The picture above should have been at the bottom of this blog. Alison on the beach at Sihanoukville and it's raining again.
Damn, we wish we'd had a few drinks before we tried to write this blog, somehow the pictures are all in the wrong order again! We're sure we're better at this after a couple!
We spent around 8 days in Sihanoukville, where it rained and rained, (see photos), then we moved on to Kampot, where we stayed for a few days and it rained a bit less, then moved on to Phnom Phen where it rained a bit less (but lots at a time - see photos). We have now moved on to Siem Reap. As you are probably aware, Cambodia has been through some very difficult times and some of its recent history is very sad, so we are not mentioning anything about that here, although we did visit the relevant local sites. Forgetting the terrible history, we are finding the people wonderful, really smiley and friendly.
This was outside the Russian market at Phnom Phen. It had just rained for three hours solid, so we took shelter in a hostel. One peculiar thing we noticed about Phnom Phen was the number of very expensive cars eg countless S class Mercedes, Lexus 4 x 4s and loads of Hummers. We only saw 3 e class Mercs and 1 c class. Wonder who can afford these? Perhaps someone made some money from selling off the government owned islands and beaches? There isn't a lot of corruption in Cambodia apparently, it's just a "commission" based economy!
Our tuk tuk driver had pulled up onto the kerb outside our hotel, so we didn't have to wade through the flood. You can just see the tide coming in. The water was about 2 feet deep and the motorbikes could deal with this no problem, but the 4 x 4s were reluctant to enter the water and most turned round. It's a bit like in England, meeting a 4 x 4 on a country lane or crossing the Westwood. You have to take to the grass in your ordinary saloon, while the 4 x 4 stays on the tarmac (apologies to those of you owning 4 x 4s - you know who you are!)
Phnom Phen has some gorgeous French Colonial buildings. Above is the restored UNESCO office.
Phnom Phen's National Museum.
Part of Phnom Phen's Grand Palace. Lovely place to visit and the King spends some time here. One of the buildings has a tiled silver floor but unfortunately it's covered over. Most of the visible tiles were loose but we couldn't fit one in the rucksack.
This is a boulevard in Kampot. Lovely town but in need of TLC.
Ref the flooding in the earlier photo's above, this is the rain that caused it. What this guy is doing with the brush is anybodys guess.
Not a great quality photo but this was the biggest Samosa we've ever seen. It was a great little cafe in Kampot that sold Indian grub. We had lunch and dinner there.
Colin and Charmaine a lovely Kiwi couple we met in Kampot. Hopefully we'll see them again in New Zealand.
Hammocks are everywhere. It's not easy to take pictures of them as they usually have somebody sleeping in them but you see them in the strangest places. This was in Utopia! It's just outside Kampot if you're looking for it!
See what we mean about Hammocks. This is in the middle of the pavement in Phnom Phen.
Alison enjoying a cocktail in Raffles in Phnom Phen. We went there to use the internet but the bobbing rastards wanted $10's an hour. It's free everywhere else. Still the cocktails were good. Check out the Elephant shaped glass.
Another thing we did in Phnom Phen, which unfortunately we don't have a photo of, was to BBQ our own food at the table. It's a bit like that witches hat thing you have when you go skiing but you have to contend with a wobbly table, boiling oil and glowing charcoal. We got through it without major injury but Alison was covered in fat and red wine. They say Cambodia and particulary Phnom Phen is a bit like the wild west, we haven't experienced this but there was a little set to outside the BBQ restaurant following a motorcycle collision. It was more "hand bags at dawn" than AK47s.
The sign says "fresh water bathing place". We didn't fancy a shower here. This is in a small coastal town called Kep. Watch out for it as it's currently being redeveloped and has massive potential, even the King has got a place here.
How did this photo get here. Al, what have you been doing. I told you only write the blog after a few beers!
Kin hell, another duplicated photo. Alison is blaming the electricity supply. Compulsary electric shock everytime you plug in. In fairness to her it is a bit distracting.
We took a little tour with a really nice Tuk Tuk driver, part of this was a visit to a cave with a 7th century temple in it. Most visitors enter and leave by the stone steps, however, as you would guess this was not for us. Our driver and guides (more of them later) decided we should crawl and climb through the cave. This was cool if a little dodgey when you're only wearing sandals without "traction control" and we had to swing, tarzan style, on tree roots from rock to rock. COOL.
Garry trying to wash the "slippery as snot" bat pooh off his "no traction control" sandals.
These two little guys - 7 and 14 years old were our guides through the caves. They made us torches from candle wax and sticks. Great chaps.
Our tuk tuk driver in front of a still in a pepper farm. The farmer makes rice wine here using heat from methane made from cow and pig pooh. He shovels the pooh into a hole in the ground and then pipes off the gas to burners under the still. Amazingly, he doesn't pay tax on his alcohol or gas production. Our kind of recycling!
This what you would call a fully loaded tuk tuk - a 100cc motorbike towing a trailer with two people and about a tonne of goods. Nothing is ever overloaded over here! You see some heroic efforts on motorbikes. We'll try and get a picture of 5 up for you.
A Cambodian fashion that is apparently absolutely normal according to David, our favourite tuk tuk driver.
This was funny - a bunch of locals on the beach in Sihanoukville. The game was to put on a pair of undies, run to the other end and back, then switch them to your team player, who would do the same. Nobody could stop laughing, including us. (see blue undies - far left).
The russians are building an internet cafe inside this aeroplane.
A fishing village, just outside Sihanoukville.
He'll grow into this.
A lovely pair of pyjamas, sported by a food seller on the beach.
You can even wear them in the rain - very versatile.
More jim jams - good with a hat.
You can even wear them on a motorbike, whilst carrying small children - kevlar lined?
Short trouser jim jams - good in the heat.
Our first morning in Cambodia at the bus station. It hadn't stopped raining for about 36 hours.
We took a ride on the back of 2 motorbikes to get from the hotel to the bus station, tricky in flood waters, mud and on slicks. The motorbike riders are really good. Can you imagine Garry and a 20 kg rucksack on the back of a bike in these conditions. Good job he had his poncho.
More rain - on the beach this time.
Jim jams in the rain - the next step will be waterproof ones!
Pretty cool riding your motorbike, wearing your pjs and carrying an umbrella. Not an unusual sight.
Time for a few beers now, off to Ankor Wat and other cultural sites in the next few days.
Ciao
Alison and Garry
Plan B is for us to escape to the mountains using our get away vehicle pictured below.
As you can see we've been practising and we know how to use this vehicle to the max.
Bye for now. Will update you when the heat is off.
Skipper Gary very generously lent us a boat again and we sailed with Scot out to Monkey Island. We had heard that the monkeys will swim out to your boat and steal food. In fact, one great story we heard (from Pascal - more about him later) was a monkey who swam out, helped himself to a sandwich, unwrapped the cellophane, ate half of it, urinated on the boat and left. Luckily, our experience was not the same. We only had time to sail close to the island but not anchor. All the same it was a great day out. Thanks to Gary for lending us the boat.
