Back in Bangkok

A Celebration Parade near my Guesthouse

Cheap Charlie's Pub around the corner from Suk 11 Guesthouse and some people I met. Fun little pub with crazy signs and people!

This is where one of the crazy people took me....just for a photo op and some interesting people watching! Then back to our neighborhood Irish pub.

It was suggested from a young lady, Meghan, who I was traveling with to stay at the Suk 11 Guesthouse near Nana Plaza in Bangkok so I thought I'd check out yet another part of Bangkok. Not sure if I'm getting used to the craziness or what but it's all quite exciting and interesting everywhere you go. Small doses and only occasionally also helps I think. I got some shopping done as I was leaving for NZ in a couple of days and needed some warm clothes. I got my teeth cleaned for $35, it's not any more fun here than it is in Canada unfortunately. Spent 2 hours at the post office trying to mail 3 packages, what an ordeal, helped when I finally got the English speaking 'boss' to help out. I also got my hair colored and butchered. I kept telling the lady, not so short and she kept reassuring me it's not and I thought maybe the mirrors were those funhouse ones cause it sure looked like alot was falling off my head. Sure enough once she was finished I swear I lost a couple of pounds of hair!

Oh well, it will grow back and meanwhile I am trying to get used to styling it with no appliances only gel /mousse and my hands! Some days are better than others.

Then I went for one final Thai massage! I am so going to miss those!

On my journey to NZ I had a 7 hour stopover in Singapore but found myself very entertained. They have everything there including free internet, only catch is you have to stand....I had some Thai food for dinner and then went to the cinema to see Johnny Depp in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Koh Samet- The last of the beaches in Thailand....for now....

Bamboo Island, just a few huts along the shoreline.


One of the vendors selling food on the beach.



Statues of Prince and Princess on the beach

Beautiful!

What a great ending to the beaches of Thailand. I stayed at Jeb's Guesthouse on the ocean and just relaxed and lazed on the beach all day for 4 days. Met some Aussies, Germans and Koreans to hang out with. My first night there I went to the Red Ginger restaurant, which I recieved a flyer on the beach for, it said it was run by a Canadian so of course I had to check it out and support it! :)

Met Roger the owner/chef and we became fast friends talking about Canada and he was so happy to have an 'english' speaking person to talk with and relate to. He used to work for CBC and was the editor for a show called 'One the Road Again'. Once he could shut down the restaurant at night we went out on the town. Saw fire shows and bands on the beach, went to a Reggae bar with a live band which was so funny cause they try to sing the words to Bob Marley songs and lots of other hits we know and if they don't know the words they would just make them up!

Lots of fun on the island and the only bad thing was it had tiny little sand flies who bite really hard and then the bites itch so bad! I am still itching a bit and it's been 2 weeks!

Back to the Beach!

View of the beach on Bamboo Island at BimBamBoo, a resort on the other side of the island. Only a five minute walk on a pathway thru a jungle where I came across 2 cows, one even let me pet it!
Whipped cream fight
Pyramid, we had to put the dog on top as there weren't enough girls. What we won't do for a shooter!
The boys playing poker with seashells
Arriving at Bamboo Island, the shoreline with only 10 huts and a dorm on this beach. So peaceful and quiet!

My little spot to watch the sunset turned around and saw the lone footsteps on the beach, very cool
Looking down the quiet beach on Bamboo Island

Sokha Beach
Small children working on the Sohka beach selling fruit and drinks.
Climbing on/over the rocks to get to Sohka beach, was worth the trip but we found a nice pathway to get back home on.
A cool rock I just had to climb up and pose on!
Fashion statement in Cambodia, I tried many times to be inconspicuous and take a picture of these women and children walking around in 2 piece pajama sets!

