Siam Reap: End

Countries : 2
Cities : 8
Massages : 6
Time away : 40 days
Books read: 6

Siam Reap we bid farewell after an overstayed visit and yet it didn't seem that long. I intended to stay for about 5 nights and I think I actually stayed for 9 nights ...maybe more. Although the city itself is awesome and has so much to offer I think a large part of my prolonged visit was due to the amazing hotel myself and Jonny stayed at. Not the Green Banana as was our home for two nights but the incredibly family friendly Mandalay Inn. $7 a night for a TV, wifi, quality showers, rooftop gym, deep wooden architecture and just the best atmosphere you could ask. The only thing lacking was a view but I can deal with that.

On two of the days we visited Ankor Wat and the surronding temples. Without a doubt one of the best parts of my whole travelling experience so far, just to see the build work, to wonder at the detailed carvings, to climb the steepest of steps, meeting people that lived in the temples and bargaining and joking around with the children who rush to sell you random souvenirs and the way they try to make you feel bad for not buying something.
For example after I had no money left, I said sorry to a girl since I couldn't buy anything she stunned me with her reply of "sorry doesnt mean anything, it only brings me sorrow". Astonishing and poetic even if she didn't realise it, but it really did make me think about the people here. They are around one of the great sights of the world and yet they can't think about enjoying it since they're far too busy trying to fill their bellies with something. Yet even with this extreme poverty you cant tell at times especially with the children's smiling faces and playful mannerisms (take a scenario where Jonny and I where surronded by kids and their high pitched voices selling books and trinkets and one young boy just stood and looked at us and played his wooden twangy thing and smiled without saying a word. That was powerful enough for Jonny to purchase one from the lad.

Amongst all this was the real childish feel you got in some of the temples, the real life imagination you had as a child when pretending to be Indiana Jones / Tomb Raider. Climbing around things, losing your footing, jumping around, pressing bricks and hoping for secret passages to reveal themselves to you and being in general awe by buildings built over a thousand years ago!

Although there was this feeling in some temples in others there was a deep spiritual calm which came over myself where we would just sit and soak it all in. Or when softly speaking to the monks and finding out about their way of life and them about us.

I won't say much anymore about the temples aesthetically because I'd either not do it justice or I'll be writing forever, so you can either Google them or come and visit, I recommend the latter as either a visit or even as a kind of pilgrimage for Buddhists and Hindus. An experience I wont easily forget.

This brings me on to our tuk tuk driver Cat, he was in a word - legendary! We would step out the temple and within seconds he'd be there next to us waiting to take us to the next place. He looked after us giving hints and tips and just being a really nice guy, very softly spoken gentle fellow who while waiting for us would be studying business modules. After dropping us off at 6 after starting at 4.30ish he would go to school/college till 9.30. Cat had incredible drive, I simply can't imagine that kind of life.

Another day we visited the floating villages. We set out with the horizon in our sights and carried on this way for about twenty minutes or more. Along the way we caught sight of people picking of plastic bottles to recycle for cash, some attempting to fish in the shallow waters and some bathing in the brown and murky liquid.
Then from out of nowhere it seemed the horizon became populated with boats, not one or two mind you but near a thousand just bobbing up and down littering the landscape ahead. In these boats lived up to 9 or 10 persons, something I simply couldn't fathom, it is where they eat, sleep, rest, play, learn and live. This is poverty.

Why do they live on boats in Tonle Sap lake? Well they have to, they're too poor to buy any sort of land and so they live out on the water. To the extent that whilst the men go to fish as their only source of real income, the women paddle towards tourists with one hand and newborn in the other and beg for money. Its not just one village though, we heard there is near 50 or more villages which have over 1000 people living within them on boats across this lake.

Now its not all doom and gloom however as there are floating schools here which teach and feed the children each day, supposedly the best way to donate anything to the community is via the school yet even after doing so and visiting them I couldn't imagine how they can take in information when there's so much noise around the school from passing boats and there is over 50 students per classroom.

It does make you think and as cliche as this is I was truly grateful to be lucky enough that I was born in a privileged country and family.

Cambodia : Siam Reap start

Countries : 2
Cities : 8
Massages : 4
Time away : 32 days
Books read: 6

After traveling for near two days, a pit stop that was a lot longer than I expected in Bangkok I finally made my way to Cambodia.

