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BACK IN BANGKOK BABY! My favourite place possbily in the whole wide world!
Sorry for lack of blogging in Cambodia no where seems to have fast internet and STA Travel is quite a slow moving site. Anyway enough ranting and i'll let you know what i have been up to...
Well when i made it to Siem Reap i stayed in the Siem Reap Hostel and bumped into Hoosio again who was also staying there. My first day i posted a big box of things home like presents and things i didn't need but couldn't chuck because i am too much of a horder. It cost me $52 for a 6kg parcel so be careful Cambodian travellers - i would wait untill thailand for all your posting needs! And the thing is i can't even remember what was in the box - except my little red boots i had made! they are worth every posting penny to make sure they get there safe and sound!
I then hired a tuk tuk driver who took me to all the galleries around town and then to an arts village where i got to go into stone, wood, laquer and all different Cambodian art technique workshops. Even got to chizzel a bit off a buddas head but i was a bit rubbish so they didn't let me do much!
I then headed right out of town to a Land Mine Musuem ran by a man who was a child soldier for Khmer Rouge and also the Vietnammise army. So this man was one of the many actually laying down all the mines throughout the country - as he feels so guily about his past he has dedicated his life to dismantling land mines and presenting them all in a museum. i have never seen so much weaponary in such a tiny little museum. All the profit goes towards helping children who have been victims of landmines - he cares for them and provides a home and education for them in a small village behind the museum.
After a very interesting day after a very exhausting bus journey up from Phom Phen i went to bed at about 9.30 and literally fell asleep before my head hit the pillow!
The next day was dedicated to the temples of Angkor Wat - i called it temple time!
I was up at 4.30am to meet my tuk tuk driver at 4.45am. We sped along to the temples $20 for an all day ticket so i was determined to make this the longest day i could! I cuaght the sunset at the huge Angkor Wat then whizzed around Angkor Thom, Bayon, Ta Keo, Ta Prohm, Bamteay, Srah Srang, Pre Rup, East Melbon, Ta Som, Neak Prean and finally Bakheng mountain to catch the sun set - unfortunately the whole area closes at 6.30pm and the sun still hadn't set so i missed it. but i was so tired at this point home seemed like the best option.
On my temple adventure i monks gallor dressed in their beautiful orange robes, monkeys, elephants, trees with roots covering temples tones, i climbed to the very top of the tallest temple (about 1 millions steps!!) and nearly gave myself a heart attack, got blessed and wished luck spirtually by a monk, hit my head on a big stone AND got eaten alive by the mozzies!
When i got back to the hostel i was exhausted but instead of having a nap like a normal person i went for a dip in the pool then went with Hossio into town to get our feet eaten by fish. Yuk - i hated every second of it but i did get a free beer and peanuts so all is well. And it only cost $2 for 50mins. Although if you do it longer than an hour it is supposed to be dangerous - but this might just be the others winding me up i am not sure?
We then went to the infamous Angkor Wat Bar for a couple of drinks with everyone from the hostel and back to bed to catch my 8.30am b us to Battembang.
Battembang - cheapest room i have had so far! $3 for a room for four - although i was on my own so i paid the full $3 but it should only be $0.75 each if full. I got there quite late in the afternoon but still had time to have a look round the market and a quick whizz up and down the bamboo train. There is not a great deal to do inside of Battembang - you have to venture quite far out to do anything remotly interesting - and to be honest i was too templed out to see any more temples so i cut my Battembang stay to just one night and in the morning headed out to Bangkok!
I arrived last night - i am staying at Rainbow Rooms Hostel but unfortunately the dorms are full but i do have a room to myself which is nice for a bit of a relax before my flight. Yesterday i had a wonder down Khosan Road and bumped into some people i had met in Phom Phen so we all went out for a drink.
Feeling a little worse for wear this morning i headed off to Chinatown- which i though was a bit rubbish. BUT if you need hair accessories it is the place to go! i have never seen so much tack in all my life. And after a bit more shopping on kohsan road i plan to head off to some art gallries and museums this evening before heading back to pack and sort myself out for my flight to Surat Thani tomorrow morning.
i'll let you know how it goes.
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