQ seafood and a go-go bar across the road to people watch, our hostel was in a prime possie.

One night saw a fat, white man of 65+ odd shouting beers to pretty young ladies and "trying" to play pool. He ended up blind drunk, took a spill on the footpath, passed out in the go-go bar and went home poorer, on his own and with a very sore head!!

The surf was crazy with waves strong enough to take your feet from underneath you and then it was like been on the final spin cycle in a washing machine.

After a few days by the beach we decided it was time to move on. We bought a ticket to take us to Kampot, south west Cambodia. A town that is famous for its pepper and was once the place to be for holidaying Frenchies.

We assumed (big mistake) that the mini bus we were getting was the same as all the other mini buses we had caught-air conditioned and one bum per seat...WRONG!!

It was a clapped out old Highace van that just kept on collecting passengers. In total we had 18 people, half a hessian bag of snails and they were still trying to pick up more people walking on the side if the highway!

While in Kampot we climbed a "mountain" (more like a big hill) to the top where the local myth is a fortune teller/witch lived. 

She came out to see what the dogs were carrying on about. She seemed friendly enough and so far I haven't grown any extra hair or limbs from her spells!

We had many a massage from blind people. At $4/hr for a full body, you'd be mad not to unless you were like me and managed to snag every masseuse who only knew one pressure, the hardest. I had on more than one occasion bruises on my arms and legs in the shape of fingerprints where perhaps they applied just a wee bit too much pressure!!

We took a bus up to Bokor mountain where again the French used to holiday in the 1920s. They built a flash resort and casino which on a nice day overlooked all of Kampot and the ocean. 

It still remains, but it has recently been re-rendered to maintain its integrity and to keep the touros coming. By doing this it has taken away some of its charm with it no longer covered in green moss.

The highlight by far in Cambodia though came when we organised a bike tour with a local guide. He took us through small villages, rice paddies, salt plains to a little beach where he and his mates drink beers on their holidays. We then made our way to another "village" population 17 where the local blokes welcomed us with free beers. Our guide had half a can and was drunk (that was awesome!) and they all thought Ned could drink two beers easily because "he had a beard which makes him strong!"

Next stop, Siem Reap with the sole purpose of visiting Angkor Wat and what a place it is.

How those crazy people built such impressive structures such s long time ago in incredible.

We visited the .........Thom where massive Bayan trees appear to grow on top of the temples. The temple where Tomb Raider was filmed a d many other gems around the sight.

Once Siem Reap was done and dusted, we arranged to get a bus to a  small town that would then link us with transport over the boarder into Laos. The plan was that we would be picked up at 5am to take us to the bus. So we got up early got our shit together and were set for the 5am collect. At 5.20 when were still sitting at the hostel the night man rang the bus company who informed him that the bus would pick us up. At 5.40 when still no pick up the dude rang again and said the bus had already left and they don't do pick ups!!!! This is big handled well by someone who is not a morning person and who had already spent more days in Siem Reap than originally planned.

So plan B. We took a tuk tuk to the bus and got a 7am bus to Kratie where we would sleep before getting a minibus to the boarder the following day. This did work out and the following day we piled into another minivan. If we had thought 18 people was too many for a 12 seater van we were kidding ourselves. 

Our 6 hour trip to the boarder finished with a total of 24 people on 12 seats and not one, but two flat tyres!!

Hitting potholes at 120km/hr with that many people and luggage that had to be tied in with rope because the boot wouldn't shut apparently does not fair well with the tyres!!

That said it was amusing and we did eventually make it to the boarder....hellllllo Laos!