Day 29: Sunny Gravesend - UK

Still feeling rubbish we again did not make best use of the breakfast buffet. We checked out and waited in reception for our 7.30am pick up to meet our bus that was leaving at 8am. We waited and waited until 8am came and went. We asked reception to call the company and they assured us that they were on their way and that the bus had not left yet.

At about 8.15am the small bus arrived to take us to the large bus. We climbed on to the very old large bus and waited as they attempted to fix the air con. They had no luck and so half hour later we departed on a substitute bus which was actually a bit nicer. We could not believe all this palaver on the only day that it is imperative we arrive at our destination on time, typical.

After approx 3 hours we arrived at the border of Thailand. We had to change buses and carry our luggage for 300m or so in the crazy heat. We passed through the border with no problems then had to wait while two mini vans arrived. We were crammed into the buses, with our luggage stacked up around our ears! This bus was air conditioned but we could hardly feel it especially with the heat streaming through the windows on us.

After a few wee stops we arrived in Khao San Road, Bangkok at around 5pm totally knackered. We went into the first pub we came across and had a cold drink and a bite to eat. We exchanged some money then booked a taxi to the airport. We had both visited here approx 9 years ago and could almost not recognise it. There seemed to be more westerners than locals. We hung around until the mini bus taxi at 7pm which took an hour to the airport.

We checked in our luggage and wasted the next 4 hours until our flight at 00.35am. After the long bus ride today the last thing we needed was a 12 hour flight. We actually managed to sleep the majority of the way which made it a little easier. We arrived at Heathrow at 7.30am and were home safe and sound shortly after.

AKA has come to an end and we are both back to work tomorrow. The trip has been a whirl wind adventure of Asia. We have explored and experienced an incredible amount in just one month. We are tired but have tonnes of amazing memories. We need a holiday to recover.

Day 28: Siem Reap

We woke both feeling a little rough. We went to breakfast but hardly ate a thing. We walked across the road to find free Wifi in a café as our hotel charges $3 per hour. This did not turn out too well as we ended up spending $4 on drinks but it was the principle we think!

We could not muster the energy to walk into town so we booked the bus from Siem Reap to Bangkok with Capitol from a one man band on the side of the street. Fingers crossed he is legitimate as we are cutting it fine as if all goes to plan we will arrive in Bangkok at 6pm and our plane is at midnight. We had intended to do this journey today but could not pass on one more night in this lush hotel.

Back to the hotel we laid by the pool for less than 2 hours as the heat was immense and we felt we were burning already. We rested in the room for a while and watched Taken. We walked just up the road for dinner then I went spending in the local market while Kris returned to the hotel as he has a strong dislike of shopping in markets!

Both still feeling bad and wishing we had not of just eaten, we chilled in the room until a knock at the door at 8pm from Brenda and Kevin who we were meeting for a drink in town. We walked to bar street and had a few drinks then again back to our hotel for a couple more. We said farewell and swapped details in order to meet up again when they visit London in May.

We attempted to pack as we have an early start in the morning.

