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Hello everyone!
Sorry, this is going to be a long one again - I have some backtracking to do!
We've moved countries again now and i'm in Vietnam.
I was sad to leave Cambodia, but so excited to be somewhere that I can have beans on toast! Its more westernised here. We are not the only white people anymore!
Cambodia was quite hard to be in at times. When we were in Phnom Penh we visited The Killing Fields with the mass graves from the Khmer Rouge victims. First we were shown a tower of thousands of real human skulls. Then we were taken for a walk. As we looked down we realised that there were bones and pieces of clothing sticking out of the ground! We were stepping on them! So many people were killed there for no reason at all. We were shown trees that they used to hit babies against, and bamboo leaves that they used to saw people's heads off. The man that took us round saw it all happen. His parents and brother were all murdered there. It was awful!
From there we went to the S21 prison. This was was just as graphic and just as mortifying. It used to be a school but the Khmer Rouge converted it into a place where they tortured men, women, & children. We were taken into a room with photographs of everyone as they arrived at the prison and in the next room were photographs of everyone when the were dead. Only seven people survived. The lady that showed us round lost all of her family. I had to leave and get a coffee as it was all a bit much for me. Later on Sok was telling us how even he had lost some Aunties and Uncles. It seems that everyone was effected in some way.
After our rather depressing day we moved on to Takeo to stay with a local family. It was so much fun! An old couple lived in one house and their daughters with their children in the others. When I say house I actually mean hut. It was literally a small square room built on high wooden legs. Underneath the huts were cows and roosters. We could see them through the floor boards underneath us. The family were very welcoming. The little girls played badminton with us and put flowers in our hair, and the boys were our dj's. They cooked us a lovely meal. We bought lots of beer from the market and ended up getting fairly drunk. I felt a bit uncomfortable because the family all went to bed really early and we were all dancing and being really loud, but Sok assured us that they love to watch us westerners have a good time. Hmm - I think that Sok is just a little beer monster and that they couldnt wait for us to leave! On they back we stopped at a small place nicknamed 'spider town' where they eat spiders. Whit actually tried one. Urgh! She's crazy!
So anyway, we've now said our goodbyes to Cambodia and moved onto the next country. I love it in Vietnam so far. Its so me! The exchange rate is 30000 dong to one pound. Its so confusing! We started off in Ho Chi Mhin City, which had tons of gorgeous shops and restaurants. We have a new tour leader called Ha. She's just as cute as Sok! She comes for meals with us to posh restaurants wearing her pj's (Asian people seem to do this a lot!). We took a cyclo tour of the city. Cyclos look like you are sitting in a giant pushchair that a man peddles you round in - I felt so sorry for mine! We visited the war museum, which had more horrific photographs and war stories - including two jars with the corpses of deformed babies in. Very depressing! I think poor Whit felt a bit uncomfortable here as it was sooo biased against the Americans. We also visited a temple that sold little sparrow like birds outside. There were 40 crammed into a tiny cage. Apparantly Vietnemese people eat them! Eeeek - there's not even any meat on them!??
In the afternoon we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels. These are underground tunnels that a small town built and lived in for months on end to fight against the Americans. We went inside them. I couldnt live there it was way too hot and chlostrophobic.
The next day we went for a boat trip on the mekong River. We spent the morning trying a selection of Asian fruits. Jayne (who has a fruit phobia) was very on edge! It was all ok in the afternoon though when we went to coconut island (Jayne has become obsessed with coconuts while we've been travelling!). Even the houses were made out of them! We went there on a very small horse. It pulled a cart with six of us at once. I felt so cruel! It was coughing and its tongue and head kept going sideways, I think it was on its last legs!
There was only one part of being in Vietnam that I didnt like - the Typhoon! I'm so embarrassed about my reaction to it now though. I found out about it when I came downstairs one morning and some Canadian men were booking flights on the internet telling me that I should get out of the country as it was heading right for us. I looked it up and read that 4000 people had already gone missing in Hanoi at the north of Vietnam and that it was the worst Typhoon in 100 years (I didnt realise at the time, but I was actually reading about another typhoon that happened years ago). A girl off our tour then told me that we should stock up on food and drink as we wouldnt be able to leave the hotel for days when it hit us. So, you can imagine my reaction! Whit, Jayne & Sandra spent most of the morning trying to convince me that we weren't going to die and trying to stop me booking flights to Bali. I'm glad I didnt because Vietnam is lovely!
It all turned out ok and the Typhoon didnt come anywhere near us!
From Ho Chi Mhin we took the overnight train to Nha Trang, a small beach town. We spent the first day having mud baths and swimming in water fresh from the spings. We were all so soft! In the afternoon we went to another temple. I usually feel quite safe in Asia - the men dont really bother with western girls, but a man flashed at me when I walked round the back to take a photograph! How unholy!
The next day we wemt on a boat trip. It was the best I have ever been on. We had our own private masseuses, who then turned into nail technicians and gave us manicures and pedicures. I was ecstatic! It was just what I needed as the night before me and Sandra went for a night swim in the sea and only had two hours sleep!
Now we're in Hoi An. Its a very dangerous place! So far i've had a tailor made dress, jeans, and two skirts. I realised that I may be a bit out of control when I had tailor made flip flops! I need to get out of here as soon as possible as it is like paradise! Its has a really odd tradition where groups of little boys dress up as dragons at night and dance around banging drums. They come round asking for money and hit you with a big stick until you give them some. Once I said no and one of them kicked me up the bum and ran off! So, on the whole this is the spending capital and my money is draining fast! I love it, but I need to get out!
Catch up with you all soon.
Love you loads xxxxxxxxxxx
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