We were meant to spend longer in Ho Chi Minh City, but had instead extended our stay in Cambodia to visit Siem Reap, and so in the end we only had one day to see it. We only really wanted to go there to find out about the history, visiting the tunnels where the Viet Cong would hide out during the war, and after taking a tip to see the war museum.
The tunnels were very interesting, and we learned about the intricate architectural designs used to prevent anyone from finding them such as horrible looking metal traps and trick tunnels leading in different directions. Thousands of people lived under the ground for twenty years meaning many people were born and died there. This inevitably led to lots of illnesses due to poor ventilation and lack of sunlight or exercise. They had to come up with solutions to get rid of excrement, and another problem they had was cooking food, as if they let the smoke appear over ground this would mean their hiding place would be found. We got to go down inside the tunnel which was surprisingly small and uncomfortable to crawl through. The tunnel is also a lot wider and taller than it used to be so it's hard to imagine how awful it must have been!
The war museum showed us a different side to the war, seeing it from the side of Vietnam, such a war torn country. We know of it as 'The Vietnam war' yet to them it was 'The American War'. The photographs were very disturbing, showing very gruesome images. I have studied about the effect these images had on the world's support for America in the war through the media, and so it was interesting to see, yet at the same time they were some of the most distressing photographs I have ever seen. It was horrible learning about the effect that the chemicals still have on people today several generations down.
We went out for a few beers afterwards (we needed them after our heavy day) before getting a plane to Vientiane so we could spend Christmas day in Vang Vieng. We are going to go back to Vietnam to explore Hanoi in January before my journey to India.
Thursday 29 December 2011
Phnom Penh & Siem Reap!
Our journey from Koh Phangan to Phnom Penh was the longest journey we have had yet, consisting of tuk tuk, overnight boat, taxi, bus, aeroplane and another taxi. It was hectic! One of the girls we met in Koh Phangan, Erna, met us there, and another, Kaytee, met us a couple of days later. It was fantastic to see another countries with the girls and stay in contact for a little while longer as we all got on very well.
The history of Phnom Penh is fascinating, and we spent a (very sad) day exploring the killing fields and prison. They were both very shocking. The Killing fields were very quiet and serene with lots of butterflies and trees around. It could be such a beautiful place. It's awful to hear how recent the tragic events were and to learn that the majority of people in Cambodia will know somebody who lost their lives under the regime. Every time it rains they discover more bones of those buried in the mass graves. There are even clothes and bones which are visible. It was distressing to see the clothes of very small children. Pol Pot believed that it was better to murder an innocent person by mistake than to risk not killing somebody who could be guilty of opposing his regime, and would kill every member of a persons family so as not to risk anybody taking revenge. This included babies. They used to play music from loud speakers to drown out the screams of those being killed. The audio tour was very good and used accounts from people who actually witnessed what happened and how it affected them and their country.
Our trip wasn't all sad though and on a different evening we went to a boat party with some people we met at the hostel. It started late which was a shame as it was meant to be at sunset and by the time the boat left the riverside it was dark, but we still had a great night.
On another day, me, Kaytee and Erna hired quad bikes and explored the Cambodian country side at sunset. It was amazing to see what the rural areas of the country is like - as there are only three big cities and the majority of the rest of the country is made up of small villages. All the little children living on our route would run out to wave at us and say hello. They were extremely cute, yet I didn't wave back much as I didn't want to lose control over the bike and risk hitting one of them!
That evening we got a taxi to Siem Reap where we visited the amazing Angkor Wat temples. The taxi ride was terrifying. Our driver even drove down the wrong side of the road on a busy highway for a while until Erna asked him to stop. I have no idea what he was thinking. It is often a rarity to have seat belts in taxi's aswell, and so we were all gripping our seats. The temples were gorgeous, and definitely worth the taxi ride from hell. We saw the temple that Tomb Raider was filmed, and all had fun climbing around the rocks putting on our best Lara Croft impressions. My favourite temple had lots of huge faces everywhere. They were like nothing I have ever seen before and it was interesting to imagine what they would have looked like when they were functioning temples hundreds of years ago in the twelfth century.
Me and Jess left for Ho Chi Minh city the next day for another stressful journey of long buses, this time unfortunately with a horrible stomach bug. I spent the entire 13 hour bus ride being sick into a plastic bag - not pleasant for me or anybody else who was unlucky to be sat close to me!
