The Adventures of Morris: Cambodia

Sorry, Nick forgot to add the latest installment of Morris. Here he is chilling at Bayon, the temple of faces.

People having wedding photos at the same time as Morris

Thailand: Katchanaburi & Erawan National Park

We escaped the hustle and bustle of Bangkok to the more countryside town of Katchanaburi, which is famous not only for its fantastic waterfalls but also for its bridge on the river Kwai, in which during its construction approximately 13,000 prisoners of war reportedly died through forced labour.

We stayed a little out of town in the countryside with an old hippy who had some amazing stories of his travels and building various hotel resorts around the world.

The next day we caught the local bus to the 7 tier waterfall at Erawan.  This was to be our second encounter of mass Russian tourism, they were everywhere in the most unflattering attire, I mean it was hideous....  Then to top it all off they would insist of doing the most provocative of poses for photos as though they were taken part in a photo shoot for mens (or womens) magazine.  It was haunting, but once you looked past that (which was pretty hard) we enjoyed some of the most best waterfalls we had ever seen.  Oh and I forgot to mention the skin-eating fish which would wait in a shoal for you to enter the pools, then go to town on your feet and there were some big ones in there.

The foot-muncher caught on camera (small) 

This was not the last time we would encounter the Russians!!!

Thailand: Bangkok

Border crossing  into Thailand was super simple and then we endured the worst minibus driving ever on the road to Bangkok, it was mental.  I think we spent most of our journey on the wrong side of the road or swerving around the smallest holes.

We were glad to get to the biggest city so far in one piece.  We checked into our hotel and planned the next couple of days in Bangkok.

The next day was probably the biggest shopping day I have ever experienced in my life!  We headed out to the biggest market I have ever seen which sold a variety of things including animals. Unfortunately we were pretty disappointed with the quality of most of the products but we did buy some of our best smoothies yet, which were gigantic!  Afterwards we headed to another crazy indoor market, which all the fakes you could get your hands on (but poor quality again), then were amazed at the craziness of the Christmas decorations/festivities around the main shopping centres.

The best egg wrapped pad thai 

The following day we headed into the old town to check out Wat Pho's huge golden reclining Buddha. We then headed back towards the skytrain where we got hopelessly lost in Chinatown.  After wandering around in the heat of Bangkok for hours we decided to spend the evening watching The Hobbit in probably the best cinema we'd ever been too.  The seats were reclining and they even had sofas at the back.



I'll also add here that we returned to Bangkok 3 times before heading up north for the next stage of our journey.  One of nights we spent here I took Rosie to Flowhouse, which we also have in England but a lot more expensive.  The best way to describe it would be a sort of artificial wave generated by jetting 2 or 3 inches of water really fast over a soft matted small hill (a picture might be better...).  Rosie loved it and we spent a few hours surfing, listening to music, drinking cocktails, watching the pro riders and enjoying the atmosphere.

Cambodia: Siem Reap

After yet another bus journey we arrived in Siem Reap, which is probably the unofficial capital of Cambodia and our favourite destination so far.  We splashed out and bought the expensive (for us) 3 day Angkor Archaeological Park ticket (400Km squared) and I think we made the most of it.  It's a fantastic place which encompasses remains of past Khmer capitals from the 9th-15th centuries, so lots of varied architecture.

Day one, Rosie was suffering from a case of "bus air-conditioning cold" so we chilled out at our lovely hostel, played some chess and drank smoothies (which by the way, we have almost every day, because they are so cheap and gewd).


Day two I managed to drag Rosie out of bed at around 4:30am and venture out to Angkor park on our rented bikes.  We decided to spend sunrise at Ta Prohm (a smaller temple made famous in the Tomb Raider film) rather than at the tourist jammed Angkor Wat.  This was a great decision as we had the place to ourselves for about an hour with the eery presence of the tree covered temples.

After this we headed towards the larger temple complex of Bayon whilst stopping at a few other amazing temples onroute.  We then headed North and rode around some of the smaller temples (but no less impressive) before heading back to Angkor Wat to finish.  We were worried at this point the main attraction may seem underwhelming considering all the temples we had seen that day.  Nothing to worry about here, as we turned the corner we were presented with a breath-taking image of one of the world's most famous temples.

