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So after a long and uncomfortable journey up the Mekong Delta and into Cambodia I finally arrived in the capital, Phnom Penh. I met some interesting people on the first night and suffered a foot message by fish that eat the bacteria on your feet. As most of you know I have ticklish feet and I just couldn't deal with it, i haven't laughed so hard in a long time.
The next day was filled with impossible failures. I didn't manage to complete one job as it turned into one of those days.I spent the evening trying to cheer myself up and the following morning i just got on with it and managed to hire a bike and be out of the city after midday. I had hoped to make it to Siem Reap (where the temples of Angkor stand) within one day, but the journey took its tool on my back, which i have been having problems with, and the sun was about to set. I made it half way to a place called Kom Pong Tong and spent the evening watching movies and trying to find the Brazilian GP qualifying on one of the 80 tv channels. I also had the best street meal for only 75 cents (45 pence) that evening.
After a good nights sleep i jumped back on board my Honda 250cc motocross bike and made for Siem Reap. With a number of stops for photos that i didn't have time for the previous day, i arrived in the city of temples after 4 hours. By this point my back and behind where in a lot of pain and enjoyed the opportunity to have a rest as i settled into my hostel.
I have been living in a bamboo hut for 5 nights now and am really enjoying the rustic nature of my accommodation. It is what i have been expecting to live in since i started traveling but have been surprised by the level of development in these countries that the Lonely Planet guides neglect to mention.
The first thing that surprised me as we entered Cambodia from Vietnam was the level of development here in comparison to Vietnam, where i had been led to believe was much more further towards becoming a developed country. For instance, petrol stations are all new, clean and have western style shops on the forecourt. Most of the cars are modern and expensive, there are full sized motorbikes, beautiful architecture and there is lots of space along the promenade where people enjoy dancing classes by night.
The history of this country is shocking and after such a short time since the conflict ended here it seems the people are finally able to build a new country for themselves and the western influence is everywhere to be seen. This fills me with the same fear i have for Vietnam as the speed of development will overtake the people's ability to learn to cope with the consequences. You only have to take a look at the amount of trash along the streets and the mountains of plastic bottles around to notice the lake of education that should be included when new materials and technology are introduced.
So on the day of my arrival into Siem Reap i met an american girl who joined me on my bike to visit the floating village. It turned out we went to the wrong village as we were expecting the buildings to be built on stilts, not literally floating on the water, which we had already seen plenty on in Vietnam. So $15 later and a disappointing sunset we made our way back at night by following other scooters as i struggled to see the way with such poor headlights. We enjoyed some nice BBQ street food and took a look around the cosiest night market made from local bamboo huts.
The following day i had planned to visit the temples but did not know where to go and how to do it. I was lucky enough to meet two girls during breakfast who invited me to join them and another guy on a tuc tuc (a scooter drawn cart) for the day. We enjoyed meaningful philosophical conversation whilst taking in some breath taking engineering and architecture from a time where there were no machines, in the middle of dense jungle and forest. It was one of my favorite days of my journey and the following two days around the temples could not match it. The second day we visited some small temples which weren't so impressive and we managed to make it to the real village on stilts above the water. The experience was somewhat ruined by my urge to be sick and for some reason my belly did not want anything in it as we left the village. As the girls are both studying to be docters, they prescribed some food and bed and we cut the day short which annoyed me considerably. After some food and sleep, sure enough i was better and i took it easy that evening as we enjoyed dinner with some of their friends they had met along their journey elsewhere.
An early night set me up for the last day of my tour and i jumped on my bike and made my way around the largest temples by myself. It wasn't the same without my friends and the hoards of tourists ruined the experience of what could have been a very magical and atmospheric place. As i finished the day i just wanted to hang out with my friends who i met after experiencing another disappointing sunset from the top of a hill with the last and most surprising temple in the dark.
Today is another administration day, and i hope to trim my beard and cut my hair finally. From here i will make my way by bike to Battenbang and back to the capital in time to whiteness the final F1 GP of the year. After that i plan to make my way to the coast of Cambodia and am still unsure whether i will make it there by bike or not... it depends how my back holds up in the meantime. I have heard the whether in the south of Thailand is bad at the moment, which is a shame as i have been saving my beach time for there. So instead, i will make my way straight from Cambodia to Thailand via the coastal border and make my way south from there and try to check out the northern beaches first.
Take care for now and enjoy the pictures! :-) X
- comments
Gilly Thomas Hi Philip Have thoroughly enjoyed reading about your ups and downs in Cambodia ( a very welcome break from cleaning the house!! ). What a fantastic life experience you are having. Take care and have fun. Gilly x
Suzi and Hossi Fantastic pictures, Phil - they really do give a good impression of what you`re experiencing. Think you`re doing a great job surmounting all the difficulties involved in such an exotic tour and we`re sure you`ll look back on it all fondly in years to come. Hope the poorly tummy won`t put you off trying the local cuisine - you`ll get lots of Yorkshire puds when you`re back home, don`t worry! All the best for the next leg, we`ll look forward to the reports. Suzi and HH. PS. just got your card from Hong Kong today posted 02.11. Not bad for the post, I`d say.
Roger Blamire Hi Philip What a fantastic time you must be having I wish I was there with you and the fact you are on a motorbike I am so jealous. Great photos which I am sure you will look back on in years to come, savour every moment and drive carefully. Roger Ps I will show Philip the blog when I next see him.
Dad & Mum I can just imagine you with fish eating your feet!! The temples sound amazing, as you said, shame about all the tourist!! I'm glad you're still meeting good people to hang out with, that's what travelling is all about, yea! I can imagine the state of the country regarding waste, sure it's good they can have moderisation but the enviromental 'cost' is terrific. I've always wanted to know what you've been eating, is the local food good? Hey! your pics are good and a nice smile now too, what a handsome chap you are!! Dad's impressed with the beard! Keep travelling safe, Lots of love D & M x x
the cousin Hey Phil, Amazing! Photos and stories, are just getting better and more fascinating! I am getting itchy feet....thank you!