After a month and a half of inland traveling in mid 30s temperatures it's great to be back at the beach! Hence the slow down of updating my blog, plus with the poor or lack of Internet service in Laos and Cambodia.
Sihanoukville is the resort spot of Cambodia so fairly busy but I found a couple little great getaways spots with quiet sandy beaches and crystal blue water. One place was called Sokha Beach which was a 5 star resort. We paid $4 to use their beach chairs, a luxurious velour beach towel, showers/toilets and swimming pool and what a treat it was! I felt like I was living the high life for a day!
I also went to a great spot called Bamboo Island where I spent the night in a rustic little hut (from luxury to roughing it in 1 day, I'm so adaptable!) right on the beach, going to sleep listening to the crashing waves and waking up to the same sound, best sleep I had in a long time! Especially after the crazy night we had of competing for shooters, swimming at midnight with the phosphorences again and whipped cream fights! Quiet island but the 30 some people there know how to liven things up!
One of the great things about Sihanoukville is at night all the places along the beach have $3 seafood BBQs so we quite often feasted on the beach. Also we had some amazing rain showers and thunder/lightening shows at night, which was fun and cooled us off.

Kampot- Bodhi Villa

Floating bungalows on the river
dThe Restaurant/Bar right on the river
Lockand and his art museum, a neighbor of Bodhi Villa
The dock on the river

Next day I was off to Kampot in Southern Cambodia. Time to 'chill out' and my Canadian friends (even though they are from Edmonton) Cara and Dave told me the best place to go was Bodhi Villa.
It's a great spot along the river where at night you can swim with the Phosphorescence and during the day just relax, enjoy the scenery and peacefulness. I must say too the bartender, Tan, had to be one of the coolest Cambodians I've ever met. He had an Aussie accent and could dance like a rapper!
Nice stopover place before taking a 'taxi' to Sihanoukville. In this taxi they could actually fit up to 8 people including the driver but if you pay for an extra seat you don't have to sit squished into this little 1980s Toyota Camry with broken door handles and no shocks. Yet another very interesting mode of transportation, thank god it only lasted 2 hours!

Phnom Phen, Cambodia

One girl's story posted in the Tuol Sleng Museum
Traffic in Phnom Phen
Monument created at the Killing Fields, inside were shelves of skulls recovered from the fields.
The cells inside Tuol Sleng Museum
Another cell in the museum.

OK so island life isn't always paradise, I was working on my masterpiece of all blog postings last night and the power went out in the middle of it making me lose all the material I had wrote! So here I am again....
I see I have a few more followers signed up, thanks (except for my family?!), some anonymous ones as well which have me wondering.....and thanks to those of you who have emailed me and told me, it does motivate me more if I know people are reading it.
So I will try to remember what I had written last night after a day of lying on the beach and my create juices were flowing and I was full of wit....now I am just going on another late night at the amusing Reggae bar, 2 cups of coffee and the eager thoughts of getting to the beach once I'm done here!

