Kep, Cheeky children And Amazing Meal

hello All, yet again i have got behind with my blog by a week or so. Now in Vietnam and have been for a week, it hasn't been the best country I am afraid to say but will write more about it in a later blog. I left you having 2 days in Phnom Pehn and heading south to Kep on the south coast.

Tuesday 6th December

Sunset at Kep

The minibus arrived on time to pick us up at 9:30am, we had a short drive to the bus terminal where we would board a local coach down to Kep. The journey was only 3hrs and for a change uneventful with enough room for us all to have our own seat. we arrived in Kep just after midday, met as always by hoards of tuc tuc drivers wanting our money. By now you would think you would be used to it, however they literally stand at the bus door almost picking you up and throwing you over their shoulder just to get you into their tuc tuc. I have learnt now that its easier just to step off and pick one yourself, I always go for the quiet one, the one not shouting or trying to pull at your limbs. We found a guy who was pretty cool, he said 'no hurry' and just to chill for 5mins, never expected that. We hadn't booked anywhere, so the guy said he would take us to a couple to see if we liked them for only a dollar each. It turned out we took the first one we looked at. 'Kukuluku'was the guesthouse name, we were greeted with open arms, just as it has been in the rest of Cambodia, very friendly and helpful people. The guesthouse was lovely, with a big rear garden with swimming pool, hammocks and to top off a small beach leading to the sea. The beach and sea where not much to look at and i wouldn't be swimming in the sea but still a great setting. We opted for the Dorm and what a dorm is was, 8 double beds in huge airy room with lots of windows and light, and a balcony running round the outside which overlooked the rear garden, sea and beach. For $5 each, it really was the best dorm i had ever stayed in and for an unbeatable price. By now the time was nearing 2pm. We knew there wasn't much to Kep other than chilling out and beach. We had seen the main beach on the way in and I am afraid that wasn't much cop either, nether less it was quiet and chilled, so for the rest of the day we did just that and read, updated blogs and generally just lazed around. We ate at the hotel that night, Kep having no 'town center' to speak of, and no restaurants (apart from the crab market which I'll come to later). Kep is also perfect for Sunsets and we were treated to another great Sunset in Asia, I still don't get bored of them and still take lots of pictures.That night we sat round had a couple of beers and chatted to some of the other guests, including the owner who was French, he was a funny character and bordering on a bit of a pervert. Myself and Thelma stayed up the latest and chatted and drank a few more beers before heading to our lovely dorm at around midnight.

Wednesday 7th December

We all arose earlish after a pretty good nights sleep. As there wasn't alot in Kep itself we decided to hire some scooters and ride to 'Kampout' which is 30KM North west of Kep. we set off around 10.30ish, opting to all get a scooter each rather than sharing. It was a nice day and the sun was blazing. The ride there was very scenic, with rice field, after rice field and bamboo and wooden huts on stilts with locals either harvesting the rice fields or just chilling in the shade from the hot sun. The road was fairly busy, with cars, trucks and buses and of course motorbikes, with many carrying loads that would have filled a flat bed truck never mind sitting on the back of a motorbike, one of the highlights of the ride to Kampout was seeing an old Cambodian fella on a motorbike with 4 fully grown dead pigs strapped to the sides, only in Asia!!! We arrived in Kampout just after midday, we drove around a little while and soon realised there wasn't much to do, so we found a place to grab dinner and checked out the local map of the area. We found a couple of things we could see on the way back to Kep, including a 'secret lake' and some caves. After some local cuisine we headed back towards Kep. We veered off the main road after about 5KM and headed for the cave.

The track was very dusty, bumpy and potholed and took is to some local villages, kids playing in rivers and riding bikes and locals going about there daily chores, this was the real Cambodia. After riding for what seem like ages, we stopped at where we thought the cave was, we were approached by a young Cambodian boy who asked if we were looking for the caves, he offered to take us to it, we were sceptical but said OK, we followed him as he cycled down another potholed ridden, dusty road, which was so bad that he kept in front of us even though we had scooters. We stopped at a point were he advised we would have to walk the rest of the way, here we were met by what we presumed were his friends. Of course they all wanted to be our guides or look after our bikes, they all spoke great English and were all friendly and welcoming. After some debate between myself, Raami and Thelma we decided that we would give $1 each to 3 of them for looking after our bikes, they really didn't need looking after, we had the keys but they were just trying to make a bit of cash and $1 isn't that much to us. The other 4 then proceeded to lead us to the cave, which was in the side of a biggish hill.

They led us through rice fields all the while chatting away in amazing English, it was hard not to adore them, ages ranging from 10-14 years old. After some steep steps and sweating like a pig in the still roasting hot sun we reached the cave. Our newly acquired friends were very knowledgeable on the cave and gave some history, however it was far from the biggest cave, or even that interesting. We headed back down, though i decided to go down through the cave, Thelma and Raami decided against it, they chose wisely, it was pitch black, smelly from bat shit and piss and so tight. I made it through of course, with the help of my new Cambodian friends, who also made it more entertaining by playing a couple of practical jokes. Once out the other side we headed back to the bikes. As we had left, our 3 scooter watchers were pretty much in the same position had we left them. We paid each of them a dollar each, so we thought, we seemed to have missed one who seemed like he was going to burst into tears. we had no dollars left but had given the eldest a little extra to share out so we told him to give it to the one we missed. We set off back to Kep, by now all dying of dehydration we stopped about 5min later.

Our Cheeky Cambodian Friends

As we bought water the boy who we missed turned up on his bike, he was crying and looking at me and Raami like we were the most horrible people in the world, he really seemed to putting on a show. It turned out the eldest hadn't shared the extra with him, now with change Thelma gave him a dollar, shortly after the eldest arrived and then shared the extra. Crafty little shit, he knew what he was doing, and yeah it might be only a dollar but he now had more than rest and even now in my mind i am sure we originally gave him a dollar also, his whimpering and cries soon turned to smiles, he really was a crafty little shit!! As we set off again, Raami noticed hos wing mirror smashed and scratches all down the side, the bike some how had fallen over after we left it, Raami quite rightly severely pissed off! Great job they did in looking after the bike!! He would later have to pay $15. It was another 1hr or so before we got back and it was early evening just before sunset so we just chilled in the garden and read, used the Internet and chatted to other travellers, Justin and Sasha both travelling separately joined us. At around 8ish we ordered a tuc tuc and went to one of the things Kep is famed for, the 'Crab Market'. Not a market at night but restaurants selling, so we had been told 1KG $6 dollar crabs. There were around 10 restaurants all lined up, of course the tuc tuc driver took us to the 'best' one, clearly on commission or family member. We decided against it and went next door, as it seemed cleaner, busier and better atmosphere. What a dinner we had, by far in the top 3 meals i have had on my travels. We ordered a large Crab, a large fish, side plate of vegetables, side plate of noodles and rice, all to share. The crab was amazing and the accompanying sauce was just as a amazing and set off the crab nicely, the fish was also good and meaty but after the crab it was only mediocre. We hardly spoke a word through dinner, the 3 of us enjoying the best meal we had, had for a while. What was more amazing was the price, the food along with 2 bottles of good wine came to £30, OK yeah. I think we are in the realms of flash packer again here but even so, for all that food, 2 bottles of wine and great, quick service, there isn't many places in the world that would come near it for value. We headed back to the Guesthouse, as yet we hadn't booked our tickets to Vietnam for the following day, we did this at a cost £18 and was told it would be a 7hr journey to Saigon, this later would be a frustrating and HUGE lie!! We drank a few cocktails with Justin who hadn't come to dinner and then hit the sack, ready for a 9am pick up.

So that brings an end to my time in Cambodia, it was a rushed affair as would be Vietnam, but having now booked Phi Phi for Xmas and had to be in Thailand for the 22nd we were on a tight schedule. I wish i had more time to see Cambodia, Siem Reap was good even if Angkor Wat wasn't what i expected and the Killing fields in Phnom Penh were an eye opener and interesting, if not very harrowing and sad, i am glad i got learn about the genocide and the history of it, for how many people were killed and only 30 years ago, the country has really picked itself up and the courage of the Cambodians is plain to see. The people are so friendly and helpful even if some times there is an end goal for them. We chose Kep over sihanoukville as we thought it had nice beaches and we wanted to chill, the beaches we saw were not nice, though on the front pages of the lonely planet it lists Kep as one the must see places is SEA, and pictures a beautiful beach, as i have come to refer to the lonely planet, the 'Lonley Liar'. Kep was still nice, and it was chilled but since we have heard from other travellers that Sihanoukville was great with awesome beaches! Oh well, you make your choices.

So next on to Vietnam, must say its probably the place i am least excited to see, i have heard stories of people being very unfriendly and being quite aggressive and rude. As i have been in Vietnam now a week, I must say that doesn't seem to be the case, though they do seem to get aggressive quickly. I will write more about Vietnam in a separate blog. Thanks for reading and for those of you in Europe, i hope its not too cold for you, I hear snow in my home town of Bristol today!! Sorry but not envious of that! Take care my friends.

Phnom Pehn And the Khmer Rouge

I ended my last post in my last night in Siem Reap after a another night out. I am now in Kep in the South of Cambodia writing this from my guest house garden with the sea and beach less than 2m away.

