29/03/2010 Train trip from hell!

29/03/2010 Train trip from hell!

Up at 3am for the 3.30 taxi we caught our plane and dozed all the way to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. From the airport we caught a mini-bus into Columbo Fort Train Station where we purchased tickets to Hikkaduwa. At the train station we met a guy named Kamal who claimed he was a driver and guide who owned a guesthouse north of Hikkaduwa. Despite his glowing referees, we had been warned about the touts at the station so we just took his card and said we would call him once we had settled in. We then took the train ride from hell south to the beach at Hikkaduwa – we had to stand all the way in the most filthy rattly contraption and yes we know that this is how they live every day but the knowledge doesn’t make the journey any easier.

 Grahame seriously thought that his carriage would jump the tracks (we couldn’t both fit into one carriage) and we would never see each other again! Five hours later we took the first tuk-tuk we saw and then settled on the first guest house we looked at! Actually the bathroom was very clean and it was right on the beach.

Ate dinner and drank some Sri Lankan beers in a little café on the beach

Royal Beach Resort, Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka (3250 SRP w Air and HW)

28/03/2010 First leg to Sri Lanka Worst connection ever

28/03/2010 First leg to Sri Lanka Worst connection ever




Up early to get some cheap pharmaceuticals and then back for a quick swim before checkout. Our flight to Malaysia wasn’t until 4.30pm so we sat in the lobby updating our blog until we had to leave for the airport.

We had intended to stay in the amazing sounding airport lounge with beds, wi-fi & shower overnight but on arrival in KL we were told we couldn’t enter as check-in wasn’t till the next day and it was only for transit passengers! (Air Asia only sells single sectors so we couldn’t check our luggage through). This meant finding a motel at 9pm at night and being back at the airport for a 6am flight! After a lot of searching the taxi attendant told us of a supposedly nearby hotel but our driver got lost and spoke no English so it was over an hour before we arrived at the ‘nearby’ hotel. On arrival we hadn’t eaten so we went down to the restaurant to find a snack where we met up with a couple of French guys who were doing our trip in reverse (they had just left Sri Lanka)! We swapped tips and contact details and headed back to our room for a measly four hours sleep.

Nilai Hotel, PT 9999, Jalan BBN 1/3D, Putra Point Phase 2A, Putra Nilai, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus, Malaysia. Ph: 606-799-8388 E: nilaihotel@yahoo.com

27/03/2010 Sobering Sightseeing

27/03/2010 Sobering Sightseeing

Met up with our tuk-tuk driver for a day’s sightseeing although it was a more sobering experience than our recent adventures. After a couple of hours at the National Museum (where most of the Angkor sculpture resides) and a look at the simulation of life in the time of Angkor we headed off to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. Choeung Ek which contains 9000 skulls is a monument to the 17,000 men, women and children who were slaughtered here by the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1978.

 It is an incredibly sad place but even more so when you learn that this is one of hundreds of similar such killing fields where two million Cambodians lost their lives to the Khmer Rouge for no reason other than they wore glasses or spoke foreign languages. In the end the Khmer Rouge didn’t even use these paltry excuses and were basically murdering anyone who might expose their atrocities including many of the people who had carried out the executions.

We stopped for a quick lunch on the edges of the Russian Market (Psar Tuol Tom Png) which would have been great to explore if we had more time. Then we went back into town to visit the Tuol Sleng Museum – a gruesome account of the detention and torture of thousands of Cambodians. Tuol Sleng – known as Security Prison 21 (S-21) during the reign of the Khmer Rouge was formerly a school whose detainees were mostly sent to Choeung Ek for execution after their detention. There are also mass graves within the school (museum) grounds as the prison itself claimed over 100 victims per day.



That evening we went for an amazing meal at a local restaurant – five star experience without the price tag – the food was excellent, the service superb and it only cost around $30AUD.

Goldiana Hotel, 10 St 282 Phnom Penh ($42 w pool, wifi, air & crap b’fast)

Ph: 023219558

26/03/2010 Another bus…

26/03/2010 Another bus…

We were up early to catch our bus back to Phnom Penh (but not without our filling breakfast!). Seven hours later (there was a bad accident on the way) we landed in Phnom Penh and caught up with our tuk-tuk driver who took us to the hotel we had booked, to the Post Office and then back to the Indian Embassy to collect our visas. Back at the hotel we had a relaxing swim and decided to indulge in room service as it was so late (bad idea – food was crap but we were tired from the trip).