After another karaoke fun filled bus ride, I arrived mid day into Phnom Phen which is the capital of Cambodia and has alot of history from the Khmer Rouge reign including some of the Killing Fields. Cambodia is lush and green and mostly flat land with some hills and bushes in the north and south. Phomn Phen is a very busy, noisy, action packed, dirty city which is very dangerous for walking and crossing roads. I did venture out dodging traffic and went and did a bit of shopping and got some trendy, new glasses for $48!
That night at my Guesthouse I watched the movie -The Killing Fields, I had heard of it but hadn't seen it and thought it would be good to get some insight before my tour the next day. It was actually very well done and interesting about a western journalist and his Cambodia photographer friend and trying to escape out of Cambodia once the Khmer Rouge took over.
The next day off I went with my friendly English speaking tuk tuk driver, we made it about 2 blocks when we got a flat tire....luckily there are moto repair guys on every street corner so 1/2 hour later we were good to go, thank goodness it didn't happen on the highway!
First stop was the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, it was a high school the Khmer Rouge turned into a prison before taking the people to the Killing Fields. It showed a movie first and then you got to tour the 4 buildings which took about 2 hours. It was full of peoples stories and pictures and gave you a really good understanding of what happened and how the Khmer Rouge tricked people including the Europeans whom they invited over for 'tours' and donate but only showing them what they wanted them to see. From the stories, they were very manipulative and tricked so many people into believing they wanted to help people and make a better world for them including soldiers they recruited, only for them to find out quite quickly that wasn't so.
Next stop was the Killing Fields, I had mixed feelings about seeing this and hardly took any pictures and a couple I did I have decided not to post on here. It's hard to explain, I think it was worth going to see to understand and it was well set up and done with guides who blatenatley explained what was done and where. They seemed so matter of fact about it all. I understand that they are trying to just move on from what happened and not dwell on it, even though alot of the area and buildings were destroyed by families of people who were killed there after the Khmer Rouge lost control of the country. It was very emotional and after I left and reflected about it all on my way back to town it certainly gave me much more of an appreciation for the Cambodian people and the horrors they have been through and how they are working hard at trying to go on with life. Of course some are doing better than others you can see but for the most part, people just want peace and happiness now.
Last stop of my tour which was a nice change of pace was shopping at the Russian market. I decided to get a bite of local food and found 'the best ice coffee shop' in Phnom Phen and took my snack of backed rice cakes there to eat and enjoy my coffee. Now I am not sure why but Asian people don't think anything of touching food, your food, thier food whatever. As I was waiting for my rice cakes to cool and for my coffee the guy who ran the shop sat beside me and decided to check out my food my proceeding to poke his fingers into each little rice cake! You think I would be a little more relaxed about these kinds of actions by now but I immediatley yelled well kind of laughing in disbelief- 'Don't touch my food!' So he quickly apoligized and went off to make my ice coffee.....when I was done I thought I'd just have a 'look' at the shopping and found myself buying a hammock! One thing I just had to have and somehow find a spot in my overstuffed bag for it! Now I have somewhere to sleep when I come home just need a place to hang it! :)
Ended the day with a tour up and down the busy riverfront which was mostly blocked off with huge billboards as if they were doing riverfront construction. Ended up at a restaurant called- Friends which hires street kids to work there and get their lives straightened out. Great food, expensive but for a good cause and a couple of nice, young german guys I sat with treated me! Almost like a double date and the best part was they walked me home to my Guesthouse with no expectations as they were on their way to the bars to find some Asian girls! I feel so safe here, its great! haha

More kids! ACODO Centre

The guest of honor in the middle

Little 'monkey' boy, 4 years old

Youngs girls doing an amazing job
This young girl had so much grace and beauty she was just as good as the women I had seen at my first Aspara show.

There are many orphanages in Cambodia still from the affects of war. I was given a postcard on the street from a young lady who told me about this particular one and an Aspara dance show they put on every night by the children of the orphanage. She just raved about the place so I thought I'd go check it out.
When I arrived I was welcomed by alot of enthusiastic young people who offered to give me a tour of their 'home'. They were so proud to show off the classrooms, the large bedrooms, the kitchen, lockers and the computer room and finally the stage area. They range from 4 to 17 years old, go to school there and also learn to dance or play a musical instrument. I could not believe how well behaved, polite and friendly they were. It truly was one big happy family and they all supported each other and loudly applauded their friends after each dance. I was the only guest there that night and the founders told me that often they have no one but the show still goes on and they cheer every night for each other.

Siam Reap, Home of Angkor Wat and all the other Little Wats

Aspara dancer at The Temple Restaurant/Bar
Look very closely, what do you see?! Somebody's watching.
Banyan Trees at Ta Prom. They have overgrown in the Temple and are doing major destruction unfortunately but they are beautiful and this along with Banyan Wat was one of my favorites.
Angkor Wat
Just one of the staircases I had to climb in mid 30 heat of the day! But amazing views at the top so it was worth it!
Apparently one of the scenes in Tomb Raider has this Banyan Tree in it.
Banteay Srei temple
Angkor Wat
Sunrise at Angkor Wat, the world's largest religious monument and one of the 8 wonders of the world!

