Mar 17, 2005 - Welcom to Cambodia

Hy all! This is just a quick note, that after a two day Mekong Delta Tour I arrived today by Boat in Cambodia. After the crossing the boarder (on land) me checked in in Cambodia and went by boat close to Phnom Penh. From there we took a bus to the captial. I met tome guys from everywhere and me all checked in the same guest house. So I hope to get some company for the next days! The first impression is pretty amazing, eventhough the town doesnt seemed to be very safe..at night..and people without arm and legs everywhere (landmines).. well,...

Mar 15, 2005 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Sat 12/3 Hot Up and off to get the 8.30am bus to Phnom Penh. Have to say, although I'm sick of my mate the backpack, I do still get giddy when I'm going to a new place! All went according to plan, the border crossing was soooo much better than comng into Vietnam!!! Not much to report about the journey, the Cambodian countryside is very flat, bare, not a lot of greenery, the roads seem OK so far..... it's VERY hot..... Had our first experience of the beggars over here when the bus stopped - hope it doesn't do our heads in too much!! Arrived...

Mar 15, 2005 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Sadly our time teaching in Siem Reap has come to an end. We said sad goodbyes to our new friends and students, but not before we went on some eating adventures with our friends Jay and Rachel, trying fertilized duck eggs, snake, eel, chicken feet, and even dog (sorry Jenna, don't be mad). Next we ventured on to the capitol of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. As we climbed off the bus we were greeted by a hoard of touts trying to take us to their guesthouses. The city was too busy, too chaotic, and too hot for our liking, so we decided to make the stay...

Mar 13, 2005 - Welcome to Cambodia--Phnom Phen

We left Saigon on the bus at 8:45am, to Phnom Phen. Just before we got on the bus we met an American man about 43yrs old (Scott). This was the begining of our intro to Cambodia......................... All the way to Phnom Phen we talked with Scott and found out that he's been living in Vietnam for 7 years and has had enough of the place, BUT he also doesn't want to go back to LA/California. So, he's looking into moving to Phnom Phen/Cambodia. When we got to the Vietnam/Cambodian border and took our luggage out of the bottom of the bus,...

Mar 8, 2005 - Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia and the Mekong, Bassac and Tonle Sap Rivers all run through it. Its' crazy atmosphere hits you as soon as you dare step off the bus and we were welcomed by at least 50 people (the rest were held back by a policeman) trying to get us on their motorbikes or to their hotels. Once safely on a tuk tuk, the best way to maintain low blood pressure is to simply close your eyes as they drive up the wrong side of a road into oncoming traffic. We stayed at the riverside area which was great and hung out at the...

Feb 28, 2005 - Flying visit to Cambodia's Capital - Phnom Penh

After cutting it very fine with time we had no choice but to catch the coach up to the capital city of Phnom Penh to fly over to Bangkok. After a couple of hours wait in the airport b4 we could check in Bangkok Airlines lent us the comfort of there lounge. It was heaven...the comfiest sofas in the world, free food, drink, papers and internet!! Not at all what we were used to after 4 nights sleeping in a curry pot!!

Feb 23, 2005 - The tragedy of Cambodia (Phnom Penh)

WARNING: THIS ENTRY CONTAINS DISTURBING IMAGES!!! (written by Karen) We call this section "The Tragedy of Cambodia," because Phnom Penh was where we learned the most about Cambodia's modern history of foreign and civil wars that have killed millions of people and left an ongoing legacy of extreme poverty. Before travelling to Cambodia, my only exposure to recent Cambodian history was via the Hollywood movie The Killing Fields (which is based on a true story, and actually gives a fairly accurate portrayal of events). What I remembered from...

Feb 20, 2005 - Cambodia - The Killing Fields

After visiting the lovely Royal Palace we then went to see the genocide museum which was used by the Kumar Rouge to interrogate and torture victims until they agreed they were against the Pol Pot regime. Most were educated people and their entire families were killed with them (including new born babies!!). Once they agreed (12 hours torture a day!!!) that they were guilty of something, the soldiers could then bring them to the fields and they were buried alive sometimes, beheaded or if they were lucky they were killed first. The torture...

Feb 17, 2005 - Phnom Penh again

From Battambang we returned back to Phnom Penh for a couple of days before heading down to visit the towns on Cambodia's coast. We rented a motorbike so we could take in some of the sights surrounding Phnom Penh and managed to cover close to 100 km...nothing like a wrong turn to send you on a Cambodian exploration mission! Our wrong turn sent us deep into in a garment manufacturing park - over the past 10 years, the garment manufacturing industry has become a key component of Cambodia's economy with nearly 300,000 workers employed in...

Feb 16, 2005 - "Furry Eight-Legged Eating"

With a twirl here and a step there, the five waitresses moved in perfect unison to the cacophonous sounds belting from the high-tech karaoke machine. While their dancing caught our attention, it was their voices radiating through the North Korean restaurant that caused chop sticks to drop. Next it was the folding paper hand fans - they were wielded with such voracity that they opened each and every time with a strident 'CRACK'. Andrew and I were clearly amused and captivated. And their smiles? They would have done any synchronized swimming...

Feb 14, 2005 - Waan Dollaaaaah Mistaaaaah ...

I'd done it, I'd started moving again and it was great ... the first day everything went so smoothly I thought I was dreaming. I'd jump off one bus and the connection was either there or minutes away ... now this was more like it :-) I still didn't manage to make the border into Cambodia from Thailand that night but I was ready for more, then the next day everything went into 'go slow' mode. At the border we waited in queues of people who were melting in the sun, then once across the moto drivers start "where you go?, I take you, you want...

Feb 12, 2005 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Once we finally made it too Cambodia the roads and scenery changed dramatically. Cambodia is much less developed then Vietnam and the Cambodian roads when paved are full of potholes. While the houses in Vietnam are tall concrete structures the Cambodian countryside consisting mainly of rice fields and palm trees is dotted with thatched huts on stilts - concrete building are few and far between. After a bumpy 4 hour ride from the border to Phnom Penh we located a nice guesthouse (Tat Guesthouse) and spent the evening relaxing in hammocks on...