Posts from — February 2010

So we made it alive into Can Tho (just!), found a seriously cheap hotel and booked our dawn cruise to the floating markets.

The kids are so not into this whole dawn thing – Angkor Wat was bad enough, but getting into a little boat to see what?  People selling fruit?  Oh COME ON!!

They have become addicted to cable tv and their only pre-requisite for our accommodation is that it must have cable – preferably Disney Channel.  We shake our heads and hope that something of what we have seen or experienced, especially in Cambodia is sinking in.

Anyway, back to those people selling fruit – it was quite a pleasant cruise and yes we saw the people who live and work out of their boats.  Some were absolutely packed to the brim with fruit or veges.

We also went down some of the more narrow canals to see the people who live along the banks and some rice fields.  We had come specifically to CanTho to do this and it was well worth while.

Every comment I’ve made about crazy drivers on this trip were erased from my mind after we caught a minibus from Chau Doc to Can ThoCity.  This man did not attend Eval Kenival’s school for mini bus drivers.  This man was Mr K himself re-incarnate! [Read more →]

So we left Cambodia behind and took a slow boat down the Mekong & Bassac rivers into the Mekong Delta to the border town of Chau Doc.

It was definately a slow boat and took almost all day sowe were glad when we got  over the border and changed to a smaller boat that turned down intoa canal.  Here we could see the people and their homes, livestock and boats more closely which was interesting. 

Some of the more interesting sights were the many monkey bridges – rickety looking things that we saw a number of people crossing as we passed under and duck pens – fenced off areas on the bank of the river, with a small bit of water absolutely covered in ducks.  One pen was filledwith blue ducks!  Apparently they dye the ducksso they don’t get mixed up with the neighbours’. [Read more →]

Favourite Place:-

Paul – Phnom Penh
Amanda – Siem Reap
Caitlin -Siem Reap
Georgie – Siem Reap
Ashlea – Siem Reap
Michael – Siem Reap

Favourite Food:-

Paul – Khmer curry at Anjali, Phnom Penh
Amanda – Quesadillas in Siem Reap
Caitlin – Enchiladas in Siem Reap
Georgie – Khmer curry at the Khmer Kitchen, Siem Reap
Ashlea – Tacos in Siem Reap
Michael – Chicken wraps in Siem Reap

Favourite thing we did:-

Paul – Visiting the city dump community in Phnom Penh.
Amanda – Driving through the countryside near Siem Reap by tuk tuk.
Caitlin – The market at Siem Reap.
Georgie – Driving through the countryside.
Ashlea – Swimming in the hotel pool.
Michael – Shopping at the Siem Reap market.

Thing disliked most:-

Paul – Evidence of corruption everywhere.
Amanda – The palace walls  symbolise Phnom Penh to me – manicured gardens andwealth on one side but poverty & filth on the other.
Caitlin – Palace.
Georgie - The royal palace.
Ashlea – The palace.
Michael – Girl selling water outside the palace who wanted to practice her Aussie on us by saying – G’day Mate; Aussie! Aussie Aussie! and our personal favourite – A dingotook my baby! over & over & over..

Lonely Planet opens it’s Phnom Penh entry with… “it’s exotic, it’s chaotic, it’s beguiling, it’s distressing, it’s compulsive, it’s repulsive”.  I have to agree.  PP is all of those things and lots more of those types of words.  It’s a place of great contradiction.  No matter where you look, there’s a contradiction, whether it be in wealth, culture or even hygiene.

The very first day we entered Cambodia – after coming from touristy Thailand – I thought to myself “Why?  Why is it like this?  Why is one side of the border relatively clean and the road repaired and the other side looks like a warzone?”  When we came from Cambodia into Vietnam, once again, it’s like progressing 20 years – just by crossing an unseen line on the map.

[Read more →]

While we have been in Phnom Penh, we have been looking for an organization that helps the most in need.

 On our second last night here, we were handed a pamphlet at a restaurant,:-   …Please come with us, to help the children at the City Dump.   Join us on our working trips to help feed hungry children that live at the city dump. You buy the food with us, we recommend $15 upwards, we buy 3 meals for $1, you give them the food you buy.  Warning: You may find what you see distressing, please prepare yourself, they need your help desperately.” [Read more →]

So after a day to recover from our border crossing and find the lay of the land, we booked the hotel minibus to take us out to the Angkor archaeology complex.  Turned out it was about the same price to take the nice air con van as it was to take 2 tuk tuks, so we decided to go for sunrise over Angkor Wat and return to the hotel for our free breakfast buffet and then go back to the temples at lunch time to break it up for the kids. [Read more →]

So after a very relaxing and enjoyable stay in Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand, we once again headed to Bangkok en route to Cambodia.  This time we did actually manage to get tickets on the sleeper train, which turned into a bit of a novelty for all of us and we all had quite a fun time, particularly after the bed attendant came and put the beds together and made them up. 

As usual, the toilets caused a bit of a giggle (we have spent quite a lot of time discussing toilets over the last month!) mainly because there was a squat toilet and a western toilet – using a squat on a moving train is extremely interesting!

We went back to our old favourite – The Ramada Hotel – they will give us 2 rooms incl a massive buffet breakfast and free wifi in a 4 star hotel for abt $90 AUD – an absolute bargain for Bangkok.

We were going out to eat and I had to go back to get something.  When I got down to the lobby, I couldn’t get out of the elevator hall because it was blocked by a group of Indian tourists who were all milling around.  I pushed my way through until I could finally see what all the fuss was about and realised they were all standing around laughing, pointing and having their photos taken with my children!  This was not the first time we’ve been
stopped to have photos taken but usually it was by Thais.  This was a whole new level of paparazzi!  I took some photos to show you that it really isn’t much fun to be a tourist attraction! [Read more →]

Favourite food:
Paul – Green chicken curry at Pan Beach.
Amanda – Green chicken curry at Pan Beach.
Caitlin – A cheeseburger set from Mo’s Burgers (a type of Japanese McDonalds!)
Georgie – Banana fruit shakes
Ashlea – Noodle soup with chicken
Michael – Fruit, yogurt & muesli at Pan Beach
Favourite activity:
Paul – trekking in Khao Sok National Park
Amanda – Elephant Nature Park
Caitlin – Elephant Nature Park
Georgie – Elephant Nature Park
Ashlea – Elephant Nature Park
Michael – Elephant Nature Park

Favourite Place:
Paul – Pan Beach, Krabi.
Amanda – Kanchanaburi
Caitlin – Pan Beach Bungalows.
Georgie – Pan Beach.
Ashlea – Pan Beach Bungalows.
Michael – Kanchanaburi
Most disliked:
Paul – The driver who took us to the seafood restaurant in Bangkok.
Amanda – Being stopped for photos & strangers hugging & kissing the kids.
Caitlin – Thai food.
Georgie – People touching us all the time.
Ashlea – Ladies who kissed me at the temple.
Michael – Frog ladies (tribal ladies selling wooden frogs)