The history of Phnom Penh is fascinating, and we spent a (very sad) day exploring the killing fields and prison. They were both very shocking. The Killing fields were very quiet and serene with lots of butterflies and trees around. It could be such a beautiful place. It's awful to hear how recent the tragic events were and to learn that the majority of people in Cambodia will know somebody who lost their lives under the regime. Every time it rains they discover more bones of those buried in the mass graves. There are even clothes and bones which are visible. It was distressing to see the clothes of very small children. Pol Pot believed that it was better to murder an innocent person by mistake than to risk not killing somebody who could be guilty of opposing his regime, and would kill every member of a persons family so as not to risk anybody taking revenge. This included babies. They used to play music from loud speakers to drown out the screams of those being killed. The audio tour was very good and used accounts from people who actually witnessed what happened and how it affected them and their country.
Our trip wasn't all sad though and on a different evening we went to a boat party with some people we met at the hostel. It started late which was a shame as it was meant to be at sunset and by the time the boat left the riverside it was dark, but we still had a great night.
On another day, me, Kaytee and Erna hired quad bikes and explored the Cambodian country side at sunset. It was amazing to see what the rural areas of the country is like - as there are only three big cities and the majority of the rest of the country is made up of small villages. All the little children living on our route would run out to wave at us and say hello. They were extremely cute, yet I didn't wave back much as I didn't want to lose control over the bike and risk hitting one of them!
That evening we got a taxi to Siem Reap where we visited the amazing Angkor Wat temples. The taxi ride was terrifying. Our driver even drove down the wrong side of the road on a busy highway for a while until Erna asked him to stop. I have no idea what he was thinking. It is often a rarity to have seat belts in taxi's aswell, and so we were all gripping our seats. The temples were gorgeous, and definitely worth the taxi ride from hell. We saw the temple that Tomb Raider was filmed, and all had fun climbing around the rocks putting on our best Lara Croft impressions. My favourite temple had lots of huge faces everywhere. They were like nothing I have ever seen before and it was interesting to imagine what they would have looked like when they were functioning temples hundreds of years ago in the twelfth century.
Me and Jess left for Ho Chi Minh city the next day for another stressful journey of long buses, this time unfortunately with a horrible stomach bug. I spent the entire 13 hour bus ride being sick into a plastic bag - not pleasant for me or anybody else who was unlucky to be sat close to me!
Koh Phangan!
We went to Koh Phangan for the full moon party of the 10th December, which was as mad as we had expected it to be. The parties are different to those on the Phi Phi islands, with less different bars. I felt it was more centred around getting wasted. The days leading up to the party were just as mental as the actual night of Full Moon. The day after the actual party it was shocking to see all the people with bandages and injuries showing how unsafe it can be. Not really much else to report on Koh Phangan as we just spent a week partying really, but had a great time with some amazing people.
Tuesday 6 December 2011
Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, & Koh Tao!
When we first arrived in Phuket we had decided to spend a couple of
days in Katta, an area quieter than Patong. On our first night we were
quite disappointed with the local bars which seemed to be full of old
men gawping at young Thai women, however the next day we spent lay on
the beach and afterwards found a really chilled out reggae bar which to
enter you had to wade through the sea.
The next day we took a tour on a boat to see a few different islands, including 'James Bond Island' (famous for being the set of one of the films). It was beautiful! But I think I would have appreciated it a bit more if I had drank less rum at the reggae bar the night before... We got in kayaks and explored some caves on another island, and went for a quick swim at another one.
That night we left for Patong, famous for it's nightlife. Our time in Patong mainy consisted of sunbathing and clubbing, so not much to report about that.
After Patong, we visited Koh Phi Phi. We were staying in bamboo huts at the top of a hill. The huts were basic and there were LOADS of mosquitos, but it was amazing, and the view from our balcony was gorgeous. Unfortunately to get to our hut we had to walk past the islands sewage system, which somebody had renamed 'Poo gardens'. It wasn't a pleasant smell.... The beach on Phi Phi was amazing with loads of little bars, UV body paint, fire shows, and buckets of Sang Soom (Thai rum). We went out every night we were there - always promising ourselves we would take it easy yet ending up stumbling home in the early hours of the morning. I loved it! We met some amazing girls who we became great friends with and we all went out for a tour on boats to see Maya Bay, where 'The Beach' was filmed. On the way we got to stop at a secluded beach on a different island for lunch and also tried out snorkeling. I am not a fan of it though, and ended up panicking because we were so far out to sea, and also the depth of the ocean. The water was so clear it was like tap water so you could see everything. That night we all bought fluorescent shirts and went out for some UV fun.
