Cambodia (Battambang) - bat city

Battambang is the second largest city in Cambodia but to our surprise on arrival we found it more akin to a small French riverside town. Most buildings are no bigger than 3 stories and the streets lack street lights after dark. The locals are friendly and you don't get harassed by tuk tuk drivers or children street sellers which was nice coming from Phnom Penh. We plan to stay 3 nights and spend a day wondering around the town and another with a tuk tuk seeing the temples and caves around town.

Day 1 we meet a Kiwi couple and got a tuk tuk for the day. The main attractions include the ancient and ruined 'Banan Temple', the killing cave and temple, an old bamboo train and a bat cave. The first place we visted after coasting through some old villages and a fishing village was the bamboo railway. Its a 5km train track that still uses bamboo trains which can be dismantled and removed when needed. It was good fun going down the old, rickety tracks and more fun when we needed to dismantle it as there was a on coming train. Some of the down sides is that the train is extremely bumpy and when you hit a bad piece of track it feels like someone has kick you in the ass and you certainly know it. Also the train is completely open which is nice however what is not pleasurable are the swarms of large bugs and insects which hit you as you hurtle down the track, in hindsight a scarf to wrap around you head and mouth would be better unless you fancy a dinner of fresh live bugs.

Next was a visit to Banan Temple which included a 350 step steep climb to the hill on which the temple sits. What we didn't realised is how flat Cambodia seems, its like one massive flood plain with the odd hill which usually has a temple or pagoda on top of it. Banan temple was really good, a little bit like what we expext Angkor Wat to be like but smaller and thankfully hardly any other tourists which won't be the case in Siem Reap. The views from at the top were exceptional and the weather was ideal for it, bar the 35℃ heat.

Next we took a very precarious trip to the killing cave down a sand/mud road and with 4 people in the back I thought we wouldn't make it a few times. The cave is where thousands had been massacred by the Khmer Rouge, often injured and simply thrown to death down into the cave. At the bottom of the cave sits a laying Buddha and glass boxes full of bones and skulls. As with most places upon arrival you tend to atract a young boy who tries to lead you around and inevitably demands money at the end, he eventually got the message and cleared off but he was one of the most persistent hawkers we've had yet. After a further climb we reached the hill temple which was precariously built into and hanging over the mountain cliff. I personally didn't feel safe at some points, the temples was basically stuck overhanging the cliff and caves in some parts with what looked like questionable building work and shit loads of concrete. At the top a troop of monkeys roams freely hoping to score a free lunch from any visiter not holding on to there belongs tightly. As well a group of monks and men sat around doing not much who looked like they did a lot of that all day kept watch, occasionally throwing or shouting at the monkeys they probably know very well.

At dusk we moved to our next location, referred to as the bat cave to watch millions of bats leave for the evening before returning at sunrise. Watching the bats flow out like water from a tap, we stayed for around 25 minutes and the stream was none stop, we were told it takes about 40 minutes in total and as we headed back to town you see the bats break off in to several packs and appear as grey liquid like clouds floating and ever changing in the distance. Not a bad day out and it cost us only $10 for the driver all day which was good.

Day two we woke and as usual when we have a fridge cereal is on the menu for breakfast however after opening the box an army of ants had started to fest on it, we got rid of most and told our self we needed the extra protein but izzi didn't eat much of hers which is understandable. We headed out to explore the city and went to see some of the sights, often taking refuge from the sun and heat with periodic coffee stops. Izzi now is a true coffee lover which I didn't expect, getting a coffee at most opportunities and even liking the iced ones, next she'll be drink tea, a real drink. The actual city didn't offer us much other than a nice quiet and relaxed leisurely stroll and some good coffee. We booked on to our next destination of Siam Reap and prepared for another 5hr journey.

Overall we both really enjoyed our two full days even if we didn't do much on the last day. Battambang as a place was good and the temples and bats were interesting, a nice break from the hussle and bussel of many of the cities we have visited.