Sunday 4th December

Myself, Raami and Thelma were getting picked up at 9:30 from their hotel. After leaving early the night before i wasn't feeling too bad despite more buckets being consumed. I grabbed a tuc tuc to their hotel, by 9am they still hadn't surfaced. Turns out they didn't get back until 5am and i had give them a knock to drag them out of bed, Raami really looking a little worse for wear. We were picked up at 9:30 in a minivan and transferred to Siem Reap bus station, if that's what you could call it. We boarded the bus around 10am and set off on the 6hr journey to Phnom Pehn. The bus was local with hardly any leg room, it was hot and humid on the bus and all seats taken. This journey for me was one of the worst. Apart from the lack of leg room, the bus driver was having some sort of relationship with the horn, I swear he had the horn pushed down for the whole journey, I know in south east Asia that they use they horn to warn people that there passing if that person was in the middle of the road, however I was watching down the middle isle and for the majority of the time other road users were not in the middle of the road! It drove me insane, every time i dropped off he would be beeping again! I was almost at the point of going to ask him to shut the F**k up. The night before while eating dinner, a young Cambodian guy had been selling books about the Killing Fields, called 'Children of the Killing Fields' being without a book since finishing the 'backpacker' I decided to buy one at the cost of $4 and thought it would give me a bit of background on what happened before visiting Phnom Pehn and the killing fields. So not able to sleep due to 'Mr I love my horn' I decided to read my book. The book as it suggested told the stories of Cambodians who were children at the time of the 'Khmer Rouge' regime. I'm not going to go into the in's and out's of the regime in here but basically  for those of you that don't know under the Khmer Rouge government regime, mass genocide was committed to more than 1/3 of the Cambodian population. The stories i read in the book are some of the most horrific and saddening stories i have ever read, the fact that also that this Genocide happened only happened as late as 1975-79, 30 years ago made it even worse. I will admit I shed more than a couple of tears reading the book, I couldn't carry on reading and decided to put the book down for a while. Raami asked if he could read a few chapters, with 30mins he was feeling the same, Thelma then had her turn with the same reaction. After a couple of stops and 6 hours later we arrived in Phnom Penh. What a contrast in city compared to Siem Reap, of course being the capital it was much bigger with people but it instantly reminded me of India. The traffic was mayhem, full of motorbikes, tuc tuc's, both motorised an non, bicycles and cars. I hadn't seen traffic this busy since Bangkok and that was almost a month ago. What i found surprising for what is classed as a poor country is the amount of nice cars, Lexus and BMW's galore, even a few Ferrari's floated about. That nostril burning smell of India that I remember was also present in parts, as we drove through to the bus station, though not nearly as bad as India. We exited the bus and as usual when arriving a new destination we were bombarded by tuc tuc drivers. We3 grabbed our bags and picked our lucky tuc tuc driver. We hadn't booked any accommodation but had wrote a couple down and asked him to take us to one of them. A American girl called Arella who we had got chatting asked if she could tag along. So the 4 of us made away across the grid system city centre looking for the Velokomen guesthouse, the tuc tuc drive spoke good English and knew the place. On arrival the guesthouse was full, so the tuc tuc drive said he knew of a nice place not far away for cheap price and roof top bar and restaurant, usually being sceptical about these things we had some good recommendations for accommodation by drivers in Cambodian previously so agreed to see it. The driver had done well and after Thelma checked out the rooms, we were soon dumping our bags and checking into the '11 Happy' guesthouse. I shared a twin with Raami and Thelma with our new American friend, the price originally $15 per night, per room, we got for $13. The hotel was nice, with 3 floors of rooms, (no lift, and we were on the 3rd floor) and a very beautiful and chilled roof top bar, with pool table, plenty of comfy seating and views of the city and free wifi to boot. That evening we ate in the roof top restaurant and relaxed and then got an early night. We arranged with our Tuc Tuc man to meet us at the hotel at 8:30am and for $20 he would take the 4 of us to the Killing Fields, S21 prison and the national museum.


Monday 5th November

I rose early and felt quite refreshed after a good nights sleep. As yet i hadn't sorted my Vietnam visa and for Vietnam you are unable to get the Visa at the border. The hotel however provide a service where they would it for you, Thelma also hadn't got hers so we spoke to the most helpful women at reception who thought must run the place, as she dealt with everything and anything, the rest of the staff though wanting to be helpful spoke hardly any English and didn't really have a clue, it turns out she didn't run the place, in our eyes she bloody should have and really she did, her patience and calmness was outstanding. The visa would be $50 for a month and would be ready by the end of the day, I actually only needed a 15 day visa, but this she advised took 2 days, which was weird and we were leaving the following day for Kep. So after finally sorting our visa's and our tuc tuc diver waiting a good hour for us we set off for the Killing Fields, it would be a 30min journey of around 18KM. I was unsure on what to expect, I think if I hadn't read the book on the bus the day before, i think i would have gone in like most tourists with no expectations. I now had some background from real Cambodians and it put me in a sombre mood. The entrance fee was $5, which included an audio tour. Apart from a monument, which was a building in the middle of the fields, there were no other buildings, just a lake and fields. It actually looked a very peaceful and beautiful place, you would never know that there were 129 mass graves discovered were 20,000 people were slaughtered. The audio guide was amazing and unless you actually get a guide, its a must for the killing fields tour, there are very little signs or boards explaining things and without the audio guide you cant appreciate or understand what really went on here, i saw people walking round with no audio guide or actual guide, these people really would not have appreciated what really happened here. This killing field is only 1 of hundreds around Cambodia, as I mentioned early nearly 1/3 of people either died through bad conditions, murdered or committed suicide. For me the Killing fields represented pure and utter evil, and some of inhumane ways that some of the men, women, children and babies were killed will stick in my memory forever. There were 129 separate mass graves, one of the containing over 100 women, babies and children, more than half have been excavated but the remaining have been left to rest. The monument building which was erected in memory of the people that died hosted glass shelves. Each tier contained human remains containing different bones and skulls, it seems very morbid and quite shocking to see but its a symbol to show others of the  The tour lasted around 2 hours and by the time we finished it was midday and hot. We found our tuc tuc driver and we headed for the 'S21 Prison'. It took around 20mins to get to the prison. The S21 prison is actually now the 'Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum' and before the Khmer Rouge regime was a former school. Just like the killing fields, it seems like a peaceful place with coconut trees and flowers in the surrounding gardens. However, the surrounding buildings were far from peaceful and nice. With 3-4 huge blocks of 3 storey's, the housed torture rooms and prison cells. The cells some still standing were purposely built by the Khmer Rouge, huge rooms made into row after row of 5ft by 3ft cells. Alot them still standing showed how poorly and the prisoners had to live. Again i wont go into details, there is too much write, but the stories again were harrowing, brutal and evil. S21 was used to house over 20,000 prisoners during the Khmer Rouge regime, all bar 7 people were at some point between 1975-79 were transferred to the killing field and massacred. The museum pays tribute to a lot of the dead by showing pictures or should i say mugshots of them, the photo's also showed the disgusting conditions as well as dead bodies and torture. It was sickening and at times hard to believe how another human beings can treat another in this way. we spent around 2hours walking round before leaving. Everyone now hungry we asked the driver to take us to a good cheap place to eat. Again our little tuc tuc man didn't let us down and for less than a dollar we had some good local Cambodian food. After lunch we visited the National Museum. There isn't much to say about the museum, it was like most national museums, full of artifacts and Cambodian history. After an hour we headed back to hotel and for the rest of the afternoon chilled in the roof top garden. That evening with decided on a few drinks. They sold 3L towers of the local 'Angkor' beer, at $12 a tower my attempt at having a few days off the beer soon disappeared!! The 4 of us were soon joined by a Canadian called Sarah who had been sat alone, she chipped on the towers and we sat around chatting and listening music. After 3 towers and feeling a little tipsy we all hit the sack. We were leaving at 9.30am the following day for Kep having booked our bus tickets earlier through the hotel for a mere $5 each.

So Phnom Pehn had really been a quick stop over, the city was busy and congested. We had only really come to see the story of the Khmer Rouge Regime and the horrific story of Genocide of over 3million people. I think that alone is one reason not to stay too long as well as really not much else to do in Phnom Pehn. It had been interesting if not harrowing. Kep would be a complete contrast, a sleepy little town on the coast to relax and chill out. i recommend that if you are coming to Phnom Pehn that you read up about the Khmer Rouge regime first, even if horrific and harrowing sometimes its something that the world should be aware of.

Siem Reap

Hello all, as i wrote in my last blog I am almost now up to date, so hopefully no more lengthy blogs.

