Sodden Siem Reap

Day 20 of our adventures and it's all become a bit surreal!

Our journey on the Mekong Express, an old clapped out coach, made Dodsworths look almost luxurious, was slow, so slow. We left Phnom Penh at 8.30 and were still in Phnom Penh 11/2 hours later! The traffic was so heavy and so laborious. We stopped at 1pm at a 'restaurant' at the side of the road, didn't eat anything! We finally arrived in Siem Reap at 3.45. Parts of the road between the two towns are unmade, just wide enough for two vehicles and are shared with dogs, cats, cows and water buffalo. Seen horrendous poverty again, whereas Thailand is poor but clean, Cambodia is very poor and very dirty.





Our coach was greeted by hawkers, touts, Tuk-Tuk drivers, beggars, you name it, all pulling at us and shouting in our faces. We found a Tuk-Tuk and set off to the hotel to discover that Siem Reap is flooded! There has been unexpectedly heavy rain, the Siem Reap river has burst it's banks and the streets are standing in 6 - 8 inches of water, in some places much more. It is impossible to see where pavements end and roads begin!








Yesterday we spent the day at Angkor World Heritage site, which houses Angkor Wat, one of the 'wonders of the world' and absolutely breathtaking. Our Tuk-Tuk had to stop 3 times on the way as there was water in the air filter! We visited 4 of the temples on the site which is a small sample of the many temples which were built over 4 centuries. We saw Angkor Wat, the approach to this is awe-inspiring, one of those OMG moments, it is surround ded by a huge moat. Later in the day we also visited Angkor Thom which was great to walk around, it is built around a forest, it kept me entertained pointing out imaginary snakes to Jim! We then went rock climbing at Ta Keo, a temple with about 50 almost vertical huge steps which entailed using hands, feet and knees to reach the top. Don't even mention coming back down, and it rained, and it was v. slippy.. Finally we went to our favourite, Ta Prohm, which is steadily falling into disrepair and has mystical trees and roots growing through it. We went there in the late afternoon, after the rain and it was sitting eerily in the mist. Quite magical.















We have braved the floods every evening to go to the same restaurant, about 20 yards down the 'river.' Not exactly conducive for evening strolls! A tuk-tuk driver shouted 'river taxi' to us last night rather than 'tuk-tuk. Made us laugh! We did go exploring today but not too far, it's pretty hard work ploughing through fast flowing roads. Anyway, as soon as our clothes are dry we're packing again, not going to Vietnam - too much water there! We've decided to head for Kuala Lumpur, leave here at 6.30 in the morning and fly AirAsia, Asia's answer to Ryanair. Time will tell! We have cut our visit to this part of the world slightly short but flooding forces you to re-think. Still, we are free to go where we choose - and it's brilliant!


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Location:Street 9,Siem Reap,Cambodia

Phnom Penh - beauty and the beast

This is a difficult blog to write, Phnom Penh as a city is beautiful, with wide open boulevards and old French colonial villas but the devastation caused by Pol Pot and his ruthless regime remains. The centre is jaw dropping in it's grandeur but leave the centre behind and the reek of poverty hits you like a brick. This city has very little infra-structure, there is rubbish dumped everywhere, people live in the most dire circumstances you can imagine. I am both pleased, yet repulsed to be travelling independently through here, rather than touring seeing just what the guides want you to see and shielding you from the rest. We have seen the nitty gritty of the city on foot, from a Tuk-Tuk or a taxi.
We visited the Toul Sleng Genocide museum yesterday, a high school building which was converted into Prison S-21 and interrogation centre by the Khmer Rouge when they took power in 1975. A very sobering experience which was very difficult to see, we then went to Choeung Ek memorial at one of the notorious 'killing fields.' The mass graves of thousands of people were found here. In a memorial Stuka there are skulls and clothing. As we walked around we could see bits of cloth in the earth, they surface when storms wash soil away.









Learning more of this countries recent history explained why Phnom Penh has struggled to rebuild and prosper. We have been lucky to talk to several university students who are studying English and helped us find our way around. They are friendly, optimistic young people. We ate in a hostel last night and a friendlier bunch of people you couldn't wish to meet.

Today we have seen the more opulent side of Phnom Penh, we found garages selling top of the range Lexus and Range Rovers, opposite the building housing the Ministry for Corruption! Huge houses are situated behind high walls in wide tree-lined streets. Conversely we also discovered whole families living in parks with their naked children foraging on rubbish dumps. This afternoon we visited the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, which like their Thai counterparts, are truly exceptional.









Being here has given us more pause for thought then any other country we have ever visited.

There is a certain frenetic feeling to the place, traffic comes from all directions, there are few rules on the road and, even on dual carriageways, traffic travels in both directions. I am so pleased we came to Phnom Penh, hopefully it's government will enter into development with overseas companies for the good of the whole country long term rather than for short term gain. Time will tell.

Tomorrow we are on the Mekong Express at 8.30 am, a coach which will take us in 6 hours, to Siem Reap. Hope to see you there.


