Set yourself aside at least half an hour for this one, as there’s a lot we have to catch up on.
Sadly, this will be my last post (for a while) about Thailand, a country that I have grown to love more than I ever knew I would. After saying goodbye to Chitty’s family, impossibly trying to convey our gratitude without speaking a word of Thai, we embarked upon our long journey to Bangkok.
We stopped over for a night in Hua Hin, in an absolutely WONDERFUL private apartment. There was air conditioning. There was hot water. There was free water in the fridge. There was an endless supply of cosmetic samples, which I must admit excited me more than they probably should have. There was even a pool.
Our short but sweet time there consisted of a meal by the beach, surrounded by cats, and a trip to the floating village. We soon realised that what they meant by a floating village was a few buildings suspended above a lake, selling the usual touristy things like tshirts, colourful trousers (which admittedly I can’t get enough of) and magnets. I think I enjoyed the apartment more than Hua Hin itself. But, to be fair to Hua Hin, it was an exciting apartment.
Final night in Thailand
IT HAD A POOL!
Just swingin
Getting tipsy
Off we trotted (do we, as a species, trot? We don’t gallop, and we certainly don’t run) to Bangkok for our final few days of shopping and arranging onward travel.
After extensive research, we decided to get the government bus to Siem Reap, as it was the cheapest and most direct route from Bangkok. A big thank you goes out to Chitty who spent the day travelling around Bangkok on the hunt for tickets with us. Now, I must say this. Everything you have read about the Cambodian border crossing - all the stories of visa scams and the dodgy no-mans land in Poipet, of the corrupt police officers making you pay bribes and the unfriendly loiterers - they are all true. But if you take a deep breath, keep a smile on your face and tell yourself that its going to be ok, then it will be.
WE MADE IT!
Bus snacks
Now it was time to explore Siem Reap. Not wanting to rush anything, Moo and I spent our first day moving at a leisurely pace. We took a tuk tuk (driven by the happiest Cambodian man who laughed at everything I said while trying desperately to translate it in his head) to the War Museum, where we were given a free guided tour by a survivor named Sinarth. He was blinded by mines, lost part of his leg, was riddled with shrapnel and still had a piece of his foot bone in one of his pupils (from the blast). It shocked us to learn that there are still around 4 to 6 million unexploded mines in Cambodia. This means the war won’t really end for the Cambodian people for many, many decades.
On our way to the war museum with Mr Happy
Sinarth
We purchased a book from the War Museum, written by this guy (Karl Levy) on behalf of Sinarth and several other guides who had amazing survival stories
Trying to make friends by doing the most outrageous things possible
Night market
Our first Cambodian meal - Amok. Could this have been the culprit for Moo's poorly stomach? We will never know.
Mmm
The following day, Moo and I buddied up with a fellow solo traveller from our dorm and took a tuk tuk tour of the Grand Circuit at Angkor Wat. This was arranged for us of course by Mr Happy, the same driver that took us to the war museum. The phone call went something like this;
Me - Hello, I’d like to arrange a grand tour for tomorrow morning please
Mr Happy - Hello, yes, haha, ok, hello, what time?
Me - 5.30am?
Mr Happy - Hello?
Me - Hello, 5.30?
Mr Happy - Hello, yes, haha. From your hostel?
Me - Yes, Hostel 543
Mr Happy - Hello?
Me - Hostel 543
Mr Happy - What time?
Me - 5.30
Mr Happy - Yes ok
Me - From Hostel 543?
Mr Happy - 5oclock?
Eventually we got there. And I can tell you that it was worth the 4.30am start. Being whisked away in the pitch black amongst the buzz of other tuk tuks made it feel like we were sneaking off to a secret party that only the lucky ones knew about. Of course, that’s what we imagined that would feel like anyway. Neither of us are actually cool enough to ever hear about these things in real life.
There was a respectful peace from the masses that flooded into the temple with us, the crowds reducing their voices to a whisper as we approached the spots to watch the sunrise from. It was one of those experiences in life that I know I’ll hold onto forever.