Day three was my turn to suffer from the dreaded cold but headed out (admittedly later and by tuk tuk) to Kbal Spean 50km north of Siem Reap.  Then came a rocky climb (which almost finished me for the day) up a dried up river to check out the glyphs and runes underneath the crystal clear river.  Once we got back down I thought it best to collapse in a hammock and sleep for an hour while Rosie chatted to our tuk tuk driver.  We stopped at some other temples on the way back and our driver bought us some sticky rice balls with a sugar centre covered in coconut shavings, which were amazing.

Next day was another rest day, but the day after we headed out into the countryside to look at a few more temples (crumbly ones) and the stilt houses built to deal with the yearly floods.  Lots of drying fish in the sun here, which smelt awful.  Our tuk tuk driver bought us another food gift of sticky rice and black in a char-grilled bamboo stalk, yummy.

Then it was off to Thailand!!!

Cambodia: Kampong Cham

We were recommended to stop off in Kampong Cham on the way to Siem Reap by a "famous" Dutch journalist who we encountered many times in Cambodia.

To be honest there wasn't lot happening in the town.  We rented bikes and cycled to another island across a cool bamboo bridge, which the Cambodians rebuild every year after the monsoon season.  It was pretty weird to ride on as it flexed underneath us, but it capability to support cars reassured us.  Again we ended up saying our "Hellos" loads more times and watched some kids playing a strange game with a chicken... Don't really know what was going on...

We then spent a lovely evening in, ordered some Pizza (our first western food in ages) and watched Harry Potter...  Thank you HBO!

Cambodia: Kratie

Lets try and keep this one a little shorter...

Originally we had planned to head to Battambang before Siem Reap, but instead decided that we needed a dose of countryside and wildlife after the city, so we headed to Kratie.  Kratie is a small town on the Mekong famous for its countryside but most the elusive Irrawaddy river dolphin, which wasn't really that shy.

The only picture of a dolphin we got.

First we hired bicycles and took a ferry over to a nearby island in the Mekong.  We cycled round it which provided an insight into the workings of rural Cambodia and showcased the friendliness of the Cambodian.  We must have said "Hello" and waved to over a hundred kids that day.

The VERY friendly boat driver.

Afterwards we cycled up the river 16km to where the river dolphins resided.  We were a little worried about the sustainability of the tourism practices, but it turned out that there were only a couple of boats out on the water viewing the dolphins so we decided to join them.  We then tied up at a stanchion of a previous bridge and sat and watched the dolphins (which looked more like porpoise), some even came pretty close.


We then spent the evening fighting off the swarms of insects which occupy Kratie's guesthouses.

Bat Update

Turned out the pool had more perks than we thought as we found ourselves accompanied by bats, gleaning the surface around us during an evening swim. Pretty wild experience for the middle of a capital city...

Cambodia: Phnom Penh

I thought I'd keep the blog nice and consistent by updating you on our travels 3 weeks later, at least that's my excuse.  So at the time of writing we have both entered Cambodia and left and are now in Thailand, but more on that later...  Oh and if you hadn't guessed it's Nick here and I will be writing the next section.  Exciting stuff...   So onto the nitty gritty.

After feeling pretty chuffed with ourselves at standing our ground and not caving in to the additional tourist visa fee we arrived in a good mood at our first Cambodian city, Phnom Penh.  However we shortly brought down off our high when we discovered that all the accommodation we had planned to stay at was full.  After walking around the baking hot sun for a good two hours we decided to take a tuk tuk to a hotel which name had been etched in my memory due to association with all things surfing.  And so we headed to the gorgeous Billabong hotel (which may have been a little over our budget..)  It was everything we wanted in the baking heat, a lovely air conditioned room overlooking a swimming pool.

The next day we headed out to gain a greater understanding of the horrific Khmer Rouge regime, which was responsible for the death of around 1.4 to 2.2 million people between 1975-79.  We visited one of most famous of Khmer Rouge killing fields in Cambodia (out of an estimated 20,000), as well as Tuol Sleng genocide museum (the site of the notorious S-21 prison).  Both of these were an eye opening experience and  we both struggled to comprehend how people could be so inhumane.