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Day 27: Siem Reap

We went to breakfast at 8am to give us a whole hour to make use of the buffet before meeting our tuk tuk driver Tida at 9am to go the temples of Angkor. Despite being early it was already extremely hot and sunny and the tuk tuk ride for 10km to the temples was a welcome breeze. We stopped once on the way to purchase our one day pass.
We were not aware of the expanse of various temples that made up the temples of Angkor. Our first stop was Angkor Wat which is the national symbol for Cambodia. This temple was impressively huge and took us the best part of an hour to explore. From here we went to Angkor Thom via a bridge to the South gate which had a tower with four enormous faces of the Buddha of compassion carved into it.
Angkor Thom has several different temples within its boundary walls. Firstly we explored The Bayon which was awesome. It had 54 towers in total with a staggering 216 faces carved in them. Everywhere you looked you could see a smiling face of the king in his meditation state looking in every direction. We then walked to the Baphuon with its 70m long Buddha then onto the terrace of elephants and the terrace of the leper king.
Each of the temples are free to explore as you wish which gives you a great sense of adventure when you are climbing in and out of small archways, corridors, different levels etc. Also, we were expecting thousands of people however were pleasantly surprised that even though there may have been thousands of visitors, as the temples of Angkor were spread out so much there was hardly anybody around.
As we were as melting point from the heat and the walking, we found an ice lolly and made our way back to the tuk tuk. Our last stop was Ta Prohm which is described as the Jungle Temple as it set in amongst thousands of trees several of which are growing in, around and on top of the temple itself. It was amazing to see huge trees with their roots snaking through the old ruins. This is the temple where Tomb Raider was filmed and is thought to be as seductive as Lara Croft.
We got dropped off at the Lucky Market for lunch at 2pm then walked back to the hotel to enjoy the last few hours off sun by the pool. We showered and walked into town to meet Brenda and Kevin whom we met in China and Vietnam. On the way to our meeting point we bumped into them and ended up going for a few drinks in a bar with extended happy hour. We then returned to our place to share another beer and continue chatting and catching up.

Day 26: Siem Reap

We were met by a tuk tuk at 8am to take us to the bus station for our 8.30am bus to Siem Reap. Again the hotel only charges us for one night and we were not complaining. As we arrived at the bus station the hotel receptionist arrived almost immediately after on a moped and apologised for not charging us enough. We equally apologised and coughed up.

We were pleasantly surprised with the nice air con, comfy coach and sat tight for the 6hr ride. We stopped once for an ice cream and wee break and had arrived at the bus terminal in Siem Reap which was nowhere near the city centre and up a dirt back street. We got a tuk tuk to our pre arranged 4 star luxury hotel just 5km up the road.

We stepped into the hotel and felt immediately out of our league! A free watermelon juice and cold towel to great us we checked into our lovely room and were down and in the Olympic sized pool before we knew it.

We sunbathed and swam and relaxed for a few hours until the sun hid behind the hotel. Kris settled his urge to do a work out in the gym while I continued to relax in the room. We walked into town with an ice cream then had a traditional Cambodian meal of pizza! Here we met some familiar faces that we have been bumping into for the last few days.

We watched a street entertainer jump through a ring of knives and flames then walked back to the hotel for a last minute dip in the pool. As it was dark we swam with candles lining the edge of the pool with the stars above.

Day 25: Pnom Penh

We found a nice tuk tuk driver at 9am that took us to the S21 Prison that was formerly a high school. This place was eerie and reeked of torture, murder and misery. The school was converted into a prison where a political leader Pol Pot decided it would be a good idea to murder all intelligent Cambodians so that he could rule a country that were not so clever and would therefore follow him.

From here the tuk tuk took us to the killing fields which is where the 17,000 prisoners were taken to be executed and buried in mass graves in secret from the surrounding villages. The fields were deceptively quiet and peaceful bearing in mind the horrors that had been carried out here. There was a very tall pagoda with a central column of clear glass with thousands of skulls peering out together with a pile of clothes removed from the remains of the bodies.

We were pleased to get back on the tuk tuk for a bit of a breeze and a break from the 40 degree heat. However, the pockets of stench and traffic fumes were equally overbearing. We asked to be dropped off at a huge roundabout where the Wat Phnom temple was built on a hill in the centre together with an elephant providing rides around the hill and monkeys watching the world go by.

We arranged a dollar ride to the KFC near our hotel as we deserved a nice air con building and a break from Asian food. We dined in bliss for an hour then made our way via the supermarket back to our hotel to relax until the Royal Palace opened for afternoon visiting hours.

We ventured over at 3pm and walked the grounds of the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda containing the emerald Buddha. Still in immense heat we sat in the shady gardens to absorb the beautiful surroundings until closing at 5pm. Unfortunately the Royal Palace was shut off as the king was visiting, typical.

