Andre, Danny, Louise and myself with two locals in Siem Reap
Angkor wat ruins
Angkor wat sunrise with Andre
Sunrise at Angkor wat
Andre, Louise, Richard, Monika and myself drinking Mekong whiskey on the beach! 
Danny, Monika and Andre - clearly boozing
Emma and myself playing chess on the beach
BBQ at the beach, locals cooking for the evening 
Sun setting in Sihanoukville
The Killing Fields - so quiet, given what happened there in the 70s
Commemorative stupa at the Killing Fields, bones and clothes from people murdered there
Monkeys hanging out in the park! Country - Cambodia
Capital - Phnom Phen
Currency - Cambodian Riel/US Dollar (US Dollar is widely accepted and mostly preferred)
Phnom Phen (Est. population: 2,000,064, May, 2009)
The journey to Phnom Phen wasn’t too bad, took circa four hours to arrive and met a few Canadians and Americans on the bus. Of course, with me slightly opposed to Lonely Planets I didn't know where I was going in the city to stay! I chatted to a few Canadian and Americans who I met on the bus from Ho Chi Minh.
The journey to Phnom Phen wasn’t too bad, took circa four hours to arrive and met a few Canadians and Americans on the bus. Of course, with me slightly opposed to Lonely Planets I didn't know where I was going in the city to stay! I chatted to a few Canadian and Americans who I met on the bus from Ho Chi Minh.
We got rickshaws/tuk tuks to the lake at Phnom Phen, where all the backpackers stay. I shared a room with an American girl and we got a room for $7 a night. The guy who showed us the room, after showing us the room, immediately whipped out some weed and was trying to sell to me! It was the first time someone showing me a room in a guesthouse offered me weed!
The following day I met up with the two Emmas from Sweden in the evening for drinks and food. We went to the Killing Fields and the S21 torture museum the next day which was really difficult to take. To know what these happy people had to endure during the period 1974-9. The Killing Fields is rather serenely quiet, in stark contrast to those horrendous events during the reign of the Khmer Rouge massarcers.
The following day I met up with the two Emmas from Sweden in the evening for drinks and food. We went to the Killing Fields and the S21 torture museum the next day which was really difficult to take. To know what these happy people had to endure during the period 1974-9. The Killing Fields is rather serenely quiet, in stark contrast to those horrendous events during the reign of the Khmer Rouge massarcers.
I was recommended to go to the Killing Fields first which - as it turned out - as good advice indeed. If I had went to the S21 museum first I sincerely doubt I would have went onwards to the Killing Fields at all. The s21 site is the location for the initial screening of the 'educated minds' - all those of any educational status were considered from the 'new' era of progressiveness.
The 'old' was prior to the fall of the Angkor empire. I read a book entitled the 'Memoirs of the Cambodian children' or something to that effect. Parents who were of the educated status ditched there glasses even in an attempt to appear uneducated. Strange as it may seem this was a common occurrance at the time. The grave irony of the situation and tryanny is that Pol Pot, the leader of the regime, was in fact an educated individual himself. One of the many forms of the hypcrisoy at the time.
The three Irish guys got to Phnom Phen the next day and we hung out again, boozing as per usual! It was the first taste of Beer Lao I had (obviously from Lao but imported) and it is a top beer. Many people had told me about it and I wasn't disappointed. The Mekong Delta trip the guys did, as it turned out, wasn't as good as they expected. Too many tourists.
The 'old' was prior to the fall of the Angkor empire. I read a book entitled the 'Memoirs of the Cambodian children' or something to that effect. Parents who were of the educated status ditched there glasses even in an attempt to appear uneducated. Strange as it may seem this was a common occurrance at the time. The grave irony of the situation and tryanny is that Pol Pot, the leader of the regime, was in fact an educated individual himself. One of the many forms of the hypcrisoy at the time.
The three Irish guys got to Phnom Phen the next day and we hung out again, boozing as per usual! It was the first taste of Beer Lao I had (obviously from Lao but imported) and it is a top beer. Many people had told me about it and I wasn't disappointed. The Mekong Delta trip the guys did, as it turned out, wasn't as good as they expected. Too many tourists.
However, I decided I wanted to get out of Phnom Phen and get to the beach in Sihanoukville, the only sightseeing I wanted to do in Phnom Phen was the Killing Fields/S21. Besides, I was weary of my schedule so I booked a bus ticket to leave the following morning. The Swedish girls decided to come along with me and we agreed to meet the guys there. That night before we left we got really stoned, I could bearly talk, it was great!
Sihanoukville (Est. population: 199,902, province, 2008)
Sihanoukville was cool to hang out but nothing unbelievable to be honest. I found Viet Nam The beach itself was a little overhyped and the water dirty (there was plastic and other crap floating around). The Swedes and myself shared a room for $10 a night so it was cheap. Danny, Joe and Shane arrived the next day after staying to do the Killing Fields and S21, which we already did.