Weird and wonderful mountain goat

The following day we headed out of town again to the largest wildlife rescue centre in Southeast Asia.  We were a little appalled on entry to find many animals (monkeys, birds etc.) in small cages.  After a few questions we found out that this was the holding area for quarantined animals before they were given a larger enclosure in the park.  We then walked through what looked like the entrance to Jurassic Park into the main area, being a little cautious about the herd of deer (some with big pointy antlers) waiting for us on the other side of the gate.  Turns out the Cambodians are a little more lax in health and safety than back home and we were soon walking through a huge enclosure similar to Woburn Safari park with free roaming animals (we had no idea what was in there..).  Particular highlights of day include: seeing the weirdest mammal we had ever seen, the Biturang, google it!!  A giant aviary full of the biggest storks.  Over 120 rescued bears from cruel practices.  A blind Langur who would follow our voice and still show perfect swinging ability.  Oh and I also got man handled by a gibbon in a cage when I got too close.... honestly it just wouldn't let go of my shirt!!!

On the way back we enjoyed a couple of frogs on sticks and palm juice with our tuk tuk driver by the side of the road.  When I say enjoyed I really mean I got dared to down the bottle of palm juice and felt horribly ill afterwards....

The ominous frog on stick and palm juice

Hmmm that was a long one, probably should make it a little shorter next time...

The Adventures of Morris: Vietnam

Morris chilling out in Halong Bay

2nd December: Leaving Vietnam for Cambodia

I have been writing for quite a while now so I will make this my last post for the night!

Looking over to Cambodia from Sam Mountain near Chau Doc

We entered Cambodia on the 2nd December after catching the fast boat from Chau Doc. After reading about the visa scams at the border we were clued up enough to pay the correct $20 fee, we were only 2 of 4 people on the boat who did so. The other passengers paid $24, the extra of which goes straight in to the pockets of the boat conductor and passport control officer. It was a bit of a struggle but handily enough there is a sign above the desk that says 'tourist visa: $20', so we pointed at this every time they asked for more. This gave us a little boost of achievement before we entered the massive city of Phnom Penh. 

Vietnam: Can Tho & Chau Doc

Had a really knowledgable boat guide in Can Tho that took us on a tour of the floating markets and surrounding area. Ate some dragon fruit and papaya from the boat market and then did a bit of botany along the river identifying fruit plants. Enjoyed two whole pineapples during the journey which were carved in the best way that turns them in to giant pineapple lollipops.  This will have to be attempted when we get back.

In Chau Doc I finally succumbed to some asian cold (probably from the 8hr night bus the day before) so had my first sick day and Nick went out exploring the town in the afternoon whilst I slept it off. He came back with fresh lychees from the market and descriptions of massive river fish that were being kept in water filled tubs on the street ready to sell- can't get much fresher!

The next day we went to find Mr Long who owns a tiny bookshop in town and does non-touristy trips out to a lesser know forrest reserve: Tra Su. We arranged a trip which was our first proper excursion in to the countryside. It was a weird cross between LOTR and waterworld, we had to navigate the forrest by boat as all the trees grow out of the water which is covered by thick vegetation. Had some good bird sightings from the 23m viewing platform, including a kingfisher species I had never seen before. When driving back (by moped) at sunset along the quiet country road out of the reserve about 50-100+ white storks flew directly over in the opposite direction to roost. This was an amazing sight.

Vietnam: Dalat & Ho Chi Minh

Rosie being stalked by the cutest puppy...

Escaped to a monastery in Dalat to evade the moped chaos that had been more or less constant since starting our trip in Hanoi. Very peace full and home to THE largest (so far) spindly red bodied spiders which made their webs over many of the pathways. Dalat also is home to the SE Asian species of swan boat. No we did not go on one.

Ho Chi Minh gave us our first sobering experience in the form of the war remnants museum; a photographic exhibition of the vietnam war and its aftermath. Informative but hard to comprehend.

One of our favourite meals so far here where you BBQ your own food on the pillar at the centre of your table that also acts as a stove. Treated ourselves to ginger and sesame seed beef, coconut chicken and salt & chilli king prawn skewers, BBQ crab spring rolls and corn fritters. YUM.

