Siem Reap

Ok we are now in Siem Reap at the moment after a great time in the crazy world that is phnom phen...truly exciting city and pretty scary walking home on unlit streets knowing how many guns there are in the town...but only like new york really...anyhoo...The first night we met up with James and Niki went for a few drinks, waking up a little worse for wear we hiked off around time going to visit the Kings palace, the national museum and some mini art galleries..we made it (only just) in the heat of the day and saw some wonderful pieces of khymer art at the museum and the truly impressive palace....got a little confused in the silver pagoda as they had put carpets down covering the thousands of silver tiles so it was a bit like is this it or isnt it? but beautiful nevertheless.

The next day we had a fab time driven around by a guy called Dike to all the genocide sites...the mass graves at the Killing Fields and S21 the site of the prison where they tortured thousands before their execution. A truly harrowing day, made all the worse by speaking to Dike about losing his brother to the Khymer Rhouge. Real heart wrenching stuff - and a real reflection after vietnam thatthe human race still hasn't learnt any lessons - considering whats going on in Iran Iraq and Africa in the current times its crazy. How many times does history have to repeat itself before it stops or is this it? Is this what the human race is destined for until its inevitable destruction?!?...anyhoo I'm ranting but as you can tell truly moving stuff that really makes you think about the nature of the world.

Well anyhow on that happy note we are off to Ankor Wat (the biggest religious site in the world!) on some electric bicycles (a cross between a moped and a push bike) will update in a couple of days post exhaustion I'd imagine...

Well hello off to phnom phen tommorow

Ok so we have spent longer in Saigon than expected - however I really like this city - we've done some cool things so far and the art here has been amazing! We've been to the war remnants museum and the Chu chi tunnels...that has thoroughly explained to me that war is an incredibly horrible and futile occurance in the world. We also visited a Cau Dai temple - quite an amazing experience except for all the tourists... but it was amazing - their religion beleives that they have been saved 3 times by god - once by moses once by jesus - and lastly by confucious - and now in a kind of godly 3 strikes and you're out principle the world has run out of godly luck and we have to save ourselves until it all ends...quite a nice ceremony though lots of crazy singing that built and built.

Anyway we will be sad to say goodbye to HCMC but looking forward to the Cambodian adventure! Phnom Pehn here we come!

Heeeelooo from saigon

Well we are in saigon man its a crazy place crossing the road is like having a death wish as you walk out SLoooowwwly to oncoming traffic and let them drive around you...I have never seen so many motorbikes in one place at once...crazy...sooo vietnam adventures are coming to a close but its been an interesting trip - we've just come from Mui Ne that was supposed to be a chilled paradise but was infact a resort packed plastic horrible place that had more wind than perth. Wasll to wall resorts with not an ounce of soul between them...compared to hoi an which we had come from it was a bit of a shock...hoi an was beautiful though - packed again with tourist tat but the old town was stunning - did one of the worst tours there to My Son an ancient temple complex(little tip dont do tours in vietnam if you shy away from being shepherded like a white skinned sheep...baaa) - we were in hoi an for the full moon festival though that was superb really chilled like the old town itself we wandered the streets all lit only by lanterns (they turned all the neon off) and no motorbikes allowed so super quiet (a rarity from the usual beeping that goes on) we watched as kids played a version of pin the tail on the donket that involved smashing stuff ... tiny little kids (4-5 years old) performing kung fu and sword demonstrations...some crazy out of tune singing and loads of guys playing chinese chess...which looks increadibly interesting...gonna get me one of them sets along with a mah jong set - but I do need instructions in english so if anyone knows how to play it help me out - oh and Camy if your reading this please can I go learn to play mah jong with your auntie above Mei mei. ta. Ok then the big news is that we got a ton of clothes made - and by the weight of mels bag now a literal ton! Very nice stuff although the copies of my shirt arent copied but infact the tailor when off and designed something completely random...fits though...got the coolest pair of baggy cords to keep me warm in Japan! Its going to be about 16 degrees there brrrr not looking forward to the temperature at home I can tell you...and on that note I shall say goodbyee for now and see you all sooner than expected probably as we are running out of steam to keep all this tourism malarky up...byeeeee