Vietnam (Mekong Delta -> Cambodia)

We were both apprehensive about how to get to the Mekong and through to Phnom Penh but after looking at several tour operators which ranged from $1000 to $50 for the accommodation, transport etc we went with a well known tour operator called Sinh Tourist. We got picked up at 7:30am to depart for the first drive to Mekong from Saigon, this wasn't to bad but still took 3 hours. We stopped and boarded a boat for the first trip. We went along one of the many Mekong tributaries to see how they grow and use the coconut, one of the areas biggest exports. It felt a bit like when we went to the Amazon but more developed and more settlements on the banks. We visted a bee farm also and tried some of the honey, it was okay seemed more like a sales trip to be honest as they tried to sell the stuff. One nice part is before we left two women and two men started to sing some traditional songs for us which was very interesting, not like we had a clue what they were singing about but still fascinating. We boarded the boat the went further down some of the smaller streams and into a coconut candy factory. They showed you how they make it and we bought a pack of peanut candy. Afterwards we boarded a large 'tuk tuk' like vehicle and headed for lunch, after we got off the tuk tuk we boarded a canoe and a Vietnamese lady rowed us down the small river to the place where we would eat - a local family home. The lunch was okay, nothing to shout about but we ate with four people who we had earlier got talking to which was nice. Two Germans, a mother and her youngest son, a couple from Ireland called Nicola and Kieran all of which were really nice to chat with and exchange stories. What was most horrific was that during lunch someone noticed something, upon furher inspection it was only someone killing and butchering a dog! I had just eaten some very average/nondescript meat and makes you wonder what on earth we have just eaten. One guy filmed it and when we watched it back it was pretty awful, they are not pets like in the west and a simply another meat source, the two men doing it didn't seem to have any emotional tie to the animal. Next it was back to the boat and another bus over the many many bridges which join the many islands in the Mekong and we arrive at the next destination, Can Tho. We stayed at probably the nicest hotel we had stayed at yet, a four star beast were we had two double beds, the largest bathroom and in top notch condition. Tea was good as well, again we sat as a 6 which made for good company. Afterwards we headed for the night market but it wasn't very big or good so us, Nicola and Kieran retreated to a bar. Second day we were up and out again by 7:30am heading to a floating market which was again very interesting. The market was more a whole sale market and the boats would advertise what they sold by hanging the types of friut high from a bamboo pole. Afterwards again further travel on the boat to a fruit and fish farm, we originally thought this wouldn't be good but it turned out to be interesting. We hadn't seen all the different types of fruit which you can buy growing and it was good to actually find out what some of the fruits were which you see growing everywhere, it finished with trying fruit samples. Afterwards we boarded a smaller bus as only 6 out of the group where going to Cambodia, luckily Nicola and Kiernan as well as another couple from Czech and Poland. We arrived at the final destination Chau Doc and went for tea. We ate as a group and were served several fish and meat dishes, the bbq style pork (I think) was delicious. We drank and talked for a few hours after and headed back to our 1 star hotel, quite the change from the previous nights luxury. After being back izzi started to feel ill, violently throwing up several times which wasn't good and had us both worried. We eventually got to bed about 12:30 which didn't leave long for sleep with another 6am start. The final day we checked out and ate the worst food we had had in Vietnam and boarded our final boat to the border. Firstly we visted a floating fish farm where the people live directly on top of thousands of fish and to a Cham village. The village was incredibly, it felt very untouched and was very interesting to see how they live. Even though we didn't stay more than an hour we both enjoyed the village a lot. We then had a 2hr 45min boat trip to the Cambodian border, again this was really good, travelling through the canals of the Mekong seeing all sort of stuff including buffalo crossing the river which was excellent. People who live on the riverside use the river for everything from washing, drinking, fishing and agriculture, it is the life source of there existence. We had read lots if bad things about crossing the border to Cambodia by boat but it ended up being fine. We paid $24 each for a month long visa and walked over it without any checks or trouble. The drive to Phnom Penh was another 2 hours on some pretty sketchy roads. We felt like there was a noticeable change once in Cambodia, it feeling less develop and a differing agriculture and housing styles. Upon arrival at Phnom Penh we jumped on a tuk tuk to take us to our hotel. Everything in Cambodia is in US dollar and tuk tuks line the streets asking "tuk tuk sir, madame, can I help?". In the first night I must have been asked 50+ times. All in all the Mekong trip was great fun and even better value, we got two nights and god know how much travel including most of our meals for $76pp. I'd recommend travelling that way as oppose to just sitting on a bus for several hours! We got to see lots of stuff all which we hadn't seen anywhere else in Vietnam.