We decided that for the next 2 days we would hire a bike to see the rest of the temples with, seeing as there were so many and it was in such a beautiful setting. Plus, it really was time that Moo took some exercise. It was a brilliant choice as it allowed us to explore at our own pace and dart off into the forest to find the lesser known temples, as well as an abandoned shack to catch a much needed mid afternoon nap in.
All in all, Angkor Wat was mesmerising. In an oh-my-god-I’m-so-hot-I-might-die-but-ooh-look-another-temple kind of way.
Moo and Larry
Monkey famley
He wanted to go for a ride with me
The sassiest monkeys i've ever seen
Travelling in the batmobile
Moo being, well, Moo
We climbed them
See!
We then moved on to a place called Banteay Chhmar, where the tourist population was, at the time, 3 (including yours truly!). Getting there involved a rickety bus journey with the locals, with on board entertainment featuring Cambodian Karaoke, and a show where a guy just kept taking his shorts off and the audience would laugh. I guess I still have a lot to learn about the culture. We then had to hop into a share-taxi with 3 other Cambodian passengers (and their 2 children, of course) and trust that the driver - who spoke no English whatsoever - understood me as I slowly repeated the letters C B T . This is the name of the local organisation (Community Based Tourism) that arranged my homestay and are trying to attract more tourists by developing their website and getting visitors (like me!) to spread the word.
Unfortunately, Moo’s time here was characterised by regular trips to the toilet (or forest, or local police station, or community centre). It is, I suppose, a rite of passage when travelling, and everyone must go through it at least once. We had to cut our first day of exploring short, but we did manage to catch the sunrise and have a short guided tour of the local temple, which has been standing (albeit rather wonkily now) since the 12th Century, and is slowly being reclaimed by the surrounding jungle. The rest of the day was spent lounging in a hammock, reading her new book and sleeping. Not a bad way to recover - but its times like these that you miss the comforts of your own home, especially of the air conditioning and the comfy duvet that you can wrap yourself up in. Not to mention the unwavering attention you receive from Mum, which makes you want to stay poorly for longer, just to enjoy the feeling of being waited upon. Sorry Mum.
Moo perked up a bit after her hammock rehabilitation, and resumed her temple tour the following afternoon. Her guide, Mr Pel, was very well informed of all of the local history, making sure we understood every story he told by giving us a little pop quiz at the end. Needless to say, we passed with flying colours. We then hopped on the back of his motorbike and rode off to see the sunset at Pol Pot Baray - a vast expanse of water and vegetable patches. We had about half an hour to spare, so we sat (again, in a hammock - going to miss these!) and ate cucumbers with sugar, grown by the local man that lived alone in a shack in the middle of this desolate Baray. It is moments like these that make me love travelling. You couldn’t plan them, or recreate them. They just happen. And you’ll treasure them forever.
The following day we took a leisurely stroll through the village, guided superbly again by the lovely Mr Pel. We observed the process of preparing rice, as well as the way rice wine is made. We were offered a sample of the mysterious rice wine, but Moo had to politely decline as her stomach was still not up to scratch. Darn it!
Now we are relaxing at our hostel in Battambang after taking another rickety bus ride with the locals. I think in Cambodia they must suffer with a different form of Tourettes - where they compulsively beep their horns every 5 minutes.
Our time at the homestay was precious, and although tainted by Moo's illness, still a part of our travels that we'll hold onto for a long time. If we ever return to Cambodia, we'll be sure to swing by again. The hospitality was spectacular, and the opportunity to mingle with the locals and observe their daily routine was unforgettable. One part of me wants to spread the word about the organisation (www.visitbanteaychhmar.org), but another part of me wants to keep it all to myself, so it remains fairly undiscovered by tourists and holds on to its authentic, local culture.
Our room
The view from our room
Watching the sunrise - my new favourite hobby
Look at this little cutie!!
Hammock Rehab
Somewhere, in remote Cambodia, someone has a picture of me taking this picture.
Cucumber (but not as you know it)
We only have 10 days left in Cambodia and still so much to see, expect to hear more from us soon.
From one Nutty Moo to another X
P.S. I have to say a big congratulations to my cousin Adam on his engagement to Norah! They are two of the loveliest people that I know, and will have a very happy life together, of that I'm sure.
YAY!