Wednesday 30th November

After my last night on Don Det and getting hammered on buckets with Sarah and Jack i was felling a little worse for wear to say the least. The boat was leaving at 8am from Don Det to the mainland were we would pick up a VIP bus into Cambodia and Siem Reap. By the time i had packed, showered and paid up the bill i had no time for breakfast. We boarded the long boat for the 20min ride to the mainland. Thelma, Aimee, Raami, myself and around another 50-60 travellers were guided to the what must have been the bus station waiting area. Here a local handed out immigration forms for Cambodia which we had to fill in and give back to him along with our passport and $31. $1 for him to sort out everything for us at the border. Seemed like nothing really and would hopefully save time but with 70 people all crossing at the same time it was going to be a chew no matter what. Raami and Thelma handed over their ticket for the bus and boarded a double decker luxury sleeper bus. By the time myself and Aimee had sorted our stuff and handed over our tickets we were told no more room and was pointed to a an old coach. There was much confusion, added to by that some people were going to Phnom Penh and the rest to Siem Reap.No one really knew what was going on, it was chaos. Why they didn't put everyone who was going to Siem Reap on one and the rest on the other is a mystery. Soon Raami and Thelma's bus was leaving with myself Aimee plus some guys we had met the night before Pat and Joel from Canada and an English couple Ed and (name) wondering what was going on. We soon boarded and away we went. The border was less than an our away. We all had to got off, collect our big bags and walk across the border into Cambodia. The other guys were already there waiting to be sorted out, funny thing was there bus actually took them through, again all very confusing. after an hour so passports all stamped were being handed back and Thelma and Raami's bus was again away. We had another 45min wait before we re boarded what seemed to be the same bus. The other bus had at least 20 spaces free, however our bus was over crowded with 10 people sitting in the aisles on plastic chairs. The worst thing was this journey was supposed to be 13hrs. pnom phen people were spread across both buses meaning that both buses were making detours. After a number of stops and 6hours on the bus we arrived outside phnom Penh where the Siem Reap guys would be switching to another bus. We had stopped at a cafe, I have never see so many insects and mozzies, everyone was itching from head to toe. We grabbed some food which turned out to be OK.

On the road to Siem Reap

The Pnom Phen guys were soon departing on the original bus, we had to wait another 30mins. We had been told we would get to Siem Reap at 9.30, it was now 8pm and still had 4hours to Siem Reap. finally we boarded a VIP bus but in all honesty we had less room than the coach. I manage to get some shut eye but it was far from a deep sleep. we finally arrived in Siem Reap at midnight. We hadn't got any accommodation and being so late we didn't fancy walking round, the guy on the bus had shown us a place for $10 a night for a twin room, with TV, hot shower and pool, we snapped it up! we grabbed a tuc tuc and for only $1 each arrived at the hotel 15mins later. We were cautious about being scammed but to be fair the photo he had showed stood up and we checked in. we had no idea where Raami and Thelma were and we had talked about going straight out when we arrived, however being late and tired we decided against and would surely catch up with them tomorrow. We had also planned to get up for sunrise over Angkor Wat but that again was out the question, so just hit the sack.

Thursday 1st December

Despite the late night and not sleeping well I awoke at 8am. Obviously the reason to come to Siem Reap is to see the infamous Angkor Wat. We had arranged with our Tuc tuc driver to go to Angkor for sunset, we could then get a ticket for the following day to see it at Sunrise. I decided that today would be a chill out day, with having a pool at the hotel, I didn't have to go far. The pool not huge but very clean and with a number of sun loungers on hand. We had been told that if we bought our tickets for Angkor Wat after 5pm we would be able to see the sunset for free. Our Tuc Tuc driver who had driven us from the Bus station to the hotel the night before had said that he would be our 'man' for the time we were in Siem Reap, so we had arranged with him the night before to pick us up at 4.30pm to take us to buy our tickets. Most the day I just chilled by the pool and caught some rays. At around 2pm at caught a tuc tuc into the centre of Siem Reap, our hotel was a little out of town maybe 2kM's and a tuc tuc into town was only $1. Siem Reap had a good feel about it, like many places in Laos, it had a french feel to it, with some rustic and arty buildings and lots of french sounding shops and restaurants. The main centre is full of restaurants, modern and a little more market with some local cuisines dotted around. Right in the centre is a huge indoor market, this is where we headed. As you can imagine and just as the rest of the SEA the stalls sold alot of the same stuff, however i must admit i would say that the stuff sold was on par with the MBK mall in Bangkok.We walked around for a while, buying bits and bobs. I hadn't eaten so after we visited a local restaurant where i ordered a local dish called 'Amok' curry, i had it with fish. Despite it not being spicy, it was good if not a little bland due to no spices, i come to realise later that spicy isn't really the Cambodian way. Thelma had decided to jump into mine and Aimee's tuc tuc with our driver, while Raami did is own thing. We headed back to my hotel and joined up with Aimee before heading out towards the Angkor Wat temples to buy our ticket and 4would be heading to the sunset point at one of the temples to watch sunset. from the centre of Siem Reap its around a 20min tuc tuc ride. We bought our tickets with a choice of 1 or 3 day pass. I stupidly opted for the 3 day pass at $40. After buying the ticket our driver drove us to the view point. We had a 10min walk which took us up towards one of the temples, not Angkor Wat itself as it was on the wrong side. There were a good few hundred people and we had to get in line to climb to u some very steep steps. After a shortish wait and just before the sun went down we were let in and scaled the steps almost spider man like. At the top it was overcrowded and unless you had been in the first 50 people up you had no chance of a good spot. The whole things was a little disappointing but I guess it was something you had to do. We all headed back. Our driver was waiting and he dropped Thelma off at her guesthouse before dropping myself and Aimee at ours. We had a agreed to meet for dinner on 'Pub Street' which is popular with tourists and as the name suggests full of bars as well as restaurants. The restaurants on Pub street are a little more up market so we decided to flashpacking it for the night and treat ourselves to a 'cambodian BBQ'. Myself and Raami shared one as did Thelma and Aimee. You had a choice of 5 meats and fish, they were exotic to say the least, you had the choice of Beef, Chicken, squid, snake, crocodile and Kangaroo. We decided between the 4 of us that we would get at everything from the 6. Along with the meat, you also got unlimited rice, noodles and vegetables along with a number of sauces. Its a do-it-yourself BBQ, they bring out a hot dome shaped “barbecue” and it’s a proper barbecue heated by charcoal. The meat is brought out raw and you cook it yourself. At the bottom of the grill is soup. They refill the soup every so often and in you add the noodles and veg to cook. It was a great meal, having never tried snake before, it was alright if not a little tough, I think the key with snake is not to over cook it other wise its like chewing rubber, we also for the first time that I'd been travelling treated ourselves to a bottle wine, at $11 a bottle it was pretty good and from France. After dinner Aimee and Raami decided they were going to head back. Raami having come out in a rash all over is body a few days before was constantly wanting to scratch and feeling uncomfortable, Aimee had a few things to sort out as she was leaving to meet her Boyfriend in Bangkok in a few days. Myself and Thelma decided to stay out, we joined some Canadian guys we met on  the bus on the way to Siem Reap, Joel and Tim. They left not long after so myself and Thelma went to the most famous bar in Siem Reap for backpackers 'Angkor what?' as you can see the play on words, taking the piss a little out of the name sake Temple. If you have you read previous blogs over the last few months, you will probably know what happened the rest of the night if i say the 'buckets' were soon flowing. The Angkor what bar reminded me a little of 'Q bar' in Vang Vieng, but maybe just a little bit more upper class. It had a good atmosphere and the music was good, with a mixture of travellers, tourists and locals. It wasn't a late, late one and I got a tuc tuc back to my hotel at around 3am. At this point I'll mention that i was supposed to be getting up to see sunrise over Angkor Wat at 4am, needless to say this didn't happen and in all honesty after Raami and Aimee said that it was a but of a disappointment, I am not too gutted i missed it.

Friday 2nd December

So having not made the sunrise at Angkor Wat and feeling a little worse for wear I awoke mid morning and decided to chill by the pool until midday and then end to Angkor Wat and the temples. I grabbed a tuc tuc and negotiated a price for the afternoon, $15 was the magic number, I think perhaps i paid too much but after asking others they had paid pretty much the same. I first did Angkor Wat itself, it was a hot day and was already sweating the previous nights alcohol intake from my pours. I was hassled by a number of guides and decided that one maybe a good idea at the cost of $10 for about an hour and half. It was one and one and gentleman spoke good English, even if he did have a huge whisker protruding from a large mole on his face, which I couldn't stop looking at. The tour was guide was knowledgeable and the history was interesting, however i am not sure what to think about the temple itself, in parts there was blue tarpaulin stretched between pillars, it was a simple temple with a couple of Buddha statues scattered about the 3 tiers and drawings down some sides of the building. Perhaps after seeing the Taj Mahal i was expecting more, on firstly seeing the temple my breathe wasn't taken away as it was with the Taj Mahal. For the surrounding landscape and scenery and the location of the temple(s) were more beautiful. After leaving the guide and wondering for a little while I heading back to my driver. Later, Raami told me about his experience of Angkor Wat which if i had seen may have made it more fun. He was taken in Angkor Wat chilling with his Ipod on when he came across a women who was lent against one of the Temples wall's with one hand, sprite in the other, violently chundering against one the most holy temples in the world!! Haha.. that tickled me! After bumping into Aimee she advised that I should definitely see the Ta Prohm or 'Jungle Temple', which is also known as the Tomb Raider temple as it was allegedly used in the Tomb Raider movie.