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Location:Long Nget,,Cambodia

Flooding stops play

Had a great time in Chaing Mai on Sunday, they hold what they call a 'walking market' which basically means that all the streets close to traffic - now that's a relief! They set their stalls out selling every product the world has to offer, and then some and everyone within a ..... radius comes to browse and buy. We wandered round the old town first, very beautiful traditional houses with gardens and gates, not at all like Bangkok. We stumbled on a gorgeous teakwood temple, just ornate carving and no real bling, then as it got dark we hit the Market. Everything is so cheap and it's really hard not buying but we just don't have room to carry anything. Had a foot massage - felt like I was floating down the street afterwards.






Sorry my photos don't line up but I'm doing my best! Every one of them has a caption, written very wittily by my husband, he has come up with some real corkers, but when I post them the captions don't appear - any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Spent Monday plotting - sounds just like being back at school! Our plans to carry on into central Thailand, Sukothai, a National Park, have been thwarted because of heavy flooding so we are going to Cambodia instead. We've booked accommodation in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap and decided to fly instead of the overnight train which was our first thought.

We then cycled down to the local market where we are the only Europeans, they are getting to know us and try to persuade us to try some weird and wonderful food.



The nice lady in the photo cut up a whole pineapple fresh for us.

Had a lazy day on Wednesday, and a bit of time apart. Jim went cycling and I washed clothes!!! Our little family of Stefan and An have been truly brilliant, looking after our every need. I would recommend a stay here.









What a truly spectacular thunderstorm we had last night - we were right in the middle of it, had all the curtains open and watched the lightning across the river. I was wondering if we could climb onto the roof when the river got too high but was mocked - as usual!

Just getting ready to go into Chiang Mai again, going to look round the shopping centre rather than the old buildings, may even buy something - who knows. Jim's a bit peeved this morning, something to do with Leeds and Man U. can't think what.

Next post in Phnom Penh, take care.

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Location:Saraphi,Thailand

Charming Chiang Mai

Forgot to tell you, before we left Bangkok we received a blessing from a Buddhist monk at Wat Arun. He promised us luck, doused us in holy water and wrapped two strings round our wrists. One of mine came off almost straight away. Anyway the upshot is I am now calm and patient and cos Jim is already perfect there was no change there........

Joe, the taxi driver, dropped us off at Baan Nam Ping, our home for the next seven days. Stefan, a big German guy is our host, along with his petite Thai wife, An. They are regaling us with anecdotes about themselves and their lives here in Thailand. Nothing is too much trouble, as my sim card died - again, they provided us with a mobile and sent one of their staff to the nearest 7 Eleven on his moped to buy us a sim card!
We are about 30 mins from Chiang Mai, the hotel is charming, a series of 'bungalows' with decks overlooking the River Ping.
Went for a long cycle ride taking in the sights along the river, passed a village shop without a village, run along the lines of Marton rather than Ouseburn! Fish farming is the local occupation, saw plenty of nets out and bumped into a water buffalo or two.






Stefan gave us a lift into Chiang Mai today then we took a songthaew (a modified pick-up truck) up Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai's 5120 ft 'guardian mountain.' We stopped at the temple Wat Phra That Doi Suthep about
9 miles along the steep, winding road. Can't say we were impressed with it though, after walking up it's 300 steps the outcome was a bit of an anticlimax. It could be cos we're a bit temple saturated.






The highlight was visiting the Phuping Palace at the summit, it has beautiful grounds and buildings, enormous bamboos, musical fountains and everything you could need for 2 hours in the searing heat. Even the hair raising ride back down the hairpin bends couldn't detract from our inner peace!!! Incidentally, as we had no change, a lovely young Thai couple paid half our fare.





It has been very hot yesterday and today, without any rain. Most days, as it is the tail end of the rainy season, it rains at some point, but it is very hot, and after the rain, less humid. The air is cleaner and fresher here in the north but the mozzies are more ferocious.




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Goodbye to Bangkok

There are upwards of 10 million people in Bangkok and we think we've seen them all! There are 26 million cars,not counting all the scooters, motorbikes and Tuk-tuks and we're proud to announce, we're crossing the road like locals!
We've been out and about since the last blog, thanks for your e-mails, by the way, I think I've set the comments box on the blog so anyone can write straight into it, I know its proved tricky to negotiate. We went to Wat Pho, the temple of the reclining Buddah, it's amazing, about 150 feet long with feet of mother of pearl. We had a traditional Thai massage, mine was an hour long and Jim's lasted for half an hour .........! It was the most painful experience of my life, forget oils, soft music, candles burning, think sharp elbows, knees and toes! Must work though cos I yawned for the next hour solid and felt a bit shaky.


We then caught a ferry to a temple called Wat Arun, decorated in porcelain, very steep steps, very scary!





Talked to a Thai teacher today (theres just no getting away) and a lady who was very proud of her doctor husband who had worked in the UK. She wasn't keen on England though, as she pointed out, even when it rains in Thailand, the rain is warm. Point taken. Had Pad Thai (Thai fried noodles) for lunch from a street stall, it's my new favourite meal - shallots and garlic mixed with peanuts, dried shrimp, bean sprouts, scrambled egg and fresh prawn. Yum.