After booking a cheap bus ride for tomorrow morning to Siem Reap we walked to Bar 33 which had a great cosy, modern and relaxing atmosphere with free internet. We stayed for happy hour which lasted 3hrs and dinner. The bar had a great view of the Palace and we sat watching the sunset behind the Palace until 8pm.

On the way back to the hotel we got side tracked by a cheap massage. Kris went for the full body while I went for a hands and feet. We could definitely get used to all this pampering!

Day 24: Pnom Penh - Cambodia

We woke with a few more insect bikes than when we fell to sleep with. Breakfast was at 6.30am and on the bus by 7am for a short ride to meet the rest of our group at the floating hotel. We took a boat to a fish farm which was a small container packed full of red snapper that were fed constantly to make more money.

We then took the boat across the river to a fishing village with native Cham people. These stops were very frustrating as it is not real village life at all it seems more of a tourist stop just to fill up the itinerary.

On return to the boat where some people had left their luggage, the boat had been used to take other people back so all hell let loose again amongst our group as all their belongings had gone.

Although there are many things that are not to the level you expect on this trip, some group members are taking their complaining to the extreme and consequently making it worse.
We found the boat with all their bags and climbed onto a fast boat to Pnom Penh which we had paid extra for. This boat was fully enclosed and resembled a green house. We melted for an hour or so to the Cambodian Border.

Our tour guide insisted on us paying on an extra $2 for their visa service which we had no choice but to go along with despite the visa office being just up the road. Again this caused havoc among many. We waited for over an hour while the visas were completed and the next boat arrived to take us further toward the capital.

The next boat resembled a yellow submarine and again was boiling. We were only on it for two minutes until we had to jump off to get our passport stamped in the border courtyard which had a badminton court and a temple in the middle of it. Very random.

Back on the submarine for a further two hours then onto a bus for another hour into the city centre. The bus was not air conditioned and looked approx 100 years old. Very uncomfortable with plastic sweaty cramped seats. When will this journey end!

Bearing in mind we paid extra to ensure we arrived in the city at 1.30pm rather than 6pm we actually rocked up at 4pm, not impressed. With temperature soaring we jumped in a tuk tuk to the riverfront on the other side of town. We checked out a few hotels and managed to resist the urge of the 5 star luxury hotel and went for a nice cheap guesthouse.

A cold shower then went to dinner at sunset for a traditional Khmar meal excluding the French fries side we ordered! We then strolled over to the local supermarket for cheap drinks and snacks. Tuk tuk back to the hotel and watched over the streets of the city from our balcony.

Day 23: Mekong Delta

Early rise to catch our bus at 7.30am. We nearly managed to get away with only paying for two nights as the hotel had incorrectly charged us but they soon realised and caught up with us 10mins later half way down the road.

We jumped on the very cramped minibus which was packed full for 3hrs to where we boarded our boat on the Mekong Delta. We were guided slowly through a floating market then had a quick stop at a village that made coconut candy which was surprisingly tasty.

Back on the boat for 45mins across the delta and through some tiny shady canals we stopped at an island for lunch then took some cycles through some of the lanes and over some of the rickety old bridges. While we were cycling we noticed some very black clouds appearing overhead and within 5mins of being back on the boat the heavens opened.

It was pouring down yet the water was like a hot bath and the rain was warm. It was amazing how it turned from immense heat to tropical thunderstorm in minutes. As the boat reached the other side we had to make a run for the bus which was only 20m away but we all got thoroughly soaked.

By bus we travelled for a couple of hours where we had to board a car ferry to cross a river then back on the bus for another hour to Chau Doc where we were stopping for the night. There was the option of a floating hotel but we opted for the mini hotel in the town centre. However, on arrival the hotel was approx 5km out of the town, no air con, some people did not even have a toilet.

The entire 25 people that made up our tour group are very frustrated and angry as everybody here and everyone we talk to has had the same problems in Vietnam that you book one thing and get another. After approx 30min of arguing, raised voices and a lot of vigorous arm movements we took the room which is nasty especially for the money we have forked out.

