Cambodia (Phnom Penh) - Tuk Tuk Sir!

We arrived in Cambodia from a long drive but in good spirits. On arrival we jumped on a tuk tuk to take us to our guesthouse called Velkomen Guesthouse. We headed out for the day and strolled around the city seeing what's what and craving something other than noodles or rice so we opted for a classic of burger and chips and lasagne. As with most of the western style food we've eaten it was below standard compared to the local food and more expensive! This didn't however stop us from getting a pizza and an Indian during the following few days which actually were quite good. The pizza was a new one for us, you tell the waitress how 'happy' you want your a-la-ganja pizza and they prepare it for you and you leave happy as Larry. One of the first things we noticed about Phnom Penh is the sheer number of tuk tuk drivers they're all shouting 'tuk tuk sir, madame, you want tour', it quickly got tiresome and over the 3 days I must have said 'no thanks' about 500 times.  If I want a tuk tuk I will go get one but don't assume that as we are white and are walking down the street you need to yell from a distance on the off chance I will all of a sudden decide I need a tuk tuk! The other thing which quickly became apparent are the children street sellers. It seems endemic in Phnom Penh with children as young as 5/6 walking round with trays of sunglasses, books, bracelets, cigarettes etc. This also gets tiresome and is difficult to escape, when we ate we made sure we sat inside and not on the street front but they still come in and they try stupid little games in order to make you buy something, one got quite rude and annoyed that I didn't want anything and wouldn't play her game. I guess that poverty breeds this behaviour and parents will exploit their children to get by. It was the number of them which was amazing, on the main river font which wasn't actually that big maybe 30-50 children walked up and down. During our three days we went to all the sites including Wat Phnom, Royal Palace, Silver pagoda, Killing fields, S21 Genocide Prison with the genocide prison and killing fields being very eye opening to the horrific and recent past of Cambodia where nearly 2 million people where brutally killed for no good reason during a 3 year period before Vietnam invaded and over turned the Khmer Rouge. The royal palace was over priced but okay, with impressive buildings and architecture and very peaceful and beautiful surroundings. We ended up getting lost one day and actually needed a tuk tuk for once and when we went to temples we were allowed in as izzi had shorts and vest top so we needed to go back and get changed. The killings fields were a camp where over 20,000 people where buried in mass graves which were killed of all ages and sex including women and children. They have only dugg up several mass graves and left the others in peace but in the ones they haven't touched you could see bones, teeth and cloths all protruding from the ground. An excellent audio guide takes you around the place for about 2 hours with several shaded stops which the guide depicts the atrocities which had taken place in front of where you look. We also took a visit to the Russian market where izzi managed to find some new flip flops, the market itself is massive and it sells almost anything you can imagine. It has sections for cloths, food, meat, car parts, souvenirs, antiques etc, a lot of it was tat but still an interesting and also sweaty experience. We leave Phnom Penh feeling we have seen what we want to see and having more knowledge of the history and culture, however we know we will need to return later in our trip as it seems to be the central point for all travel to other areas of the country. We leave for Battambang next on a 6 hour bus.

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.

Vietnam (Saigon / Ho Chi Minh City)

The bus was delayed with traffic getting in and took nearly 6 hours to get here from Mui Ne which wasn't the easiest of journeys. The place is booming, so busy with people and scooters, almost all of the pavement is swallowed up by bars, cafes, fast food and other small stalles and shops so that you basically walk on the road. The road itself seems like organised madness, scooters and cars travel on both sides in both directions but amazingly everyone stays calm and we haven't seen any crashes yet unlike in Hanoi. The room we have is probably the worst we have had yet in Vietnam but still not so bad. The bathroom looks and feels like its from the 50's but still functions (just). The room is dirty and noise from the outside bellows in like a large megaphone. We do have a fridge which is always a bonus and the air con is okay, when its working! The first evening we stayed out meeting some Germans and Brits and not getting in 'til gone 2am (not really that late). The culture here seems to be sitting outside and drining on very small chairs, drinking very cheap beer and chatting the night away which is good. I also tried something new, I didn't get the name of it but its basically a steamed duck egg but the baby duck is still inside, not the most attractive food especially to think about but its something new. The taste is like chicken'y boiled egg, I only tried a spoon full and didn't go for the full foetus!

First day we went to get some supplies and izzi took the plunge and had some trousers made for her, not bad for £7, she now resembles a character from Aladdin or just another traveller. We headed out for the day to the War Remnants Museum which documents the American Vietnam war and all its horrors. It has a very one sided and biased view of things but that's what you get used to being in a communist run country. One of the most intersting and disturbing areas was the Agent Orange photography, a toxic chemical which was used by America to destroy vegetation so the Viet Con couldn't hide, causing genetic mutations lasting several generations down the line. There were lots of very interesting and highly emotive scenes and artifacts, my only problem is the one sided approach annoyed me. Obviously America did some pretty awful things but war is brutal and horrific by its nature, regardless of side, type, religion etc. I also know that the Viet Cong did some pretty awful and horrific things which were not shown and given enough attention. All in all a very good museum. We stopped of at a local market for dinner sitting on stools about 6-10 inches from the ground, with a table made of pastic crates and a tray. The food was very good and well worth the £2 we spent on it!

