CAMBODIA

Hello, this is where it all begins for Kyle's World Tour! I thought I better give you my first travel update as I have been out of the country for over two weeks now and I'm sure you will all be missing me by now and are probably keen to see some photos!

I flew from Heathrow to Abu Dhabi first and was lucky to have two spare seats next to me so I could relax in comfort and lay down for pretty much all of the flight. Quick change of plane, then straight to Bangkok before my tour starts following day. A cheese and ham toastie and a beer in the bar before sitting up until 4am due to the time difference and jet lag!

First full day, explored the streets of Bangkok. There seem to be market stalls everywhere, people selling all kinds of goods for very cheap prices. Loads of food stalls selling all kinds of rice and noodles with meat and fish. I had a Fortune teller hassling me down one road saying he could tell me my future for a small price, and apparently he knew my Mothers maiden name, didn't hang around to see if he did! The complete change of pace from England is pretty staggering, everyone seems so chilled out! Back to the Hotel to meet the group of travelers I will be spending the next 30 days with.

The Indochina tour through Northern Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos is being run through our tour leader, Fon. There are 3 other Brits, 2 guys Ben and Rory both similar ages to me and Alison. 9 Australians of which 6 are student couples, Anton, Sandy, Jeremy, Sarah, Ryan & Lara and 3 single travelers, Kylie, Diane & Jimmy and a Norwegian couple Rolf and Secil. We all went to Koh San Road for some traditional Thai food and was good to finally meet everyone and start getting to know people. Went for a few drinks with Ben and Rory in a few bars down Koh San Road (which is one of the popular streets situated in Bangkok) pretty busy with people trying to get you into clubs and bars and sell you suits. Had a tower drink, which is a 10 pint beer of your choice delivered to your table with its own tap and is filled with a central tube filled with ice to keep the beer cold! (Obviously didn't have it to myself)

First full day of the tour starts pretty early, up at 6.00am to board a mini bus heading to the Cambodian border. The roads in these parts of the world definitely differ from the UK; there are motor scooters and bikes everywhere, no helmets and quite often upto 4 people per bike! Reached the border where we had a two and a half hour wait getting Visa's and going through passport control. Had a Thai Padi Chicken dish which cost 35 baht (about 60 pence) definitely differs from an English Restaurant. Through the Thai / Cambodian border for another 4 hour drive and onto Siem Reap where we will spend a few days. Cambodia seems very similar to the rural parts of Thailand; lots of rice fields, shacks, houses on stilts and the odd palace thrown in for good measure!

Arrived in Siem Reap early evening and went out as a group for some Cambodian cuisine and some dancing (to watch only). Had the most amazing Fish Amok (the local specialty), Beef noodle, Spring Roll and half a pizza (just to mix it up) and a few cocktails to wash it down. Followed by some traditional Cambodian music followed by dances by the local men and young women who were dressed very elegantly and dressed as various animals. Then onto the night market where you could get Fish massages, where you sit with feet in water and very small fish eat your dead skin!

Up extremely early on day 3 to watch the sunrise over the famous temple of Angkor Wat at 4.45am. Mini bus to temple where it was still pitch black, waited with hundreds of others for the sun to commence over the temple. It was a fantastic experience being their to watch, hard to explain the magical scenery, the photos do not tell the story. Had a tour guide take us around 5 of the 100 plus temples including the Tomb Raider Temple with the trees growing through and over the stone. Angkor Wat temple was constructed using 200 million tones of stone and was built in the 12th Century originally for the King for his Palace, Kingdom and City; it was amazing to see how much was still intact; including the sculptural works which were a thing of beauty. The young Cambodian children try to sell you postcards, guide books, musical instruments and all sorts of things. They talk brilliant English and always say "Hey Mr, you want to buy postcards, one dollar, one dollar" They are pretty sweet but they do not leave you alone until you either buy from them or they have followed you for about a mile and finally give up. There is a saying in Cambodia, "Same Same, But Different" people selling you T-Shirts exactly the same as next door shop, but they say "same same but different, I do you special price" Walked upto the mountain to watch the sunset, which again was pretty special, but decided to share an Elephant ride with Rory back to the bus. Was a very serial experience, at times there was probably a hundred foot drop on one side of us, had to trust the big guy!

