Asian Exploration: Cambodia and Vietnam!

What springs to mind when you think of Cambodia-Maybe Ankor Wat or Angelina Jolie's kid comes from there? It's the poor cousin of Thailand? It's not really featured in any TOP 10 lists to see in lonely planet and I may now confidently say "superbly underrated!" Cambodia may even sneak in above Vietnam for me! It was truly remarkable! Although, I still love Vietnam, Cambodia has an untouched beauty about it, whereas the likes of Ho CHi Minh feels like touristville (on par with Bangok ) where every jolly taxi driver or cyclo driver is trying to milk you for all the possible Dong they can get! We (Kirst and the two JOs) did so very much indeed in 2 weeks that to transcribe my untidy, scribbled diaries onto the more modern convenience of a desktop would just take hours and hours and would be BORING! So instead-a "photos HIGHs" section will follow the itinerary with all things worthy of mentioning!

9 Jan: Arrive Siem Reap (ancient temple exploring, bicyclin, fish eating feet, massages)

10Jan: Siem Reap ( fish amok, beautiful apsara scultures, Tomb Raider temple, tuk-tuk rides)

11 Jan: Siem Reap and overnight bus to Sinokville (sleezy, old, fat, desparate man hang out)

12 Jan: Nomad Island (mango shakes, fresh grilled fish, crimson sunsets, hammocks reading "First they killed my Father", snorkelling, phosphorescence in the sea at night )

13 Jan: Nomad Island (aka paradise)

14 Jan: Nomad Island (aka more paradise)

15 Jan: Phnom Penh ( Killing fields, Security Prison 21, Palace, best con-artist book seller aged 10 that got us to buy 5 books)

16 Jan: Phomn Penh ( beautiful orchids, a chat with a monk, a fried frog!)

17 Jan: Chau Doc (cyclos, a motorbike ride, a tour of the floating villages and feeding fish)

18 Jan: Can Tho ( a bustling river-front with everythign on sale from Bonsai to new clothes all for Lunar New Year)

19 Jan: Can Tho ( Floating market cut short, a medicine women and a visit to the local public hospital- oh adn Sauteed snake!)

20 Jan: HO Chi Minh ( Getting screwed by a cyclo driver, Reunification palace, Ben Thahn Market)

21 Jan: HO Chi Minh ( the most delicious meal at teh same restaurant twice in one day, war remnanats museum with a great exhibition of war photographers, Ho Chi Minh City Museum)

22 Jan: Ho Chi Minh and fly back to Incheon Korea. ( A Vietnamese cooking course with a famous American chef and one long flight home)

HIGHS in pictures!

All the different types of Transport- ferry, boat, speed boat, bus, over-night bus that screeched like a beginner violinist for all 10 hours, a tuk-tuk, a cyclo ( human pushed wheelbarrow), a mini-bus, a motorbike, a bicycle, taxi-legal and illegal!

The unbelievable detail of the centuries old temples! My favourite being Banteay Srei! I could have spent another few days here! I loved the beautiful little side streets, the markets, tuk-tuks and the looming ancient era every now and then as temples seemed to shoot out from the beautiful rice paddies! I loved the apsaras-the beautiful breasted women and the majestic lions!

The flowers! Oh the orchids! Uncle John would have loved them! Somethign I have missed so much from home! Nothing like warmer climates for sunshine and flowers!

The paradise of Nomads island was incomparable to anything I have experienced before. Complete tranquility and isolation from the rest of the world: hammocks, books, snorkelling, fresh fish, a mice invasion and magnificent sunsets!

Of course beautiful people are never hard to find in South East Asia-especially little kids! My goodness! I just want one! This little kid-Fong ended up massaging my legs! The girls at the bottom sold us beautiful bamboo made dragonflies and birds! " only 1$ lady"! There Englsih was far better than my kids at school -sad how "struggle for survival" is a wonderful catalyst for learning!

Of course another moment worth mentioning is the horrific tragedies of war both in Vietnam and Cambodia that has left horrific evidence of its destruction. I questioned the ethics of having a memorial containing everyone's skulls at the killing fields and the horrific pre-execution photos of prisoners at S-21 in Phnom Penh. It just doesn't make sense to me! Any of it.

And of course, what would a great trip be without food-glorious food! Oh and markets-how can I possibly forget those! I have never tasted such delightful things. Kirst and I spoilt ourselves to a cooking Kirst on the last day with a trip to the local market and a course which happened to be with the famous American chef-John Ash. Very cool indeed!