Honk Kong buzz

Hong kong definitely has a bit of a buzz about it, more so than Shanghai and Beijing and more akin to London. You see lots of different people from different ethnicities, religions, backgrounds etc. Interesting (or maybe not) things we have noticed about Hong kong so far include:

# The use of 999 as emergency number
# Lots of English road and street names
# Less spitting and generaly more hygienic than other places we've been
# Lots of shark fin soup and herbal remedies
# Much more culturally diverse

Day 1 (Lantau Island)

Today we went to see the giant buddha on Lantau Island. We got there about 11am and still queued for nearly an hour to get a cable car to top. We decided against the glass bottom cabin as it was a lot more expensive and I'm glad anyway as it was very high and I'm not the best with heights. The 23m high buddha is nice although it didn't have any historic or spiritual feel like some other temples we have visited. After waking around the monastery (izzi hated all the incense being burnt) and sampling some vegi delights, we headed back down to Kowloon. The subway is good and efficient like all the other major cities in China we have seen, although more expensive than the others. We walked down Nathan Road (aka Golden Mile) to see the hustle and bustle and found an Indian restaurant our lonely planet book recommended. Tea tonight however will probably not be in a resturant!

Day 2 (Hong Kong Island)

Today we decided to go to the main island even if the weather didn't look so great. The forecast seems cloudy and overcast for the remaining days we have left so shouldn't make a difference which day we go up to the Peak. We started the day by getting the Star Ferry over to Hong Kong island which was very easy, cheap and remarkable pleasant. The island is packed with skyscrapers and office blocks. Firstly we took the world's longest escaltors up 800m (over 20 escalators) stopping of at the Man Mo template which turned out to be one of the nicest temples we've seen and we've seen a lot! The midlevel escalators were fun and half way up you re in an area called SoHo which is pretty cool, packed out with little boutique shops, cafes and restaurants in varying price, we had a Turkish kabab which hit the spot nicely. We next went up the the Peak Tram which was okay, basically complete cloud cover so we couldn't see anything but the world famous custard tarts are delicious. We chilled out then headed back down and went to Hong Kong park and saw lots of terapin and birds in massive outdoor bird cage which reminded me of Jurassic park 3, although not full of dinosaurs. We headed further down past the HSBC head quarters and into Statue Square. We followed our guide book to a good dim sum restaurant but turns out that's only on between 11-3 so ditched that idea. Next we head back over with on the ferry to see the symphony of lights and avenue of stars. The symphony was enjoyable but cheesy as hell and probably could have been done better. A long day again, next we plan to go Macau for the day and gamble some money ;)

Day 3 (Macau)

This morning we got up and went to get the ferry to Macau. It takes about an hour and is easy and probably more comfortable than flying. The ferry is a comfortable ride and the sea wasn't to bumpy which made it a breeze of a trip. Firstly we got public bus to the center where we walked around a ruined church, an old Portuguese fort and the Macau history musem which was actually really good. We then jumped on one of the numerous shuttle busses to the casinos on the neighbouring island and headed for Venetian, the worlds biggest casino. Its ridiculously big, it has 600 shops including a man utd shop, a full Venice style street with gondals and a fake sky, its impressive allbeit tacky as hell. After a walk around we headed for the casino floor, we soon realised that our budget was too small and the stakes on each table were too high. It was still busy even on a Tuesday afternoon. We headed straight for the slots and small time roulette tables, we didn't do so well. Izzi kept on asking where the 2p machines were!

Day 4 (kowloon and the hunt for shoes)

So today we had a day of exploring Kowloon, we first went to the history musem which was good and learnt about Hong Kong's long and turbulent past then went on a mission to find me some shoes. We went to about 20 shops and found they only stocked up to about a UK 10/11, I tried some on but couldn't fit in them. When we were nearing the end of out tether we headed to the Croc shop and boom, UK 12 in some, and cavas shoes as well. I ended up getting them but they weren't cheap, the same price as to get the Macau and back for the two of us! Atleast I have some footwear which isn't falling apart. In the evening we headed for some food and an early night. I decided to try a local dim sum restaurant and boy was it a bad decision, dim sum is the devils work! We got 5/6 dishes and they're not for me, izzi wasn't to bothered, one of them made me feel like throwing up when it entered my mouth, slimy and sickly it was like eating and long snotty piece of shit, never again will I order dim sum!