After another grueling bus ride that lasted about 9 hours , complete with non-stop blaring karaoke videos, sick people, screaming babies and a bus driver who laid on the horn every 2 seconds to warn oncoming traffic that we'd be flying by and to clear the way I ended up in the charming, touristy town of Siam Reap. Then at the bus station I had 3 tuk tuk drivers arguing over me and after the 3rd time I had to get out of one and get into another one I finally got upset and told them I was going to start walking if they didn't make up their minds right now. After the journey I had just gone thru I could not believe this was happening now, I just wanted a shower and a bathroom without a squat toilet even though I have mastered the art of balancing myself over a squat toilet with my backpack still on without splashing on my feet! My latest new skill thanks to my years of Pilate's and core strength!
Finally found a guesthouse and went off to the market to get a real authentic Khmer dinner for $2.50 and then to a traditional Khmer Aspara dance show at a bar appropriately called The Temple.
The next few days were spent with my driver taking me from temple (Wat) to temple as Angkor Wat itself covers over 25 square kms. Alot of destruction from the Khmer Rouge days but they are working hard at restoring them. Each was very unique and beautiful with amazing, detailed sculpture work. It's so hard to believe these were created and built by men alone with no machines.
Also went to tour the Landmine Museum founded by an interesting man, Aki Ra, a former Khmer Rouge soldier (not exactly by choice) who has an amazing life story. I was very proud to find out that Canada is in partnership with this museum and has donated to the clearing of the landmines.

Next Stop - Cambodia!

The lake in Phnom Phen and it's canalways thru the morning glory which they plant there.
An Irrawaddy Dolphin Tail!

I am a bit behind in my blog, mainly because of the slowness of the computers here and pictures taking forever to upload. Sorry if my stories aren't as entertaining and inspiring, it's blistering hot and beginning to effect my brain I think (that's my story and it sounds good to me!) Actually yesterday (March 10th, the mark of my four months of travel) I had my first actual sick day. Yes poor me and no one around to feel sorry for me! Luckily it was one of those rare times I had a tv in my room. I think it was a bit of heat exhaustion from trasping around the temples the day before in the mid 30s degree weather, lots of water but still didn't help!

Ok back to the beginning of Cambodia.....my first stop was a little town called Kratie. The town itself didn't offer too much but one day I did a tour to see some Rapid Waters (yes they considered it a tourist attraction), a mountain (which was a good way to avoid saying- 300 steps up in this heat and you get to see another freakin temple) and the best part a tour- to go see the Irrawaddy dolphins! There were quite a few pods around and I got to see about 5 dolphin tails which is apparently quite rare. The rarest is to see a head pop out and I never did, but still it was very exciting to be amongst them and it's nice to see they have strict rules for the guides not to run their motors around them and to keep a distance. The government here is working hard on preserving the dolphins whom almost became extinct and when I was there they were having a big meeting about how to improve the park and what they are doing there. Nice to see them so conscientious about their nature which is very rare in some 3rd world countries and especially because here there was still war activities happening since not so long ago, 1998.

My wild night out in Kratie consisted of going around the corner to a little pub with a girl I met while having dinner. We each had a Sprite and decided the next day to get up early and rent bicycles, take them across the river on the ferry to tour around the island's villages which included a Vietnamese Floating Village too, before it gets too hot out. We agreed to meet at 8:30am after renting our bikes so off to bed early. I headed back to my guesthouse only to find the place dark and totally locked up at 10:45pm! They usually have a night person or security guard but after 10 minutes of rapping on the doors I was beginning to worry.
After 45 minutes of finally finding the owners, arguing with them that I didn't want to stay in another cheap place 'for free' after I had already paid for this room because they couldn't wake up the night watch person and that I wanted my room with ''my stuff'' and being lectured that I should know better to stay out so late I finally got into 'my room'. Well, Welcome to Cambodia I thought! Needless to say I moved across the street the next day to a place that had a side door that you could get into after they lock the main doors, like most places usually do have! So now I have learned another life skill for travelors which is to find out how to get into your guesthouse if you happen to be out a little 'late'.

The Last of Laos :(

This tugboat literally pushed us on our 'ferry boat' to the other side of the river.
A view of the river at Don Det
One of the amazing waterfalls
Elderly woman selling baked bananas

I really loved Laos, what an amazing country that just makes you want to chill out and relax. Partly because you had too, like I said previously everything shuts down so early. (Apparently if you are a real keener and want to party there are a few late night places which I did manage to find one night in Luang Prabang but still was very low key). But partly was because you just wanted to soak in all the beauty and enjoy just watching the livelihood of the local people here.
But for day trips, Laos has some amazing countryside which was great to explore! Just when I started to think big deal, another waterfall, I saw the most amazing waterfalls here that were enormous! Some of them you go to all prepared with bathing suit and towel thinking a cool dip would feel so great but they were so powerful and forceful you didn't even dare try swimming in or near them.

