Holidaying in Asia

In mid April I was very happy to be visited by my cousins, Paran and Tasha. I have known them since I was still in nappies and they know me better than I know myself. So, it wasn’t too much of a surprise to them as I proceeded to fall in love with almost every Khmai girl who brought me food, poured a glass of water or stamped my bus ticket. We had a great 3 weeks, including Sihanoukville, Kampot, Kep, Rabbit Island, Koh Kong as well as Ho Chi Minh and Fu Quoc island.

Sihanoukville

It was an impressive itinerary and I think we did well to cover so much without feeling too rushed. Sihanoukville was obviously quite touristy but having lived in Stung Treng, a bit of tourism isn’t all bad.

Paran and Tasha

We visited Rainbow Lodge, a lovely eco-lodge located a little outside Koh Kong. The owner was a very helpful, though slightly neurotic ex-barrister. She put a lot of effort into ensuring that we were well looked after and helped to plan our activities.

The Lodge

The lodges were surprisingly high quality and they also provided a electric mosquito killing tennis racket (see Sam’s blog for a demo). I was slightly traumatised by the jungle trek which started out as an energetic ramble, but ended with torrential rainfall and an army of leeches. The leeches were cleverly camouflaged against by Blackanese skin tone,  allowing them to stealthily make their way up my legs. I managed to flick off about 30 or 40, but a further 10 managed to cross the threshold of my shorts. Once engorging on my already skinny Asian legs, they are a bitch to remove.

Cheesy Grins

So, when we finally reached the majestic waterfalls, Paran took one for the team and inspected my “hard to reach” areas for any renegade leeches still feeding. It was a while before he could look me in the eye again. The day was exhausting, but thoroughly exhilarating.

Dave No-Mates

From Kampot, we visited Bokor National Park. When I hear national park, I kind of imagined a safari or some kind of leisurely stroll. Unfortunately, it was another jungle trek! At least now, I was a seasoned leech fighter.

Crouching Tiger

We visited the ruins of a once thriving hotel / casino. The bullet holes in the wall and broken infrastructure spoke of the violence that took place here not so long ago. This place witnessed of some of the fiercest battles between the Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese forces.

Welcome to my Hotel

Cool Fungi

Following a night in the bamboo huts of Rabbit Island and a night of luxury in the veranda hotel in Kep, it was time for Tasha to head home. Paran and I went on to Ho Chi Minh City to continue to empty our thinning wallets.

Ho Chi Minh is a great city, filled with excitement, great food and a legion of motorcycles. I thought Phnom Penh was crazy, but HCMC was in a league of its own. We visited the War Remembrance Museum – formerly known as the Museum of American War Crimes. Apparently, some tourists were a little put off by the original name.

Not compensating for anything?

Having said this, the museum itself was pretty much a detailing of the atrocities committed during the Vietnam War. Most of my knowledge of the Vietnam War is based on watching half of Apocalypse Now and the double episode of Quantum Leap set during the war.

I had never really appreciated the scale and cost of the war, nor did I fully appreciate its knock on effect on neighbouring Laos and Cambodia. I did wonder whether the bitter after taste of such a prolonged military effort contributed to the lack of international intervention when the Khmer Rouge freely committed acts of genocide.

Having done a lot of travelling, Paran and I chose to fly straight to the island of Fu Quoc. It is an island that you would expect to be part of Cambodia given its geographical proximity (a view shared by Cambodia). It is a well developed island with lots of small resorts. We were initially misled by the guidebook to a small off-the-beaten-track budget guest house that was far from civilisation. So we trekked through rocks, sand, grass and sea to find a place to eat.

Paradise

My Cambodian lifestyle means that lunch is at 11am and dinner at 5pm. Paran clearly had no intention on converting to the Cambodian meal-time zone, and opted to force me to starve until an acceptable dinner time (9pm!). I was going to throw a hissy fit, but having seen Paran deal with a jelly fish by punching it in the face, I chose to keep my silence.

Without sounding too gay about it, I was really happy to have my closest friends make the journey. It is not cheap to travel here, nor is it cheap to travel with a VSO volunteer (we are spongers by nature). Cambodia is not en route between St Albans and Hendon, so sadly my brother could not make it.

So it was with great sadness, that I said goodbye at the end of the 3^rd week. All the karaoke bars in the world could not fill the void that was left. So, I headed to Siem Reap to tick the Ankor Wat box.

Bayon

Not being particularly intrepid by nature, I found the first day a little isolating. However, the following day I was taken aback by the scale of the temples constructed. I did the short circuit – Ankor Wat, Ankor Thom (including Bayon) and Ta Prom (aka the Tomb Raider one).

Awesome Trees in Ta Prom

Given its prominence is Cambodian life – from the flag to the famous beer brand, Ankor Wat is definitely worth a visit. Siem Reap itself  is not really representative of what most of Cambodia is like. If want to see real Cambodia, come to Stung Treng. But make sure you visit early, because by 6pm I shall already be tucked firmly in bed.