Second day we have booked on to a bus trip to see the Cu Chi tunnels, about 40km outside of Saigon. The tunnels consist of 200km of hand dug tunnels on three levels which were used to fight, live and resist America, quite successfully as well. We got to go down into the tunnels but izzi bottled it half way down and went back up, I don't blame her tbh. At one point I was on all fours crawling through the tunnels in darkness with people in front and behind, I could not see and went straight into someone ass, head first! They were hot and tight, it must have been hellish to stay down there for long periods. They also had been widened for tourists to go down which was incredibly to think they even fit, a common tactic was to boobie trap the tunnels so American soliders would be killed or injured if they came down. At the end of the tour you could visit a firing range and try out some of the weapons which were used in the war. I optened for a magazine of M16 bullets, it was great fun. I have fired shotguns in the past but never a machine gun, quite the powerful beast it was, not sue how good I was but it was fun.

After much deliberation and research we have decided to go to the Mekong Delta for a few day. Tomorrow we leave at 7am by bus to the Mekong travelling through different places and up the Mekong and fianlly through the boarder to Cambodia and into Phnom Penh. We will have done 28 days in Vietnam and travelled from north to south stopping at 9 of the most well known places. Maybe in Cambodia we will go off the beaten track more and see what it has to offer.

Mekong route:
Saigon -> Ben Tre -> Can Tho -> Caig Rang -> Long Xuyen -> Chau Doc -> Phnom Penh (Cambodia) 

Vietnam (Mui Ne)

Not much to say, we got off the bus to what felt like a ghost town. Mui Ne was dead, very little life but we had three nights booked so settled down for a few days of relaxation. The first night we didn't do much other than explore the seafront and eat some food. The hotel was okay, we had a not so bad room, the hotel had live music and was positioned centrally and the food was nice but expensive. We had a few things we wanted to do and planned our next few days. The hotel however did lie about its facilities e.g. laundry service, safe in room etc. The saving grace was a backpackers hostel next door that did laundry and also offered the cheapest bus and tour options we found on the strip. We tried to play crazy golf one day but the place was shut and resigned ourselves to a bit more relaxation. The hotel backed straight on to the sea, no beach though which we thought seemed a bit poor. The beach was about 10-15 walk further down the coast. We did venture out to visit some red and white sand dunes and a small fresh water steam which was nice. The sand dunes were mediocre in our opinion and felt more like several sandy hills, not as grand or as interesting as we originally thought. We had read you can sledge down them but upon arriving and seeing it in action it looked pretty lame. We had a few days to gather our thoughts and prepare for the next place but we won't be going back in a rush. Next we go to Saigon, the capital of Vietnam and then on to Cambodia to the next phase of the trip.

Vietnam (Da Lat) - Easy Rider

Dalat seems really nice and its so refreshing to have a climate more akin to England albeit when it rains it rains cats and dogs! Our hotel is pimping, we booked 'Dreams Hotel' via email from reading reviews saying it was the best backpacker place in town and it most certainly feels like it. We have shower and hot tub to ourselves, two double beds, massive room and a lush breakfast where they had a jar of Marmite, I was in heaven. Our first sighting of the the delicious black salty treacle like substance made for a good start to the day! We have only one full day here so decided to do an easy rider tour, basically you travel around on a easy rider style motor bike and vist the sights, the idea is that the bike goes places which aren't as touristy and should see more of the real Vietnam and the culture. We booked on the suggestion from someone we meet at the hotel and hoped for the best. First night we ate at a local restaurant and a fight broke out opposite the road, drunken local men hitting each other with snooker ques, looked nasty and we soon scarpered.

The next morning we were picked up by our riders, and headed out for the day. Visiting the Dragon pagoda, named because outside the pagoda a ginormous dragon snakes around its gardens. Next a stop to walk up high peak for views of the surrounding land, we thought that actually this was just a distraction as they both wanted breakfast. We headed further into the countryside stopping next at a flower farm. Dalat produces a huge amount of flowers which are exported all around Asia, the climate and fertil soil  creates a perfect environment for fruits, vegetables and flowers. As far as the eye can see you see row after row of green houses and fields cut into the hilly sides like giant steps. The next stop was most interesting, stopping at a silk worm farm and factory. You see the worms at all stages including at various stages of them creating their silk cocoons, we had both never seen anything like it. The factory where they process the silk cocoons reminded me of Victorian cotton mill. Women steamed then manually attached the cocoons to a machine which then unravelled the silk on the large spindles. Further down the spindles where dyed and weaved into various patterns and cloths. The whole process seemed dangours and old fashioned, especially the large weaving machines. Next we headed for Elephant Falls which was impressive but busy making the steep slippery walk down tedious. Lunch was a typical Vietnamese style selection with spring rolls, various meats, rice and veg. Afte dinner we visited a rice wine factory and a weasel coffee producer. I had read about weasel coffee so was always going to try it. Weasel coffee consists of coffee which had been eaten and digested by a weasel, an expensive delicacy in Vietnam. Upon arrival we found that it in fact looked quite cruel and unpleasant for the animal. About 20+ weseals in cages with grid floors to catch the poop. The idea is that the coffee is improved by not only the digestion process but by the fact the weasel only selects the best beans to eat. It tasted very strong, slightly sweet and quite viscous in texture. I'm positive that the experience and taste didn't justify the animals being caged up but it was an interesting experience none the less. Our next stop was a cricket farm where they breed crickets for consumption by humans. After having a look around we had the opportunity to try some which had been stir fried. I obviously tried them but Izzi chickened out. The taste can only be described as crickety! The final stop was at the Crazy House, literally a crazy house that has been under construction for years by a crazy architect, it was quite underwhelming to be honest. One of the best parts of the day was just travelling around on the bikes, bombing around the countryside and seeing breath taking views of the surrounding jungles and hillsides.