Goldiana Hotel, 10 St 282 Phnom Penh ($42 w pool, wifi, air & crap b’fast)

Ph: 023219558

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

25/03/2010 Touring the coast on our bike

25/03/2010 Touring the coast on our bike

Hired a motorbike and travelled into town to change our bus ticket to a later time and find a medical centre but we had come back later in the day. Couldn’t send our mail either as the Post Office was closed so we came back to our resort to drop off our packages and then rode north via Sokha, Independence and Hawaii Beaches.

Sokha was basically owned by one major resort and access was meant for resort guests only – the beach looked lovely except at the public end which resembled a tip!

Independence beach was on government owned land and there were a lot of people camped out on this land. It would have made a great development or housing area as the beach was great but it looked like it had been forgotten and there was a lot of garbage around.

Hawaii beach looked like it got a lot of packaged tourist customers as there were dozens of ‘restaurants’ set up along the beach with rows of tables and chairs – but no customers – we were virtually the only tourists on the beach This beach was opposite an island and a giant bridge was being constructed to this island by the Koreans – it resembled a bridge worthy of a major city – not a deserted island!



Then rode further north to check out the coast past the Sihanoukville Port and the Phum Thmei Area where the locals live in and around the deserted train station. It was the town past here where you really get to see where and how the Cambodians really live (see video footage). We also went further to see some great deserted beaches (they needed a bit of cleaning up) but one day they will be packed with resorts.



Went down to the beach for a drink and to let off the fireworks that Grahame had bought – he was very excited that you could buy them from a local mini-mart – along with Jim Beam for $US8.50!

Back at our hotel we met up with Mary and Pat Grant – some Canadians who had been living in Australia with their children Robyn and Willem for the past year. Mary had been doing a teacher exchange in Coffs Harbour and Pat was being the house husband and surfing! Spent a few hours chatting and drinking with them before retiring for our last night in Sihanoukville.

24/03/2010 Casino Winnings

24/03/2010 Casino Winnings

Got up early this morning and headed down to the beach for a run. As it was early there weren’t many tourists up and about – just the locals cleaning up from the night before.

Spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool and utilizing the wi-fi to book flights to Sri Lanka via Malaysia and then on to Chennai, India. Met some fellow travelers doing a similar long trip – a couple from America who were travelling with their daughter for a ‘gap year’, a couple who had been on the road for three years and a British guy who was on a short break by himself.

Went to the local ‘casino’ that night on Nicholas’s advice (free drinks and food apparently) but we weren’t offered any of that so after Grahame doubled our money on the roulette wheel we decided to head back into town for a feed.

This time we found a good spot (recommended by our American friends) where we had a great seafood BBQ for under $10.



Beach Club Resort, 23 Tola St, Sihanoukville ($39USD incl. breakfast & Wi-Fi)

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

23/03/2010 Indian Visas & the Silver Pagoda

23/03/2010 Indian Visas & the Silver Pagoda



Up early to apply for our Indian Visas which took a while as the office wasn’t open when we arrived and we had to kill time having a coffee. Anyway the queue was short – there was just us and one other girl applying. Then we took a tour of the presidential palace – including the famous silver pagoda (most of the 5000 silver tiles are covered to protect them) and walked along the riverbank – before heading back to catch the bus to Sihanoukville ($6 US including motel pickup). Bus stops on the way for a toilet break and drink stop. These stops are nothing like a Highway stop in Australia.

The toilets are pretty dodgy but I tried some local dumpling thing that had meat inside for 50cents and 2 cans of drink were only a $1.00 US. On arrival our original choice of hotel was booked out so we wandered back up Tola St and discovered the Beach Club Resort run by a Danish woman that had a fantastic pool. Not having any double rooms available she did us a deal on a family room that would have slept six of us! It was very clean and included a great buffet breakfast.

 Although over our usual budget it was a great place to chill out for a few days. Of course we got straight into the pool after our long trip and then ended the day with a very average pizza and a couple of beers at one of the restaurants in the strip next door.