Jungle Temple

So i asked my driver who had been waiting outside the temple to take me to the Jungle Temple. 15mins later we arrived at the gates. I had a 5min walk up to the main structure, if you could call it that. I loved this Temple, it was basically an old ruins, unlike some of the other temples, its been untouched or restored, with huge trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle back drop its very scenic and atmospheric. I did however manage to get there as half of Japan descended on it also, still I much preferred this temple to the rest. After buying a water painting from a teenage Cambodian guy who I'd watch paint it, i was feeling peckish and ate at a little shack at the entrance of the Temple, I had fried noodle with chicken which for $1 was one of the best fried noodles I'd had since leaving Thailand, it could have been much spicier but both Laos and Cambodia are not one for spicy food, it made me realise how much i missed Thai spicy food. The day was getting on and even though there were many other temples to see, i decided against and enjoyed a leisurely 30min tuc tuc ride back to the hotel, taking in the scenery. On getting back at the hotel bumped into a couple of Spanish guys who we had met on the slow boat and had been doing the same route as us but just a few days behind. Aimee was also back from her day at the Temples and had spoke to Thelma and Raami and we agreed to meet on Pub Street for dinner at 8, it was her last night before leaving the following day. We met at 8pm and decided on Sushi! I have also been one for eating as much local food as possible, one to embrace the culture but also its usually much cheaper but I hadn't had sushi since Bangkok with Ellie and then I wasn't well and didn't eat much so I was looking forward to it. It was good even if it was around $8, 8 times as much as my local shack lunch. Even though it was Aimee's last night she wasn't up for a big night and headed back. Raami who had been suffering with his unknown 'rash' for a few days was feeling better and was up for a few drinks, I wasn't due to the heavy night before with Thelma, however I have the will power of a 5 year old in a candy shop and soon myself, Thelma and him where at Temple bar, another popular bar on Pub Street opposite Angkor What? soon after myself and Raami were sharing pitchers, not long after that the buckets made an appearance. We made friends with a couple of dutch girls who remained with us for the rest of the night. If you are ever in Siem Reap, look out for a the most adorable little girl selling hand made bracelets, not only was she the cutest thing in the world, she would stand outside the bars and dance and for what i am guessing is a 8 or 9 year old, she could dance!!! We later bumped into Niike and Nadine also from Holland and again we met on the slow boat, and they too joined us. The rest of the night as usual is a blur, i was later told i fell asleep in the 'roof top' bar and even when i fight broke out right where i was passed out and even hit me, i didn't wake up!! I really do need to stay off the buckets!!!

Saturday 3rd December

Floating Village

I woke the next day around 10am, Aimee who was leaving early for her flight, had already left, I don't know what time i had got in or whether we spoke, I say again i need to stay off the buckets, I blamed Raami for the previous nights antics, he later told me I had the worst will power in the world, I think he is right but when in Rome as they say. I had also now collected around 3 t-shirts, a couple from Angkor what? bar and 1 from Temple bar, given out free when bought a bucket, if this had been the case my whole trip, i could have opened my own store! Shocking! I had spoken to Raami and Thelma on FB and we agreed that we couldn't waste the day as this would be our last in Siem Reap. Apart from the Temples in Siem Reap, there were other things to do. so we decided to visit the floating village about 15K outside Siem Reap. I took a bike taxi to their guesthouse and we set off in a tuc tuc around 4, hoping we would have enough time to get there and see the 2 hour tour before it got dark. It would turn out that this is the best time to go. After a very, very bumpy but very scenic journey where we saw the real Cambodia, with rice fields after rice fields and some amazing landscape we arrived at the pier. The cost of the tour was $12 each, maybe a little pricey but we did get our own boat and driver to ourselves. The tour was amazing, I am so glad we got to do this.

The floating village was literally a floating village, called Kompong Phluk it is situated on the Tonle Sap lake full of hundreds of small open barges, mainly homes to local people, they are pretty small but each one is individual and fascinating, as well as homes they have a floating church, restaurants and would you believe a basketball court. There is no land between the boats and not even smalls gaps to jump between them, the only way is by long boat, paddle boat, motorboat or swim it. Some boats even had pets, cats and dogs and even some kept pigs. Its a poor community, the kids obviously seem to love it, playing in the water, most the adults looked sad, bored and fed up, I can understand why, with the only way of making money by fishing and selling drinks and food to tourists who pass through on the many motor boats everyday. we got the other side of the village into open water where we realised that this was the best time to come, as we had an amazing view of sunset over the lake. Just before the sun went down we headed back, stopping at restaurant which had a high view point to watch sunset. Here they also had a number of crocodiles in a water pen and huge catfish. You could pay money to feed the catfish to the crock's, we didn't and set back to the pier. A local guy had jumped on for a lift back to the pier, he spoke amazing English, he also gave us a background to the village and some history, He was a really friendly guy, which actually nearly only Cambodians are. We reached the pier, tipped the driver a couple of dollars, as well as his little son who had been on also and the guy who had jumped on, they where very thankful and appreciative for the gesture. The post sunset sky colours over the lake and rice fields was fantastic. We headed back and paid the tuc tuc driver, he charged only $4 for 15K there and 15K back as well as waiting, we 1st thought he meant $4 which we thought was still good, after Thelma tried to give him $12 he said 'too much' and gave back $8, what a decent guy, feeling bad we gave him another dollar. We then booked our bus for the following day down to Phnom Phen, leaving at 10am and would be 6 hours on a local bus, at a cost of $5, man travel in SEA is cheap. That night we ate at a local Cambodian restaurant at more than half the price as out previous 2 nights slap up meals, they were just as good. The Spanish guys plus the 2 dutch girls Niike and Nadine joined us. The rest of the night, i am sure you predict what happened, more drinking and more buckets, so much for my 'no more buckets vow'. We drank on pub street most the night but later opted to visit the Hip Hop club a short tuc tuc ride away. By far this had to be one of the craziest rides, we managed to get 8 of us 9 including driver onto the tuc tuc, with me hanging off the back, he only charged $1, so we invited him for a drink and paid for him, walking in the club with 8 westerners, he loved it and think was the highlight of his year. I left early, feeling tired and not wanting to again to fall asleep in yet another bar!!!

So I will leave it here, I really liked Siem Reap, it had a great feel about it, even if to me personally I wasn't impressed with the Temples, maybe already being to India i was templed out or was just expecting more. The Jungle Temple was impressive and the floating village and the history of it was great. I love the people here, they are so friendly and helpful and always smiling.

I have just arrived in the south of Cambodia in 'Kep', as always I am still a few days behind. Phnom Penh would a sad place with the Killing Fields and the city itself reminded me so much of India. I will blog again about my time in Phnom Phen.

Paske And 4000 Islands

Hello everyone, hope you are all well and good. I now write to you from Siem Reap in Cambodia. I left you in my last blog on the sleeper bus from Vang Vieng to Pakse, I wrote that Laos as yet, hadn't really impressed, perhaps maybe I spent too much time in Vang Vieng and really hadn't seen the real Laos. The next 5-6 days changed my opinion a little but still Laos is not on the top of 'best places' to go list but as i said perhaps I didn't explore as much as I should have. So we we pick up my travels arriving in Pakse.

Friday 25th November

Champske

We arrived in Pakse at 8am in the morning, We were only staying 2 days so even after a crappy bus journey from Vang Vieng we didn't want to waste the day. Pakse as a town is pretty boring, no nightlife and is usually just a stop over for travellers on their way to the 4000 Islands. After reading the lonely planet and some good info from Ellie (who had lived there for 6months working) we decided to rent some motorbikes and explore. The Champske province was the place to visit and the 'Wat Phu' temple. The temple we had been advised, wasn't that great but the surrounding landscape and 30KM scenic ride from Pakse was supposed to be great. Aimee, who hadn't felt good on the bus journey now had a fever and decided to stay in bed. Our guesthouse was basic but nice, Aimee and Thelma shared as did Raami and Bridget, I got a single room with attached bathroom, compared to my room in Vang Vieng it was luxury and though a little more expensive at 60,000 a night was still only £4.50ish. There were a number of places to hire motorbikes, however nowhere sold Automatics, only semi-automatics with 4 gears. Myself and Raami where going to be the riders with Thelma on the back with me and Bridget with Raami. Myself and Raami were a little nervous, after a quick look over and test drive, we decided to risk it. We set off for Wat Phu at around 11am, the sun was scorching. After a shaky start and a few jumps on changing gears i soon got the hang of it, added to learning how to ride a geared bike I also had to get used to driving on the other side of the road as well as SEA's usual no rules traffic. Once out of Pakse the roads were straight and easy. we had been advise of 2 routes, scenic and a little bumpy or not scenic but easier roads. We opted for the latter given our inexperience on the bikes. However we got lost on a number of occasions and had to stop and ask locals for directions every few KM's. We, it turned out were taking the scenic route after all. We ended up in a local village along side the Mekong river. This was the real Laos, with children playing in the streets, locals going about their daily chores and shacks for shops and restaurants. We decided to grab some food, the options were limited to only noodle soup. It wasn't bad though i don't think i should have put a whole tablespoon of chili jam in it, as the hotness only added to my already over heated body. After lunch we searched for the way to Wat Phu, we had seen signs but they all seemed to point to the river, on asking a local he said that he could take us and the bikes across the river to the other side were we would be on the right road, either that we would have to go back to the main road and double back. We all, never been on what can only be called a 'raft' with bikes opted for this option. The guy wheeled on the bikes and we jumped on, it was quite surreal travelling across the river on a raft no more than 4m by 4m. We reached the other side after about 15min's at a cost of 50,000 for all of us. We soon found the bumpy, pot holed road which headed to Wat Phu, the sun was still blazing. We were in now in the Champske province, again to me the real Laos, the road lined with children, shacks and beautiful more modern temples and rice paddy fields. After a scenic 30min drive we arrived at Wat Phu. Wat Phu, or what I now call 'what a load of poo' wasn't great but we already knew that it wouldn't be great and it was a the landscape and scenery that we out for. Maybe i am being a little harsh, the temple which dates back to the 5th century is now just ruins and little of them but the surroundings just as the drive down was cool. We walked up some very steep and high steps to reach the top where the temple stood, it was mid afternoon and still hot, hot, hot. After a water a few photographs and time to stop sweating we headed back. This time we took the less scenic route and straight fast roads. We got back just before dark. That evening we ate at an Indian restaurant, here we bumped into a couple of girls we had met along the way Nicky and Nadine, they ate with us. The food was good but had to wait almost an hour and half for it too arrive.