Vietnam: Hue & Nha Trang

First experience of being driven by a vietnamese man on a moped. I got the fast moped with the risky driver, nick got the slow moped with an older more cautious gentleman. This was the best way to visit the tombs, pagoda and Hai Phong mountain pass all in one day. Having said this, there is a certain art to staying at an appropriate distance from your driver whilst he zig zags around trucks, goes over massive bumps in the road, whilst all you have to hang on to is the grip behind you that your practically sitting on.

First night train of the trip from Hue to Nha Trang. Went well apart from the ominous sick/food gue that we found on arrival on nicks allocated bunk (we flipped the mattress). 

Nha Trang turned out to be a very popular holiday destination for Russian tourists: unexpected. The national oceanographic museum was our main activity here. This was fairly good with a large collection of species and information some aspects of conservation, however this did somewhat conflict with the row of shops outside selling jars of seahorses and other marine life. 

Vietnam: Da Nang & Hoi An

 Saw a dead scorpion and got drenched by tropical storm in Da Nang. Took shelter in a traditional tea house before heading for the local bus stop to Hoi An.

Hoi An bus journey was the most authentic experience of this location, the bus conductor was playing the 'how many people can we fit on this bus' game and the driver was playing the 'how many vehicles can I dodge last minute' game.  The town itself is really nice and picturesque but is totally geared towards tourism. All the shops, bridges and streets were covered with lanterns at night and needless to say I did the first of much shopping here. Met another couple by fluke who we knew from home and cycled to the beach and herb gardens out of town (we think we made it to the herbs, we never knew for sure).

Also our towels in our hotel were made in to swans which was pretty cool.

First bats sighted

Cat Ba was also the first place we saw bats flying overhead. Think the were a pipistrelle-esque species, but perhaps even smaller. Came out at a similar light level.

Vietnam: Cat Ba Island

This was our highlight of Vietnam. On our first day here we went kayaking around the area of Halong Bay in some of the more quiet non-tourist spots with a really great company: Slo Pony. After getting into the kayak with a general idea of a route we were allowed to go and explore by ourselves. This was so much better than other kayaking experiences we saw later where you just get dropped off in one busy bay. During our 3hr explorations we saw loads of Black Kites which are common in this area, tiny flying fish that jump out of the water in front of you and negotiated small archways with crabs climbing up the walls.  After lunch on the boat we set out again in a different location and were lucky enough to come across a group of wild monkeys in a deserted bay. Even luckier was our sighting of the rare Cat Ba langur on the way back to the port. There are only 60 or so left and some people who have worked here 10 years have only seen them twice.

Rope climbing and deep water soloing took up another couple of days, really great activities in the landscape. We also bumped in to someone from school on one of the tiny islands where we did a route. Small world.

Vietnam: Hanoi

When people say that Vietnam is hectic, this in no way goes far enough to describe the moped chaos that is a typical Vietnamese town and in particular, Hanoi.

After catching up on sleep, having our first local breakfast of pho bo (a beef noodle soup) and the first of many banana pancakes we went in search of the crashed B52 shown in top gear. Supposedly it was in a small lake in the North of the city, but after finding the lake empty we discovered that the plane had been removed to a army compound nearby. We were rapidly ushered away from the entrance by a woman in uniform, then ushered in by some locals and then ushered out again by two men in uniform. Not sure if this qualifies as a successful venture but at least we found it!

Later we made the mistake of visiting the Ho Chi Minh museum (only westerners pay to go in). This turned out to be some weird artistic interpretation of his life featuring many of his pens and a stone he apparently used to scrape of leaches. We used this place to shelter from the first tropical rainstorm- it was useful in that respect.

After a couple of days of exploring and jet lag recovery, we made our way to Cat Ba Island.

First stop: Kuala Lumpur

Yes, we slept through this stop. We saw the train station, very modern and jungly. May have also seen the Patronus Towers from the train stop (we think) at 1am in the morning. Hoping to do it better on the way back.

On to Vietnam!

And so it begins... (finally)

So: after many, many people asking why the blog has remained empty for the last 3 weeks, we are finally going to get round to writing something. In one night I am going to attempt to fill you guys in on the entire trip so far, best prepare yourselves for a blog overload...

PS: Nick also plans to upload a map of our route shortly (don't hold your breath this may take another 3 weeks...)