Having eaten next to nothing all day we took a cold shower and walked down the street in search of food or a cold beer but all we got was harassment and offers for drugs and sexual favours that we quickly declined. We returned to our room, which resembles a prison cell about 8pm to eat cookies, malaria pills, drink warm water and try to sleep.

Day 22: Saigon

We managed to rise early enough for breakfast then walk to the tour agency for our 8.15am bus to the Chu Chi Tunnels. These tunnels stretch over a network of 258km and are up to three levels deep. The tunnels were handmade by the Vietnamese people to fight against the Americans and ultimately defeat them.

We had an awesome tour guide who had fought in the war and told his story with such enthusiasm it was as if it was the first time he had ever told it. His name was Mr Bean and he was a great character, his face told a thousand stories alone.

The surrounding area was covered with all sorts of booby traps and there was the eerie sounds of gun shots echoing around the forest as there was the opportunity for us to fire guns ranging from AK47’s, M16’s to M60’s… a big gun!

The tunnels are extremely narrow and small and we were able to crawl through 150m of them of which I ducked out after 30m as it was pitch black and difficult to breathe. From the tunnels we briefly visited a local factory where they made very expensive decorative art and furniture.

On our return to the city we hiked to the local super market to grab cheap snacks for lunch. All of which did not satisfy our craving for dairy milk. We relaxed in our air con room for a few hours then hiked to the classy end of town where the posh hotels are to a restaurant named the black cat which had been highly recommended on the internet, and rightly so!

We had burger and chips with strawberry iced milkshake and chocolate brownie dessert which totally hit the spot. We walked back along the main city park where being Saturday and now slightly cooler at 8pm there were thousands of locals enjoying themselves and playing with their children.

We sat on a wall and after minutes a couple of men approached us wanting to practice their English. After the initial wariness of pickpockets wore off we had a nice chat then were joined by Tai a 27 year old ACCA Accountant who’s English was better than mine! We chatted for ages then he agreed to join us for a beer where we continued our very interesting chat until late. It was great to hear his view on Vietnamese life and history together with the views of our war veteran tour guide earlier today.

The Vietnamese older generation are extremely passionate and proud of their country whereas the younger generation are more concerned with enjoying themselves and succeeding. I suppose this is true of most countries but it is very evident here.

Day 21: Saigon

We woke up at 10am and realised we missed breakfast which was included in the price. Having no window to the outdoors we could have slept all day and not realised the time. We went in search of a tour company and after much deliberation we booked two tours for the next few days.

We went to lunch at Pho 24 as recommended by the lonely planet and had delicious local noodle soup and fresh pineapple juice. We then braved the incredibly hot and muggy day to walk miles across town jumping from tree cover to tree cover to avoid the sun. We were out in the sun for only and hour or so yesterday and have both been burnt to a crisp.

We went to the Remnants Museum where we were very impressed yet disturbed by the artefacts from Vietnamese history and the various wars. We slowly melted as we walked to the Reunification Palace and on to the Notre Dam Cathedral. With no energy left we stepped into a shopping mall to grab a cold juice and a custard tart.

Feeling better we walked back to our hotel via the central market and the park which had several outdoor badminton courts with tonnes of locals playing 3 a side. Sitting in the shade with the sprinklers was a great place to watch the world go by.

Saigon city is the king of motorbikes and here are the worst roads we have had to cross so far. We have seen plenty of couples having their wedding photos in parks etc but today we saw a couple posing in the middle of one of the busiest roads which was slightly crazy! We also noticed today the immense amounts of wires hanging everywhere overhead. I had to get a shot of this as I thought to myself my dad would have a hairy fit being an electrician himself.

After a nice relax in our room while waiting for the sun to set we walked out into the backpacker district and had dinner. We then moved on to a local bar which consisted of a few plastic mini children sized chairs on the pavement and several 30p draught beers. Back at the hotel we watched the movie Platoon which is all about the Vietnam War to aid our understanding of what we had learnt at the museum today.