Saturday 26th November

waterfall in the Bolaven Plateau

We had planned the day before to venture out into the Bolaven Plateau. The Plateau is home to dense Jungles and numerous fresh water, Waterfalls. The region is quite large and to explore it properly you would need a 3-4 days. We had only one day, so after reading up on Travelfish.com I found a route that would could do in a day and would be around 100KM round trip. Aimee now feeling better after resting the whole day before was also coming along. This meant hiring another bike, as Aimee was uneasy riding it meant Thelma had been with me the previous day had to hire a bike to herself. Never mind never riding a geared bike, Thelma didn't even drive back home. She was nervous but wanting to come out on the day trip she hired a geared bike. After a cautious slow start she soon got into the swing of things. We had a 1hour long journey to the first waterfall, the roads again were good and straight until we had to turn off the main road onto a dirt road with potholes. We road between coffee plantations, which the region was famous for and was the main supply for Laos and surrounding countries. We reached the water and as always we had to pay a small fee. We parked the bikes and walked down to the cooling fresh river. The waterfall nothing like Niagara of course but still was quite impressive. We stripped to out bathing suits and cooled down in the refreshing water. The weather had been hot again, now though it was starting to turn and huge black clouds filled the sky. It was getting chilly so we decided to head for lunch in a town about another 10K up the road called Pak Song. As we got within a couple of K's the sky's opened, we weren't dressed for rain or cold weather, luckily some of us me included had brought long sleeved top along, Raami unfortunately hadn't, and was only wearing a vest top. Pak Song was just a very small town with nothing going on, if you blinked you would have missed it. After getting to other end we turned round and decided to head back to Pakse. On a chance sighting Bridgett spotted what looked like a hotel just off the main road and we thought they might do good food. It was a decent hotel and they did do good food. We ordered a number of dishes to share, we had chance to warm up also before riding the 1hour long journey back to Pakse. It rained the whole way back, luckily only at times was it heavy, the rain stung your skin on impact. Thelma who in fairness had done amazing all day on her bike was feeling less than comfortable and we were even more lucky that the wind was behind us and not against us or across us. We all got back safe and sound if not soaked to the bone. We all showered and cleaned up and then went for dinner. We also booked our bus ticket for the 4000 thousand Island's for the following day, leaving at 8am and at a cost of 55,000KIP, £5.


Sunday 27th November

Sunset on Don Det

We all met at the restaurant were had booked our bus tickets at around 7:15 so we could get breakfast before our 3-4 hour journey. We had been advised that there were no ATM's on 'Don det' which is 1 of 3 main Islands where travellers stay and where we were going to staying for the next 3 days, so we all loaded up on cash and almost dead on time boarded the bus. The bus was a local one, but it was spacey and had AC so was no big deal, even if some of our bags had to be placed on the back seats. We arrived at the pier, where we would take a long boat from to the Island at just before midday. The rain from the previous day had gone and now only blue skies with blazing hot sun. We boarded the rather old and dodgy looking slow boat which, any movement of any kind sent it rocking from side to side and within 10min's we were disembarking onto the shore of Don Det. We had a place in mind as Raami had been in contact with the Irish boys Nick and Brian who we had met on the slow boat. We asked a couple of locals for directions and we set off. It was a hike to say the least especially in the mid day sun. I had my stomping boots on and finally found what we thought the guest house was. I waited for the rest to turn up. Bridgett and Raami soon joined me. Thelma and Aimee then arrived on a bike with Aimee in excruciating pain in her stomach. I hadn't realised due to my stomp. She was close to tears and really wanted to see a doctor, we asked taxi bike rider and he said it was on the other island about 5k south, luckily it was adjoined by a bridge and he would take us to the hospital. Raami, Thelma and Bridgett stayed, the guest house we had found was not the one the guys were at so they were going to stay and sort it out, I went with Aimee to the so called hospital and with 15mins we arrived at a rather old building which you would only know was a hospital due to the painted red cross over the door. We went in, it clearly wasn't a hospital though it did have 3-4 wooden slatted beds, all with legs missing in a room. The Dr wasn't around, so the taxi man went searching for him. After 10mins and Aimee still in pain the doctor arrived. He spoke no English, it was hard work and when we tried to describe the sharp pain in her stomach, i am sure he thought I was saying she had been stabbed. After 5mins of pointing, hand gestures and with the help of the taxi man the Dr soon was offering a shot of something in Aimee's ass, unsurprisingly she didn't want to tale the risk, so he then offered some pills and used the infamous south east Asia phrase 'same same' as in same as the jab, I was hoping it didn't mean 'same, same but different'. We headed back to the guys with Aimee having got 6 pills and only being charged a $1. The rest had found the Irish guys and the bungalows we they were, were only 2mins from the Pier where we had got off. So a mixture of taxi man and some of us walking we hiked back to the bungalows. They were basic but with shower and mozzie net and for 30,000 KIP a night we couldn't complain, again I had one to myself with Thelma and Aimee sharing and Raami with Bridgett. Aimee had popped 2 of the pills and whatever they were, they were working. We all, including Brian and Nick grabbed some lunch and then for the rest of the day chilled out. We were told by Brian and Nick that the sunsets were awesome so at around 5pm we headed over to the sunset side of the Island. Don Det is a very small island, only 6km's in length and maybe only at the widest point 2km across. Its popular with travellers and even though not a party place, has a couple of good lively bars to sink a few 'laosbeers'. There is plentiful of accommodation mostly ranging from 20-30,000 for a basic room or bungalow, but can get up to 150,000 for a room with AC or overlooking the Mekong river. 4000, islands are based at the end of 4350KM awesome Mekong river and in dry season the water is turquoise in colour and perfect for a lazy day tubing. For us however with Monsoon season not long passed we had the brown, murky mud looking waters. Locals say it would be clear within a few weeks. We found a nice little bar, which served cocktails and the owner let us play Raami's Ipod. The sunset was beautiful as it set over the Mekong river. Don Det is a chilled place and after Vang Vieng even the Irish were taking it easy, we had a few beers while watching sunset but then we headed back towards the main strip where we grabbed some food. The food overall on the island was pretty poor and in general if i am honest Laos food was pretty rubbish. Unlike Thai food with hundreds of dishes to choose from, i had only really come across a handful of Laos dishes. After dinner we found a place playing movies, Iron Man 2 was on when we arrived but had nearly finished. They had a huge selection and we all agreed that a bit of Anchorman was needed. We all chilled out watching Anchorman before all having a pretty early night with it not even 23:30.

Monday 28th November

The mean machine

Aimee had booked to go Kayaking which the rest of us weren't really up for, so she left early doors. The rest of us grabbed breakfast and Raami, Bridgett and the Irish had decided that they would do a little tubing. Myself and Thelma had decided against it and I wanted to catch up on a months worth of blogging. After a mammoth blog catch up, which i am sure you have all read!!! Myself and Thelma decided to hire bikes and head to the adjoining Island (where the so called hospital was) where we could see a couple of waterfalls. We got talking to another Irish guy, Tim, that morning and as we mounted our very lady like, but sturdy bikes he spied us and asked to join us, of course this wasn't a problem. So we set off on our one gear bikes sporting a lovely granny basket on the front and made the 20min ride to the ajoinig island Don Khon. It was another scorching day and within minutes we were sweating, the scenery was nice though, with lots of greenery, the road was slightly bumpy in places but not too bad even for these bikes. We decided to grab lunch, which in all fairness wasnt too bad and then set off in search of the waterfall. After a short 5min ride we saw the sign for the waterfall and headed of the main track. The waterfall was pretty impressive, it wasn't your standard waterfall, more like many little ones, like huge rapids. I was pretty impressed as were Tim and Thelma and not what we were expecting. After some photo's and cooling down we headed back to the bikes. We had seen a sign which pointed in the direction of the south of the island where you could so some Dolphin spotting for the rare Irrawaddy dolphin. We headed that way but soon got a little lost and confused with some of the signs. It would be at least a 30min ride back to Don Det and we wanted to see another sunset.