For seemingly the first time on the trip I had some feeling of being swindled and semi ill on the way to Siam Reap but eventually my fears were swept aside. At first glance this is a totally different city than you would expect, it seems like there are big things to come from this city, mainly playing host to visitors to Ankor Wat and doing a pretty good job too. However there is a seedy underbelly that is evident too, such as the immediate offering of drugs with pretty much with each step I took, offers of prostitution and then the relatively young age of many walking around and trying to sell things from chilldren who are of ages I have recently been teaching.

Then there's the beauty of Siam Reap with the night markets which are so alluring and the haggling all part of the fun. Even pub street which although westernized did seem to have a charm of its own.

Met two guys, one called Johnny who seems pretty clued up and just generally a decent lad who after just a few hours it seemed like I knew him for weeks. We had earlier talked about why people end up coming to Cambodia to find a girl and unbeknownst to us the gentleman from Austria who was in the same car as us to Siam Reap had just that on his mind. I'll spare you of the details but it's a strange situation to be in talking to this guy and yet not knowing the exact intent of his mindset for his wanting companion. Fingers crossed its just that, just someone to show him around.

After the conversation we went back to the hotel and it was 1.30am, where we saw bin collectors working. Not just ordinary bin collectors though...but children comprising at least 80% of the workforce of no age older than 12.
Already I know there will be a huge mix of emotions during my stay.

Half moon, Kho Pha Ngan - Bantai

Countries : 1
Cities : 7
Massages : 3
Time away : 31 days
Books read: 6

So bantai...its sleepy to put it mildly. For instance the place where me and Matthew (a guy I met whilst diving) stayed at had us as their only guests. So although the beach was literally a stones through away 1. It wasn't much of a beach and 2. It was fairly deserted with the exception of a sprinkling of couples here and there.

However one of the funniest things was the offer the guy gave for the room in Bantai...ask me about it.

Apart from wandering around and having some pretty decent food, not to mention an amazing pizza at a place called the food factory which was an open bar, both Matthew and I really didnt get up to much, even though some dubious ladies tried to accosted us whilst we were simply walking back the guesthouse.

Anyway it was blistering hot during the day when we decided to just walk all the way around and explore the place before heading to the half moon party. Met tons of people whilst there, most with body paint covering themselves which I'm not going tto lie I was ridiculously tempted to get one, but not a huge florescent 7/11 as a guy called Steve (from diving) got on his back. It was a pretty decent night with the buckets flowing like any party but unlike most it ended at 2am due to some new regulations and so it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

Word or warning though : Don't embark on a two day trip to Siam Reap the day after a half/full moon party, your head will not forgive you on the boat journey whilst you slosh around the plastic chairs trying to find a comfortable spot whilst never really achieving it.

Diving Kho Tao

Countries : 1
Cities : 7
Massages : 3
Time away : 29 days
Books read: 6

I'm going to keep this one short even though I stayed here the longest so far.

Diving is awesome!  Do it if you have the time and the money, I loves everyday of it so much so that I extended it and did my open water advanced! So now I can go down to 30m and do night dives woo!

Met some awesome people whilst Diving not to mention the instructors Cameron (aussie), Tina (canadian) and Liran (israeli I think).

It is quite tiring at times and on the days thaat the waters are rough you dont feel great but and this is as big a but as J-los, its truly amazing.  I cant tell you the times I was astonished by what I saw underwater, the different types of fish, the way they swim, the fascinating colours of them all, just WOW!

Despite all my worries about equalizing and the float test and swimming (I used to be a great swimmer and now I dunno how to tread water) it was all made really easy once you got in the water and gave it a go. Even with Tina forgetting our fins on the first day when I was a little apprehensive everything still seemed to go fine.

The only blips from my diving experience was on the day we were going to go to Sail Rock, one of the best places to dive in South east asia and as Cameron told us numerous times it was only the 3rd time he was going in about 8 months so we were lucky right? Not quite since it decided to pour down that morning and the captain changed his mind and course. And the othet blip was that I didn't get to see a turtle, and others that were in my open water course and decided to against the advanced but wanted to do some fun dives managed to spot them and right royally rub it in my face.

But I hear Figi and Mexico have them so I think they're next on my list!