WHO is Actually Reading This?!

, Nice relaxing chair I found by some enormous waterfalls with plywood and all.

Of course I had to try it out, it didn't break!

OK, people keep telling me how much they are enjoying my blog and I am surprised to hear they are reading it! I have no idea how many people are, I know it shows that I have 10 followers but that doesn't even show my family and I know they are! It would be cool (for me) to see how many people are actually following my blog so please amuse me (cause I've been amusing you) and sign up as a follower. I don't think it's that hard.......Thanks!! :)

ps- who is Orca Girl?!? Is that you Lisa?!

Southern Laos- Tad Lo and Don Khong

Went on a tour from Don Khong to the smaller islands Don Kong (hardly confusing) and Don Det. This was one of the big attractions. The Japanese had built a railway from one end of the islands to the other to transport things to Vietnam. This is what was left of the railway.

A little girl in Don Khong village leading her water buffalo home, she was not impressed! I thought my kids had it tough on the farm!

One of the local buses, this one wasn't too bad but they cram as many as they can in. When they run out of seats they put stools in the middle. I had to climb over the stools to get to my seat.

On my way to Don Khong Island in Sipandon (4000 islands). Got stuck in a local 'tuk tuk' at what I was told the bus station but at least it took me where I wanted to go......3 1/2 hours cramped in with the locals and thier food for the week. Basically it's an open air, back of a truck with sides and a roof. We stopped in a small village along the way and got smarmed by about 30 people selling food. One was selling chicken on a stick, it literally looked like a run over squashed chicken that had then been cooked. Still had the head and feet on it.....I didn't buy one.....

Cute kids in the village above the waterfalls. They all love to clown around for the camera and then ask you for food or money or your jewelry or try to get into your bag. The westerners have truly spoilt these children. They think it's so fun to see their faces when they give them treats and things but it just encourages them to beg and the candy isn't good for their already bad teeth. It's sad, hopefully more people will realize and quit doing this. It's much better to give to a school, village leader or something like that so they can distribute fairly and everyone gets something. Only in Northern Thailand do I remember seeing children that haven't been affected by this and never asked for anything they were just truly happy to see you.

Tad Lo Falls in Bolevean Plateau, a beautiful spot where I spent a night.

One of the local buses.....this one wasn't too bad, usually the outside is much nicer looking than the inside. One local bus I took I swear was made in the 1940s and had plywood flooring with gaping holes everywhere.

My VIP sleeper bus bed, lucky me I wasn't in the middle!

OK the 'VIP sleeper bus could have been worse! Luckily (?) I was in the back row with 3 other tiny girls from England. It was basically a hard board with a little cushion a pillow and a blanket. The other people had to share bunkbeds and 2 people had to sleep in one bed! Most were strangers to each other and one lady was in her 50s, rather plump and had to share with a young, hefty 20s guy! Seriouusly these beds weren't even the size of a twin bed. They told us there was a toilet on board which there was, it a tiny 3' x 3' room crammed full of supplies you could spot a little tiny toilet.

But they did treat us, gave us a warm soy milk juice box, a little bag of chips, a bottle of water and in the morning a wet wipe!

Off the VIP bus at 6am to take a local bus to Tadlo Falls and to find a room and have a shower!

Beautiful place along the river with the Falls right in the village and another larger waterfall about 20 minutes away. It was refreshing to go for a swim in but strong currents so couldn't go too far.

Next day up to the main road to catch the local tuk tuk to Don Khong, the largest island in Siphandon, also known as 4000 islands as in the dry season (now) the water is low and there are little islands every where! Arrived and took a ferry boat over, nice quiet little island. At 10pm the young guy who was serving us at the riverside pub/restaurant asked us if we could pay our bill so he could go to bed! It was so cute and funny! We looked up and down the dirt road and it was pitch black so off to bed we went as well!

Next day went on a tour of the other islands and yet more waterfalls. I haven't seen as many waterfalls as temples though! Beautiful country, hard to believe it had been bombed so badly years ago.

Next stop, Cambodia border crossing!