So we made our way back, had time to change and shower and met everyone at the same bar as we had been the previous day. It was Brian and Nick's last night on Don Det and probably the last time we would see them on out travels, so we all decided to have a few drinks. Brian and Raami, surprisingly were 'Power Ballad' fans (i will admit i like a good ballad) so with Ipod plugged we all drank and sang to some great classic Ballads. Luckily the bar was empty apart from a couple of women, who were soon joining in with our terrible power ballad singing. We had heard that a bar called 'Pai' was pretty good for drinking and partying. So all now a little tipsy we headed over to the other side. It was now getting on 9pm and Pai was still pretty quiet so we managed to get a table for us all. We were soon of course playing 'Ring of Fire'. The drinking game of all drinking games. The music in the bar was good and for once a bit of variety as they pumped out some drum and bass tunes, I loved and danced my ass off. It was 2am and we were being chucked out, Lilly one of the girls we had met in sunset bar earlier was staying a good distance away, so myself, Brian and Aimee decide to walk her back, as well as look for another bar which we were told might be open. We found the bar, it was closed which sucked as it wasn't far from Lilly's place which had been a proper hike to get to! So with no more drinking and bars open we just headed back to the bungalows. The others were on the veranda of one of the bungalows, they had managed to find some beer. I was done, and after 5mins of trying to keep my eyes open and blurt out some words, hit the sack.

Tuesday 29th November

I was out of cash, i had spent everything i had on me. On searching the many currency exchanges to see if they would do a cash back service on my card i came up blank. I had, had to borrow money from Thelma and Aimee for breakfast. This was bad times, i hadn't paid for my room yet, i also needed to pay for a bus to Siem Reap in Cambodia and pay for my Cambodian Visa. I was going to have to borrow some money, the American dollar was good here and widely used as well as in Cambodia. Aimee came to my rescue, lending me enough for the for mentioned things as well as for lunch, dinner, drinks for the rest of the day. We booked out bus ticket for the following day, Thelma and Raami hadn't decided on their plans yet so it was just going to be and Aimee. The bus ticket was $30 and we would leave at 8am and arrive in Siem Reap at around 9.30pm. As we were going to lunch, we bumped into Jack and Sarah. the Aussies i had met in vang Vieng. It was great to see them, they are a cool couple. The Pai bar everyday offered a free boat trip at 4pm to go out onto the Mekong to watch sunset. Myself, Thelma and Aimee were up for it and after telling Jack and Sarah they were too. So agreed to meet them at Pai bar at 3.30pm to grab a beer before hand. I chilled for the rest of the afternoon and we headed down to Pai bar for 3.30 where we met Jack and Sarah. We set out on the river in slightly overcrowded slow boat.

On the slow boat to watch sunset

They took us to a little beach island which took around 30mins to get to but sported a great view of sunset. The bar staff had brought along beers which of course you had to pay for, so we all grabbed one and sat in the sand and watched another great sunset. After sunset we headed back to Pai bar. So we ordered food and soon enough the buckets were out, dam you whisky buckets!!! Myself, Jack and Sarah shared one between us, but by the end we had all done one each, along with a number of beers. Raami and Bridgett were parting company the following day, as Raami and Thelma had decide to also to come to Siem Reap, whilst Bridgett was going back to Vientienne to meet her brother so they had some time to themselves, as did Aimee who wasn't in a drinking/party mood. By 1am i was fast asleep in the bar, Thelma woke me up and we walked back to the bungalows, saying goodbye to Jack and Sarah who even though going to Siem Reap, wouldn't be for a few days.

So that brings and end to my time in Laos, I have had a good time and met some great people, some of which I will carry on travelling with for a while. I don't seem to have had much time on my own since arriving on Koh Chang almost 2months ago. I have drank and partied I think too much and need to slow it down. I think due to the partying in Laos, i really didn't experience as much culture as I could have and wanted to, so slightly disappointed with myself, that said I have had fun times in Laos but with the Siem Reap and the famous Angor wat temples to discover i am hoping for some more cultural travelling for a while. I am now in Siem Reap and have been for a couple of days. So I am now almost up to date on my blog. I will write a new blog covering my time in Siem Reap. Thanks for reading and goodbye for now. Stay safe peeps.

Slow boat down the Mekong and Tubing in Vang Vieng

Hello all, hope everyone is well. I am now in Laos and have been for the last 10 days. My last blog ended with me just about to board the slow boat in 'Huay Xai' at the Laos border. The trip would take 2 whole days lasting 8 hrs each and arrive in Luang Prabang at around 5pm on Friday 18th, with a 1 nights stop over in small town called 'Pak Beng'.

Wednesday 18th November

Slow boat down the Mekong

I had heard a number of horror stories in regards to the slow boats mainly in relation to over crowding. On getting down to the jetty, if you could call it that, a plank of wood stretching from shore to the boat, there were 2 slow boats, both boats already had people on them. In our group we had at least 60 people, which included Andy and Nick the guys from Hull plus a number of other people I had met in the hostel the night before and the few hours in the morning while waiting at immigration and so on. We were pointed towards one of the boats, looking from  the outside the boat was already full with only a few spaces, a few got on a filled the places, however we were still be guided to the boat, it was chaos, with lots of shouting and people refusing to board the full boat, to be fair who wanted to be cramped and standing for 8hrs. In the end we all just piled on the second boat, myself, Nick and Andy decided that we would sit if we could right on the front so we could catch some rays. The slow boats are really just large barges, there is no deck and you cant sit outside or even go outside apart from the small area at the front. Inside the set up is like a plane with double seats (car seats in fact) lined either side, at the rear there is a small 'bar' and i mean small, selling beer, snacks and soft drinks. Further back is a toilet and behind that is sort of an empty galley used for smoking and chilling, well if you call listening to the over noisy engine 'chilling'. So all on board, probably around 80 people we set off at around 11:30. We had already had a few beers and the Hull boys had picked up a slab before leaving mainland. The sun was hot but where we were sat we had the best view of the house as we set off down the famous Mekong River. The boat actually didn't go as slow as I thought it would but still slow enough to enjoy the beautiful Laos scenery and culture of rice fields, fisherman with just nets and green countryside. After a few hours I decided to go indoors and get out of the sun, there wasn't much space so headed to towards the rear, were a bunch of girls were crowded having a good time playing drinking games and getting generally sh*t faced on vodka, whiskey and Beer. A few hours later, guys had joined the group, more drinking games were played and it turned into a full on piss up and party. All kinds of people get on these boats, from backpackers, elderly travellers, tourists on holidays and locals, what some of the older generation must of thought of us and the non party people god knows but we were having a great time, especially the girls who had by now done in 3 bottles of spirts between them and number of beers. During all the mayhem i had got to know a few people and would end up travelling with them for a while later on after Luang Prabang, mainly Aimee, Thelma, Raami, Kirsty and Nit Nat. For now we all just carried on drinking, I also met here 3 Irish guys, Brian, Nick and Paul, these would turn out to be the funniest and biggest piss heads I had met so far on my travels. We had seen the other boat that we had all refused to get on a few times on the river, it certainly wasn't as lively as our boat, we were definitely the 'Party' boat. We arrived i Pak Beng after dark at around 6.30pm, everyone pissed right up, we had to negotiate a steep sandbank, really not ideal for a bunch of pissed up travelling backpackers especially in the dark. Some people had booked accommodation through the guy who had organised the slow boat, he had give a speech about how we should book through him and that we would get ripped off if we just rocked up in the town, most of thought this was rubbish and a scare monger tactic to get us to book through him. However he was partly right, not about the prices but because the town was so small there was little places to stay. On the struggle of the boat i had lost Andy and Nick and was now with the Irish contingency and a few of the girls. Eventually we found a place, well I say a place it was dining room in one of the guesthouses and they agreed to put some mattresses on the floor in a line, it would 35,000KIP each (£3), we took it, we were all drunk and planned to carry on, so anywhere would do for the night. Looking back we all thought it was cheap however since I have had whole rooms to myself for the same price. The thing with the town of Pak Beng its a nothing town, all slow boats stop here so they can charge what they want, it was however I think a very quaint town. We went for dinner which took so long to get our food that I almost sobered up. After dinner which I am sure it felt like 11pm rather than 9.30 we went looking for a bar, it didn't take long, not because there were so many but because there was only 1. 'Hive bar, the only bar in town' a sign read, we headed for it. After a long day most people had hit the sack, however party crew were still going, Aimee, Nit Nit, Kirsty, the Irish guys and Hull Nick plus a few others hit Hive, it was poky little place but we had no choice, by now i had almost drank myself sober, so mostly i sat chatting and at around midnight headed back to my mattress on the floor were I'd join the rest squeezed together like a tin of sardines, great way to get to know your fellow travellers.