Kho Pha Ngan - Hat Rin

Countries : 1
Cities : 6
Massages : 2
Time away : 22 days
Books read: 5

So this is where the parties all happen? This is Hat Rin, famous for its drunken splendour. Well on first glance we thought ...where are all the tourists? All we could see was a smallish beach with lots of stalls and quite a few thais playing football on the beach but that was about it.
You could tell the place was made for tourists with the cheap bucket signs, reruns of friends in one restaurant and the ease of internet access.

To me it seemed like a club before it opens, all the razzmatazz and the workers all ready and waiting but with one crucial exception... no punters. Hat rin really is a one night a month kinda place but to be honest I liked it. I preferred the fact the accommodation wasn't sky high and the fact I could move around freely. And the fact is there was still some decent parties going on when I was there especially at catcus bar. I managed to spend the equivalent of two pounda the whole night on alcohol because I kept winning buckets. I was proud of two in particular ... my win in the musical chairs and the one that Sachin will probably claim some help with, throwing a basketball from a considerable distance for it to swish through earning me a bucket, you really can't put a price on that feeling!

The next day wasn't much fun as you can imagine even moreso because it was the day Hayley and Meagan were going off to Bangkok and then home, but it also was the day I booked my open water course in Kho Tao :)

Koh Phang Nang part 1

Countries : 1
Cities : 6
Massages : 2
Time away : 19 days
Books read: 4

One of the main islands you instinctively think of when you think of Thailand is Kho Phang Ngan. Mainly for its hectic week long full moon parties, half moon and blue moon and basically any other excuse for people to get drunk.

Yet when we got to the island it seemed pretty quiet, especially after the rough ride we had when our truck veered unintentional off road in pitch black conditions. It was then I realised firstly we were in the north of the island in hat thong nai (I think) and secondly there was no party about to happen and so this explained the relaxed atmoshphere.

Staying at the bamboo bungalow literally a stones throw away from the beach with a really friendly Englishman who came out and worked here for 6 months before returning home during the summer period.

The sand there was particularly smooth and I know it sounds strange but it did feel pretty good with it running through my toes and moreso rubbing against my mosquito bites.

Here I did a bit of kayaking which I had never done before (it doesn't half hurt your arms) and general exploring. Gotta say the food here was amazing in every place I ate.
Also I caught the end of the royal wedding with the Buckingham Palace Balcony double kiss they kept raving on about. Obviously had tons of conversations about the monarchy leading up to this day but upon seeing the footage it did warm my heart that with all the negative news we hear day in day out that finally regardless of what your opinion of royalty is at least this was a day which brought people all over the world together for something positive.

Great place to go if you want to escape the craziness of the full moon party with its seclusion and solitude. Plus great snorkeling in Kho Ma and chilled night life too!

Railey? Tonsai

Countries : 1
Cities : 5
Massages : 2
Time away : 17 days
Books read: 3

On to Railey...where's that you ask? Well I've not got much more of a clue than you, its near Anong something and closeish to Krabi. It's a beached version of Pai but on a much smaller scale, probably more packed and less Rasta havan in peak periods.
Standing on the beach with little light drifting from nearby near deserted bars and the soft glow from the stars you can just about make out the immposing towering cliffs that enclose Tonsai Bay. The area is famed for rock climbing and from one lit up cliff its easy to understand why.
Why you would want to conquer such an enormous jagged slightly terrifying rock though? Just to say I've done it...to be able to gloat towards it's impressive rock face. Yup I did just say to be able to gloat to a rock, it sounds strange but that's probably the feeling those who have climbed Everest must have felt.

The next day we decided to trek through semi mountainous conditions in sweltering heat and swarms of insects to get to east reilley and anong beach. East reilley isn't much but a few short minutes till you find Anong and its crystal clear waters, refreshing temperatures, a shrine to a supposed indian princess with phallic symbols in order to boost luck for fishermen (no idea how it makes sense either) and a hidden cave right next to the beach really do make the trek all the worthwhile.

Definitely recommend trying to climb up to view point too which is a struggle at times but the sense of achievement and rewarding views you get for the climb are breath taking.

The nightlife here was pretty chilled out with not many people and so being more of an intimate atmosphere. Good cocktails from chill out bar which is like a playground with its drum kit, fire shows which you can try, a football, balancing rope (which I managed 7 steps on), cats and more all seemed to take our interest while relaxing and winding down for the day.
The barmen were pretty funny for most but sleazy at other times.

I had never thought of visiting Tonsai but I'd say its worth a visit!