Woop woop arrived in Hong Kong

Just got to Hong Kong and got a good feeling about the place, its bustling, got a good vibe to the streets and our room is nice even if you can't swing a cat in it.

As you can tell the internet in Hong Kong is not restricted like main land China so we can publish blog posts, get on facebook, Twitter etc. Hopefully it will be good fun.

Lets see what's to be done.

Shanghai, the first place we would live

As you can tell from the title, Shanghai is the first place in China which we have visited which we both said that we could live here, not that we are planning to at all.

We arrived by plane from Xi'an, got fed noodles or rice and got on the free Wi-Fi in the airport which looked nice and new. We had a good feeling straight away as we were presented European toilets and no squats and English signs and directions at the airport which was a first. First day we got the subway to our hostel which is really good and the people are friendly and rooms clean. We went to a local restaurant for tea the first night and got a tasty spicy beef dish, fried potatoes, rice and beer. Shanghai seems a bit more expensive then anywhere else we have been so far. A trip to the local supermarket was required to load up on water, fruit and nibbles.

Day two explored the city, waking down The Bund (the really famous city view promenade), went to the cities old town and sight seeing to the "Yu Garden's". When walking down the bund it was the busiest its been yet, helped by the fact its the cities most famous area and the final day if the Chinese May day holidays. Chinese tourists asked for our photo a few times. The place provides spectacular views across the iconic city scape, it was a clean gorgeous day which added to it. The gardens where okay, we went as its in the top sights of our book but we have seen a lot of art and temples already. Better was the walk to it through the cities old town and bazaar, a bustling, tacky and interesting experience but fascinating all the same. After this we had dinner at another local restaurant down a local street, the food was really good again, beef noddles and a curry dish. The highlight however was after dinner we went to the highest viewing platform in the world, 100 floors up. It provided breath taking views on the city, both us of were terrified to be honest but still great fun. Izzi encountered a new one when going to the toilet, an electric toilet, you could spray water on your bits and dry them, with controls on the side. We finished the day with a beer on the opposite side of the river looking towards the bund. On the way home we witnessed a women and her child going to the toilet on the platform whilst waiting for the subway, minging and not appropriate!

After we spent two relaxing days around Shanghai, we went around the People's Square and to the free Shanghai museum, its okay. We start in the park outside for a few hours but ended up getting harassed by tramps which I eventually told to f off and then we moved to a better spot. The next day we went around the French Concession, its really quaint, has low rise buildings themed in a French/Mediterranean style. We sat and had a beer while watching the world go by (2-4-1 on Carlsburg as well). We spent the afternoon in a park relaxing and watching a local roller skate lesson. For tea we went to a low budget lonely planet guide recommend restaurant called Sichuan Citizen. I liked it but izzi not so much, and it could of been hotter even though the guide book says it will blow your head off. We visited The Bund to see Shanghai famous sky line at night, it was packed but what can you expect for a Friday night.

Next to Hong kong...

Xian and the Terracotta Army

We arrived in Xi'an by 16 hr train and both felt tired, things didn't get off to a good start as it took is ages to find our hotel and in 26 degree heat with a 20kg backpack it got sweaty. Things soon got better after we checked in and got ready to go out. We visited the city walls and the Muslim Quarter then got some food in a local food court. We went to the great mosque but asked a couple of western tourists if its worth it and they said it was just like any other temple in China and probably not so ditched that idea. The hotel has WiFi which is great, nice to be able to plan a bit more and see what's to be done.

Xi'an is much nicer than Datong and the people don't stare as much, however the hotel is down a street with the horrible looking flats (see photo). We have had a few problems with Google navigation and an out of date bus route map but nothing we haven't got used to. Its Chinese holidays at present so most places are packed out but not so bad.

We went to see the Terracotta Army which was really good. We had no trouble getting from our hotel to the army and back again all via public bus, not bad as its nearly 2 hours away in total. The place is laid out in 3 massive air craft hanger style pits, a cinema and a museum. In total we spent 4 hours walking round and followed our guide book tip to do the pits in reverse for a more outstanding finish in pit 1 with nearly 6000 life size terracotta figures.

We are both a bit bored of Chinese food and splashed out on a Pizza Hut for tea, ¥100 which is more than 3x tea the day before but not bad as its only £12.

Tomorrow we fly to Shanghai and try to catch the airport express from the center of Xi'an. Our first internal China flight. I wonder if we will get fed :) ......