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Gary's World Adventure
Okay where to begin its been a long time (5wks) since I last updated...Its been a very hectic few weeks but mianly becuase communications are not up to date in cambodia!
I met Lewis as arranged in Thailand and then together slept the night in Humpalong Train station ready to get the train at 6.30am next morning, just as we were starting to settle down for the night the guards starting asking everyone to leave (oh now the prospect of the night on bangkok's streets didnt appeal to me) so after much begging we were ushered up to a balcony where we spent the night sleeping with several young monks...all I can say is thank god for Lorna's sleeping bag she gave me without it I would ave froze!
After travelling the whole day and enduring the hassle that is commenly know to travellers as the border to Cambodia we finally arrived in Siem Reap after travelling for 11hrs and haggling for about an hour to get a taxi here from the border! Okay this is one experience I do not want to live again...we managed to haggled the guy down to 25usd for a car that had cracks all over the windscreen even I could not see out of it...why I picked the front seat I'll never know! their is no road from the border to Sieam Reap just sandy path with holes in that only made me think this is what mars must look like! A close near death experience...and boy do they like their horns in Cambodia what else could I do for the 4hr journey but sleep? thankfully after sleeping in the train station night before even this hell raising car was comfort even though he nearly killed us several times! And to think he had to cheek to ask for a tip....!
Just reeling from the near death taxi experience Lewis & I came up with the crazy idea of catching sunset at Angkor Wat next morning...that meant 4.30am start and you all know me and mornings! well imagine an early one with an hour bicycle ride in the dark and sweating trying desperatly to catch the sun before it came up....and guess what it didnt come up as wrong time of year! It was not my best morning to say the least!
Though on a positive note I can say Angkor Wat and the many ruins (their are many different sites) are amazing! And I was totally struck by the history and shear size of Angkor Wat...and could not wait to climb up and inside!
It was totally an amazing experience...even the 2days cycling that we persued to get around the sites! I apoligise if all my pictures look the same they are from many different sites and none of the pictures do the place justice...it was amazing!
Oh nearly forgot on one evening in Sieam Reap I attended a concert night for the local hospital which was infomative and highlighted how poor this country is and how many sick children their are mainly due to the war in recent years!
Lewis and I visited the floating veitnamese village...this was a very different experience and surreal as Ive seen them on tlevision but did not think they really exsisted! I saw floating markets/schools/police station and houses. Ladys washing their clothes/children in the mekong river...I made me realise just how lucky in the western world we are and how much we take for granted!
The driver and guide of our boat stared at me constantly asking a million and one questions...I was scared at timed they were gonna kid nap us as they would not take their eyes off my camera!
The guide insisted to take us to a crocadile farm which is basically a floating bar/shop which has about 100 crocs which he said they were breeding for their skins...which I thought was terrible but the way he told me was like it was common so I guessed just walk away gary theirs no point shouting crocadile rights!
Okay to re-cap Seim Reap..I thoroughly enjoyed Angkor and all the different sites but as a town its dirty/dry and I was not keen on the place! But definately recommend visiting for the ruins even though its is very touristy...the 3days of visitng sites we were trying to dodge the coach loads of organised tours!
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