Phi Phi was probably one of the best places I have ever been. There were no Taxis because the island is so small everyone just walks wherever they go, and there is always something going on in the evening.
We spent one night in Krabi in a nice hotel and it was such a relief to be somewhere with a lovely clean bathroom and comfortable beds after four nights in the huts.
Next was Koh Tao, which we had assumed would be easy to get to, but typically none of us had actually researched transport. We knew there was a three hour drive to Surat Thani to the ferry, yet didn't realise the ferry would take so long to get there. We were told by the man on reception at the hotel that there was no overnight ferry because it was not high season, and even claimed to phone up the pier to check. This wasn't such a problem for me and Jess as we had a couple more weeks in Thailand so our plans were flexible, but it was for Madeleine as her days in Thailand were limited. She ended up booking a flight to Bangkok from Surat Thani, and checked in online as she wasn't sure how easy it would be to access wifi when we arrived. When we actually got there, we found out that the man at the hotel was infact wrong and the night ferry was still running. Poor Madeleine couldn't change her flight as she had already checked in! We are going to complain about this to the hotel, although they probably wont take any notice.
We had been advised by loads of people to go to Koh Tao, but it seems at the moment there are renovations going on everywhere meaning you can't relax anywhere without hearing sawing and drilling. (I can hear it right now) However, we found some fire shows, buckets, and a drum and bass night, so I was happy. Last night I even tried fire Poi on the beach.
Unfortunately Madeleine had to go home yesterday and we were very sad to see her go as we have had an amazing time with her. Today we were meant to go to Koh Phangan, but we missed the ferry this morning. This has worked out for the best though because when we phoned up the hostel to let them know, the lady told us there had been a mistake with the booking and we aren't meant to check in until tomorrow anyway! So we have one more night in Koh Tao before a week of partying leading up to the Full Moon party!
The next day we took a tour on a boat to see a few different islands, including 'James Bond Island' (famous for being the set of one of the films). It was beautiful! But I think I would have appreciated it a bit more if I had drank less rum at the reggae bar the night before... We got in kayaks and explored some caves on another island, and went for a quick swim at another one.
That night we left for Patong, famous for it's nightlife. Our time in Patong mainy consisted of sunbathing and clubbing, so not much to report about that.
After Patong, we visited Koh Phi Phi. We were staying in bamboo huts at the top of a hill. The huts were basic and there were LOADS of mosquitos, but it was amazing, and the view from our balcony was gorgeous. Unfortunately to get to our hut we had to walk past the islands sewage system, which somebody had renamed 'Poo gardens'. It wasn't a pleasant smell.... The beach on Phi Phi was amazing with loads of little bars, UV body paint, fire shows, and buckets of Sang Soom (Thai rum). We went out every night we were there - always promising ourselves we would take it easy yet ending up stumbling home in the early hours of the morning. I loved it! We met some amazing girls who we became great friends with and we all went out for a tour on boats to see Maya Bay, where 'The Beach' was filmed. On the way we got to stop at a secluded beach on a different island for lunch and also tried out snorkeling. I am not a fan of it though, and ended up panicking because we were so far out to sea, and also the depth of the ocean. The water was so clear it was like tap water so you could see everything. That night we all bought fluorescent shirts and went out for some UV fun.
Phi Phi was probably one of the best places I have ever been. There were no Taxis because the island is so small everyone just walks wherever they go, and there is always something going on in the evening.
We spent one night in Krabi in a nice hotel and it was such a relief to be somewhere with a lovely clean bathroom and comfortable beds after four nights in the huts.
Next was Koh Tao, which we had assumed would be easy to get to, but typically none of us had actually researched transport. We knew there was a three hour drive to Surat Thani to the ferry, yet didn't realise the ferry would take so long to get there. We were told by the man on reception at the hotel that there was no overnight ferry because it was not high season, and even claimed to phone up the pier to check. This wasn't such a problem for me and Jess as we had a couple more weeks in Thailand so our plans were flexible, but it was for Madeleine as her days in Thailand were limited. She ended up booking a flight to Bangkok from Surat Thani, and checked in online as she wasn't sure how easy it would be to access wifi when we arrived. When we actually got there, we found out that the man at the hotel was infact wrong and the night ferry was still running. Poor Madeleine couldn't change her flight as she had already checked in! We are going to complain about this to the hotel, although they probably wont take any notice.