Sihanoukville (Est. population: 199,902, province, 2008)
Sihanoukville was cool to hang out but nothing unbelievable to be honest. I found Viet Nam The beach itself was a little overhyped and the water dirty (there was plastic and other crap floating around). The Swedes and myself shared a room for $10 a night so it was cheap. Danny, Joe and Shane arrived the next day after staying to do the Killing Fields and S21, which we already did.
There was some great BBQs in the evening - two meats, some piece of fish with BBQ potatoe and salad. One place gave you a beer included for $3! The same place had $1 beers and $0.50 beers between 10 and 11! We basically swam during the day and had drinks in the evening. We met a few of our friends we hung out with in Viet Nam – Richard (Canadian), Monika (Polish), Andre (American) and Louise (English). Just bumped into them at the beach we were staying at, the Serendipity beach, was fantastic to see them all again.
Rich told me about Mekong whiskey, he found a spot where you could buy a bottle of Mekong, coke, lime and ice all for 5 bucks! We did rounds of Mekong whiskey on the beach, great banter! We had plenty of banter! Decided to stay a extra day or two, was great to be back on the beach and out of a city. Got a massage on the beach one day and I showed my shoulders to the woman, they were badly burned and peeling after Viet Nam.
Rich told me about Mekong whiskey, he found a spot where you could buy a bottle of Mekong, coke, lime and ice all for 5 bucks! We did rounds of Mekong whiskey on the beach, great banter! We had plenty of banter! Decided to stay a extra day or two, was great to be back on the beach and out of a city. Got a massage on the beach one day and I showed my shoulders to the woman, they were badly burned and peeling after Viet Nam.
She got some fresh aloe vera stalks and it clear it quickly. She wanted $20 for it all! I gave her $12 and told her that'sw all she was getting. You always have to haggle in Cambodia! I paid $3 for some buddhist beeds and that more than I should have paid as well, this have them though!
Siem Reap (Est. population: 139,458 , 2006)
We all left the same day to go to Siem Reap, mainly to visit Angkor Wat – one of the wonders of the world and one of the largest temple ruins, built in the early 12th Century. I almost missed the bus there - I stayed over with a friend and woke up at about 7, we were being picked up at 07h30. The guy running the guesthouse had to drive me to the bus station and the bus was waiting for me! We had to take two buses, one back to Phnom Phen and another to take us to Siem Reap. Danny had some weed so we had a version of our woreos from Viet Nam. The bus gave us water and some cake so we put weed into the cake and voila, we had wake!
We went to Angkor Wat for the sun rise has we heard it was amazing and it truly was a sight to behold. I was wrecked getting out there, stayed up to watch the champions league. The sunrise was majestic and there was so many temple ruins. Andre paid some guy to give us a mini tour but Louise and myself kept on joking around. By 11h00 we were quite tired and had enough. We went back to the guesthouse and I had got stoned and took a nap.
It was a pity I had such little time, we had such a great group of people there - the two Swedish Emmas, Danny, Shane, Joe, Andre, Louise and myself. A great crew and we had plenty of drinks. After two days though I had to go back to Phnom Phen to catch my flight to Bangkok.
I'll hopefully be posting an entry on Thailand in the next day or two.
Peace,
Liam O'Connor, travelling hobbit
Siem Reap (Est. population: 139,458 , 2006)
We all left the same day to go to Siem Reap, mainly to visit Angkor Wat – one of the wonders of the world and one of the largest temple ruins, built in the early 12th Century. I almost missed the bus there - I stayed over with a friend and woke up at about 7, we were being picked up at 07h30. The guy running the guesthouse had to drive me to the bus station and the bus was waiting for me! We had to take two buses, one back to Phnom Phen and another to take us to Siem Reap. Danny had some weed so we had a version of our woreos from Viet Nam. The bus gave us water and some cake so we put weed into the cake and voila, we had wake!
We went to Angkor Wat for the sun rise has we heard it was amazing and it truly was a sight to behold. I was wrecked getting out there, stayed up to watch the champions league. The sunrise was majestic and there was so many temple ruins. Andre paid some guy to give us a mini tour but Louise and myself kept on joking around. By 11h00 we were quite tired and had enough. We went back to the guesthouse and I had got stoned and took a nap.
It was a pity I had such little time, we had such a great group of people there - the two Swedish Emmas, Danny, Shane, Joe, Andre, Louise and myself. A great crew and we had plenty of drinks. After two days though I had to go back to Phnom Phen to catch my flight to Bangkok.
I'll hopefully be posting an entry on Thailand in the next day or two.
Peace,
Liam O'Connor, travelling hobbit
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