That night we went to a greasy spoon stir fry place for supper. Lunch and dinner for the grand total of £5 for both of us!
We took some time out on Tuesday and sat in Lumphini Park for several hours, it's a lovely green space with beautiful gardens, outside gyms, lakes, and some unusual residents.









Met a lovely guy, a policeman - I know - called Santichai, who entertained us for ages. It was his day off and he and Jim set the world to rights. It was brilliant listening to them, two different cultures but great to swap ideas about society in UK and in Thailand. He gave us lots of ideas for places to see and go in the next few weeks.
To Chinatown for the evening! OMG! So much noise, so many people, so much traffic. Had a great meal but couldn't hear ourselves. We decided to dip out and find a bar for a beer instead!





Returned to Chinatown today, still as noisy, still so much traffic but all the stalls were open. We went down Sampeng Lane, about 6 feet wide, with stalls at each side, just enough room for 2 people to pass and scooters and motor bikes force their way through the middle!








Going to pack now, we're going to fly north to Chiang Mai tomorrow morning. What do we think of Bangkok? Frenetic, friendly, eclectic. Very rich people, obviously a city with money judging by the glossy shopping malls selling Chanel, Cartier, Bulgari, etc, but also masses of poverty. But it seems there is a great work ethic. We have loved every bit of it. See you in Chiang Mai.


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Location:Si Lom 14,Bangkok,Thailand

Reflecting on the weekend

It's now 10.40pm on Sunday, 11th September, Jim's birthday. We've had an eventful but very enjoyable weekend and met some great people. We went to a fantastic restaurant on Friday evening, and returned there again tonight. It's owned by a bloke from Peterborough who has been in Thailand for many years and the chef is Thai. Both great guys, very chatty and the food is exquisite. Yesterday we visited Chatuchak weekend Market, spread over 35 acres with 9000 stalls! You could buy anything you wanted even live animals! Tiny narrow aisles between the stalls, it was just a rabbit warren, so busy, so noisy and the scents! Food is cooked everywhere over the tiniest and most basic fires or cookers but it smells glorious. Bought my husband some fake adidas swim shorts because he forgot his - blamed me. Cost £4.25. We spent hours in the Market and emerged battered, hot and sweaty. Next stop a park, an oasis, surrounded by busy roads.




The funniest thing happened, four lovely Thai girls took a shine to Jim and asked to interview him. They are students at the university doing Business degrees with English and wanted to interview an English man. He told them he would teach them proper English - from Leeds! Poor girls, they had to ask him every question twice, I was in hysterics.


Today we went to Jim Thompson's house, a beautiful traditional teak house surrounded by tropical, landscaped gardens. He was an American architect who settled in Bangkok after World War II and developed the Thai silk trade. It is such a tranquil, serene place.








Afterwards we visited the Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre, a stunning 9 storey gallery reflective of the Guggenheim in New York. Wow! It just blew our minds.








All in all a very calm day, we followed up with a walk through Patpong - the other extreme! The 'gadgets' they were selling on the stalls.....! Just in case you are wondering, we didn't buy anything! Having our meal tonight we began chatting to another English couple - from Bedale. You're never far from home!

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Location:Si Lom 14,Bangkok,Thailand

Taken for a ride - in more ways than one

Well did we hit the ground running today - into a taxi which dropped us off at Sathorn pier, then we treated ourselves to a trip up river in a long tail boat which is basically a very long gondola-shaped wooden boat driven by a truck engine! We made our way, very, very quickly up the Chao Phraya river which is very wide and an attractive shade of sludge. Our nice driver, whose name I didn't understand, and how many times can you ask, then left the river and took us around several canals where houses are built on stilts right into the water. The tiny houses are squashed together and all the occupants possessions are on display. The living conditions are quite overwhelming. How can we talk about poverty at home. The canals are teaming with great big fish, apparently it is lucky to feed them!





Finally we got to our destination - the Wat Phrakaew and Grand Palace, but apparently it didn't open until 1pm so a nice Tuk-Tuk driver (a 3-wheeled scooter, dripping with rust and a bench just big enough for our bums) offered to take us to see free sights. Were we dubious? Yes. Did we go? Yes! He did take us to see the 'sitting Buddha' and the 'standing Buddha' but in between he took us to 2 tailors shops, an organised tour place and a jewellers. The traffic is unbelievable and we wizzed in and out in our rust bucket with our eyes closed! He was given a voucher for gasoline at each one and kept asking us to go to 'just one more'..
We finally said no and Kob (our new best friend) took us back to the palace. The whole trip was 50 baht, just over £1 for 1 1/2 hours. Jim was feeling generous and gave him 70!
Into the palace - I can't do it justice in words, it's just overpowering and amazing. Cos we forgot long trousers we rented a long skirt and trousers (see the hippy look in pics) A fantastic first day in Bangkok, we love the people, they are very friendly, helpful and smiley, especially when they are conning you!
By the way, it's very hot.