We had been advised by loads of people to go to Koh Tao, but it seems at the moment there are renovations going on everywhere meaning you can't relax anywhere without hearing sawing and drilling. (I can hear it right now) However, we found some fire shows, buckets, and a drum and bass night, so I was happy. Last night I even tried fire Poi on the beach.
Unfortunately Madeleine had to go home yesterday and we were very sad to see her go as we have had an amazing time with her. Today we were meant to go to Koh Phangan, but we missed the ferry this morning. This has worked out for the best though because when we phoned up the hostel to let them know, the lady told us there had been a mistake with the booking and we aren't meant to check in until tomorrow anyway! So we have one more night in Koh Tao before a week of partying leading up to the Full Moon party!
Thursday 1 December 2011
Chiang Mai!
We had originally planned to spend a week in Bangkok, but as the Foreign office warnings were still advising against all but essential travel, if we left the airport and something happened there would be a chance our travel insurance would be void, and so we booked connecting flights to the north of Thailand.
It was lovely to be somewhere that was less humid! The hostel we were staying at was really friendly and we met loads of people when we arrived. We took our first ever tuk tuk on a day out to Tiger Kingdom which was great fun. I could just sit and get driven around on one of them all day just looking at the city and feeling a nice breeze, although they aren't so great for good hair days! I was worried that it would be quite cruel towards the Tigers and had heard rumors that the tigers get drugged to make them more placid, and sometimes chained to the floor, but when we got there they all looked quite awake and there were no chains. We first went in the cage with the baby tigers who were only a few months old and really cute before moving on to medium, and then large. It was surreal to be stood next to such an enormous powerful animal and I was happy to have my photo taken quickly before making an extremely fast exit.
On another one of the days before Madeleine's arrival we also went on a boat cruise recommended by the lonely planet book, but it was really disappointing and quite boring.
When Madeleine arrived on Sunday we were really excited about meeting her at the airport with a sign, but she managed to get an earlier flight so unfortunately I wasn't even out of bed. However, it meant we could spend the entire day together. I got my first ever Thai massage and after carrying my backpack around it felt amazing on my shoulders. We then spent the afternoon wandering around the market and eating loads of strange foods. We ate fried grasshoppers and maggots, before eating meat on a stick, quails eggs, and some sushi. My stomach must have been confused after all that!
The next day we went on an elephant training course. It was absolutely amazing, and I think the highlight of this entire trip. We were given some silly outfits to wear, and a big straw hat as we were out in the sun for so long so we all looked absolutely hilarious. We were then taught how to get on and off the elephants. Unfortunately I'm not the most graceful person when it comes to climbing things and had some trouble with my legs flailing around but I made it up and back down again alright in the end. We were then shown how to control them, giving them directions by tucking a stick under their ears and saying something in Thai (which was impossible to remember). Once we had got the basic hang of it we were then allowed to ride down to the river. It was so scary being in charge of an elephant, but absolutely great fun. I named mine Nellie of course. We then got to wash them in the river with some sort of root that when wet made a sort of lathery foam. We were told this is really good for the elephants skin so I rubbed a bit on my leg, but I don't think it did anything but make me dirtier. Afterwards they prepared us some food before we got given a certificate to show we can now control elephants. I have my elephant licence before I even have my driving licence.
Because the elephant training was only a half day tour, we decided to do a cooking class in the evening where we were shown how to prepare Thai food. We made some amazing dishes which I will make for you all when I get home. I think the soup I made was the best food I have eaten since I have been in Thailand!
To top off this amazing day we went on an extremely drunken night out which was great fun, but we had planned for the night to be a bit more restrained than it turned out to be as we had another tour booked for 7am the next day to visit Chiang Rai. We got taken to see the some hot springs before going to see the White temple. The temple was gorgeous. To get inside you had to walk along a path with hands coming up out of the floor either side and horrible statues of scary looking faces. This was meant to represent crossing hell to get to heaven. There was a man on a microphone, his voice booming down to keep walking and not look back. Inside the temple had some really strange paintings representing hell of Superman, Darth Vader, and Harry Potter.