Back to Siem Reap for a Kymar Chicken Curry, tastes completely different to a curry back homes, different flavors work really well with each other. Off to the night market for a Thai foot massage which cost $2.00 for 20 minutes, can't really go wrong with that! The Cambodians play a game a bit like hackie sackie, but with a shuttlecock attached to a spring and feather (called Gow), you kick and hit the shuttlecock into the air and basically try to keep it in the air for as long as you can. So we are practicing for when we get to the beach!

Visited a floating market following morning where we boarded our boat to see how the Khmer people lived and worked on the river estuary. Once on the boat, smaller engine powered boats would approach our boat and kids would jump from their boat onto ours with cans of drinks and bannans trying to sell them to the tourists. A small girl probably around 6 or 7 boarded our boat carrying a Python with her; so a few of us plucked up the courage to hold the snake and pose for photos. Visited a school orphanage on the river which housed around 60 kids aged from about 4 - 13 who have all lost parents. We bought school books and pens and hand delivered them; the children were crammed into one small classroom with 6 children per wooden bench. I perched on the end of one bench, the kids all shook my hand, gave high fives and plenty of peace signs; all well mannered. Back to the boat where the driver asked if i wanted to drive, so pedal to the metal past the floating basketball court and many more fruit and veg shops and fishermen reeling their nets in trying to catch their next skool of fish. Kids floating in tin washing up bowls trying to make a few dollars from the Westerners. Six hour coach journey to the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh.

Had a tour the following day to the Genocide Museum, Tuol Sleng, the former office S.21 "Kampuchea Democratic" was created on orders of Pol Pot (Sa lut Sor), in April 1975. Office 21 was called S-21 and designed for detention, interrogation, inhuman torture and killing after confession from the detainees were received and documented. Previously the area hosted Tuol Sleng Primary school and Toul Svay Prey high school in the 60's and early 70's but when the Kampuchea Democratic forced the government out of power in 1975; they also forced the public people to leave Phnom Penh and move to the countryside. The school was converted into a prison lined with barbed wire fences where it remained until 1979 housing and torturing over 20,000 people and then transporting them to the Killing Fields where they were brutally killed and burried. The prison was very errie looking, the original floors and some of the beds, barbed wire fences were still intact. The school P.E rope frame is still standing; which was used for torturing people hanging them upside down until they are unconcious and then dipping their heads in a bucket of filthy human waste to bring them back around, then more torture. The cells that have been created inside classrooms built from school desks and bricked up were no bigger then 2m x 1.2m; you get a sense of nervousness and hate towards these evil people who created this. Our tour then took us to the Killing Fields where the people were taken to be killed; having to dig their own grave, then being brutally beaten until death. Babies having their heads smashed against a tree or thrown into the air or into bear nets. Just horrible to hear and see the evidence of all the mass graves, there are still bones visible in the grass and teeth in the mud. Over 3 million Cambodian, Vietnamesse and even Westerners were killed in this period and were laid to rest in one of the 350 separate killing fields. A shrine has been built and all of the skulls from one of the killing fields have been placed in this memorial ground, 985 in total. Photos of the people killed at the prison are on show in the musuem, again extremely errie and feels like the faces are watching you, it begins to feel more real at this point seeing individual faces of men, women, children and even babies. An experience that will certainly live with me for a long time!

A trip to the Kings Palace followed, not the most excting, plenty of Budha's and fancy decoratives. Where as a trip to see the monkey's in the park followed by a Tuc Tuc ride was more my cup of Tea!

Up early for a local bus to Sihanouk Ville, where we are staying in beach bungalows for 2 nights. Spent the afternoon chilling on the beach, swimming in the sea and visiting a few bars and eating fresh seafood grilled on the BBQ. A few Whiskey Buckets then up early for the boat trip and snorkelling following day! We visited a few islands off the coast of Cambodia and also had time for snorkelling offshore which was a pretty cool experience. Docked up on one island for some more seafood BBQ and games of volleyball, swimming, gow and tag with 3 Koreans. Scenery was fantastic, weather beautiful, could definetly get used to this way of life.

Mini bus drive through Cambodia onto the Vietnam border, the roads were pretty bumpy, but was good fun! Cambodia as a whole was brilliant, loved every minute of it, hope the rest of the tour is as good. See you Vietnam!

Kyle