Thursday 17th November

On the slow boat 2nd day

After a reasonably good nights sleep despite the conditions, I woke early as always and just chilled and read my book before getting breakfast. We all had to be back on the boat at 9am and soon everyone was waking. Aimee who had left Hive earlish the night before hadn't even remembered getting back and was feeling a little worse for wear. The Irish however were as always in a lively mood, if anyone in the whole town wanted a lie in, they could forget it. We headed down to the boat just before 9, as the day before there were 2 boats and I had already heard that 1 had already filled, the party crew all stuck together and managed to board the same board, however the Hull lads who had stayed elsewhere had got down early and on the 1st boat so had split from them, I'd seem them later however in Vang Vieng. The day started quiet with a few sore heads, especially for some of the girls. The Irish however were straight on it and by midday they and another group who had previously been on the the quieter boat the day before were taking over from the girls the day before. Myself and the Irish had boat a bottle of whiskey and within an hour we had polished it off, we were soon playing drinking games and singing. Some of the people from the quieter boat the day before must have got on ours today and we had a couple of complaints, which in all fairness was warranted, so we moved to the back of the boat were usually the smokers went and carried on with our shenanigans. The day went pretty much the same as yesterday. I must admit on both days i hadn't been that drunk, the bottles of 'BeerLaos' were heavy and filling and I had slowed down, I was really, really missing a nice cold pint of Thatchers Gold cider!!! We arrived in Luang Prabang at around 5.30 and disembarked, as the previous day no one had booked anywhere to stay. So alcohol fuelled we trudged round Luang Prabang looking for accommodation, we had all split up by now and I was left with Aimee, we found a place which to be fair was pretty expensive 150,000KIP for a twin room, however it was nice with hot shower, AC and even slippers. We met up with everyone about an hour later for Dinner. Luang Prabang has a very French feel about it, and Seeing as Laos is an ex French colony it makes sense. Not a party place, the main street sported no out and out bars, only restaurants and cafes, with at one end a pretty big night market. I wasn't too see Luang Prabang as I was moving on the next day to Vang Vieng with Aimee, Kirsty, Thelma and Nit Nat. I had lost all the guys and had no way of contacting them. I knew that within a few days they would all be in Vang Vieng anyway and Nit Nat, or Natalie from Australia and what I would call your typical hippy traveller who wore no footwear ever (unless she was going to the loo and she would borrow someone elses) was a tight schedule and had only a few days in Laos and she really wanted to tube, hence only staying one night Luang Prabang. The girls were cool and as i couldn't find the other guys thought I'd also leave with them. After trying to book a minivan through out hotel, which turned out to be mission impossible we found a travel shop and booked our tickets for the following day to Vang Vieng at the cost of 115,000KIP, around £10 for a 6 hour journey leaving at 2pm. After 2 days drinking all day on the slow boat everyone was feeling pretty shattered. We met for a dinner at a place called 'Pizza' which was known for good pizza's, personally I wanted to carry on my trend of eating the local cuisine which they also served but some of the girls really wanted pizza. I made a good choice with the local food and had 'Lab Chicken' a local Laos dish, it was SPICY though very good and came out quick which is more than could be said for the Pizza's, even though the place was called 'Pizza' and had a huge Pizza menu, they could only cook 1 pizza at a time in the kitchen, so given that there were 3 of us who ordered pizza and not to mention the other punters who ordered, some of the group had a long wait for their food, perhaps they shouldn't call themselves 'Pizza' when they can only cook one at a time. Even though all feeling tired Aimiee and Thelma were up for going out, as i mentioned earlier Luang Prabang is not a party place and the main street didn't have one bar. After asking a couple of locals we were pointed toward a 'discoteque' again very French. We had to get a tuc tuc and after 15mins we arrived at what seemed a very seedy and very local looking bar/club. It was however free entry, it was around 10:30 now and inside it was populated only by locals, not another westerner in sight, the music was local music. I really wasn't feeling it and regretting agreeing to come out, I didn't fancy a beer so chose to drink red wine in a bottle, very random but surprisingly not bad. Aimiee and Thelma were well up for it and danced around while sat at a table still wishing I had stayed in. We were soon asked by a local if we wanted to join him and his friends, it was 3 youngish guys and i was very cautious as they seem pretty drunk, we did anyway and apart from one who was studying English the rest spoke to English but to be fair they seemed pretty cool. At around 11:45 the place was full of people from the slow boat, they had been in another bar but had been chucked out after one of them got naked for a dare, of course he was English and had been a bit of a dick the whole slow boat trip. They new comers were up for a big long night until I advice them that in Laos places close at midnight!! The club did however probably realising they could make some money from drunken westerners stayed open until around 12:45am. By now i was done and couldn't wait to get to bed, we grabbed a tuc tuc and headed back.

Friday 18th November

Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng

After 2 days on the slow boat and plenty of alcohol I slept well and had a nice lie until around 9:30am, probably the latest I had slept in for a while. Our minivan to Vang Vieng wasn't leaving until 1.30pm so we grabbed breakfast had a decent hot shower in our nice hotel and then randomly chilled out and watched a 'Chuck Norris' film in our hotel. Aimiee, 28 from Canada, travelling alone for 3 months until December until her boyfriend meets her in Thailand, Kirsty, 27 originally from Bristol ( we know some of the same people) also travelling alone, Thelma 27, also travelling alone and from Ireland and Nit Nat, also 27 and again travelling alone from Australia all met for lunch at 12:30. Actually on time we were picked up by tuc tuc at 13:30 and taken to the local bus station and we transferred to a minivan. As well as us 5 there 2 girls from England, Lowrie and Ellie and 2 Aussies Sarah and Jack. The minivan was tight and Sarah and Jack sat up front with the driver. The drive to Vang Vieng was far from smooth, with windy, bumpy roads and potholes the size of craters. It was a dangerous road with sheer drops, one wrong move and we were over the edge. Despite the hazardous roads the scenery was awesome, with lots of greenery and mountain back drops, the journey seemed to go on forever, the highlight of the trip and brought a smile to everyone's face was the amazing sunset, the colours of the sky and cloud formation of the mountain range was spectacular. One person that really didn't enjoy the drive was Aimiee, she had felt sick the whole time and really didn't have a good journey. We arrived on the outskirts of town at around 7.30pm, we all jumped in a tuc tuc after bartering a price and we were dropped off in the middle of Vang Vieng near were we thought the hostel was, Kirsty, Nit Nat and Thelma had already booked into one and myself and Aimiee
were hoping that they had space, along with Sarah, Jack and Lowrie and Ellie who also thought they would chance to see if they had space. I think after getting the price down on  the Tuc Tuc the driver decided to get is won back and we had a 20min walk to the hostel. Pan's Place, was a little out of central Vang Vieng and the main hub of action but still close enough to walk. The hostel was run by an expat Aussie, it was basic but had a small Internet cafe and served food from 7am till 11pm. We all managed to get a room, myself and Aimiee got a twin again. The room really was basic, just 2 beds and a fan, the bathroom was a shared one but it didn't bother me and it was clean. We all freshened up and minus Lowrie and Ellie went for a little explore and find food even though it was getting on 21:30. No one was up for going out and seeing as we were Tubing the following day and no doubt going to be pretty smashed we all hit the sack.

Saturday 19th November

Vang Vieng if you didn't know is world famous for Tubing. Hiring a tube the size of an arctic lorry wheel and tubing down the (insert river) stopping along the way at river side bars, playing beer pong and drinking copious amounts of buckets as well being able to obtain mushrooms, dancing, numerous rope swings and slides and generally partying. The combination of water, drink, drugs, slides and swings, is, i am sure you will agree a dangerous combination and thousands of people each year end up loosing money, clothing, camera's and so on, as well as numerous injuries and deaths, nether the less thousands of people head each year to Laos and Vang Vieng for the infamous 'Tubing' experience. So we all rose early, I hired a 'wet bag' from Pan's reception, we hoped it would be enough to carry all our stuff, t-shirts, my small point and shoor camera and money. However I was boardies with a zipped pocket and thought the money in a plastic bag would be safer here, I also looked after Aimiee's too, with between us nearly having 2million Kip. We set off for Breakfast at around 10am had breakfast and then all, (me the four girls, Jack and Sarah and Lowrie and Ellie) set off for the tubing station. We paid 115,000 KIP which included 60,000 for the tube, if you brought it back before 6pm you would get the 60,000 back and signed our life away which basically said no one was liable for anything that happened to you. Our tubes were loaded on top of the tuc tuc and we were driven to the start of the river which was about 20min journey over some very bumpy roads. On arrival we had to cross a bridge, we were greeted by a guy who was sporting a bottle of 'Tiger' whiskey and shot glasses, even before getting to the first bar we were doing shots of rocket fuel, man that stuff is wrong!! We crossed the bridge to the first bar, it had a huge decking area on the river were you could chill, relax and catch some rays before heading down the river. There were also numerous beer pong tables, so we all got involved and played beer bong and started the downward journey of getting sh*tfaced. It was pretty quiet when we arrived when we jumped in the tubes to leave the bar was rocking. We weren't floating down river for long as the next bar was only 200m away, we were soon being thrown lines from the shore and being pulled in by the bar's staff to the river bank. They had a couple of rope swings at this bar and a 10m dive platform, i decided to give both a miss and instead headed for the bar and with flash backs from Koh Chang got on the buckets. Music was blaring and everyone now getting slowly drunk and having fun. After an hour or so we moved on and back in the tubes. We were in the tubes a little longer this time but were soon grabbing lines and being pulled to shore. This bar was less crowded but still enough people to give it an atmosphere, they also had a slide here. This bar is were it all went wrong, I had kept good care of mine and Aimiee's money also remembering to zip my pocket, however after a one time on the slide i noticed my pocket open.. yep I had lost my money, around 600,000 KIP, i was pissed off for no more than 10mins and alcohol fuelled as well as having a great time, i thought oh well, its only £30. Worst was yet to come, the wet bag that we had hired had been stuffed with too much stuff and after getting in the river the last time it hadn't been water proof, it was mainly clothes in it but my camera also was inside, this was also soaked and no longer working, to add to the money and camera loss I had also just noticed that I was minus flip flops!!! Without really having time to take it in, I was handed a bucket and all was quickly forgotten! We hit another couple of bars but by now even though only 4ish the once blazing sun had disappeared behind a mountain and it was pretty chilly even with a beer/bucket jacket on. Some of the girls feeling worse for wear jumped off the river about half way down. Basically tuc tuc men stand at certain points shouting if you want a ride back into town. Myself, Sarah, Jack, Thelma, Lowrie and Ellie stayed on and floated down river for a little while longer, my tshirt was in the bag which had now gone with the girls and it was freezing so myself, Thelma and the 2 girls also jumped with Jack and Sarah carrying on down river. We jumped in a Tuc Tuc and headed back to town, with it being so full I was literally hanging on the back. With a few KM's to go the Tuc tuc broke down, I am not surprised with the amount of people and tubes, we tried to get our money back but it was futile and he wouldn't even get us another one, Tw*t. With only 15min before 6pm we decided to walk back, flip flop less, shirtless and money less I was man possessed and managed to make just after 6pm which luckily they accepted and got my deposit back. We walked back to the hostel, now in darkness, i really must have been hammered even after the long walk, shower and food i still felt drunk. Aimiee, Kirsty and Nit Nat decided they were going to take it easy, however I was up for carrying on and so was Thelma, Lowrie, jack and Sarah headed for 'Q' bar. Now being a party town, you would expect plenty of bars and clubs, this isn't the case in Vang Vieng, everyone pretty much descends on 'Q' bar after tubing, I guess in a way its a good thing, you meet up with all the peeps you met on the river. Q bar in all fairness is a shithole, it stinks of puke and piss but as you can imagine after a day tubing drinking all day no one is any state to care. After a few buckets and a dance at Q bar i headed home around midnight after 12 hrs drinking, I maybe almost 32 but can still party!!!