Beach Club Resort, 23 Tola St, Sihanoukville ($39USD incl. breakfast & Wi-Fi)

 
 
 
 
 
 

22/03/2010 Off to the Capital

22/03/2010 Off to the Capital

Up early for the bus to Phnom Penh to discover that Wait was downstairs waiting to say goodbye to us. Grahame ran into him while he was downstairs and found to our dismay that he had not taken any jobs the previous day in the hope that we would call him for a bit more sightseeing. We felt bad but when he asked if we would want to go anywhere we said ‘maybe’ and although we ended up too tired we had inadvertently got his hopes up! If only he had rung us we may have gone on a little tour out to the lake or to his home village that he wanted us to visit! Anyway we missed out and had a final coffee with him instead.

Took the bus to Phnom Penh ($6 US including pickup from your motel) and then a tuk-tuk from the bus station to a really dodgy hotel recommended by the driver! When we walked to dinner it was through probably the most dangerous part of the city and we vowed to find a better hotel on our return.

 
 
 
 
 

 

21/03/2010 R&R

21/03/2010 R&R

Today was a rest day after three jam-packed days we just hung around the pool and upated the blog, booked flights and did business stuff while we had access to wi-fi. Later in the evening we wandered uptown and ordered Grahame’s new glasses – prescription sunnies for $40 USD! Tracey also ordered a second pair as they were so cheap – only $30 for a pair of rip-off Gucci glasses with prescription lenses. Ater another swim we went off for dinner, collected the specs and wandered through the night markets before heading home.

Tanei Guesthouse, #017, Steung Thmey Village, Svaydangkum Commune, Siem Reap Province, Kingdom of Cambodia Ph: 855-92-865-150/ 855-12-757-867/ 855-63-966-545

(USD15 Aircon, Hot Water, Wi-Fi, Pool and Very clean – excellent place to stay just a couple of streets back off the main road!)

 
 
 

20/03/2010 Earlier Ruins

20/03/2010 Earlier Ruins

Today we headed south to check out the Roulos Group of temples built in the 9th Century. While not as intricate as the temples around Angkor Wat, these ruins give an insight into the early days of Khmer architecture and mark the beginning of classical art. While also built of stone the use of sandstone was just being introduced and is mixed with brick at these temples. From Roulos we headed back to Angkor to take on the ‘Big Circuit’ which included Preah Khan – in the shape of a cross we found it spooky as we kept seeing images of ourselves heading towards us from the opposite side of the crucifix shaped building! There were hundreds of doors along the passageways that produced weird optical illusions and a library near the front that looks like the Parthenon (apparently it may once have been a Buddhist University).

After lunch with Wait our driver where we learnt a little about him and his family, we visited Preah Neak Pean which was not so much a temple as a massive series of ponds – a large one in the centre with four surrounding ponds fed by internal fountains – all set in a massive reservoir. Ta Som – one of our last stops was a tiny version of Ta Prohm where the trees have nearly taken over the temple and will continue to do so as the trust that manages the temples has decided that this is one temple that will be left to the forces of nature so that future generations can see the difference between natural forces and restoration works at nearby sites.

 While there are dozens of other sites we had had our fill and headed back to town in the late afternoon for a swim and dinner in town.



Tanei Guesthouse, #017, Steung Thmey Village, Svaydangkum Commune, Siem Reap Province, Kingdom of Cambodia Ph: 855-92-865-150/ 855-12-757-867/ 855-63-966-545

(USD15 Aircon, Hot Water, Wi-Fi, Pool and Very clean – excellent place to stay just a couple of streets back off the main road!)

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

19/03/2010 Angkor WAT AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!

19/03/2010 Angkor WAT AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!

On our second day of sightseeing around the Temples of Angkor Wait arranged for a guide Son Chanthoeun (Ph: 855- 12564029 or 099-366-977) to join us. We left early in the morning for sunrise at Angkor Wat on our own which was pretty special. Angkor Wat is said to represent the universe in miniature and was built at a time when the Khmer Empire stretched from Burma to present day Vietnam. We actually caught the sunrise twice as we moved from one side of the temple to the other. Called Michael as it was his birthday and made him jealous. Then we went back across the causeway for breakfast and met up with Son – our guide (Wait had gone back to town to pick him up while we watched the sunrise). After breakfast we returned to the awesome Angkor Wat for a historical and archeological tour of one of the world’s most amazing places. We spent several hours here learning about the stories written on the walls (depicting life, love and battles fought during Suryavaram’s reign in the 12th Century), admiring the aspara (dancing nymphs) and trying along with thousands of others to capture the perfect photo.