We were then taken to a dock where we got a small boat past the Golden Triangle, a piece of no mans land between Thailand and Laos. Because there is no law there it used to be used as a place for people to trade opium. The name the golden triangle is because there would be people using so many different currencies, they would instead use gold. I didn't get any opium. We got to stop in Laos for a little look round, where I saw the biggest spider I have been in contact with on my entire trip. This is quite worrying as me and Jess are spending Christmas and New Years in an open aired treehouse in Vang Vieng...
After the trip and a bite to eat we visited a tribe where the girls are encouraged to wear gold rings around their neck to push down their shoulders giving the illusion of extended necks. It was really interesting.
The next day we got a plane down to Phuket. Chiang Mai was amazing fun and I would definitely recommend it to anyone taking a trip to Thailand.
It was lovely to be somewhere that was less humid! The hostel we were staying at was really friendly and we met loads of people when we arrived. We took our first ever tuk tuk on a day out to Tiger Kingdom which was great fun. I could just sit and get driven around on one of them all day just looking at the city and feeling a nice breeze, although they aren't so great for good hair days! I was worried that it would be quite cruel towards the Tigers and had heard rumors that the tigers get drugged to make them more placid, and sometimes chained to the floor, but when we got there they all looked quite awake and there were no chains. We first went in the cage with the baby tigers who were only a few months old and really cute before moving on to medium, and then large. It was surreal to be stood next to such an enormous powerful animal and I was happy to have my photo taken quickly before making an extremely fast exit.
On another one of the days before Madeleine's arrival we also went on a boat cruise recommended by the lonely planet book, but it was really disappointing and quite boring.
When Madeleine arrived on Sunday we were really excited about meeting her at the airport with a sign, but she managed to get an earlier flight so unfortunately I wasn't even out of bed. However, it meant we could spend the entire day together. I got my first ever Thai massage and after carrying my backpack around it felt amazing on my shoulders. We then spent the afternoon wandering around the market and eating loads of strange foods. We ate fried grasshoppers and maggots, before eating meat on a stick, quails eggs, and some sushi. My stomach must have been confused after all that!
The next day we went on an elephant training course. It was absolutely amazing, and I think the highlight of this entire trip. We were given some silly outfits to wear, and a big straw hat as we were out in the sun for so long so we all looked absolutely hilarious. We were then taught how to get on and off the elephants. Unfortunately I'm not the most graceful person when it comes to climbing things and had some trouble with my legs flailing around but I made it up and back down again alright in the end. We were then shown how to control them, giving them directions by tucking a stick under their ears and saying something in Thai (which was impossible to remember). Once we had got the basic hang of it we were then allowed to ride down to the river. It was so scary being in charge of an elephant, but absolutely great fun. I named mine Nellie of course. We then got to wash them in the river with some sort of root that when wet made a sort of lathery foam. We were told this is really good for the elephants skin so I rubbed a bit on my leg, but I don't think it did anything but make me dirtier. Afterwards they prepared us some food before we got given a certificate to show we can now control elephants. I have my elephant licence before I even have my driving licence.
Because the elephant training was only a half day tour, we decided to do a cooking class in the evening where we were shown how to prepare Thai food. We made some amazing dishes which I will make for you all when I get home. I think the soup I made was the best food I have eaten since I have been in Thailand!
To top off this amazing day we went on an extremely drunken night out which was great fun, but we had planned for the night to be a bit more restrained than it turned out to be as we had another tour booked for 7am the next day to visit Chiang Rai. We got taken to see the some hot springs before going to see the White temple. The temple was gorgeous. To get inside you had to walk along a path with hands coming up out of the floor either side and horrible statues of scary looking faces. This was meant to represent crossing hell to get to heaven. There was a man on a microphone, his voice booming down to keep walking and not look back. Inside the temple had some really strange paintings representing hell of Superman, Darth Vader, and Harry Potter.
We were then taken to a dock where we got a small boat past the Golden Triangle, a piece of no mans land between Thailand and Laos. Because there is no law there it used to be used as a place for people to trade opium. The name the golden triangle is because there would be people using so many different currencies, they would instead use gold. I didn't get any opium. We got to stop in Laos for a little look round, where I saw the biggest spider I have been in contact with on my entire trip. This is quite worrying as me and Jess are spending Christmas and New Years in an open aired treehouse in Vang Vieng...
After the trip and a bite to eat we visited a tribe where the girls are encouraged to wear gold rings around their neck to push down their shoulders giving the illusion of extended necks. It was really interesting.
The next day we got a plane down to Phuket. Chiang Mai was amazing fun and I would definitely recommend it to anyone taking a trip to Thailand.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)