Sunday 20th November

I awoke the next day still a little drunk and head feeling more than fuzzy. I grabbed some breakfast to see if it would sort me out, it did a little but after a restless nights sleep and weird dreams I was tired. I found out later that most people while in Vang Vieng experienced the same sleepless nights, this I also found out was due to a form of redbull called 'M-150' banned in a lot of countries they add to most buckets to give you a kick, its alleged to have amphetamine in it, which would explain a lot. Nit Nat was also leaving today, we said our goodbyes and Aimiee who i was sharing with decided that my snoring was too much and wanted some girlie love, as Thelma, Kirsty and Nit Nat were sharing and with Nit Nat leaving she could now move in with those guys, which left a room to myself. at only 30,000 a night less than £3 I really didn't mind. The rest of the day I wondered round in a daze, visiting one of the many, many restaurants which most had wifi and randomly played either only friends or family guy. To be fair as shit as the actual place of Vang Vieng is the set up is quite good with all these chill out spots to relax after days of tubing. Mid afternoon i found the girls down by the river chilling and sun bathing. We spent a few hours reading and chilling before the sun went down and heading back to shower and change. We ate dinner in a BBQ restaurant that served fresh BBQ chicken and Fish. I opted for the fish and sticky rice, it was REALLY good. After dinner we headed to a place next door that served 'happy shakes' we shared a few between us but in all honesty had no effect. After a few beers and getting the taste myself and Thelma headed to Q bar again, not Tubing that day and still quite sober, Q bar is a hard place, with most people on a completely different level to yourself. However tonight I was reunited with the Irish guys and Raami along with Jack and Simon a couple of other guys who had been on the slow boat and were travelling together. The Irish guys were wasted as always with Nick barley even able to stand, they hadn't even been tubing had just arrived early in VV and got on it. Q bar closes at midnight and everyone then heads down towards the river to 'Sunset bar' a more chilled and relaxed place with an open fire, usually by now the numbers decrease as all day tubers start to fade away. I left around 3am actually feeling quite sober even after 3-4 buckets, though i had shared them Thelma.

Monday 21st November

With now nearly everyone in town that i had met on the slow boat including Nick and Andy who i had also seen the night before in Q bar it was going to be a lively and messy affair on the river Tubing. we had all agreed to meet around midday and by 1pm we were all drinking and playing beer pong at the first bar on the river. I was right, it was a messy affair, however this time i had only took money, flip flops, Tshirts and camera were all left being with only swim shorts and money i couldn't loose anything. As can you imagine as they day went on it got messier and messier. We didn't make it past the 3rd bar by the time sun disappeared behind the hill side, myself, Andy, Nick and Irish Nick grabbed a tuc tuc back before 6pm to get our deposit back on the tubes. We then ate some food while watching another episode of family guy and agreed to meet at 8pm at Q bar to carry on the antics. I got back to the hostel and laid on my bed and crashed out. I awoke at 10pm, feeling not the greatest, however i showered and headed for Q bar, i took one step inside and turned around, i really was not on the same level as everyone else. I found a restaurant and that was playing friends and was joined by Aimiee who hadn't tubed due to still not feeling good from the previous days tubing. we got some food and watched friends before having an early night.

Tuesday 22nd November

In all honesty there isn't much to say about today other than that Kirsty left for Hanoi in Vietnam. I was done with drinking and tubing, since leaving Chiang Mai I really hadn't had a day off the drink, I had hurt back the previous when tubing and had a rather large lump on my lower back after hitting a rock in the tube, i later found out i had tissue damage and just had to wait for It settle down. I spent the day chilling and looking for a new pair of flip flops which i still hadn't bought since loosing mine on  the 1st day tubing, i was getting used to walking round in bare feet.

Wednesday 23rd November

Dusty Road to Blue Lagoon

I was feeling refreshed but still not 100%, myself and Aimiee along with Raami, Jack and Simon all from England along with 3 girls they knew, Angela, Laura and Sandra and a German guy we had also met on the boat Marcell headed out on a day trip to a local blue lagoon. After a fiasco with Tuc Tuc's and prices we made a rather bumpy and dusty 20min journey to the lagoon. The lagoon wasn't amazing but was good. The lagoon was really chilled with decked areas to chill out and a bar/restaurant shack to buy food and drink. The prices were extortionate and double that of Vang Vieng. The water was fresh and cooling and was welcomed after days of tubing and drinking. There was also a cave to visit, we made the 15min very steep walk to the cave. The cave again wasn't amazing, it was a hot, hot day and we were all sweating buckets but it was nice to do some exercise and something different.

Inside the Cave

After a 30min trek through the cave we headed back to the lagoon to cool down before heading back to Vang Vieng. After showering and changing we all agreed to meet for dinner at 7.30pm. In the mean time the once glorious sun had gone and we had a down pour of rain and when i say rain, i mean rain, the type that stings your skin on impact. Nether the less we headed out to the meeting restaurant which was the BBQ place we had previously been. I had the chicken this time along with sticky rice, again it was good. That night despite me being sick of drinking, i was peer pressured, yes that's right forced into drinking again and after a few buckets i was merrily drunk. In all fairness I was slightly pissed with myself for giving in but had a good night anyway and ended up again at sunset bar until 4am.

Thursday 24th November

We were all done with Vang Vieng and the previous day had decided to leave for Pakse in the south of Laos, there isn't much to do in Pakse but Ellie had lived there for 5months and given me some tips on what to do. The main reason for heading south was to visit the 4000 islands. we had bought tickets the previous day for 260,000 and would be a 4hr trip to Vientiane and then a short stop of a couple of hours before 11 hour overnight journey on a sleeper bus to Pakse. Raami had decided to join us along with a girl he had met Bridget from Australia, those 2 myself, Aimiee and Thelma left behind the craziness of Vang Vieng at 13:30 and headed for Vientiane.  We arrived in Vientiane around 6pm. Though the capital the of Laos, we had all decided that there isn't really alot to do so would give it a miss. So far Laos hadn't really impressed me, the local Laos food wasn't that great and not much to choose from compared to Thailand I was hoping for all that to change when we got away from Vang Vieng. we boarded the sleeper bus at around 7.30, they were pretty cool and comfy if not a little small. 3 quarter mattresses with pillows and blankets set up like bunk from front to back. They were for 2 people and as Thelma shared with Aimiee and Raami with Bridget I had one to myself, so I thought. We were the first on, so i waited in anticipation at the joy of the rest to see who i would be paired with. We set off from the station at around 8pm, I was overjoyed that I could spread out with a bed all to myself. I had just nodded off when i got a shake and a short Laos man asked me to move over. I was gutted and unable to get in the foetal and not wanting to spoon a stranger along with my painful lump in my back, for 11 hours i hardly slept, with no lights on either not even the overhead reading lights working i couldn't even read, it was long uncomfortable journey to say the least, that wasn't helped by now and again the little Laos man getting a little close for comfort.

So finally I am almost up to date after a month of not blogging, I am surprised how good my memory is. I am now only 5 days behind which I will write about in a new blog.