Backpacking

Sam getting agro cause repeats are on the telle, hey, they only got 70 channels! Aparently Cambodians love TV as they can´t afford to do anything else. The skyline is crammed with satilite dishes. We just went for a small walk up the street to get a small snack before dinner (can't walk for too long, Sam has Angkor Wat chefs!) Pork roll for just 100 Reil, which is about 25c! Bargin!

Today we went to Angkor Wat and surrounding temples... 1st of all, it was F#@k'n HOT!! It's way hotter this time of year in Cambodia that in Vietnam.

Lots of kids trying to sell us bangles, you get pretty sick of it. In the end, we offer to sell them some of our belongings and hassel them back, "buy my shoes, but my camera" They get it, have a laugh, we ask why their not at school and they tell us they only go in the mornings. The kids learn very good english and have a lot of knowledge about austalia and other countries.

I can't really do the temples any justice by writting about them. They are just amazing. A couple of things, they are very old, built in the 12th century by the help of elephants, they are massive, they are stone and you can climb and walk all over them. I love the hundreds of smiling faces and lotus buds.

By the end of the day our clothes are covered in sweat and we can't look at any more temples.

Yes, finally a sleep in! We slept from 2 after lunch to 10am this morning with much thanks to our happy pizza, after ordering our small sized pizza with extra happy we were completely stoned out of our minds. F@#k'd! we couldn't hold a converstaion with each other. We had planned on a few manderin vodkas, we even made a special trip to the shop and stocked up on lamonade and plastic cups, had a makeshift table on the balconly, armed with a pack of cards... Nope. Smashed. Plain bread had never tasted so good.

Travelling long days has taken a toll on my sick fluey body. We are doing 12 hour travel days up at 5 in the morning. We opted for the slow travel along the Mekong Delta travelling from Siagon to Phnom Penh, hoping to see some beautiful scenary along the way. The bordẹr crossing a pain in the asshole. Passport in, passport out, long interigating stare from offical, passport in, passport out.... Then bus, boat, bus, boat, another boat, another bus. The boats are deffinately more comfortable than the buses but chug along at zero speed.

The Mekong itself and the floating markets being the main attractions. A short stop-over on an island and rode some pushies then had lunch at a small local kitchen before heading of to see a basa fish farm.

I´m a bit scared of Phnom Phen, the capital of Cambodia. Its a very black and white city. Rich tourists, poor backstreet locals. One side of the street could be filled with garbage, beggers and stench and the other with 5 star hotels, royal palaces, french frestaurants and mod looking bars. PP has the worst roads in the world, they live in shit and dirt, drink pìssy water and have the most beautiful golden temples splattered all over the place. Very different to Vietnam.

We are here staying at the Ankor International where we have a mouldy dirty shower, a crappy view of the stinking markets and road works and extremely rude staff.
A little kid tried to sell us some books and postcards. We told him we didn´t want any, he got very angry and ripped up a postcard and threw it at us and called Sam a fuckhole. Very funny.

So in the end I didn´t take to PP, but I did spend the day in bed from happy pizza being too happy and later very very sick to the point of throwing up in mouth walking through those disgusting stinking markets....so I probably didn't give PP my best shot....but I´m not rushing back!

Having fun in the ever moving Siagon. This place is frantic! Night and day, busy, fast, absolute choas! Been walking lots, Got up really early cos I'm not used to the time change yet. We lost ourselves in the many un-named streets. After cruising around Saigon crossing the road between oncoming Hondas driven by women clad from head-to-toe. I can't say my method is very complex. I look to the right or left, and just hope they don't hit me.

Today we scoped the city's attractions and took a ride on a cyclo, wherever there is a market, we found it. Bought the new James Bond movie for $1.20. Had some beer in a bar with mist blowing in the doorway. Bought some photocopied rip off books from street lady.

Its 37C outside and the women here where jeans, gloves, a singlet, then a t-shirt, then a long sleeve top and then even a parker. I mean what is going on? Are they not human? Cant they feel the heat, don't they sweat? I had to ask somebody. They wear stocking like gloves that come all the way up to their armpits, they wear hats and scarfs as they are paranoid of their skin becoming darker. Aparently they have yellow skin and westerners have white skin, and white is more beautiful. I have found skin whitening moisturiser in the supermarket!