Good morning from Vietnam

So its our first full day in vietnam - arrgh what a shock it is to be here after Laos. We worked our way down from vientiene to pakse(a bit of a dull nothing town but quite relaxing and amazing coffee) then got a boat to Champasak - A very chilled place home of the former royals (you'd be amazed as theres nothing there) - then cycled all the way accross to Wat Poh an amazing ankor era 3 tiered wat with natural springs and amazing carved ruins...a taster methinks for whats to come in Cambodia. From there we had a Wonderful Journey south with the locals - about 40 of us hanging off this thing people on the roof off the sides, all over the place great fun. We ended up in Si Phan Don (4000 islands) in the south for 3 days for extreme relaxed bliss...we met up with Vinnie again (from the slow boat and chang mai!!) as we arrived about 45 minutes apart and took over a section of huts on the sunrise side of the island - our own little balcony with hammocks...Wow the pace of life there is sloooowww....we wake up with the chickens and cockrels at sunrise and were normally asleep soon after sunset but had an amazing time-kayaking on the mekong was pretty relaxing - but then we had to leave (boo)

We headed north on a horribly long local bus (we got totally ripped off too by about 20 dollars!!!- bugger but hey its all character building stuff) and arrived pissed off and tired in Savanaket - one of the busiest 'Cities' in Laos - we were too knackered to appreciate it fully but we wandered around booked a bus to Vietnam saw all the french area and a last sunset on the mekong for a while ate and slept as soon as our heads hit the pillows. Next day an easyish border crossing brought us here to Hue - serious culture shock here as compared to Laos it feels like everyones out to get you...come in my guest house cheap cheap - get on my motorcycle good ride blah blah - just like india again - oh and the use the horn nearly as much i'm sure...but its still quite cute here if super touristy...I reckon a few days of settling in and we'll be well away...so the journey continues country number errrm ...11 blimey ...right best get on with it then as we've only got 2 weeks here rush rush rush running outta time and gotta get back to thailand to do massage courses...hehehe hard life

in vientienne

Phew made it out alive-this place is much nicer the capital of Laos is still severely chilled. We've spent the last 24 hours running around like mad trying to see the sights as we leave for the south (Pakse) in about 2 hours - Done the photos so gonna put them up here for ease starting with the latest and working backwards...

First up is That Luang (Royal Stupa) which was constructed in 1566 by King Setthatirat and restored in 1935. Super bling on a gold tip eh!

Next Up is the buddah park...me climbing in a giant concrete pumpkin containing heaven earth and hell....

The park is amazing really bonkers lots of mad hindu/buddhist statues - so that was this morning and this afternoon going back in time to last night there is a massive Laos copy of the Arch de triumph lit up at night which looks like this:



Nice eh shame about the blurry photo but rushing a little in this cafe....ok so the nice bit of Vang Vien looks like this:



Nice eh but the town looks like this:
yuk! And so Moving back even more into the past we have...Yummy street food in Lang Prabang....mnmnmnm the tofu was superb

then the Wat on the hill plus monk Lang Prabang


The PAk Ou Caves with Tons of buddhas crammed in:

Us arriving In lang Prabang
A view on the Mekong:
Last but not least Cooking in Chang Mai!

Hope thak keeps your tastebuds flowing for what we are up to! L8rs folks!

Arrrgghhhh

In my last post I said get here before all the tourists do - well scratch that they are already here - in vang vien- we stopped here to break up our journey and its the benidorm / koh samui / full moon party of Laos...and its hideous...I can currently hear 2 episodes of friends at once blaring from the TV bars either side of this internet cafe-what brought the tourists here in the first place - the beautiful Karst hills and caves - have been spoiled forever by the 18 year olds on inflated lorry tyres going down the river off their skulls on 'happy' pizzas and lord knows what else - arrrgh get me out of here - if you do ever get stuck here though gop out of town because the sunset is worth the endurance of westerness in a foriegn land...and the organic cafe and its supporting farm does do amazing sugar beet beer and mulberry pankakes and shakes - in my opinion this places only saving grace...no tv's and right at the end of town - phew...so 1h 35 mins left in this town - I just hope the bus isnt late....you have been warned!