From Angkor we set out on the little circuit of the surrounding temples (leaving the ‘grand tour’ for tomorrow). This included Prasat Kravan – a brick temple dedicated to Vishnu where a local resort were setting up for a moonlit dinner; Ta Keo – a massive pyramid with a steep climb to the top; Ta Prohm (968) - where the trees and their roots have nearly overtaken the temple (built inn the 12th century this temple was the setting for Tomb Raider and Two Brothers); Banteay Kdei with it’s massive tree trunks; and the ancient city of Angkor Thom (12th Century). Angkor Thom is actually a series of temples surrounded by a 12km wall and the complex is entered through one of five amazing gates (East, North, West, South and Victory gate). The temples inside include the Bayon – with 216 massive faces carved out of stone, each with a different expression! The Bayon also has some impressive bas-reliefs depicting life in 12th Century Cambodia. Baphuon (also part of Angkor Thom) is being reconstructed and consists of millions of labeled bricks that still need to find a place in the temple! Along the wall we also found the terraces of the elephants (previously the entrance to the King’s massive grand audience halls) and the terrace of the leper king which hides the evil-looking figures in a trench at the back.

Today we also had lunch at a small and much cheaper local restaurant where we had our first Fish Amok – mmm what an amazing dish!

What a day! That evening we were exhausted and too tired to do much except fall into the swimming pool and order some more spring rolls!

Tanei Guesthouse, #017, Steung Thmey Village, Svaydangkum Commune, Siem Reap Province, Kingdom of Cambodia Ph: 855-92-865-150/ 855-12-757-867/ 855-63-966-545

(USD15 Aircon, Hot Water, Wi-Fi, Pool and Very clean – excellent place to stay just a couple of streets back off the main road!)

18/03/2010 The River Carvings

18/03/2010 The River Carvings

On our first day in Siem Reap with Wait our lovely tuk-tuk driver we decided to go to the temples furthest from town – especially as we hadn’t arranged a guide for today. After a 55km drive North we arrived at Kbal Spean – the River of a Thousand Lingas - which entailed a steep half hour trek up very rocky terrain (after battling the young hawkers of course). Hard yakka and luckily it was only 11am as you wouldn’t want to attempt this after lunch when it really warmed up! However the intricate riverbed carvings on the River of a Thousand Lingas were well worth the trek. Especially after one of the local park cleaners offered to show us more carvings that were out of the way and mostly overlooked by the average tourist (there was no signage and the guards at the top had no inclination to point you in the direction of the less obvious carvings). Besides the lingas that had been carved in the riverbed during the dry seasons over a thousand years ago there were crocodiles and monkeys, carvings of Shiva and Brahma, and loads of dancing

nymphs. Some were underwater still but there were plenty visible carvings.




After this trek our driver took us to a tourist café for lunch – a bit expensive in Cambodian terms but quite good food. Next stop was Banteay Srei – known which translates as ‘Citadel of the Women’ locally as the lady temple – about 15km back along the road. While the temple was largely a ruin, the elaborate carvings here are so fine and intricate it is believed they had to have been carved by female artists. This evening we tried to catch up with the girls from Vang Vieng but they weren’t at their guesthouse and we could only leave a note and hope to catch up with them in town. Wandered off to the touristy centre (near the markets) to have a great meal. There are dozens of restaurants here catering to all tastes and budgets but most of them very cheap with local tap beer at 2 for 1 prices.



Tanei Guesthouse, #017, Steung Thmey Village, Svaydangkum Commune, Siem Reap Province, Kingdom of Cambodia Ph: 855-92-865-150/ 855-12-757-867/ 855-63-966-545

(USD15 Aircon, Hot Water, Wi-Fi, Pool and Very clean – excellent place to stay just a couple of streets back off the main road!)