Everybody sells something, even when they look like they wont. They will. Books, post cards, pineapples, water, rubbish, sunnies, gunga, strawberries, earbuds, everything!

Loved the markets today. Wierd stuff. Guts, tripe, eels having their throats slit, pigs ears, pigs snouts, lots of hanging meat, rabbits, frogs legs, lots & lots of dried fish and fruits, and packets of those coconut nuts, I love those things.

Today we went out to the famous Cu Chi Tunnels, crawling throught the tunnels built by the Vietkong. Very hot and can't see, don't go in them if your claustrophobic. Sam fired a M-16 at the shooting range. It gave his shoulder a bit of a kick. We visited the War museum which was a real eye opener and very depressing. Many graffic photos of amputees, deformed babies in jars from agent orange, guns, bazookas, tanks, fighter planes. We walked throught the tiger prision then we went to the bakery. Took a photo of the cake art. One cake had a marzipan goat sitting on it. Very strange.

Went for dinner tonight at La Table de Siagon, in a small alley off our street. The crispy duck was stange but good, the pancake was massive & very tastey. They have oversized goldfish in tanks around the room, flaming beef dishes, many fluffy faded toothbrushes in the bathroom and a very tiny open kitchen on the other side of the alley.

Siagon highlights

• Hammock man, always seems to be around the corner, "Ham-mock" "Ham-mock". Why do I need a hammock?

• sam giving the finger to a cheeky little cigarette boy after he followed us around the city hasselling us to buy some fags when we both don't smoke. Sam finally says "ok, I'll buy some", goes to pull out some change from his pocket & gives him the finger instead. The boy had some humour, but then soon ran off embarrassed and avoided us for the rest of the day.

• Bargain tastey food. the best spring rolls in the world. the wrapped with noodles instead of rice paper & deep-fried. Peanut chilli dipping sauce. Fresh basil & mint.

• Free cocktails on womens day. Yes womens day. Sam thought it was a crok of shit and wouldn't buy me a flower from the little kids.

• Finding backstreet plastic chair "pho" restaurant. Pho ba curry, adding extra chilli, lots of beer, walking away with plenty of cash in pocket.

• Free pool everywhere

• French toast, jam & bananas for breakfast.

• Our coin fight at Le le Hotel, Opps smashed the glass top on bedside table and covered it up with the phone. We got away with it.

• Deep-fried tofu with lemongrass and chilli

• Braised pork in claypot, makes you wanna be hungry foreva.

• Chicken feet. Yes chicken feet. Sam gobbled them up no problem. I slightly freaking out. but the sticky rice and fries shallots were delish!

After a long day travelling we arrived into Ho Chi Minh City into a crappy piece of shit airport & lined up at immigration, after 30 minutes we were told to line up at the visa line. After our visas were issued we were told to line up in the same immigration line. 2 hours later and still in the line sudden panic hit that our bags were still going round and around on the conveyor belt. Hey there they were, they were sitting alone in this dodgy airport just waiting to be stolen. Lucky us eh.

Funny enough our driver was still waiting for us, and why not for $20 US. Congratulations, our first rip off. He led us towards this shiney black beamer and we climbed into this crappy wagon parked behind.

HCMC is Bangkok x 10. Absolutey swarmed with motorbikes. Millions of millions of motorbikes. Sam & I just sat there, gobs open, unable to speak.

When we got to our hotel we had to ask the taxi driver for help crossing the road. Ha how funny, later we were told the best way is to close your eyes and just step out into the traffic, its true!

We now stuffed. Almost spend the night in the elevator with the bag boy, doors were opening as we were going up and could see all the metal bits. Bit scarey.

Sitting in Le Le hotel which has a toilet in the shower and a flooding air conditioner. We cleaned out the mini-bar of Tiger beer and ate all the coconut nuts.

Readfing the menu here at Le Le....
-Cabonara with eggs and Jam
-Boiled crabs
-Fish head soup
-Tuna fish grinds

Mmmm delish!
Think I'll got out for something to eat.